writingwithciara

[writingwithciara]

Nate Macauley x GN reader fluff sfw tickle fight?

thank you for requesting & for your patience. you requested this on february 10, 2024 & i apologize it has taken me so freaking long to write it.

good news though. you can FINALLY read it here!

[writingwithciara]

ticklish -nate macauley-

summary: after a playful tickle fight leaves them breathless with laughter, nate and y/n share a quiet, tender moment together.

word count: 843

pairing: nate macauley x gn!reader

note: this was requested by @acotar-lover and although i have never attempted to write a gender neutral fic before, i decided to tackle this one because it's rare that i get fic requests. you did tell me that if i struggled writing a GN reader that i could write it for a female reader but i won't do that. i'm giving you what you requested :) i apologize it took so long to come out. struggled with writing a lot of this content and had a lot going on in my life. also, none of my ideas worked the way i wanted them to. but i hope you like it. thank you for requesting ❤

the late afternoon light spilled lazily through the curtains of nate’s living room. y/n and nate were stretched out on his old couch, legs tangled, a half-empty bowl of popcorn between them. some half watched show played in the background, but nate's attention had long since drifted.

y/n nudged nate’s shoulder with theirs. “you’re not even watching. you’ve been staring at the window for like ten minutes.”

nate tilted his head toward them, an easy grin tugging at his lips. “i was thinking.”

“oh no,” they teased. “that's never good. don’t hurt yourself.” y/n added a mocking face for good measure.

he scoffed, amused. “wow. you think you’re funny now?”

“oh, i know i’m funny.” y/n smirked, playfully.

“i think you’re asking for it.”

y/n's brow furrowed. “asking for—?”

and then it happened.

nate lunged sideways with startling speed, his fingers suddenly digging into y/n's side. they let out a surprised yelp, nearly knocking over the popcorn.

“nate!” y/n gasped, twisting away. “no—wait—don’t—!”

he laughed wickedly. “too late now. you made fun of my thinking face.”

y/n was laughing uncontrollably, squirming and trying to grab his wrists. “this is abuse!”

“no. it’s actually justice,” he said smugly, fingers now tickling y/n's ribs and stomach.

y/n finally got a grip on his hoodie sleeve and pulled him sideways, sending both of them crashing onto the cushions in a tangle of limbs.

“fine!” they gasped, breathless and laughing. “if you’re going down, you’re coming with me!”

y/n retaliated, hands darting toward his sides. nate let out a startled laugh, twisting as their fingers found their mark.

“no—hey! not fair!” he barked, breath catching between snickers. “you’re cheating!”

“says the guy who ambushed me!”

they both rolled onto the floor in a mess of giggles, tickling and squirming like kids. nate finally raised both hands in surrender, laughing too hard to speak. y/n flopped onto their back beside nate, both of them breathless.

there was a long beat of silence as they both tried to catch their breath.

“truce?” y/n asked, turning their head toward nate, cheeks flushed and hair tousled.

nate smiled at y/n, eyes warm and crinkled at the corners. “okay. truce.”

he reached over and laced his fingers with y/n's, still lying on the floor. the world outside had gone quiet, just the hum of the TV and their joined laughter still echoing faintly in the air.

y/n turned their face toward nate with a small, content smile. “you’re lucky i like you.”

he smirked. “well then i must be irresistible.”

y/n rolled their eyes, still smiling. “you’re something, macauley.”

“something good?”

y/n paused, then squeezed nate's hand. “yeah. something really good.”

they continued lying there on the living room floor together, the air between them quieting from laughter into something warmer… softer. nate's hand was still in y/n's, their fingers lazily tangled.

the afternoon light had dimmed into a soft golden hue that poured in through the windows, casting long shadows across the carpet.

y/n's chest rose and fell as they caught their breath, cheeks still flushed from the tickle war.

nate turned his head to look at them, his brown eyes searching their face. “you okay?” he asked, his voice low now, quiet like a secret meant only for y/n.

y/n nodded, smiling faintly. “yeah. just… happy.”

“yeah?” he asked, a crooked smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “even after I tickle-tortured you?”

y/n chuckled. “especially after that. i really needed to laugh.”

nate didn’t answer right away. he just looked at y/n— really looked at them — and the space between them felt like it was crackling with unspoken words.

“i like seeing you like this,” he said finally, his voice softer now. “all smiley. it’s… really nice.”

y/n felt their heart skip in that dumb, fluttery way it always did when nate let his guard down like this. when the sarcasm faded and nate just… let himself be gentle.

“i really like you,” y/n blurted before they could stop themself.

there was a pause. a heartbeat. then he smiled, the real kind — slow, a little crooked, eyes warm.

“i really like you too.”

the quiet swelled again, heavier this time — not awkward, just charged with something neither of them were running from anymore.

nate shifted onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow as he leaned in slightly, his eyes flicking down to y/n's lips before meeting their gaze again. “can i kiss you?”

you nodded, breath caught somewhere between their ribs.

his hand came up slowly, resting against y/n's cheek like he didn’t want to rush it — like this moment deserved care. and then he kissed them, soft and slow, like he had all the time in the world.

it wasn’t dramatic. it wasn’t desperate.

it was quiet. sure. safe.

and it was perfect. just like being home.

when he pulled back, his forehead rested against y/n's, noses almost touching. they could feel the smile in his breath.

“truce,” he whispered again.

y/n grinned, heat filling their cheeks quickly. “best truce ever.”

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; epilogue -quinn hughes-

summary: after finally admitting to their feelings, y/n and quinn have a bright future planned.

word count: 2.7k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

notes: this is the final part to this little series. thank you to everyone who was along for the ride & thank you to the people who loved reading this series as much as i loved reading it. i love you all so freaking much ❤

2 Years Later

quinn and y/n closed the door to abby's room quietly and headed to the living room.

after they officially became a couple, they decided to move into a new apartment. it was far bigger than their previous one.

they were there for nearly 2 years before quinn bought the new house to accomodate for their growing family.

for abby's 7th birthday, she asked for a dog. and because they loved her, quinn and y/n got her exactly what she wanted. but the dog was constantly growing and needed somewhere it could run around freely.

and when they started looking into actual houses, y/n discovered she was pregnant. so quinn found the perfect place for them to call home. it just needed some work before they could move in.

it took 4 months before they were able to move in but they made sure to enjoy every moment they could.

now they were only a few weeks away from the baby's due date and spending their first night in the new house.

"how's the pain, love?"

"better than earlier." y/n smiled. "he's killing me from the inside."

"he just wants out so he can love you as much as we all do."

"i want him out too." y/n looked at quinn and smiled. "and when he's out, we can tell everyone we got married."

"i can't wait." quinn kissed her gently. "have you thought about what you want to name him?"

"i have thought about this a lot and i want to name him jackson lucas hughes. he'll be kinda named after his uncles & i just love that."

"me too. luke and jack will love it too. although it'll probably feed their ego."

"fair point. but i love the name."

"yeah. so do i." quinn chuckled and played with her hair. "i love you so much."

"i love you too, quinn." y/n smiled and rested her head on his shoulder while he gently rubbed her feet.

"i just realized that your due date just so happens to be on a day i'll be on the road."

"dang it. you're right." y/n frowned and repositioned herself so she was a little more comfortable. "what am i going to do? i don't want to give birth alone again."

"if you go into labor, i'll get home as soon as possible. i promise i will not let you go through this alone." quinn gently squeezed y/n's knee and looked at her. "you won't be alone again."

"i got lucky with you, didn't i?" y/n gazed up at quinn, admiring the way his beard framed his face perfectly.

"you certainly did. but i got luckier. i'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world. i have an incredible daughter and soon i'm going to have a son who i'll adore so much."

"have i ever told you how grateful i am that you adopted abby?"

"when she asked me to, i couldn't say no. you two have that freaking power over me."

"because you love us?"

"of course." he placed a kiss to the top of her head just as garly, the dog, jumped up onto the couch and rested his head in quinn's lap. "and obviously i can't forget our furry boy."

"i'm surprised he's down here with us. he usually sleeps with abby."

"new house i guess." quinn smiled and played with garly's ear. things were good for once.

y/n woke up the next morning in bed. she had no idea how she got there but she was happy with the comfort of the mattress. she closed her eyes and continued to enjoy the warmth.

not even 2 seconds later, quinn walked in the room and saw her. "hey. you awake?"

"yeah but i don't want to get up." y/n's eyes shot open. "what time is it?"

"10:15."

"shit. i gotta get abby to school and i-" y/n jumped out of bed and almost fell on her face. quinn held her elbows and eased her back into bed.

"i already took abby to school. you need some rest." quinn pulled the blanket over her and kissed her head. "i've got practice in an hour but i arranged for bella to stop by later with a special surprise for you."

"you're too good to me, quinn."

"because i love you. we've been over this." he chuckled. "i'll be back later this afternoon, okay?"

"i'll be counting down the minutes." y/n smiled and closed her eyes after quinn left. she knew she didn't deserve him but she was happy with it.

later that afternoon, y/n was just waking up when bella entered the bedroom.

"you're so beautiful, y/n." she smiled at her friend and sat on the edge of the bed. "positively glowing, darling."

"oh. thank you." y/n smiled. "so quinn told me you'd be stopping by with a special surprise for me this afternoon. what is it?"

bella laughed. "oh, sweetie. i couldn't tell you if i wanted to. it's a very complicated thing that your crazy-in-love boyfriend put together. he gave me a 5-page instruction manual and i can't decode his craziness."

"oh, dang. i was excited."

"i'm sorry, love. he'll just have to tell you when he gets home." bella stood up. "i did, however, bring you something that might make you love me even more than you already do, if that's even possible."

"don't think that's possible. but let's see it." y/n sat up straight and waited for bella to re-enter the bedroom. she came back in a few moments later with an overflowing basket of goodies.

"i'm not sure what this is called. but i read online that most of this stuff can help with the pregnancy. and i obviously added in some extra stuff i know you like. oh. and brock even added a few things."

y/n dug through the basket and smiled as she pulled out a candle labeled 'i can't think of anything better than a mini you'

"bella, this is so sweet and thoughtful. thank you so much." she set the basket on her nightstand and hugged her best friend. "i'm so glad quinn brought you into my life."

"im glad too. my life would be so boring without you."

"i know, right?" y/n smiled and looked down at her belly. "quinn and i agreed on a name for our baby. want to hear it?"

"of course."

"we think we should name him jackson lucas hughes. kind of an homage to jack and luke."

"it's perfect." bella smiled. "i love it and i know i'm going to love him so much."

"me too." y/n went to reach for the basket when a sharp pain shot up her spine. "ow!" she cried out.

"you alright?"

"yeah. just a little sharp pain. i'm fine now."

"okay. just checking." bella eyed her suspiciously, not believing her one bit, but not wanting to argue. instead, she helped y/n stand up. "what do you want to do?"

"i want to cuddle with quinn." y/n pouted. "i miss him."

"i understand." bella smirked. "i'm the same way with brock."

"spending anytime away from your husband just sucks."

"it really does." bella took a second but her eyes widened when the words processed in her brain. "wait, husband? what are you talking about?"

"nothing. um, forget i said anything."

"y/n, you can't just slip that into conversation and act like it never happened. you said husband. are you and quinn married? and if so, why the hell wasn't i invited?"

"it was a courthouse wedding. we're waiting until the baby is born to have a larger wedding. and don't worry. when we do, you'll be standing up there with me."

"okay good." bella smiled. "i just can't believe youre married."

"we decided we were going to wait until jackson arrived so if quinn asks, you know nothing, got it?"

"my lips are sealed." bella moved her fingers across her lips and pretended to throw away the key.

later that night, y/n and quinn were eating dinner when quinn set his fork down and walked behind y/n. he put his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them.

"what are you doing?"

"this is supposed to help ease the pain you're feeling."

"what pain?"

"you can't fool me, babe. i saw you wincing in pain every 15 minutes while we were eating."

"it's been happening all day. i kind of got used to it."

"wait, all day? why didn't you call me?" quinn rushed out of the dining room and looked around the living room. "i think you may be going into labor."

"quinn, i'm fine. i think i would know if i was in...labor." y/n grabbed her side. "you don't have to worry."

"i always worry about you. i love you."

"i love you too, quinn. but i promise i'm fine."

"are you sure?" he returned to her side.

"yes sir." y/n reached up and held his cheek. he kissed the inside of her wrist. "i promise i'll let you know if anything gets worse."

"i hope the little guy can wait until i'm home next week." quinn rested his hand on y/n's belly.

"i hope so too." y/n looked at him. "that's how it needs to be."

4 days later, y/n's water broke and belle rushed her to the hospital. y/n tried calling quinn but he wasn't picking up his phone.

"damn it. why isn't he answering?"

"i don't know. maybe they're in practice. brock isn't answering his phone either."

"should we try tocchet? maybe he'll answer."

"worth a shot." bella quickly dialed the coach's number and luckily, she only had to wait a few seconds before he picked up.

"hello?"

"hey, rick. it's bella. is there any chance you could pass on a message to quinn? he's not answering his phone and it's kind of important."

"sure. what is it?"

"y/n 's water broke and she's gonna have the baby soon."

"okay. yeah i'll tell him. and tell her i said congratulations."

"will do, sir. thank you." bella hung up and looked at y/n. "he's going to pass on the message and he also said to congratulate you."

"awe that's sweet." y/n winced in pain again and bella began timing the contractions as the waited for the nurse.

over in ottawa, rick tocchet watched his players for a moment before he cupped his hands around his mouth. "hughes! come here."

quin nskated over and stopped by the bench. "coach, what's up?"

"i just got off the phone with bella. she told me to pass on a message."

"what is it?"

"she said y/n's water broke and that she's going to have the baby soon."

"oh shit. i need to go." quinn started heading down the tunnel. "sorry."

"don't apologize. just go be there for her, quinn."

"okay. thank you sir." quinn smiled and rushed to get changed. he hurried to grab a cab and immediately purchased a ticket back to vancouver. if it was under any circumstance, he would've taken the team jet back but they were going to need it in a few hours.

by the time quinn made it to the hospital, bella had texted him the news. he was officially a father.

he walked into y/n's room and the sight before him made his heart soar.

y/n was asleep with jackson on her chest. it was the best thing he'd ever seen.

bella walked into the room behind him. she let go of abby's hand and smiled. "how you feeling, quinn?"

"so unbelievably happy. you have no idea." he focused on his wife and son. when he felt a light tugging on his left hand, he looked down and abby was smiling up at him.

"hi, dad."

"hey princess." he reached down to pick her up and she smiled wider as they both looked at y/n. "are you happy to be a big sister?"

"yes. my baby brother is my top priority now. forget barbies."

"you don't have to give up your interests to keep him safe, abby." quinn smiled.

"i know. but i love him already."

y/n opened her eyes and smiled at quinn and abby. "you made it."

"as fast as possible. sorry i missed the birth." he made his way over to her bedside.

"you're here now. that's all that matters." she reached out and held his hand. "you wouldn't have wanted to be there. i was gross and not very good company."

"you could never look gross to me." he kissed the top of her head and set abby next to her mother.

"hey princess. would you like to hold your brother?"

"can i?" she glanced between quinn and y/n. they both nodded and y/n helped her hold the baby correctly and safely.

"meet your baby brother. jackson lucas hughes."

"i love him." abby smiled. her smile only grew wider when jackson curled his fist around her tiny finger.

"looks like he loves you." quinn looked down at them and smiled.

"everyone smile. i want to take a picture." bella pulled out her phone and focused it on the family. she quickly took the picture and made sure to send it to each of them. "thank you for allowing me to be here for this."

"thank you for being here when i couldn't be." quinn glanced up at his wife's best friend and smiled. "i'm glad she had someone."

"me too." bella inched closer to the door. "i'm gonna get out of here. give you some time alone as a family."

"alright. text me when you get home."

"be safe!" quinn called out as bella closed the door.

"i love you and i love our family." y/n moved over on the bed so quinn could climb up beside her.

"i love it too. it's beyond perfect."

"indeed it is." y/n yawned and rested her head against quinn's shoulder. the 4 of them fell asleep quickly.

3 days later, quinn invited the team over to meet his son. brock and conor couldn't get enough of the bundle of cuteness as he rested in his swing.

"he's so adorable. congratulations you two." conor grinned at jackson and then looked at quinn. y/n sat on the couch talking to bella and tyler.

"how are you feeling, y/n?" tyler asked.

"i feel amazing. my life is complete now."

"where is my grandson?" ellen's voice floated into the living room and her steps quickened when quinn announced where they were. when she appeared in the doorway, quinn went in for a hug but she sidestepped him and leaned in to look at her grandson. "oh, quinn. he's absolutely precious."

"i know, right?"

"do your brothers know the origins of his name yet?"

"yeah. y/n couldn't wait to tell them." quinn chuckled and glanced over at y/n, who was giggling at something tyler said. "she was excited to let everyone know."

"she's perfect for you, quinn. when are you going to make her a permanent part of the family?"

"you know, that reminds me." quinn gathered the group in the living room and y/n stood next to him. "we have some news."

"what is it, sweetie?"

"a few months ago, y/n and i went to a courthouse and got married. our plan was to wait until after jackson was born before we told everyone." quinn looked around the room at all the shocked faces. bella was the only exception. his gaze fell on his mom, who looked really upset. "before anyone says anything, we're planning on actually having a real wedding with all our friends and family."

"oh. phew. i was getting a little worried." ellen smiled. "welcome to the family, y/n." she walked over to her daughter-in-law and wrapped her in a tight hug.

quinn watched with amusement as y/n hugged his mother back with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

his life was finally going great. he finally had what he wanted for years. a loving wife and a beautiful family, along with the tightest group of friends.

a perfect found family that wouldn't have been possible without the girl from across the hall.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah @lovelyhischier

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 10 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 1.3k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

notes: only one more part after this one. thank you guys for coming along on this ride with me 🥰

the conversation never came.

neither of them really cared, however. with christmas happening, they were both suddenly super busy.

and shortly after christmas, was abby's 6th birthday so whenever y/n had free time, it was going into making sure her daughter had the best birthday ever.

by mid-january, everything between them was back to normal with an occasional flutter of feelings from both sides. but they swept it under the rug.

at least, that's what y/n thought.

exactly one week before abby's party, y/n was asked to work a double shift. normally she would hate them but she needed the money if she wanted to give abby the party of her dreams.

by the time she got home, it was well past midnight so she wasn't surprised that the apartment was so quiet. however, she was surprised to see a light on in abby's room. so she ventured down the hallway and stopped in the doorway to take in the sight before her.

quinn and abby were curled up in abby's little bed together. quinn was holding a fairy tale book in his hand while a crown sat atop his head and a feather boa was gently wrapped around his neck. his feet were hanging way off the end of the bed.

y/n pulled out her phone to take a picture. it was something she truly wanted to cherish. she also needed something as proof of the very moment she decided to stop fighting her feelings for him.

~~~~~~~~~~

the day before the birthday party, y/n tried to send money to everyone involved with the process. but each money transfer was declined. everyone claimed they were happy to help out, but y/n had a suspicion something else was going on.

so she called jack. he answered after the 2nd ring.

"hey. what's up?"

"hey. do you know anything about why the caterer, decorator and everyone else involved with abby's party keeps declining any payment from me?"

"i might. what's in it for me if i tell you?"

"the title of abby's absolute favorite uncle?"

"already have it. next."

"actually, i believe she handed that title over to brock before christmas."

"what? i'm gonna have to talk to this evil dictator at her party tomorrow."

"relax, jack. she's 6. she's far from a dictator."

"well, then i'll have to have a little chat with the princess tomorrow."

"yeah you will." y/n smiled. "now, what can you tell me about the payment declines?"

"quinn paid everyone like 2 months ago. i thought you knew."

"what? why would he do that?"

"he didn't want you to stress about it. he wanted to do something nice for you guys."

"he's already doing something nice for us. he's letting us live here with a severely reduced rent for a vancouver apartment."

"well i guess he just really wants you to be happy then. i'm not sure." jack chuckled. "oh. he told me that he got abby that toy she's been talking about for the last few months."

"how did he manage that? it's been sold out basically since it went on the shelves."

"i've said too much. sworn to secrecy." y/n could hear the smirk through the phone, followed by luke's voice. "hey. i gotta go but i will see you and abby in the morning. bye."

"bye jack." y/n hung up and glanced down the hallway towards quinn's bedroom door.

yup. she was definitely in love with him.

~~~~~~~~~~

the next morning, quinn was awake before anyone else so he decided to make breakfast. he asked abby last night what her favorite breakfast food was and she replied bacon. lots of bacon.

so quinn quickly fried up several strips and threw some eggs in the pan. he was in the middle of grating some cheese when he heard a door open. he glanced up just as y/n walked into the kitchen.

"good morning."

"morning." y/n rubbed her eyes and walked over to the counter to grab a mug but quinn stopped her and handed her a warm mug.

"i already made you a mug. hope you like it."

"thank you." she sipped it slowly. "what's the occasion?"

"well it is your daughter's birthday."

"what does that have to do with why you're making me coffee?" she raised an eyebrow and continued to drink the delicious beverage.

"because i'm a nice person." he shrugged and went back to making breakfast. y/n slid onto a stool at the island and glanced at the tv. of course hockey highlights were playing.

"i know you paid for everyone that'll be working the party."

"what do you mean?"

"don't play dumb with me. jack let it spill last night when i asked him. also, i kinda had a feeling when everyone declined the payment."

"i'm sorry. please don't be mad. i just wanted you to not have to stress about it."

"i'm not mad, quinn. i'm just surprised." she looked at him. "i'm paying you back for it, just so you know."

"the hell you are." quinn pointed his spatula at her and chuckled as she slipped a piece of bacon into her mouth. "you will do no such thing."

"quinn, you're too generous. please let me pay it back."

"i can't do that." he shook his head.

"why not? you're already making it easy with the rent. i feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness."

"you're not. not even close."

"i'm gonna pay you back, whether you like it or not."

"if you want to pay me back, then just keep smiling. that will do just fine."

"quinn." she began to protest but abby walked into the kitchen. "happy birthday, sweetheart."

"happy birthday, princess."

"thank you." abby walked over to the plate of bacon. "is this why you asked me my favorite breakfast food last night?"

"yeah. wanted to make sure you had a great start to your day."

"thank you. i love you!" she squealed and hugged quinn. he picked her up and continued cooking.

"love you too." he smiled and kissed the top of her head. y/n watched the scene in front of her and felt her heart skip a beat.

she was certainly in deep with her roommate.

a few hours later, abby was sitting with jack and luke as they looked around the party. earlier in the week, they had devised a plan to get y/n and quinn together & their plan was about to be put into action.

"be right back." luke nodded towards quinn and walked over to his oldest brother. jack looked over at y/n.

"ready for this, princess?"

"born ready." abby grabbed his hand and walked over to her mom. "mom?"

"hey sweetie. are you enjoying the party?"

"i am. it's the best day of my life. thank you for setting this all up for me."

"i'd love to accept the credit. but it was all quinn. you should thank him."

"will you come with me?"

"sure, honey." y/n set her cup down on the window sill and grabbed abby's hand. she didn't miss the look abby gave jack as they walked over to quinn.

"hey. are you enjoying the party?"

"i love it. thank you, quinn." she hugged his leg then ran back over to jack.

"yeah. thanks again for all of this. i really appreciate it." y/n looked at him. "i truly do. and i don't know how i'm going to repay you for it all. but i'll find a way you'll aceept."

"i already told you all you have to do is keep that beautiful smile and it'll be perfect payment."

y/n surveyed him for a second before she placed a kiss on his cheek. "you are truly an amazing man, quinn hughes."

"i would do anything for you." he looked into her eyes for a brief moment before he decided the needed to tell her how he felt. "and i love you. like, a lot. more than any roommate should."

"well i guess that means it's my turn."

"what do you mean?"

"i have a confession to make." she glanced up at him. "i love you too. definitely way more than a roommate should."

"wait, for real? you're not messing with me?"

"nope. i'm being 100% honest with you." y/n smiled. "and who wouldn't fall in love with you? you've done so much for me and abby and i know i keep saying that i'm gonna pay you back, but we both know you would never accept any payment. so i'm gonna have to think of other ways to do it."

quinn didn't hesitate & he hoped he wasn't reading her signals wrong when he crashed his lips to hers. she kissed him back almost immediately as she wrapped her arms around his neck. everyone surrounding them began cheering and abby ran up to them.

"are you guys finally together?" she asked and looked up at them.

"well, it's up to your mom. i don't want to assume anything."

"don't you think there's something you should ask me first?" y/n smirked, raising an eyebrow in the teasing way she does, causing quinn to chuckle.

"right." he smiled. "do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"i'll have to think about it." y/n smiled.

"but mom!"

"i'm kidding, abby." y/n looked up at quinn. "of course i'd love to be your girlfriend." and they sealed it with a kiss.

"about damn time!" abby threw her hands up and hugged them both.

"jack, did you teach her that phrase?!" quinn glanced at his brother, who just threw up his own hands in surrender. y/n smiled and rested her head on quinn's shoulder.

"moving across the hall from you was the best thing i've ever done."

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah @lovelyhischier

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 9 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 2.2k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes:

abby and y/n had been living with quinn for 2 months. y/n and quinn were both incredibly busy so they barely had time to see each other.

however, when y/n would work a longer than a normal shift, she would come home to a nice hot meal that seemed to have been prepared just in time for her arrival. but when she would check on quinn, he would already be asleep.

and on the nights she worked a regular shift, she would come home to find quinn and abby curled up together on the couch. abby was asleep every time but quinn stayed awake some of the time. he wanted to make sure y/n made it home safe. but on the nights he had failed to stay awake, y/n would cover the two with a blanket and head to her room.

for quinn, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the feelings he was developing for y/n. he knew he loved her and he was very fond of abigail. but he knew he couldn't say a thing to y/n. or anyone for that matter. it would scare her away and it was the last thing he wanted to do.

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

on a day during the week before christmas, y/n had the day off so she was spending it with natalie and bella while quinn had taken abby to spend the day with his brothers and brock.

the girls were helping y/n with the rest of her christmas shopping. it was almost done but she was having trouble deciding what to get quinn.

"this shouldn't be as hard as it is." y/n groaned and turned to her friends. "you guys have known him longer. what do you think he'd like?"

"just because we've known him longer than you, doesn't mean we know him better." bella smiled. "you can do this, y/n. reach into your heart and figure out what he likes."

"yeah. you got this, girl." natalie looked around the store. she still had a few things to buy but nothing was catching her eye so she turned her attention back to the girls.

"i'm trying to think of something he needs but he already has everything i can think of." y/n sighed.

"you could honestly get him anything and he'd be happy." bella smiled. "i don't think anything could ever top you agreeing to move in with him though."

"yeah. he was over the moon the day after it happened. i remember him telling j.t. how excited he was and how full he felt having you around." natalie nudged y/n with a knowing smirk.

"that's good, i suppose." y/n checked her phone as it dinged. quinn sent her a photo of abby on brock's shoulders. the girl was staring down at him with a smile on her face.

think she's over her crush on jack now 😂 the text read.

y/n flipped the phone around to show bella. "i think you may have some competition."

"i can't compete with her. she's too damn adorable."

"indeed she is." y/n put her phone back in her pocket and looked at the stuff she had in the cart. "i think it's time to head home. i'll figure out quinn's gift later. plus, we have a game to get ready for."

"that's right. and the guys are gonna kick some ass tonight."

"but if they don't, i hope you can cheer up quinn. he's especially grumpy after a tough game."

"i'm aware. and don't worry. i know how to cheer him up. wouldn't be the first time." she piled all the stuff onto the conveyor belt. when she looked back at the girls, her eyes widened at their expressions. "no. wait. i didn't mean it like that. i swear."

"relax. we know you didn't mean it that way."

"but i'm sure quinn wouldn't mind being cheered up that way." bella smirked. "i mean, he definitely loves going home, knowing that you'll be there waiting for him."

"we've become quite comfortable as roommates. and abby adores him to no end." y/n smiled and put everything in the cart after she paid. "it's a good thing we got going on. so i don't want to ruin it by reading too much into that comment."

"was that a somewhat tiny confession?" bella eyed her friend suspiciously.

"i do believe it was." natalie smiled and after she paid for her things, she followed the girls back out to the car. y/n rolled her eyes as she got in the driver's seat.

once she dropped the two girls off at their own homes, she was alone with her thoughts. things between her and quinn were really good and she knew she couldn't ask for a better friend.

as she parked in her spot and climbed out of her car, she felt excited to be going home. she couldn't stop replaying bellas' comment from earlier.

he definitely loves going home, knowing that you'll be there waiting for him.

she knew it was true because she had witnessed it firsthand how happy he got when he saw her on the couch after coming home from a particularly upsetting game.

as she approached their door, she could hear abby giggling on the other side. and just knowing that quinn was responsible for it, made her heart soar.

she opened the door and watched as quinn ran around with abby on his back. they were both laughing and when abby spotted y/n, her smile grew.

"momma, you're back!"

quinn turned around and just like abby, his smile grew wider when he locked eyes with y/n. he gently set abby down and let her run to her mother.

"hey. how was the shopping trip?"

"it was great. got a present for almost everyone on my list." she set the bags in her room and returned to where quinn was. "i couldn't find you anything that felt good enough."

"that's alright. you don't have to get me anything." quinn chuckled. "i already have the one thing i wanted."

"and what's that?"

"you and abby living here with me."

"bella said something similar earlier. but i didn't believe her." y/n smiled and looked at quinn. "i'm still going to get you something. and it's going to be perfect."

"i suppose we'll see." quinn raised an eyebrow and headed for the door. "you guys are coming to the game, right?"

"yeah. we just have to get ready then we'll drive over to the arena."

"great. see you there." quinn picked up his bag and walked out.

y/n went over to abby and smiled. "alright. let's get you ready for the game."

3 hours later, y/n was watching the boys closely. they seemed to be doing better this game than they had all season. and in their 3rd period, it seemed as though florida wasn't holding anything back. they were checking vancouver players into the boards every other minute.

and at one point, one of the florida players checked quinn into the boards roughly, causing his face to hit the glass. quinn slid down to the ice as the whistle was blown.

"florida number 19. 2 minutes for cross-checking." the ref spoke through his mic and made all the necessary gestures as the linesmen escorted matthew tkachuk to the penalty box.

quinn got up and skated slowly over to the bench. he sat down and y/n kept a close eye on him as he got checked over by the team medic.

after a few minutes, he was given the all-clear to head back onto the ice to finish the game. and he came back with a vengeance, scoring 2 times in less than 30 seconds.

the canucks ended up winning in a 7-0 shutout and everyone cheered. y/n walked with bella and natalie down to the players' hallway to wait. abby held onto her hand tightly and the second she saw brock exit the locker room, she released y/n's hand and ran towards him.

"brock, that was amazing!" she hugged his leg tightly.

bella rolled her eyes playfully and walked up to brock. "she's right. you played a great game, babe."

y/n watched as j.t. came out and went to natalie, pulling her into a hug and kissing her head. she so badly wanted a loving relationship like that, but she didn't have much luck in that department.

quinn was the last one out of the locker room. abby ran to him immediately.

"you were awesome out there, quinn." she smiled as he picked her up.

"thank you, abby. i'm glad you had fun."

"how's your head feeling?" y/n looked at him as he stood next to her.

"a little better now than when i got hit." he offered her a kind smile. "i'm glad you came tonight."

"me too." they stared at each other for longer than two friends should before abby broke their moment.

"i'm hungry. can we get food?"

"the only place open this late is mcdonald's." quinn looked at the girl he was holding.

"and i'm okay with that." abby smiled and glanced between them.

"alright then." quinn chuckled. "did you drive here?"

"no. took a cab. figured everyone would want to go out after the game and i figured it would be the smartest option to carpool."

"well, it's a good thing you had faith in the the team then."

"i always have faith in you, quinn." y/n grinned.

as quinn admired her, something inside him shifted and he was suddenly free falling. his feelings were going wild and he had to fight to keep the words inside.

thankfully, they were still in the company of brock and bella.

"mind if we join you guys at mcdonald's?"

"absolutely. the more the merrier." quinn handed abby to y/n and they walked to the garage. he helped get abby in the seat before he held the door for y/n. she climbed in silently and as quinn drove, he could feel her eyes drift in his direction every few seconds. "i need to talk to you when we get home later."

"okay." y/n smiled at him before turning her gaze out the window until they reached mcdonald's. before y/n could get out herself, quinn was already out and opening her door. he walked over to abby's door and got her out, carrying her into the restaurant.

y/n was about to order when quinn spoke up and ordered for her. he knew exactly what she wanted and she loved it.

bella was already sitting by the time the order was placed and brock was waiting for the food. y/n decided to take abby from quinn and join bella at the table. as she sat down, bella couldn't stop the question.

"how obvious can you guys be?"

"i beg your pardon?"

"you and quinn." bella pointed like it was most obvious thing in the world. "you guys are not very good at hiding your feelings."

"what feelings?"

"do you really need me to spell it out? you're not an idiot, y/n. i know you can feel the way quinn looks at you."

"i feel the way everyone looks at me. so what?"

"that man is obsessed with you. like, he's really in love or something."

"and how do you know that?"

"because he looks at you the way brock looks at me. and unless my boyfriend doesn't love me, it's clear that quinn loves you. or at the very least, has feelings for you."

"i love you, bella. but you are insane." y/n glanced over at the boys to find them already looking at the table.

"it's true, mom." abby giggled. "and i think maybe you like him too."

"you know what? just for that comment, i'm going to eat all your fries."

"go ahead. i only wanted the nuggets anyway." abby smiled and stuck her tongue out at her mom.

on the other side of the restaurant, quinn kept glancing at y/n. brock slapped his arm.

"why don't you just tell her already?"

"what? no idea what you're talking about."

"oh come on. you're not stupid, quinn. and you're far from subtle. you keep looking at y/n every 3 seconds."

"i do not." but just as he finished his sentence, he found himself glancing back at her. "okay. fine. i like her. like, really really like her."

"was that so hard?"

"yes, actually. the last time i liked someone this much, it blew up in my face. remember olivia?"

"of course i do. but the past isn't doomed to keep repeating. you owe it to yourself to at least tell her."

"she lives with me. what if i tell her i like her and she doesn't feel the same? then it'll be awkward and i can't have that happen to her."

"do you want me to ask bella to do some recon or something? because you're only going to be hurting yourself by keeping this a secret."

"whatever, man. do what you gotta do." quinn grabbed his tray and walked over to the table.

an hour later, brock and bella were saying goodbye and driving away. quinn helped buckle a sleeping abby into her seat before he opened the door for y/n. the drive home was quiet. neither of them wanted to speak. their separate conversations with their friends were repeating.

by the time they made it home and y/n put abby to bed, they were both exhausted.

"hey, i know you wanted to talk when we got home. but i'm tired. is there any chance we could wait until tomorrow? i have the day off again."

"yeah. sure." quinn smiled and watched y/n retreat into her room.

the conversation would have to wait.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah @lovelyhishier

[writingwithciara]

you make me wanna fall in love -jack hughes-

summary: y/n is done trying to fall in love. but life isn't giving up. and her biggest adversary? jack hughes.

word count: 1.4k

pairing: jack hughes x reader

notes:

"we're going to get married one day."

jack was 9 years old when he told y/n he was going to marry her. it had been after she stood up for him against a kid who was picking on him. he had known y/n his whole life, having grown up next to her. she had always been the quiet kid, never engaging in any conflict. so when she yelled at the 11 year old kid, jack fell in love.

but since he was 9, nobody took what he said seriously.

----------

he moved to new jersey when he was 18 and y/n moved to new york. they weren't in the same state but that didn't stop them from visiting each other whenever they could.

being away from her family was tough but just knowing jack wasn't across the country made y/n feel a little safer. their friendship was the most important thing to her.

and because he lived a good enough distance away from her, she was able to date freely in new york.

she dated at least 6 different guys throughout her 5 years in new york but none of them ever lasted. her quest to find true love was testing her patience and she hated it.

meaningful relationships were starting to mean nothing to her when all she had wanted her whole life was to find the one person she was meant to spend her future with. and how was she supposed to do that when every guy she went on a date with ended up hurting her in some way?

when each relationship failed, she turned to jack. he was her most trusted friend, after all.

he hated hearing about her dating life, but he hated it even more when she was upset. and it seemed he was the only one who remembered what he had said when he was 9.

"we're going to get married one day."

he had been repeating it in his mind more than once a week ever since the words left his mouth. sure people never took him seriously because he was 9, but he knew he loved her. in more ways than one. he just wanted his chance.

so when she called him to tell him about her most recent heartbreak, he took the opportunity to travel to new york to convince her she needed to be with him.

and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time, since his shoulder injury had taken him out for the rest of the season.

y/n was sitting on her couch, ready to completely give up on relationships. she hadn't heard the knock so when jack was suddenly standing on front of her, it caused her to jump.

"jesus, jack. how did you get in?"

"i used my emergency key." he took a seat next to her. "i came as soon as you ended our call. tried to get here as fast as i could."

"what about the team?"

"i'm out for the rest of the season. and i needed to see you. nothing could ever keep me from being here for you whenever you need me, you know that."

"i know. but there's gonna have to be a time when i have to turn to someone else. i know i can't keep relying on you every single time my relationship falls apart."

"yes you can, y/n. i swear. do not hesitate to call me when this happens. you know i love you enough to do what i can for you, no matter what." jack held her hand. "we made that promise when we were 12, remember?"

"yeah. i remember. but what about when you have your own girlfriend to take care of? she'll hate me for coming to you."

"if my girlfriend ever hates you, then she's not someone i want to be with. and i think it's important to remind you that i made a declaration to you when i was 9 years old. remember what i said?"

"you told me we were gonna get married one day." y/n smiled while avoiding his gaze. "but you were 9. you couldn't have meant it."

"i did, actually. the fact that i was only 9 is insignificant. i told you i was gonna marry you and i'm going to. there's not a doubt in my mind."

"jack."

"no. i'm serious. i have been in love with you since i was 9 and there's nothing you can say or do that is going to change my mind, y/n." he dropped her hand but held her gaze. "i know you're not ready for another relationship but i can wait. i've waited 14 years, y/n. i can wait a little longer."

and he waited. for 11 months. every day since that night on her couch, he waited but he also did everything he could to show her he meant what he said. he truly loved her and he definitely saw himself marrying her.

she fought hard against his efforts because if her history of bad relationships had taught her anything, it was that she wasn't meant to be in love.

but he got her.

it was the night the devils won the stanley cup. jack had been named the mvp of the playoffs and when he was given the conn smythe trophy, he knew he had to say something.

"you know, this is such an honor and obviously i wouldn't have been able to do it without these guys. but, aside from the team and my parents, there's another special person in my life who has pushed me to be the best i can be. she never lost faith in me, no matter how many times i got frustrated with the way i was playing the game. she stood by me through every injury and helped shape me into who i am today, on and off the ice. i've known her my whole life but i've loved her since i was 9. she'd my hero as much as i am hers. without her, i don't know where i'd be." jack looked at his team and smiled. "can't wait for next year."

after the big celebration on the ice, jack skated off with the team. he went into the locker room, celebrated with the team privately for a few minutes and then headed out. he was eager to get to y/n's apartment to talk to her. it still shocked him how he had somehow convinced her to relocate to new jersey, but he was happy it happened. it felt like he was one step closer to convincing her he had always meant what he said.

just as he was making his way to the parking garage, his phone went off. he pulled it out and answered it without looking at the screen. "hey."

"hey. congrats on the win. you were great out there. and no surprise that you won the conn smythe. you're always the mvp."

"you actually watched it?"

"of course. i wouldn't miss the biggest game of your career, jack." y/n giggled and it was like music to his ears.

"so you saw that speech?"

"i did indeed."

"okay well i'm just about to head to your place. we can talk when i get there."

"there's no need for that."

"y/n, please?"

"no. i meant," y/n sighed. "turn around, jack."

jack turned around and y/n was standing in front of him. he locked his phone and walked over to her. "you're actually here. i can't believe you actually came."

"i had to. most important game of your career, remember?" y/n smiled and wrapped her arms around him. jack didn't hesitate to return the hug. "and that speech was incredible. made me do some thinking."

"about what?"

"love and what it means. and what my future truly holds."

"and your conclusion?"

"i think the reason why all my relationships had failed before was because, unknowingly, my heart had already been given to someone else. someone who has protected it and showed it the love i know i deserve. love is crazy when you think about it. but i love you, jack. i'm finally ready to accept it." y/n looked up at him. "i'm sorry i made you wait so long."

"hey, you are 100% worth the wait. i'd wait forever for you if that's what was needed." he smiled widely.

"so, do you still want to marry me?"

"every second of every day if that was possible."

"how about just once, hmm? is that enough?"

"if it means forever, then yes. marrying you once is definitely enough for me."

"okay. let's do this then."

"right now?" jack's eyes widened.

"why wait? you love me and i love you. that's as good a reason as any, right?"

"okay. fair point." jack chuckled and held his hand out for her. "alright. let's do it."

[writingwithciara]

pictionary -matt sturniolo-

summary: matt's best friend spends a lot of time with the triplets and often appears in their videos, most frequently their twitch streams, while sitting in matt’s room.

word count: 2.5k

pairings: matt sturniolo x reader

notes: this outline has been sitting in my drafts for a while. finally wrote the whole thing in one sitting. it' not my best work but i like it anyway. hope you guys do

matt and y/n were best friend. they had been for the last 3 years and even though they had always claimed to be 'just friends' it was getting harder for anyone outside their little bubble to believe them.

with the amount of times y/n had taken part in their streams, the fans began speculating. it got worse when the boys were streaming from their own rooms and y/n would stay with matt in his.

y/n read all the comments while matt skimmed over them, usually skipping over anything that mentioned their relationship. they were tired of the rumors beginning to go around the internet.

one night while the boys were planning their next stream, y/n pulled chris aside.

"is it alright if i stay in your room for tomorrow's stream?"

"of course. but what's wrong? are you and matt fighting?"

"no. i just feel like maybe he needs a break from all the rumors. it's been stressing him out."

"are you sure it won't break his heart being away from you for an hour?"

"chris, i'm serious. he needs a break." y/n sighed.

"okay. but i'm also being serious. lately, i've noticed that you're like a battery charger."

"come again?"

"when matt is feeling even a little drained, all he has to do is look at you and your smile alone gives him a little more energy. you're an everlasting energy source for him outside of the fall season."

"okay. you're officially an idiot."

"call me what you want, but i know my brother." chris chuckled and went to walk away. but something ran through his mind. "i think i have a way to prove he thinks of you as more than a friend."

"i know i'm going to regret this, but what do you have in mind?"

"let's go check out your wardrobe."

"why?"

"trust me." chris picked up his keys from the counter. "y/n and i will be back in a little bit."

"um, okay." matt raised an eyebrow and looked at y/n for an answer. she just shrugged and followed chris to the car.

when they got to her apartment, chris went straight for her closet. y/n rolled her eyes and followed him.

"what's your idea, chris?"

"you don't believe me that matt may have feelings for you so i think that you being in my room will only get a small reaction from him. we have to step it up big time." chris looked through her clothes before holding up a shirt she barely wore. "he loves when you wear this."

"i barely wear it, chris. how do you know?"

"you're clearly blind if you've never noticed the way matt has looked at you each of the four times you've worn this."

"chris, why are you doing this? i thought you liked me."

"i do. but you and matt are clearly hot for each other and i'm going to stand in the way of your happiness." chris went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of her faded jean shorts. "that top with these shorts will drive him crazy."

"okay, first of all, i am not 'hot' for matt. we're just friends. second, how do you know what will drive him crazy?"

"because he's my brother and we have similar minds. this would drive me crazy but since we're talking about matt, let's focus on him for now. i'll work out my own issues eventually."

"chris, i appreciate you trying to make me happy. but this isn't going to work." she sat on her bed and stared at her friend. "matt and i are just friend. how many times do i have to explain that to you before you understand it's not gonig to change?"

"as many times as it takes for you to look me in the eye and tell me that without sounding so upset about it."

y/n stood up and walked up to him, making sure their eyes were locked. "matt and i are just friends, okay?"

"that was a little more convincing but i could still hear the pain in your voice, no matter how much you tried to bury it."

"i really hate you."

"you're a terrible liar." chris smiled and went back over to the closet. "wear this little cardigan over the shirt and you should be set."

"and what id your outfit choice doesn't work?"

"well, i was also thinking that since you'll be in my room for the stream, that maybe if we flirted just a bit, he would notice and get jealous."

"and why are we trying to make him jealous instead of just talking to him?"

"because matt is stubborn when it comes to his feelings. he will never come right out and admit anything without a little bit of a push."

"are we bad people?"

"no. because after tomorrow night, you and matt will finally be a couple. and he won't be so grumpy all the time."

"you truly are an idiot." y/n shook her head but grabbed the clothes and packed them in a bag. "we should head back before they send a search party for us."

"oh, maybe matt will think something is happening between us because we've been gone for so long and he'll get jealous tonight instead."

"yeah. like that's going to happen."

when they returned to the house, matt wasn't at the kitchen table or in his room. nick looked up when they came up the stairs.

"hey. where'd you guys go?"

"we had to go to y/n's to pick up some stuff for the stream tomorrow." chris pointed at the bag y/n was carrying.

"okay. but why didn't you just ask matt to take you?"

"it's a surprise. for matt." y/n smiled and set the bag on the stairs. "where is he?"

"he went out to look for you guys. thought it was weird you left but didn't tell us where you were going. he was worried, but he will never tell you he was."

"told you." chris leaned in and whispered into her ear. "he doesn't like when i'm left alone with you."

"or he was worried because you're a new driver and he didn't want anything bad to happen to me."

"still proves my point, y/n." chris chuckled and headed down to his room. y/n joined nick on the couch and looked at the tv.

"is there something going on with you and chris?"

"what? no. of course not. he was just helping me with something." y/n closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch. she relaxed for a minute before she heard the front door shut. she heard matt's voice before she saw him.

"i couldn't find them, nick. i think they really wanted alone time." he sounded kind of...defeated.

"matt, they're here."

"what?" it sounded like he tripped trying to rush up the stairs. when he made it to the living room, his gaze immediately went to y/n. "hey. where did you guys go?"

"we went to my apartment to pick some stuff up."

"why didn't you just ask me to drive?"

"i had to pick up a surprise for you." y/n got up and walked over to him. "you didn't need to be worried about me, matthew."

"i know. but you're my best friend. and chris is still a new driver. i didn't like the idea of something bad happening." matt looked at y/n. "promise me no more surprises."

"i promise." she was touched at how much he cared. "wait, i have to tell you one more thing. then no more surprises."

"what's up?"

"i'm going to be in chris' room tomorrow during the stream."

"oh. um, okay. is that all?"

"yeah. guess i'll see you in the morning." y/n turned around and headed up to nick's room for the night.

matt turned to nick, who seemed just as shocked at the change as he was. something was going on and matt was going to find out what.

as the boys were setting up for the stream, y/n was getting ready in chris' bathroom. the second she stepped out, chris turned his head.

"okay. he's definitely going to love this." chris took his chain off his neck. "i was thinking that if you wore this, matt would think there really was something going on between us and he would definitely get jealous."

"if this doesn't work," y/n took the chain from chris and placed it around her neck. "i'm going to hate you. i hate talking about my feelings."

"which is why you and matt are perfect for each other."

"whatever you say." y/n rolled her eyes and took her seat. she glanced at the tiny screens containing matt and nick, taking note of how matt stopped mid-sentence when she appeared on screen. "you guys ready?"

"y-yeah." matt managed to get out before hitting the 'record' button.

the game of pictionary they had decided on went smoothly for the first few rounds. but as y/n read some of the comments from fans, she saw how most of the comments were about how distracted matt was. she glanced up at the picture of his face before leaning closer to chris to whisper in his ear.

"i think this is working. should we step it up a bit?"

chris turned to look at her before muting himself. "time to flirt a little?"

"yes." y/n added a nod before chris turned his mic back on.

"sorry about that, guys. y/n was just telling me how good she thought i was doing at this game. she loves complimenting me."

"i only speak the truth." she rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled as the fans comments went off, forgetting about y/n and matt for a moment.

they flirted back and forth for 5 more rounds before matt announced their time was up. they tallied up the score and it was determined that nick was the overall winner.

after the stream ended and all the cameras had been turned off, y/n turned to chris.

"that seemed like it worked, maybe."

"he was pissed." chris smirked. "i'd say it worked well."

"i don't think we can say it was successful until he tells me he was jealous." y/n looked at her phone. matt's name was flashing across the screen, indicating there was text waiting for her to read. "speak of the devil.

"what did he say?"

"he just wants to know if there's something going on with you and me."

"yeah he's definitely jealous."

y/n took his chain off and handed it back to him. "thanks for helping, chris. i think i need to go talk him off a ledge though. wish me luck."

"good luck." chris chuckled as y/n made her way up the stairs. she was set on going to matt's room to talk to him but when she made it to the top of the stairs, matt was standing at the fridge. when he heard her approach the kitchen, he turned to face her. y/n spoke first.

"that was a fun stream. i'm glad you guys keep inviting me to take part in them."

"the fans requested it. and we love to please our fans." matt sipped on the water he pulled from the fridge. "so, you and chris are together now, right?"

"what? no." y/n raised an eyebrow. "chris and i are just friends, matt."

"that's what we tell people about us." he tipped the bottle up and downed most of the water. "but it still isn't believable. plus he really likes you."

"and i love him too. but he understands it's only ever going to stay platonic between us."

"that's a shame. you guys would be good together."

"why are you acting like this?"

"like what?"

"like you're okay with me and chris being a thing. it's obvious it bothers you. so why won't you just admit it."

"fine." he set the water bottle down on the table. "you want me to tell how mad i am that you ditched me tonight for him? you want me to tell you how pissed i am that you guys flirted right in front of me the whole night and didn't seem to care that it bothered me?" he stopped to take a breath. "you want me to admit that i love when you wear this outfit but that i hated you wearing chris' chain? and that it should've been mine? fine. i'll admit to all those things because it's what you want. and it's the truth. i wish you had been in my room tonight but i can't change that. i missed you, even though you were only downstairs. it didn't seem fair, and it still doesn't, that you chose to stay with chris tonight when you're always in my room. it really bothered me when you flirted with my brother. especially because he knows how i feel about you." matt leaned against the counter. "i hate talking about my feelings. why are you making me do this?"

"because i needed to hear you say you were jealous. it was chris' idea for me to wear this because he knew it would get to you. and i didn't want to wear his chain. but he figured it might help if you saw that. maybe he thought that it would show you what you'd be missing if you didn't admit to yourself what everyone was already noticing. you like me, matt. why can't you come right out and say it?"

"i hate talking about my feelings." he repeated.

"guess what? so do i. but this is a conversation that needs to happen."

"okay, yes. i like you. happy?"

"ecstatic." y/n rolled her eyes. "could you say it with a little more enthusiasm?"

"no." he deadpanned.

"i like you too, matt. you never had to worry about chris. and this whole thing could've been avoided if you had just told me. we wouldn't have had to have this stupid conversation about feelings." y/n sighed. "but now that they're out in the open, there's nothing holding us back, right?" she moved in front of him. "we like each other. isn't that wonderful?"

"yeah. i guess. i hate how it came out because i had a plan to tell you and none of it involved anger or jealousy." matt reached out for her hand which she let him hold. "i don't like being angry towards you. i hate it."

"i know, matt. but it's okay. i'm here now to change your mood."

"can you stay with me tonight?" matt looked down at her. "i just want to go to sleep with you in my arms, knowing that it means something more this time."

"matt, it has always meant something." y/n pushed up on her toes and placed a kiss to his lips. he didn't hesitate to return the favor as they made their way to his bedroom. matt got on the bed and as soon as y/n joined him, he pulled her close.

"i don't want to let you go."

"you don't have to, matt." y/n closed her eyes and curled into his body. "i'm here for as long as you want me."

"does forever sound good?"

"it sounds perfect."

[writingwithciara]

paper rings -jack hughes-

summary: y/n's brother used to give her paper rings all the time. he did it for as long as she can remember. so after he suddenly passes away, y/n figures she won't see any new rings. but she is shocked to find a new ring in her mailbox every day following her brother's death.

word count: 6.8k

pairing: jack hughes x reader

notes: grieving reader, mentions of death. i loved this at first then i started hating it towards the end. not my favorite thing i've written, that's for sure. but you guys might like it :)

tropes: brother's best friend, childhood friends, friends to lovers, shared grief, happy ending

marcus was a good person. not a single bad bone in the guys body. wherever he went, he made friends with everyone. his favorite friendships were with the ones who resisted him briefly at first, who he eventually wore down.

his smile was infectious and he went out of his way to make sure nobody was ever left out. everybody loved him for it.

but nobody loved him more than his sister, y/n. and the love was the same for him. no one mattered more to him than his sister.

he loved his sister from the moment she was born. he had only been 2 but he remembered everything about the day their parents brought her home. she was perfect to him and he vowed right then and there that he would always protect her.

when she was 9, she was a witness to her parents constant fighting. marcus made sure she had everything possible to drown it out. he saved his money and bought her the best headphones in the store.

luckily, the fighting never lasted long. and just a few months later, their parents got divorced and their dad walked out of their lives. and that was okay because their mother was everything to both of them. she sacrificed so much to make sure her children were happy. their family was closer than ever and the 3 of them were happy together.

and then, out of nowhere, their mom got sick. she was admitted to the hospital when y/n was only 11 and she never left. it was where they had their final moments as a family. it killed y/n to see the family fall apart.

but thankfully, y/n still had marcus to hold on to. he kept his promise to protect her. he fought to keep them together and found a safe place for them in the home of his best friends family.

the hughes family immediately took them in once they learned about their situation and ellen made sure y/n and marcus knew they had a home for as long as they needed it.

everything was changing and although y/n didn't know how to feel, she knew she would grow to accept it eventually.

the only thing that remained the same throughout her life were the paper rings she received on a near-daily basis from her brother. marcus had learned how to make paper rings from a girl in his 4th grade class and he used the skills to make something for y/n to show how much he loved her. she was grateful.

jack once asked marcus about it and he informed his friend "from the moment i met my sister, i vowed to protect and love her for the rest of our lives. and she loves these so i'm happy to keep it up for her. i do it for her."

when she was 16, y/n watched as marcus and jack were both drafted to the nhl right out of high school. jack was going to new jersey and marcus was going to san jose. she wanted to go with her brother but she knew she couldn't. there was still the matter of her schooling. luke was still with her, luckily. and he made a promise to marcus to protect her.

at 19, y/n was in the middle of her freshman year at umich when her brother called ellen and informed them that he was being traded to new jersey. she remembered the conversation she had with ellen when they got off the phone.

"is there any possible way i could transfer to school in jersey?"

"i can check with your professors and see what's possible. any school you have in mind?"

"no. i just know that jersey is where i need to be."

and ellen knew what she meant. she understood that y/n and marcus couldn't be apart much longer and that their bond was never going to be destroyed.

so she talked to the right people and found a work-around for y/n to transfer to princeton.

y/n was happy again, being with the 2 people she loved the most. jack and marcus. they were her rocks and with them, she felt the safest she had ever been.

a year later, however, that happiness was ripped from her hands.

y/n had been stood up for a date by a guy she thought had really liked her. he had her wait outside the restaurant for almost an hour before he had the nerve to call her and tell her he was not gonna show up. he didn't even give a reason.

she didn't have enough money for an uber so she was going to have to call marcus to come pick her up.

as she she pulled out her phone, the screen was being covered in drops of water. when she looked up, she was just now noticing the rain was just starting to pour down. it was too late to cancel the call to her brother, as his voice filled her ear 2 seconds after she hit the dial button.

"y/n, are you okay? aren't you supposed to be on a date?"

"he stood me up, marcus. made me wait and hour before calling to cancel. and with no explanation."

"where are you? i'm on my way."

"no don't. i know you have plans. i don't know why i called. i'm just gonna call jack and see if he'll come get me."

"y/n, that is not an option. i'm already in the car and i'm tracking your location. be there in 5 minutes." he didn't give her time to protest again before he hung up.

y/n waited the 5 minutes. but her brother's car hadn't pulled up to the curb she stood on. she waited. and waited. and waited. for nearly another hour before another familiar car pulled up beside her. jack got out and ran to her.

"y/n, let's go."

"where's marcus?"

"we'll talk on the way."

"on the way where?"

but jack couldn't tell her. so when he pulled up to the hospital, he had to physically lift her out of his passenger seat and help her into the waiting room.

everything from that point on had happened in a slow motion blur. the doctor informed her of the accident but she couldn't believe it until she saw it. and she didn't want to see it. because to her, if she didn't see it, it never happened.

but she knew it had to happen sooner than later. so jack held her hand as she slowly walked into the room to say goodbye to her brother. her one constant in her life.

for 4 months following the funeral, she was lost. she stopped going to school and hid herself in her bedroom. her roommate, lydia, tried everything and even jack had tried to help coax her out of her room. but nothing seemed possible anymore.

all y/n did was stare at photos and videos she had created with marcus. it killed her to see his smile on the screen when she could no longer see it in person.

angrily, she tossed her phone across the room, knocking the shoebox off the top of her bookshelf. it tumbled to the floor, spilling its contents onto her rug.

"shit!" she muttered to herself before dragging her body out of bed and making her way to the mess on the floor. she had to stop for a second and prepare herself for what she was about to see.

the tiny paper rings had scattered across her carpet, and as she bent down to pick them up, she burst into tears. something she thought she was done with 2 days ago.

hearing the noise from the other side of the wall, lydia came rushing in to check on her. when she found y/n on her knees with her head in her hands, she approached slowly.

"y/n, are you okay?" she knelt beside her friend and rubbed her back gently. lydia was aware of how much the paper rings had meant to y/n and the meaning behind them. so she knew as soon as the question left her mouth, that y/n was not okay. it was confirmed when y/n shook her head and collapsed into lydia's arms. the two of them sat together for a few minutes before y/n stopped crying.

"i'm sorry you had to see me this way."

"y/n, you're my best friend. you don't have to apologize for being emotional. especially for something this valid. it's okay." lydia rubbed her back and helped her stand up. "i think you should get some rest. in my room."

"i'm fine, lyds. i promise."

"you need to be away from the reminders of him. and yes, i am aware that memories exist but that's a good thing. just, please go get some real sleep. i'll be here for as long as you need." she gently lead her roommate to her room and as soon as she made sure y/n was actually asleep, she called jack.

a few hours later, y/n woke up with a pounding headache. the room was dark but she could vaguely make out a figure sitting in the chair across the room. she thought she was seeing things at first so she tossed one of lydia's pillows into the darkness.

"ow." responded a familiar voice. the pillow came flying back towards y/n but she dodged it and it hit the wall. y/n turned on the lamp as jack sat next to her.

"what are you doing here?"

"lydia called me after she put you to sleep. figured you'd need me here." he gently rested his hand on top of hers and ran his fingers over her knuckles.

"you didn't have to come all the way here. i'm sorry."

"i promised marcus i would always be here for you when he couldn't be." he felt y/n stiffen at the mention of her brother. it was the first time anyone had said his name in her presence since the week following the funeral.

"i don't know why i got so emotional. it's been months, jack."

"i know. but it's okay. you miss him. we all do." he sighed and linked his fingers with hers. "he was all you had and i get it. it's okay to lose it every once in a while."

"i don't want to keep living this way. i want to be able to move on from his death." y/n looked at their connected hands. "i want to see a photo and not immediately burst into tears."

"lydia filled me in on what happened and i get it. those rings meant a lot to you and it's okay. i promise it's okay." he held her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "if you ever feel like you're in the midst of a breakdown, call me and i'll be there to help you through it."

"okay." she whispered, afraid to let her voice get any louder. "how long have i been wallowing by myself?"

"4 months. but that's alright. nobody's holding it against you."

"i didn't mean to shut you out, jack. i should've let you in." she could feel the tears pricking her eyes. jack noticed and he held her cheek, ready to wipe away anything that escaped.

"i'm here now. and i will be here. always."

"thank you." she whispered again and cuddled closer to her best friend. she was asleep within seconds and jack stayed with her for the rest of the night.

the next morning, y/n woke up in lydia's bed alone. she decided it was time to get out so she finally made her way to the kitchen. lydia and jack both looked up as they heard her enter the room.

"good morning." jack slid a plate of food over to her while lydia handed her a cup of coffee.

"how are you feeling today?"

"not great. but a little better than i have been." she sipped the coffee before taking a bite of the muffin in front of her. "i should thank you guys for being here for me, even if i was being difficult."

"you were most certainly not being difficult, y/n." jack took the seat next to her and tossed his arm around her shoulder. "i told you last night your feelings were valid. everyone processes differently. there's no set timeline for grieving. it's different for everyone."

"yeah. you took the time you needed and that's perfectly fine." lydia sat on the other side of the table and reached for y/n's hand. "we love you so much and we would never leave you alone."

"i love you too. and i'm for grateful you guys are in my life." she looked between them. "oh shit. i should go clean up my room."

"already taken care of, darling." lydia squeezed her hand. "cleaned it up while you were sleeping."

"yeah. i tried to help when i got here but she told me to be there for you when you woke up."

"what did you do with the rings?"

"i put them back on your shelf. but i put them lower so you could easily reach them if you ever wanted to look through them."

"thank you, lydia. that was thoughtful of you."

"he made you a lot of those rings, didn't he?"

"almost daily from 2nd grade until the week before he passed." y/n let out a shaky breath. "i'm never gonna get another paper ring again and i know it sucks, but at least i have the current ones."

"exactly." jack rubbed her shoulder. "he loved making them for you."

"i know. said it made him happy."

"it made him happy to see how happy you were when he gave them to you." jack wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

"what are your plans for the day?" y/n looked at jack, then at lydia.

"well, i was thinking i could stay here tonight again. if you wanted me to."

"okay. but that's later. what about now?"

"i have to get to work in about 20 minutes." lydia finished her coffee and brought the mug to the sink. "i'll see you later, y/n. bye jack." she waved and walked out the door.

"but i'm free." jack smiled. "well, i'll be free after practice. wanna come with me?"

"is that even allowed?"

"no idea. but i don't want to leave you."

"it's alright. i can be left alone for a bit."

"no. i can't do that. not when i made a promise."

"i don't want you to get in trouble, jack."

"i won't. will you please come with me?"

"fine. but if you get in trouble, i'm going home."

"fair enough." jack smiled and y/n stood from the table. "go get dressed and i'll grab your stuff."

y/n nodded and headed into her room. her eyes went immediately to the shoebox of rings and she walked over to it. instead of ignoring it, she opened the lid and pulled one out. it happened to be the green one she adored. marcus bought a special kind of paper meant for paper rings after the ones i first gave her got destroyed.

she slid the green ring on her finger and stared at it. she must've zoned out because jack was by her side when she turned her head.

"oh. sorry. i'll be ready in a second."

"no worries." jack's thumb instinctively swiped the tear off her cheek and he walked to her door to wait.

30 minutes later, they were pulling up to the practice arena. jack got out and went to y/n's side of the car.

"while you were getting dressed, i called coach. he said it was fine for you to sit in on the practice today."

"okay good. i'm glad." she took jack's hand and they walked into the arena. y/n sat in a seat behind the glass and watched the guys skate around. nico waved to her whenever he skated by. jack kept his eye on her the entire time and while one might think it would've messed up his concentration, it did not. he was capable of putting focus on more than one thing.

nico skated over to him while they were working on their final drill. "it's nice to see y/n out of her apartment. she seems to be doing better."

"yeah. she had a breakdown last night and her roommate called me over to help. guess it was what she needed."

"what did she breakdown over?"

"it took awhile for me to get it out of her but i guess she was going through her old photo album on her phone and got angry so she threw her phone. it hit her bookshelf and knocked down her shoebox filled with paper rings. one look at the pile of paper on her rug and she burst into tears."

"they meant a lot to her, didn't they?"

"yeah. marcus learned how to make them in 4th grade and he gave her a new one nearly every day since then. she loved them. they made her happy and he lived for making her smile."

"that's sweet." nico tapped his stick. "do you know how to make them?"

"i tried a couple times but none of them ever turned out as good as the ones marcus made her."

"i'm sure with a little bit of practice, you could make some and give them to her. she might appreciate it."

"yeah, maybe. but i don't know." jack looked over to where y/n was sitting. she was leaning forward, talking to sheldon through the glass. she had a smile on her face. it was small, but it was a start. when she lifted her head to catch jack's gaze, she waved. "she is so strong. i don't know how she does it."

"she's got you, jack." nico nudged his friend. "and you don't have to worry about replacing marcus. nobody could ever. but you're a good substitute for the love she lost when she lost him. but it could be different if you let it."

"what are you talking about?"

"you're smart. you'll figure it out." and with that, he skated in the opposite direction. jack headed over to y/n.

"hey. ready to go?"

"yeah." y/n met him at the entrance to the tunnel. "sheldon was telling me how glad he was glad to see me doing better."

"everyone was glad to see you, y/n. you might not know it but we were all worried about you. you're like the unofficial little sister of the team."

"that's how you see me?"

"yeah. we all love you. not as much as he did. but we've got the same intentions."

"okay. that makes me feel alright." y/n took his hand and they walked to the locker room. "i'll wait for you out here." she waited for 25 minutes before she saw his face again and she was instantly calmed down when he emerged. y/n found that he has been doing that to her for years and she suddenly always wanted to be near him.

on the way back to the apartment, y/n fidgeted with the ring she put on earlier. jack took notice and nico's words played in his head. maybe he really should make some rings for her.

a few days later, y/n was sitting in her room when lydia came in. she handed y/n a small package.

"what's this?"

"i don't know. but it was in the mailbox." lydia shrugged and sat down on the bed beside y/n as she opened the package. "so, what is it?"

"it's a," she ripped the tape off and opened the box. "oh my god. it's a paper ring." she pulled it out and held it in the palm of her hand. it was a decently made one, nowhere near the quality of the green one she was still wearing. "who sent me this?"

"is there a return address on it?"

"not that i recall." y/n flipped the package around but didn't see an address on it. "i think it was jack."

"why do you say that?"

"well, other than you, he's the only one who knows how much the rings mean to me. at least i think he is."

"okay. that makes a lot of sense i guess."

"oh, there's a note." y/n unfolded a piece of paper and read the words.

you deserve so much more but these rings meant a lot to you so from this day forward, i will make and deliver a new ring every single day.

she knew immediately, just by the handwriting, that jack had made this ring. and it touched her heart in ways she didn't think were possible.

"lyds, what am i going to do?"

"what do you mean?"

"this is the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me. and i love it a lot. it's making me feel things. but it's jack. i can't be feeling these things for him. he's my best friend."

"but maybe that's exactly why you should feel these things."

"what?"

"think about it. nobody knows the pain you're going through more than jack does. you lost a brother and he lost a best friend. and sometimes, people connect in so many ways while they grieve."

"but....it's jack." y/n looked at the ring again. "it would be weird, wouldn't it? i mean, i've never even thought about him in that way before."

"okay so you're telling me you've known this really hot guy for years and you've never thought once about him in a way that wasn't friendly?"

"have you?" y/n raised an eyebrow.

"of course i have. like i said, he's really hot." lydia smiled. "but he's never going to be into me. not the way he's into you, at least."

"are you high? jack is not into me."

"dude, are you blind? you can't be serious right now." lydia chuckled and shook her head. "he drops everything when you call. or just to be here for you. he's been your best friend for years and constantly, he's shown up for you. even on days when you didn't ask. he's intune to your feelings. it's like he knows how you'll be feeling and he's prepared for anything when it comes to you." lydia looked at her friend. "if he's not in love with you, then my radar is way off."

"it's off. just watch. i'll show you."

every day for the next 2 weeks, y/n received a paper ring in the mail. each one better than the one before it. she hardly saw jack but when she did, he would only be around briefly. so she didn't have the opportunity to ask him about what she and lydia had discussed.

but even then, with each passing day, y/n was beginning to doubt her own words. jack was going above and beyond in her friendship but it didn't feel like things a friend would do.

she really needed to talk to him.

and she got her chance one saturday.

jack was packing for a road trip with the team while y/n watched him run around his room. she enjoyed the moments like this when it was just them.

"i know you're the one who keeps sending me paper rings, jack."

"it wasn't really a secret, y/n." jack stopped folding a shirt and faced her.

"but why?"

"the rings meant a lot to you. i wasn't gonna let you continue on with your life without those rings." he looked down at his feet. "i hate seeing you upset, y/n."

"i don't deserve you." y/n smiled before lydia's words came tumbling through her mind. they fell out of y/n's mouth before she could stop them. "oh, um, interesting story. lydia told me she thought you were hot."

"oh. really?" jack's face began turning red and y/n suddenly wished she hadn't told him that.

"yeah." she took the opportunity to gauge his reaction carefully. "so, what do you think of that?"

"well, honestly i'm flattered. and she's gorgeous."

y/n's heart constricted a little. "oh."

"but she's not my type."

"are you crazy? lydia is 100% your type, jack. she's blonde, gorgeous, smart and funny. how is she not your type?"

"she just isn't, okay? yeah she's all those things, but she's just not-"

"ready to go, jack?" luke interrupted his brother thenn turned to y/n. "oh hey, y/n. didn't know you were here."

"i come here before you guys leave for every away trip. how are you so surprised every single time, luke?" y/n walked over to the tallest hughes brother and hugged him.

"i know. just like to tease you." luke chuckled. "you gonna miss your boy for a week?"

"what boy?"

"forget about him and come back here for a second. i have something for you."

y/n walked over to jack and smiled when he placed a paper ring on her pinky finger. "what's this for?"

"it's my favorite one i've ever made and i was gonna have it sent to you from the road but since you're here, i figured i'd give it to you now." jack's smile was infectious. "do you like it?"

"i love it." y/n couldn't help but wrap her arms around jack. he immediately pulled her tighter while luke smiled to himself.

"okay, lovebirds. let's go." he grabbed jack's bag and headed out. while they were alone, jacks cheeks turned pink.

"uh, ignore him."

"i always do." y/n smiled and headed out to the living room. "i'm gonna miss you guys. make sure you win for me."

"we always try our best for you." jack put his arm around y/n as the 3 of them headed to the parking lot.

luke got in jack's car and waited for his brother. he watched as jack and y/n embraced for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why they were still dancing around their feelings.

by the time jack drove away, he had shed his sweater. y/n held it in her arms and smiled before climbing into her car and heading back to her apartment.

lydia was sitting on the couch when y/n walked in. her eyebrow raised when she noticed the sweater. "jack's?"

"jack's" y/n confirmed as she collapsed next to her best friend.

"so does that mean you guys finally had the talk?"

"no. we didn't. but i did tell him you thought he was hot."

"you did not!" lydia slapped y/n's arm and laughed. "what did he say?"

"he said you were gorgeous, but that you weren't his type."

"right. because you're his type."

"When will you let that go?"

"when you and jack finally have a talk."

"okay. so never?"

"it's like you love to piss me off."

"you love me."

"i do." lydia smiled and turned her attention back to the tv. "i can't believe THE jack hughes called me gorgeous."

"that just made your day, didn't it?"

"honey, it made my entire life."

a week later, y/n and lydia were watching the devils play the golden knights. when jack collided with eichel and they both went down, y/n jumped up from the couch.

"oh no."

"that looked painful."

"he's not getting up, lydia." y/n covered her mouth and watched as eichel slowly slowly got up. he leaned down to check on jack but he was still not getting up. "that looked terrible."

"it really did. i can feel the pain." she rubbed her shoulder. "oh. and it's the same shoulder from last season, isn't it?"

"i don't know." y/n grabbed her phone and sent luke a text. "i hope he's okay." she was surprised when her phone vibrated in her hand. she looked at the screen. "jack's requesting a facetime."

"answer it!" lydia jumped to her feet and joined y/n.

"hey. what happened?" y/n looked at the screen, only to see luke's face instead of jack's. "is he okay?"

"he's stubborn. doesn't want to believe it's as bad as it could be." luke turned the camera towards jack.

"stubborn, or stupid?" lydia shook her head.

"little bit of both." y/n and luke answered at the same time.

"who are you talking to? is it y/n?" jack called from behind the camera. luke leaned to get his brother in the frame. he smiled when he saw y/n on the screen. "i promsie it's not bad."

"jack, the doctor said you might need surgery again."

"i don't need to surgery."

"jack, what's going to be worse? continuing your season without fixing what could become a potential problem down the road? or getting it fixed quickly so you can heal faster and come back stronger?" y/n stared at her best friend.

"ugh. stupid logic."

"i do it because i care."

"i know. and i love you for it." jack chuckled. the doctor came back into the room to inform them of the extent of his injury. he wrapped the shoulder as tightly as he needed and left the room again.

"i'm sorry this happened, bro." luke sighed. "you're the star of our team. without you, we're basically screwed."

"don't say that, luke. you guys are still strong without jack. you proved that last season."

"y/n, babe, i love you. but last season, we sucked." luke chuckled. "i strongly believe it was because we didn't have jack."

"you're feeding his ego, luke." lydia shook her head and smiled. "hope you heal fast, jack. the team needs you."

"who's the one feeding his ego now?" luke playfully raised his eyebrow. jack laughed in the background.

"i miss you guys." y/n sighed.

"well i won't be home for a while. gotta fly to colorado and get some surgery."

"oh. that sucks." y/n looked at her best friend. "this isn't fair. you should be healthy. you deserve it for at least one full season."

"i know. but it's like i'm cursed or something."

"all of you guys have been injured this season and i think it's bullshit."

"it is." y/n looked away for a moment. long enough for her to miss the longing look in jack's eyes. but lydia noticed.

"hey, if you miss jack so much, why don't you fly to denver and keep him company before and after the surgery?"

luke, who easily caught on, nodded. "oh, that's a great idea. i'll book the ticket now and send it to your email." he was already typing on his phone before she could protest.

"this will be good for him, i promise." lydia whispered. "you'll have time to talk to him about you know what."

"you're never gonna give up, are you?"

"you know me so well. i'm gonna go pack for you while you're on the phone." lydia kissed her cheek and headed down the hallway. y/n turned her attention back to the screen just as luke was putting his phone away.

"done. flight leaves tomorrow evening. you'll be in denver in less than 48 hours."

"can't wait. kiss jack on the cheek for me and tell him i'll see him soon." y/n smiled and hung up the phone. part of her wanted to be upset with luke and lydia's meddling but the other part of her knew jack would enjoy the company.

so, when the plane landed in denver 30 hours later, y/n rushed to be the first one off the plane. luke had sent her a text with the hospital information on it so she got in a cab and gave the driver the directions.

when he pulled up to the hospital, she gave him a generous tip and headed inside. it only took a few minutes before she had arrived in jack's room. when he looked up, his eyes met hers and he smiled widely.

"hey. you actually came. i thought the discussion was all a dream."

"of course i came. you needed someone here with you." y/n set her bag down and sat in the chair next to his bed. "how do you feel?"

"better now that you're here." he smiled genuinely. "but still in a little pain. surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning and even though it's happened before, i'm a little scared."

"there's nothing to be scared of, jack. your doctor is one of the best in the country. he's had tons of successful surgeries, yours included." y/n grabbed his hand. "you're tough, jack. you can do this."

"wow. i didn't know how much i needed you here until just now. thank you." he squeezed her hand 2 times harder. "you take the pain away. for real."

"i try my best." y/n looked down at her feet, the blush inevitable. "jack, there's something i want to talk about and if i wait any longer, i'll probably chicken out." she took a deep breath before speaking again. "i think i may love you. a lot. and i never realized it until i lost marcus. you helped me out of my depression and you brightened my life up, even though i didn't make it easy. you are my best friend and i think that you making me these rings may be a sign that you like me too. and i might be wrong about it so if you don't feel the same, please tell me now." she waited for a few seconds. the silence was enough of a confirmation that she was wrong. taking a breath, she looked up, only to find that jack had fallen asleep. she let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair, never letting his hand go.

the next morning, y/n woke up to the soft sound of voices whispering to each other. she opened her eyes and the doctor was standing by the bed, talking to jack. his hand was still holding onto y/n's so when he felt her move, his head turned immediately.

"good morning."

"good morning." she sat up straighter. "what's going on?"

"the doctor was just coming in to get me ready for surgery."

"oh. okay. well, i'm gonna go get some coffee." y/n stood up and stretched. jack reached for her hand.

"wait. please?"

"okay." she sat back down and watched the doctor do his thing. when it was finally time for the surgery, the doctor began wheeling jack out. he looked at y/n.

"you're gonnabe here after, right?"

"of course, jack. i wouldn't leave you."

"okay good. i have to tell you something when this is all over."

"i'll be here." she watched the doctor take jack to the operating room. as she waited, she thought back to her confession last night. she had no idea if she would have the courage to say it all to him again.

a few hours later, jack was out of surgery and asleep in his room. y/n kept her eye on him while the nurses came in and out to check on him.

around 9 pm, jack finally woke up. y/n had fallen asleep with her head on the edge of jack's bed. he gently tapped the top of her head and she stirred. when she opened her eyes, she smiled at jack.

"hey. how are you feeling now?"

"better. a lot better." he smiled as y/n moved her chair closer to the bed.

"that's good." y/n held his hand for what felt like the millionth time in the past 2 days. but neither of them cared. it felt right.

jack's eyes travelled to their hands. "you're still wearing the ring."

"of course i am. you gave it to me. i love it."

"i love you." jack closed his eyes. "this was not the way i wanted to tell you though. you deserve better than a damn hospital room."

"it's okay, jack. i could be anywhere with you and it would be enough." y/n squeezed his hand and smiled. "i love you too, by the way."

"i thought that's what i heard last night but i figured i was dreaming." jack chuckled. "i heard your whole speech and i'm sorry i didn't reply."

"you were tired. i don't blame you." y/n looked at his shoulder. "i'm glad you got the surgery instead of being stubborn, like usual."

"well a really wise person i know made a really good point." jack smiled. "i'm gonna come back even stronger than before and it's all thanks to you."

"i'm sure your doctor would be very happy to hear that." y/n couldn't help but laugh. "i guess i'm gonna be the one to take care of you while you heal."

"hopefully you'll be a better caregiver than luke was last season when i was hurt."

"i'll be the best caregiver ever. but only for you. and sometimes lydia."

"does lydia still think i'm hot?"

"she does." y/n grinned. "but i think that she thinks luke is hotter. and even if she doesn't, there's still some vibes between them, right?"

"you noticed that too, huh?"

"yeah. i've noticed it before but that facetime call was like the icing on the cake."

"they'd be cute together though, don't you think?" jack grinned.

"oh for sure." y/n looked at the ring on her finger. "thank you for learning how to make these for me."

"they mean a lot to you, y/n. i like seeing you happy. it's gotta be the best sight for me."

"you must really like me then, huh?"

"i do. i definitely do. and i have for a while." jack looked away from y/n before speaking. "i know this might make me sound like an asshole, but the night you had that date with that one guy, i was hoping the entire night that it would be a terrible date. i wanted you to come home and complain about him. i had planned to tell you how i felt that night. but after everything, the timing just never felt right. i'm sorry about him, by the way. he didn't deserve you."

"i know. i was way out of his league. but i spent so long thinking the opposite. so when he finally asked me on the date, i was happy." y/n sighed. "it was supposed to be a good day. but it was the worst day of my life."

"i know. i remember picking you up at the restaurant. you were broken before i even brought you to the hospital. i felt terrible having to do it."

"it's okay, jack." y/n climbed onto the bed next to jack when he scooted over. "sometimes things have to happen. and it's not like marcus won't live on in our memories. he's always gonna be in here. and in here." y/n pointed to her head first, then her heart. "especially in here."

"good. never let him fade away." jack kissed the top of her head and sighed. "so, i love you."

"i know. and i love you too, doofus. we've established that." y/n turned to look at him. "maybe we can finally go on a date when you get out of this hospital."

"or we can have the first date here." jack raised an eyebrow. "the food isn't too bad."

"okay. you're definitely still on the drugs." y/n smirked.

"i wish. the pain is a little terrible."

"want me to get the nurse?"

"no. i have a better idea." jack dropped her hand and used his own to grab her chin gently. he leaned in and slanted his lips over hers. their first kiss may have only been a short one. but it packed a lot of emotions in it. jack rested his forehead against hers and chuckled.

"how's the pain now?"

"still hurts. but only a little now. the kiss definitely helped."

"good. i'm glad to hear that." y/n grinned and leaned on his good shoulder. "i'm proud of you."

"thank you for being proud of me." jack stroked her hair and closed his eyes. the two of them drifted off to sleep, content to finally be in each others arms.

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 8 - quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 4k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes: i think tumblr deleted the beginning of this part and i don't remember what it said 😭😭 so i tried to write a new one. hopefully it works.

for the next few days, things between y/n and quinn were strained. she couldn't go to him when she needed to talk, in fear of being shut out. shew knew he needed time to process but things continued to get awkward between them.

and it wasn't just those two who were affected by the awkwardness. everyone else around them was. mostly abby, who missed him a lot, and bella, who missed having the girls around. and in turn, brock hated it because it made bella upset. so he took it upon himself to talk to quinn.

"you need to tell me what the hell is going on between you and y/n."

"you need to tell me what the hell is going on between you and y/n."

"nothing's going on between us. and there will never be anything."

"what happened? did you finally tell her how you felt and she rejected you?"

"no. i didn't even get a chance to tell her. i had it planned out too. but then she dropped the biggest bomb ever."

"and what would that be?"

"she got back together with abby's father." quinn let out a defeated sigh. "i don't understand why she would do that, especially after everything she told me about him."

"you know things would be different if you just told her, right? there's no way she wouldn't come running to you if she knew the truth."

"i want to believe you, i truly do. but you're wrong, brock. there's no universe where y/n and i end up together." quinn went back to focusing on the practice, leaving brock no choice but to follow.

later that day, as the team was on the ice for warm-ups before the game, y/n and abby made their way to the spot the usually sat with bella. when she saw them, she squealed with excitement and abby ran to hug her.

"oh i missed you guys." bella smiled as she picked up the little girl. "it hasn't felt right without you here."

"it still doesn't feel right being here. but abby asked and i couldn't say no." y/n smiled and looked at the team. "besides, andy is out with his friends so i figured i could actually get in a conversation with quinn without getting interrupted."

"brock told me you went back to your ex." bella looked at her friend. "what i don't quite understand is why."

"i swear he's a changed man and like i told quinn, i like to give people the benefit of the doubt."

"sometimes, i think you're too nice."

"yeah, possibly." she smiled. "so how have you been?"

"bored, honestly. some of the other wives and girlfriends of the team have started to get on my nerves. none of them compare to you and it sucked without you here. i missed you."

"we missed you too, bella. it truly didn't feel right being away."

"no more awkwardness after tonight, okay? i can't keep pretending like you and quinn aren't being idiots."

"hey."

"well it's true. you two either need to sleep together or you need to be locked in a room together to talk. whichever ends with you two getting together."

"bells, as much as i appreciate this talk, i feel the need to remind you that i have a boyfriend and that quinn and i will never get together."

"you say that now, but i feel like i can see the future. despite your fighting it, i know it'll happen. just watch." bella smirked and watched the game.

y/n playfully rolled her eyes at her friend. she always thought that there was nothing going on between her and quinn. but when he noticed her in the stands, that thought melted away. maybe there was something that needed to be addressed.

after the game, bella and y/n took abby down to wait for the team. it took a few minutes before the boys came out of the locker room but when quinn came out, he locked eyes with y/n for what felt like an eternity, but was only 2 minutes. he approached them slowly, looking around in case andy was close by.

"if you're looking for andy, he's not here." y/n spoke first. "he went out with some friends for the night so it's just us."

"oh okay. cool." quinn reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "some of the guys are going out to celebrate the win tonight. my brothers are also going to be there and i was wondering if you and abby would like to join us."

"yes!" abby giggled and hugged his leg. he bent down to pick her up.

"i think that would be fine. you and i should talk anyway."

"okay." he smiled. "do you guys want to catch a ride with me or did you drive your own car?"

"we actually took an uber here so i suppose we could ride with you for the night."

"perfect. right this way." quinn bowed to the side and let y/n walk in front of him.

at the restaurant, quinn got them a table away from the team so he could talk to y/n. bella took abby with her so they could have a little privacy.

"look, i owe you an apology." quinn started.

"for what?"

"the way i handled things when you told me about andy. it wasn't right. i shouldn't have acted like a jerk."

"you shouldn't have. no. but i haven't exactly made things easier for us, quinn. i've been avoiding you when i should've just acted like an adult and talked to you."

"it's my fault." he shook his head. "you're my best friend and i feel like i messed that up."

"you didn't mess it up. i just needed a little time to process things." y/n smiled. "but i'm here now and i honestly don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

"what about andy?"

"he has friends so why can't i have mine?"

"fair point. but he's not gonna get mad about it, is he?"

"he and i talked and he understands how important you are to me. and to abby. i'm telling you, quinn. he's truly a changed man."

"i believe you. people can change for sure."

"apparently, you've changed too."

"what do you mean?" quinn raised an eyebrow and sipped his drink.

"when i met bella, she told me that you used to this moody guy who didn't get out a whole lot. she said you weren't that guy anymore and that it was because of me."

"oh. well i don't know about that." he chuckled. "but maybe i have changed. who knows."

"sometimes change is a good thing."

"i suppose." he smiled and lifted his drink to his lips to sip it slowly. y/n stared at him for longer than a 'friend' would but luckily he didn't notice. or rather, if he did, he didn't let her know he caught on.

"hey guys." jack smiled as he approached his brother. "where's abby?"

"bella has her over there." y/n smiled and pointed towards the other table. jack was gone 2 seconds later. he loved being around abby. "i love how much you guys adore abby. makes it seem like i did something right in the way she was raised."

"you did everything right when it comes to raising a child. i don't have any of my own but since i met you, i've been reading a lot about the topic."

"wait, really?"

"yeah. i read." he sipped his drink again. "a lot."

"interesting. never would've taken you for a reader."

“do i not look like one?” quinn raised an eyebrow.

“no offence, but absolutely fucking not.”

quinn chuckled. “none taken. i totally get it.”

“good. because it’s not a bad thing. like, at all. more like a very pleasant surprise.” y/n closed her eyes. “like a cute puppy or something else that’s cute.”

“you know, you’re kind of cute when you babble on like that.”

“oh.” y/n felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. she picked up her drink and glanced over to where jack had abby hanging upside down, giggling her head off.

“i’m sorry. that was weird of me to say.”

“no. it’s fine, quinn. i just have a hard time accepting compliments on account of never getting them from andy.”

“well then he’s messing up real bad.” quinn finished his drink and looked at her. “sorry again. i know you don’t want to hear my opinion on him so i’ll shut up now.”

"much appreciated." the change in her tone of voice didn't go unnoticed by quinn. he decided against bringing it up though, being careful not to upset her.

jack brought abby over to luke & he showed her just as much attention as jack had, even making her laugh almost as hard.

"i'm starting to think i may not be her favorite person anymore." y/n giggled.

"you're her mother. i think it's obvious that you're her favorite person in the world. nobody could replace you."

"okay. then i think it's safe to say that she may love your brothers more than she loves you." y/n knew what she was doing so she added a playful smirk.

"what? impossible! you take that back." quinn tipped his glass toward her but as he glanced over towards his brothers, even he couldn't deny the love coming from the 5 year old girl. her heart was as big as her mothers, with plenty of love to go around.

it was something that quinn adored about both of them. and the longer he avoided how he was starting to feel, the harder it was going to be when andy inevitably convinced her to move back home with him.

"can i talk to you about something important tomorrow?"

"yeah, of course." y/n smiled and opened her arms for abby as she came running towards her mother.

"mommy, jack said he and luke could take me to the beach tomorrow but that i had to ask for your permission." she looked over her shoulder at jack and luke, smiles painted on their faces as they waved. "can i go?"

"how about the 5 of us go and make a day of it? how's that sound?"

"oh, perfect!" abby grinned and turned to quinn. "you in?"

"i could never say no to you, princess." quinn kissed the top of her head and she giggled before running back to jack's arms. "it's official. she definitely loves jack more than me."

"i doubt that, quinn." y/n smiled and rested her hand on top of his. "i know for a fact that she adores you. she might have a little crush on jack but you'll always be her number one guy."

the way y/n said number one guy made quinn think of andy and what little of a relationship he had with his daughter. it was evident that abby didn't care much for her father but apparently, andy didn't mind.

it seemed, to quinn at least, that andy didn't really track the girls down to see his daughter. he more than likely only came so he could somehow manipulate y/n again.

and even though nothing was confirmed, just the thought alone made quinn's blood boil. something didn't feel right & quinn wanted to get as much info as he could.

"you okay, quinn? you kinda zoned out for a minute there."

"yeah. just thinking."

"you're always thinking, aren't you?" y/n grinned. "want to share what's in that head of yours?"

"you and andy, that's still strong?"

"yeah. i suppose. well, as far as things go, i'd say they're pretty strong." y/n looked at him. "why do you ask?"

"there's been something that's been bugging me lately. i know you don't want to hear my thoughts on him, so i'll keep it to myself."

"actually, i think i want to hear this." y/n turned so her full attention was on him. she even rested her hand on top of his. "what's bothering you?"

"i know andy says he came for both you and abby, but it just feels like maybe he doesn't really care all that much about his daughter and that he only wants you back in his life so he can manipulate you." quinn took a deep breath and continued. "i just...i don't want to see him hurt you."

"i appreciate your concern, quinn. but if i see any signs of his past behavior, i'll leave him. i promise." she smiled. "don't worry your pretty little head, my friend. i can handle it."

"i know you can. it's just," quinn swallowed. i care about you was on the tip of his tongue but he kept it to himself. "it's in my nature to protect the people in my life as much as i can."

"and i love that about you. it's one of the reasons i trust you with my daughter, quinn."

"and i'm glad you trust me." he smiled widely and stood from his seat. "i'm heading out. you and abby coming or do you want to stay?"

"i think i should get her home and to bed." y/n smiled and headed over to jack's table. she said goodbye to everyone while taking abby's hand and heading out with quinn.

quinn didn't miss the way jack raised his eyebrow in suspicion of the way y/n was attached to him. but he shook off that look and focused on getting the girls home.

back at their apartments, quinn helped y/n put abby to bed before she walked him out to his own apartment.

"i'll see you in the morning." quinn opened his door and looked at y/n. "jack said he and luke would meet us for breakfast before we went to the beach."

"okay. that sounds absolutely perfect." y/n smiled. "good night, quinn."

y/n headed to her living room to wait for andy. he said he'd be over in 5 minutes.

but 5 minutes turned into 30. and then an hour.

shortly after midnight, andy was finally walking through the door. he was loud and the smell of alcohol was strong. y/n hated it as he leaned in to kiss her. she walked into the kitchen to get him some water but he refused it.

"veronica is never like this." he slurred.

"veronica? who's that?"

"she's my girlfriend back home." he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"what? your girlfriend?"

"well, i suppose she's my ex now. just called her earlier and another guy picked up the phone. she's been cheating on me. she admitted to it and everything. been doing it for a few months. can you fucking believe that?" andy began raising his voice.

"can you lower your voice? your daughter is sleeping."

"my daughter? how can i be so sure she's mine? all my girlfriends have cheated on me in the past so it wouldn't surprise me if you did as well." he laughed and shook his head. "she doesn't even look like me. that's proof enough that she probably ain't even mine."

"are you fucking stupid? of course she's yours!"

"don't raise your voice with me!" andy got up in her face. "there's no way that child in their is mine! everyone cheats!"

"andrew, calm the fuck down! get some rest and we'll talk about this in the morning."

"don't tell me what to do!" he raised his arm up high, causing y/n to flinch. she didn't want to show any fear but with andy, it was hard. she backed up against the wall as he moved closer.

"a-andy, please stop. you're scaring me."

"as if you really cared." he scoffed and looked at y/n. there was no remorse for his actions in his eyes.

"i think you should go to your place and sleep this off."

"again, don't tell me what to do!"

quinn, who heard the commotion, came through the door seconds later. he took one look at y/n and threw himself between her and andy.

"she asked you to leave, andy."

"of course you'd be here. you're always around." andy turned his anger on quinn. "she does things like this and then tries to tell me that abby is my daughter."

by now, brock, jack and luke had appeared at y/n's open door. they took one look at y/n behind quinn and he nodded towards her, quietly telling them to get her and abby over to his apartment.

quinn watched as luke & brock helped abby out of the apartment while jack carried a surprisingly still sleeping abby across the hall. he turned back towards andy and poked at his chest while getting in his face.

"you are the worst kind of person. you hurt the people who love you and you have absolutely no regrets about it." quinn sighed, but continued. "for the record, not that you care either way, abby is 100% your daughter. but you are most definitely not her father. i want you to leave and never come back into their lives."

before andy could say a word, quinn was already leaving. he needed to get back to his apartment to make sure the girls were okay. when he walked in, abby was awake. she ran right to him and he didn't hesitate to pick her up. she rested her head against him as he carried her to the living room. jack, luke and brock stood from the couch, allowing quinn to take the spot next to y/n.

"we're gonna take off now. but we'll see you in the morning." jack pulled y/n in for a hug and made sure to give abby a kiss on the top of her head.

"yup. and thanks for the help, guys." quinn nodded as the 3 boys walked out of the apartment. when they were gone, quinn turned to y/n. she was focused on a spot on the wall beside the tv. "y/n, you okay?"

"huh? no. wait, i don't know." she sighed and after what felt like an hour, she finally spoke again. "i really thought he had changed, you know."

"i'm sorry he didn't." quinn looked down at abby. she had fallen back asleep as quinn held her. "look, you don't deserve that treatment and i wish i could go and erase it from your memory."

"i don't think i can go back over there tonight." she shook her head and looked next to quinn at abby who was fast asleep at his side.

"you can stay here tonight." quinn looked at her face. "in fact, why don't you just stay here permanently? you know, like, move in?"

"quinn, i couldn't."

"yes, you could. i technically already have a room for abby all set up and everything. and setting up a room for you should be really easy. plus, i'm hardly home so it'll feel like you're still in your own apartment." he rubbed her arm gently. "i understand the hesitation and i'm not going to pressure you into doing this. but my offer is always going to be out there for you if you do decide to take me up on it."

"we won't be crowding you?" y/n fiddled with the drawstring on her hoodie. "i have this thing about-"

"you will most certainly not be crowding me." quinn chuckled. "but if you choose to move in, let me tell you about the benefits you would be receiving."

"okay." y/n smiled and looked at quinn.

"first off, your rent will be extremely low. i'm talking half, or less, of what you were paying across the hall. second, live-in babysitter. awesome, right?" he looked at her to make sure she still had his attention. "also, i can cook. been told by some important people that i'm really good at it." he nodded his head down in abby's direction, causing y/n to giggle.

"she does love a good meal."

"and for the final benefit? everything you could ever need will be provided for you, upon request. nothing is ever too silly of an ask. just say the word and you'll have everything brought to you when needed. and i'm not just talking about breakfast in bed and stuff like that. if you want something from a store, it'll be delivered immediately."

"quinn, that sounds like a little much."

"then i will tone down whatever it is that would make you uncomfortable, or have you feel like you're taking advantage of me. which, i hope you never feel that way. because you would never be taking advantage of me. i want to do this." the corners of his lips jerked up into a smile as he watched y/n weigh the pros and cons of moving in.

"are you sure i wouldn't be taking advantage of you?"

"yes, absolutely."

"then i think we'll move in. but you and i will remain friends. nothing more, okay?"

"okay. i can handle that. we've been doing so well so far. shouldn't be a problem."

"alright. then it's settled." y/n smiled and looked over at abby. "i'll get my stuff moved in over the weekend."

"i can get the guys to do it all. you won't have to lift a finger. you, bella and abby could even go out for the day and have fun while we work here."

"natalie too?" abby opened her eyes and looked up at quinn, causing him to chuckle and move her to his lap.

"yes. and natalie too. if she's up for it."

"yay." the little girl cheered and within seconds, she was fast asleep.

"i'm gonna put her to bed." y/n reached for her daughter but quinn stood up, gently holding abby.

"it's okay. i got it." he started walking down the hall towards the room but stopped and looked at y/n. "you can take my bed for the night. i'll have brock help me move your bed over here after the beach tomorrow."

"quinn, no. i'm more than happy taking the couch for the night."

"you are not sleeping on that messed up thing. you need to sleep in my bed tonight. i'll be fine out here. i promise."

"quinn, i-"

"i'm serious, y/n. go get some rest."

"you're not going to let me win, are you?"

"hey, look at you. catching on pretty early." quinn smiled and placed abby in the bed gently. y/n appeared behind him and smiled.

"thanks again, quinn. i really appreciate everything you've been doing for us and i don't think there's anything i can ever do to repay you for it all."

"just stay safe, happy and relaxed & everything will be even."

"that's not what i meant." y/n smiled and turned towards quinn's room. "but thank you."

"stop thanking me for being a good friend." quinn chuckled and followed her into his room. "you can sleep in whatever you want. but i also have some clothes for you if you want."

"it's fine. i'll sleep in this tonight." she gestured to the vancouver hoodie and sweatpants combo she had changed into when she got home. "but..." she drifted out of her thought.

"you were just about to thank me again, weren't you?" quinn asked with a smirk.

"yeah. i couldn't help it." y/n smiled back. "it's a habit that i need to break." she shook her head. "it's bad."

"no. it's fine. but you thank me for doing stuff a good friend should do. i know you appreciate it. just like i appreciate that you trust me."

"and that i do." y/n reached out and gently tapped on quinn's chest. "so i'll see you in the morning?"

"yes. bright and early."

"perfect." y/n sat on the bed. "good night, quinn."

"good night, y/n." quinn shut the door slowly and headed to the living room. he settled onto the couch and looked at the ceiling. it was nearly unbelievable how easy it was to get y/n to agree to move in with him.

the only problem? he was in love with her and it would surely be a problem to keep that to himself with her in the next room all the time.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 7 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 1.3k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes: i apologize for andy. he's a horrible person but it's needed. no good story is complete without a conflict 😅

things had suddenly gotten weird, but interesting in y/n's life.

she and andy began dating again in secret & for so many reasons, it was wrong. the main reason being their messed up past. but part of her felt it was wrong because of quinn.

it didn't feel right to hide something so monumental from the one person she told everything to. she spent all week wondering how he would react when he found out, mainly questioning if he would be angry, upset or disappointed. or perhaps even all three.

so when quinn came home, it became even more difficult. she had promised she'd spend the day with him when he got back but how was she going to do that without telling him about her new relationship?

early the next morning, y/n and abby met quinn in the garage. he helped abby into her seat and y/n felt something tugging at her heart. they got in their own seats and quinn began to drive.

"we watched the game the other night. i'm so proud of how you played, quinn."

"thanks. i knew you'd be watching so i tried to play my best."

"you're a great player, honestly. you didn't need to try too hard."

"thanks again. not sure why but your opinion means a lot to me."

"same." y/n looked at him and smiled.

"so what else did you guys do while i was gone?"

"i spent a lot of time with bella. she's great. i love her." abby grinned as she watched the scenery outside her window.

"yeah. she's pretty great." quinn smiled and turned towards y/n. "did you have to work a lot?"

"um, no. i had dates."

"dates? as in plural?"

"yeah."

"who was it? anyone i know?"

"no. met him while i was working." y/n looked out the window.

"oh. what an odd place to meet someone." quinn chuckled lightly and kept his eyes on the road, trying his best to hide the hurt on his face.

while they were on the road, his teammates had convinced him that y/n had feelings for him and they proceeded to convince him to ask her out on a date when they got back. but hearing this was like a hard blow to his heart and ego.

his teammates were wrong and he hated how it was making him feel. he didn't think he would be able to have feelings for someone since his last girlfriend broke his heart.

but regardless of his unreciprocated feelings, he still cared about y/n and considered her to be his best friend. he would still do anything for her.

y/n looked over at quinn in time to see what she assumed was a flash of hurt on his face. the guilt started eating away at her. everything felt off and she hated it

the first place they went was the restaurant they always went to when it was the three of them. the wait staff always assumed they were a family and they never corrected them.

but today was different. after three people commented on how cute their family was, quinn corrected them.

"actually, we are not together. she's just my neighbor."

"oh. i'm so sorry." the waitress pulled out her pad of paper and took their order. while she was gone, quinn helped abby with the maze of the placemat. y/n smiled at the sight.

an hour later, quinn was pulling into a parking spot in the lot of his favorite mini golf place that also doubled as an arcade. y/n climbed out and by the time she made it around the car, quinn already had abby out and was holding onto her hand. he was perfect & y/n nearly hated him for the way she was starting to feel.

"what should we do first? mini golf or the arcade?"

"mini golf!!" abby cheered and began tugging on quinn's hand. he chuckled and followed her. after he paid, he turned to y/n.

"you coming?"

"what? oh. yeah. i'm right behind you, quinn." y/n shook her head and followed her daughter towards the first hole. she watched as quinn taught abby how to play the game. turns out, she was a natural and didn't need much help. she even started a friendly competition with quinn.

y/n felt her heart swelling with joy over what she was witnessing. something andy would never do with abby. not because she wasn't giving him an opportunity to do so. but because he genuinely would not be caught dead making a fool of himself.

it was the main reason why she was starting to regret her decision to date him. and it was the reason why she found herself falling for quinn instead.

later that night, they were walking up the stairs to their apartment. quinn was carrying a sleeping abby and any other man y/n knew would've been complaining. but not him. he was special.

"today was the most fun i've had outside of hockey in a really long time. thank you."

"it was my pleasure quinn." y/n smiled when they reached their floor. "abby really loves spending time with you."

"i love spending time with her too. she's a great kid." quinn glanced at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled. "you did a good job raising her."

"thanks. it was difficult but i figured it out."

"well i'm not surprised. you're a smart woman, y/n." they reached their apartments and quinn gently handed abby over. she didn't wake up as he opened y/n's door for her. he followed her inside and waited for her to get abby to bed.

when she came out a few minutes later, she grabbed two glasses and poured a little bit of wine in each before handing quinn one.

"thanks." he took a sip and smiled. "i missed you while i was away, you know??"

"oh." she looked at him. "i actually missed you too. kinda hard knowing that you weren't across the hall to talk to when i had a decision to make. and trust me, i faced a few tough ones."

"really? like what?"

"the guy i've been seeing. i wasn't sure when we started going out and i wanted nothing more than to talk to you. maybe you could've talked me out of it."

"yeah, maybe." he downed the rest of the wine in his glass and smiled. "who is it?"

"promise you won't hate me?"

"i could never hate you." he placed his hand on her arm. "you can tell me anything. i would never judge you."

"okay. um...it's andy."

"andy? as in your ex & father of your daughter? the one who hurt you in multiple ways?"

"the very same." y/n could sense the judgement in his voice so she avoided his gaze just as he dropped his hand from his spot on her arm. "i knew you wouldn't like it. that's why i didn't want to tell you."

"it's not that i don't like it. it's just that i don't understand why you would want to start dating the guy you had to fly across the country to get away from." quinn stood abruptly, causing y/n to flinch. "he hurt you, y/n or are you forgetting that?"

"i'm aware of my past with that man. and i promised myself i wouldn't let my guard down until i saw some actual change that could be permanent. and that's what he did, quinn." she sighed. "i'm aware that it may have been a terrible decision but i'm not the type of person who can hurt someone. and i like giving people the benefit of the doubt. maybe he really has changed."

"yeah. maybe." he looked at the door. "i should probably go."

"quinn, i-"

"i'll see you tomorrow."

before she could respond, he was already out the door. she knew it was a bad idea to tell him.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah

[writingwithciara]

might delete everything in my drafts that isn't nhl or sturniolo triplets related.

there's too much just sitting there that won't get finished because i've lost interest in their fandoms

[writingwithciara]

conversation hearts -william eklund-

summary: a relationship begins with conversation hearts

word count: 5k

pairing: william eklund x reader

notes: wrote this for valentines day and it is now incredibly late. i know he's not as popular as most of the players. but he's super adorable and i can't get enough of him. also, the timeline with the granlund trade doesn't match reality but this is fiction for a reason, right?

"you were traded? are you freaking kidding me?" y/n looked up at mikael as he paced her living room. "where to?"

"dallas." he reached behind his head and scratched his neck, not wanting to meet the eyes of his best friend.

y/n was only 24 but she grew up idolizing the san jose sharks. it had been her dream to work for the team. and when she finally got the job, she was beyond ecstatic. it had only been a year but she had developed a close friendship with mikael granlund. he was the first person who answered one of her questions on her first day and after practice that day, he approached her and introduced himself properly. they began a perfect friendship afterwards.

"at least it's not all the way on the other side of the country." y/n sighed and stood up to join him in his pacing.

"i suppose that may be the only bright side to this." he felt his shoulders sag as he froze in place. "well, that and the fact that cody is going too."

"i'm losing you and cody in one fell swoop? how is that fair?" y/n looked back at mikael as she also stopped pacing. "is there even anybody on the team that i actually like anymore?"

"you like all of us." mikael turned to her and chuckled.

"correction. i like you and cody. i technically tolerate everyone else because it's my job."

"i'm sure you'll warm up to them eventually." he pulled her over to the couch and sat her down. "i'm sorry i'm leaving."

"it's not your fault, granny. it's just so sudden. you leave tomorrow night?"

"unfortunately."

"then we need to do something before you're miles and miles away."

"y/n, it's 10 o'clock at night. nothing is open right now."

"then we can stay in and watch a movie. that's always been fun." y/n cheered when mikael got comfortable on the couch. if this was their last night together, y/n wanted nothing more than his company.

a week later, y/n was still struggling to get through her days without mikael. the first 2 days were the hardest. but she put in the effort and came up with a question for the boys to answer each day.

on the third day, while she waited for the team to get off the ice, y/n glanced around the hallway outside the locker room. there was pictures of all the players, past and present, hanging up on the walls so she walked the short distance to stand in front of mikael's photo.

"you miss him, huh?"

"yeah. he's my best friend." y/n sighed and turned around. "hey, william. what are you doing out already?"

"i got changed faster than everyone. didn't want to keep you waiting longer than you've already been." william smiled. "i know you miss granny so i figured keeping you in the building would not be the best thing for you right now."

"oh." y/n blinked slowly. "well, thank you."

"no problem." he chuckled. "so, what's the question for today?"

y/n lifted up the dry-erase board with the daily question written on it. "what's your favorite valentine's day tradition? and it's okay if you don't have one or if you don't celebrate it. it's just a random question i thought of since valentine's day is next friday."

"well, i don't celebrate it myself. but i've seen some really touching gestures occur on the holiday."

"really? like what?"

"lots of proposals. some really good and a few that were kind of, i don't know, blah." he waved his hand around with a smile. "how about you? do you celebrate it?"

"i don't celebrate it with anyone. but i love buying myself those little conversation hearts each year. i love those things." y/n looked at the board she was holding. "and it's kind of hard to celebrate a holiday dedicated to romance when i've never had a relationship around this time of year."

"wait, really? i'm kind of finding that hard to believe."

"yeah, me too." y/n offered him a smile. "the closest i got to celebrating it with someone was last year. it was 2 weeks after i started here and mikael bought me a bag of conversation hearts after i mentioned it to him the day before. but other than that, guys usually dump me just before valentine's day. but i'm pretty sure it's only because they don't want to get me anything for valentine's day. it wouldn't make sense otherwise, because in case you haven't noticed, i'm a freaking catch."

"very true." he looked over his shoulder as his teammates trickled out of the locker room one by one. "come find me after everyone's answered the question."

before y/n could respond, the guys were already approaching. william smiled and walked back down the hall.

one by one, the team answered the question. y/n learned that one of the guys on the team doesn't celebrate on the actual day because his kid was born that day so he does all the romance the day after. his wife loves it.

after everyone was done, y/n uploaded the footage to her laptop and locked up her office. she checked the time and realized that it took over an hour to get through everyone. if she wanted to find william, she had to rush to the front entrance because chances were he got tired of waiting and decided to leave.

but fortunately, when y/n walked out to the parking lot, william was still there. he was leaning against his car and looking at his phone. he looked up when he heard her approaching.

"hey. i can't believe you're still here."

"well, i told you to find me after you were done. i didn't want to just abandon you. that wouldn't be very nice of me, would it?"

"no. no it would not." y/n smiled and stood next to him. "so what did you do while you waited for over an hour?"

"i stood out here for about 10 minutes before i got bored and took a quick walk to the grocery store down the street."

"for what, specifically, if you don't mind me asking?"

"i'm so glad you asked, actually." he reached into his car and pulled a bag out from the front seat. "i got these for you." he handed her a bag of candy.

but not just any candy. he bought her a bag of the conversation hearts she mentioned earlier.

"william, you didn't have to do this."

"you mentioned granny bought you a bag last year and since he's not here to do it, i wanted to keep up the tradition for you."

"it's very thoughtful. but you know valentine's day is next week, right?"

"yeah i know. but when you were talking about mikael earlier, you seemed really sad. figured it would cheer you up."

"you are now officially my new favorite person on this team." she smiled. "thank you, eklund. this means a lot more to me than i thought it would."

"i'm glad you like it." he chuckled. "i gotta get home now. but i can call you later, if that's okay?"

"that's perfectly fine." y/n went to walk away but turned around quickly, almost giving herself whiplash. "wait, hold on. i don't have your number."

"true." he chuckled and pulled out his phone. "how have you been working here for over a year without getting my number?"

"to be fair, my friendliness only extended to cody and mikael. but with them gone, i might as well branch out, huh?"

"yes." he handed her his phone and watched as she typed her number into the contact box. when she handed it back to him, he smiled. "i love the name."

"it's glorious." y/n smiled. "talk to you later, william."

over the next 5 days, william called every day and they talked for hours. on the eve of valentine's day, mikael called and when y/n answered with a smile, he immediately launched into the conversation with a million questions. y/n had to stop him when he asked his 10th question.

"you've officially been replaced, granny. sorry to inform you this way."

"excuse me!! by who?"

"are you going to stop with the questions if i tell you?"

"i promise." off camera, he crossed his fingers. "will you tell me now?"

"you were replaced with ekky."

"it's about time, honestly. still don't know why you never interacted much with him before."

"i only had friendship capacity for 2 people and now that you're both gone, i found room for a new friend. turns out, he's a pretty good guy."

"duh. i've been telling you that for a year, genius."

"yeah sure. whatever." y/n waved him off and grabbed a handful of candy. "he bought me a bag of conversation hearts last week and that's how he became my best friend. just like how you won my friend-heart."

"you know he actually likes you, right?"

"impossible. we've only been friends for a week."

"believe what you want but you didn't have the opportunity to talk to him everyday and hear his thoughts. he always asked me about you. literally every single day, y/n."

"but...why?"

"i know you're not stupid." mikael shook his head.

"no. i got what you meant. but i was just wondering why he'd like me when i ignored him for a year."

"i think that's a question you'll have to ask him." he chuckled. "i'm gonna let you go since you have another conversation you need to be having."

"oh, shut up." y/n looked at her phone. a text had popped up but she was trying to figure out how miakel could've known someone else was texting her. "i'll talk to you tomorrow, right?"

"of course." mikael smiled and hung up.

y/n pulled the notification screen down to see what the text said without indicating she had seen it. she decided she'd talk to william in person in the morning.

when she got to the arena the next morning, she half expected to see william waiting for her. but he wasn't around so she headed in and went to her office. she still had some editing to do for the tiktok page.

when she was done that, there was a soft knock on her door.

"come in." y/n looked up as william entered. he walked to the chair against the wall and sat down.

"what are you doing tonight?"

"i have no plans. never do this time of year, remember?"

"right, right." william reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "well i was wondering if, maybe, you'd wanna get dinner or something with me when you're done work."

"like a date?"

"not if you're not comfortable calling it that."

"no. it's fine. i just didn't want to read this situation wrong." y/n smiled. "it tends to happen with me sometimes."

"i understand. it's happened to me once or twice as well. but since then, i've learned to be a little more clear when asking a girl out." he smiled. "i just don't do it very often."

"really?"

"yeah. nobody's really caught my interest lately." he looked at her. "i mean, until recently anyway."

"just recently?"

"mhm. why do you ask?"

"something mikael said on facetime last night." y/n closed her laptop and walked over to william. "he said you were always asking about me and that it was because you liked me."

"of course i like you. you're a very likeable person, y/n."

"oh." y/n looked at him. she could feel her cheeks heating up involuntarily. "you're a likeable person too, ekky."

"well i try my best to be. off the ice anyway." he chuckled. "when are you off tonight?"

"4:30."

"perfect. i'll wait here for you."

"you don't want me to go home and change?"

"why change? you're perfect the way you are."

"you are something else." y/n smiled and turned her attention back to the screen in front of her. "see you later, william."

"see you, y/n." william walked back into the hallway and smiled. he couldn't believe he got y/n to agree to a date.

it was just after 5 when william saw y/n again. he was waiting in the hall for her when she finally emerged from her office.

"i'm sorry i'm a little late. my laptop kept crashing when i was editing the video."

"it's okay." william smiled. "you still want to go on this date?"

"yes, of course." y/n smiled and looked up at him. "are you sure you don't want me to change?"

"absolutely not. you look great." william gave her an appreciative look as his gaze traveled down to her shoes then back up to her face. "very great."

"oh." y/n couldn't help but blush. "are we taking your car?"

"yeah. unless you'd be more comfortable in your own car."

"i'm good. i want the whole date experience."

"you got it." he smiled and held out his arm. y/n hooked her arm with his as they walked out to the parking lot. william opened the door for her and she got in. he went around and got in his seat. "ready?"

"yes." y/n turned to smile at him. he returned the smile and drove out of the parking lot.

they quickly arrived at the restaurant y/n had heard so much about when she had moved to san jose, but never had the time to go to.

"this place looks packed. are you sure we'll be able to get a table?" she glanced through the windows at all the people inside. they both got out of the car and william joined her on her side.

"i may have made a reservation a few days ago." he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"wow. you really put faith in me saying yes, didn't you?"

"i did, yes." he smiled. "i'm really glad you did, by the way."

"don't count your blessings yet, eklund. this date has only just begun." y/n smirked and headed inside. william chuckled and followed her. when he told the host his name, they were ushered to a more secluded table. william, being the gentleman he was, pulled the chair out for y/n. she sat down and he took his own spot.

william was in awe over what he was learning about y/n. and over the next 2 hours, every tale she told of her american childhood had him falling in love. it was no longer just a crush on the media girl mikael had introduced him to.

by the end of the date, william found himself driving back to her place just a little slower. he wasn't too eager for the date to end. y/n noticed but she didn't say a thing because she understood how he was feeling. she didn't want it to end either. but time was not slowing down.

when william pulled up to her apartment and killed the engine, neither of them made a move to get out. instead, they turned to each other, smiles forming quickly as they stared at each other. william was the first one to speak.

"is it okay if i count my blessings now?"

"hmm?"

"earlier, when i said i was glad you said yes to the date, you told me not to count my blessings yet." he looked out the window behind her. "now i just want to know if it's time."

"yeah." y/n's smile grew. "i'm really glad i said yes too, by the way."

"so, building onto that revelation, would you maybe want to do this again soon?"

"i would like that very much." y/n reached across the center console and grabbed his hand. "thank you for finally gaining the courage to ask me out. i wanted to do it but every time i saw you, i would lose my thoughts. i was starting to think my crush was pointless and one-sided."

"it most definitely isn't." william leaned closer and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "not pointless and most certainly not one-sided."

"good." y/n smiled and reached for her door handle. "walk me to my door?"

"of course. one second." he jumped out of the car and quickly made his way to her side. he opened the door and held out his hand for her to take. she got out of the car but she did not drop his hand. william felt his cheek redden.

he walked her inside the building and up to her 4th floor apartment. "i had a great time tonight."

"so did i." y/n blushed. "i can't believe this started with a bag of conversation hearts. just like my life-long friendship with mikael."

"oh, that reminds me." william reached into the pocket of his sweater and pulled out a bag of the candies she had just mentioned. "i really hope you take this gesture as a sign that i really like you and that i don't want whatever this is between us, to be compared to the friendship you had with mikael."

"oh, don't worry. it is similar, but it's also different. as in the fact that i was never attracted to him in any way. definitely not like i am to you." y/n stepped closer. "i really like you too, eklund." she tilted her head up to look at him. "so, what are we going to do about this attraction?"

"i have a few ideas." william gently cupped her chin between his thumb and index finger before placing his lips gently on y/n's. she didn't hesitate to kiss back.

her arms wrapped around his neck as she dragged him down to her height. his arms went around her waist as he pressed her into his body gently.

after a few long minutes, william pulled away, rather reluctantly. every part of him was screaming at him, telling him not to do it. and he could tell y/n was thinking the same thing.

"i should go now." he took a step back.

"so soon?"

"if we keep doing what we just did, i'm gonna want to keep going. and that's not something i want. at least not right now. i want to take this slow with you, since i've been waiting for you for what feels like forever."

"i appreciate the honesty." y/n unlocked her door and stepped inside. "i'll see you at the arena in the morning."

"yeah." he smiled and headed down the hallway. "good night, y/n."

the next day, neither william nor y/n could contain their excitement when the finally saw each other. it was after practice and y/n had been in the hallway waiting for the team to answer the daily question.

after macklin and will had answered, william appeared with henry. he had been answering henry's question when he finally made eye contact with y/n. the smile that was already on his face seemed to grow three times bigger as he approached her.

"which teammate would be your emergency contact?" henry read the board and thought for a minute.

"definitely not will smith." william answered.

"yeah. probably rule out 71 & 2." henry smiled and walked off-camera."

william scratched his face and continued to think. "who would be though?"

off-screen, henry smiled. "probably me."

"yeah. thurn knows the deal." william went to walk away but stopped. "yeah i would take him. or zetts." he smiled widely and looked at y/n. "for the record, if we could include anyone simple involved with the team, it'd be you."

"thanks. i think now i have to change my emergency contact. granny is all the way in dallas. if something bad happened to me here, there's no way he'd get here fast enough."

"i don't know. i think you're underestimating how much he cares about you. that man would break every law possible to make it to you if you were having an emergency."

"okay. you're probably right." y/n smiled and looked at william's face. his eyes were sparkling. "maybe i'll look into adding a second emergency contact."

"any idea who you'll add?"

"well, you did say that thurn knows the deal. plus, he's a harvard guy so he'd be a great choice." she glanced over at henry. he was talking to tyler. "oh, toff would be a good choice."

"yeah. i suppose that's true." william chuckled lightly. y/n looked back at him and laughed.

"i was kidding. as smart as they are, i would definitely pick you."

"i like that." he smirked. "speaking of other things i like, i was thinking that it would be fun to go on another date."

"okay. when?"

"we leave for a 5 game road trip on sunday and i probably won't see you again for a little while. so we can either go out friday night or saturday afternoon?"

"what would we do?"

"depends on the day you pick." he smiled. "i have plans for both but i'm leaving it up to you."

"which date doesn't require getting all dressed up?"

william chuckled. "neither require you to get all that dressed up. but i'll have to say that the attire for my idea on saturday is more comfortable."

"okay then. saturday sounds perfect. can't wait." she smiled at his retreating body.

saturday couldn't come faster.

william picked y/n up at 1 pm on saturday afternoon and took her to a mini-golf course.

"i've never played before." she smiled sheepishly as they approached the first hole. william took his shot first, sinking it easily. "okay, show off." she giggled.

"it's not too hard. give it a try." he stood back and watched y/n hit the ball. it rolled towards the hold but veered off the path.

"dang it. i suck." y/n walked to william with a pout on her face.

"don't worry. i can teach you." he stepped behind her. "may i?"

"of course." y/n turned her head to look at william as he held her arms. he placed the club in her hands and guided her next shot. it rolled towards the hole but stopped 3 inches short.

"okay. not too bad."

"could've been better. especially after your shot. that was amazing."

"i've been playing for a long time." he became bashful. "i can't believe you've lived close by almost your whole life and you've never played before."

"my parents had other things to do than to take their kids to fun places."

"well, if you stick with me, i can promise to take you to all the places you've always wanted to go."

"wait, really?"

"of course." william smiled. "while i'm gone, why don't you make a list of all the places and we can get started on it when i get back?"

"you're being serious, aren't you?"

"absolutely." william chuckled and reached up to gently cup her cheek. "i would do anything for you. i hope you know that."

"i'm starting to understand it." y/n leaned into his hand and smiled. "i have an idea that might make me a little better at this game. like an incentive."

"what's that?"

"for each hole i finish in under 5 attempts, i want a kiss. doesn't always have to be on the lips. you can choose. lips, cheek, head, wherever. sound like a plan?"

"mhm. oh, and just for encouragement." william smiled. y/n didn't have a chance to ask what he meant before he was pulling her in for a kiss. it didn't last long before he was pulling away and helping her nudge the ball into the first hole.

for the next 3 hours, y/n was determined to get as many kisses from william as possible. unfortunately, by the end of the course, she only managed to get 4. but she would never complain. kisses from william were incredible and she was addicted.

by the time he was pulling up outside her apartment, it was finally hitting her that he would be away for almost 2 weeks.

"william?"

"yes?" he killed the engine and turned to face her. "what's up?"

"i'm going to miss you while you're away. i don't even think i've missed mikael as much as this."

"i'm going to miss you too, y/n." he smiled. "i finally understand why mikael hated going on the longer trips. he hated being away from you for too long. and now i get it. you were very important to him. just as you are to everyone else on this team."

"how about you? am i important to you?"

"of course. you're honestly probably the most important person in my life, outside of my family. and it came as such a shock to me. i don't think i've ever cared this much about anyone before."

y/n reached across the console. "what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"really early. we have an afternoon game and have to be in florida before noon. so we'll probably be leaving around 5:30." he looked at her. "why?"

"i wanted to invite you inside for a bit. but you probably have to get home, pack and get some rest."

"i'm a fast packer. i can sleep on the plane in the morning." william smiled. "and it's not even 6:30 right now. we have time. if that's what you really want."

"i do." y/n got out of his car and waited for him to join her before she headed inside. he was right on her heels and as soon as they were inside her apartment, he wasted no time. his lips were on hers before she could mutter a single word.

y/n had originally planned to invite him in for a drink and maybe some dinner. but she didn't utter a single word as she tugged william down the hall to her bedroom. he made it impossible to deny him anything. but she loved it.

an hour later, after everything had progressed incredibly fast, y/n turned to look at the man next to her.

"you know, my plan was not to get you into bed so quickly. i know you wanted to take whatever this is," she gestured between them "slow. i apologize."

"it's okay." he smiled and played with her hair. "you don't have to apologize."

"but you wanted to take this slow. my original plan was to get you up here and maybe have a drink or some dinner. sex was not on my brain. not even for a second." she looked at him. "i'm not a girl who takes things slow. but i know that's what you do. i know i don't technically need to apologize, but that's also who i am. i apologize constantly and it can get annoying, i'm aware. so it's okay if you don't want to keep this going. i'll understand."

"will you just stop talking for a second?" william chuckled. "i'm an adult and i am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. fast or slow, it doesn't matter. i'd much rather experience life at every speed with you than experience it with anyone else." he held her face. "you are so unbelievably incredible and beautiful. and you don't have to worry. i wanted this. i know i said i wanted to take things slow, but that was only because it was the first date. it's all okay as long as you're here with me."

"i'm here. i'm always going to be here." y/n placed a soft kiss to william's lips.

"good to know." he smiled and moved to sit up. "before i go, there's something i need to ask you."

"what's that?"

"i just can't go on this road trip without having an answer."

"spit it out, eklund." y/n smiled as she began to get dressed.

"will you be my girlfriend? like, officially. publically and everything."

"i would love to." y/n walked over to him and kissed him. "you know, you're my first official boyfriend."

"am i actually?"

"yeah. i've been on a few dates with a few guys but nobody has ever asked me to be their girlfriend before. it's nice."

"i've never been a boyfriend before so at least we can do this together."

"i'm looking forward to this relationship even more now." y/n smiled and followed william to the door. "i can't believe i finally have a boyfriend and he's gonna be out of town for nearly two weeks."

"it's a good thing phones exist then, huh?" william kissed her nose and chuckled. "i'll call you as much as possible, i promise."

"and i will be watching every single game, cheering for you. wearing your jersey too."

"i hope it brings our team the luck we need. we haven't been doing so well lately."

"i know. but you'll do fine with these next 5 games. i just know it."

and sure enough, the sharks swept their road trip and came back winners.

y/n was waiting with a few of the teams wives and girlfriends. when she spotted william, she ran right to him.

"i told you that you guys were going to do fine." y/n smiled. "congrats on the hat trick in the 3rd game."

"couldn't have done it without the faith of my girlfriend." william smirked. the word caught the attention of the team and they all turned to watch the two.

"2 weeks and it still doesn't feel real." y/n couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "i'm your girlfriend. i love it."

"i love you." william shocked himself. it had only been 2 weeks but he knew this was how he felt. he just wasn't aware he was going to blurt it out like that.

"i love you too, ekky." y/n smiled and pulled him in for a well deserved and long awaited kiss.

"wait a second." will and macklin were finally catching up to what was going on. "girlfriend?!?!"

[writingwithciara]

alright. done :) you should now be getting the notifications for the rest of the series ❤😊

across the hall; part 5 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 2.2k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes:

it was just after 2am when y/n finally got off of work. she had worked for over 12 hours and she was exhausted. all she wanted to do was go home, take a hot bath and put abby to bed.

but then she remembered that quinn had texted her during her break and informed her that abby wanted to stay at his place for the night. so when she got home, she would be alone.

she loved her daughter but there was not a whole lot of time she got to herself since becoming a mother. this was just one of the many reasons why she was thankful to have quinn in her life.

when she pulled into her parking spot, she spotted a familiar car a few spaces away from hers. and suddenly, she was hesitant to enter the building.

she did promise andy she would talk to him later, but in her mind, later meant the next day or maybe days from then. but he was persistent. so she headed up to her apartment.

just as she predicted, andy was sitting outside her apartment. when he saw her, he stood up and dusted off his pants.

"i was starting to get worried about you." he looked at her, seeing if there was any damage to her body. when he concluded there was not, he let out a sigh of relief. "quinn told me you would be home around midnight. so i've been waiting."

"yeah i figured." she sighed. "look, andy, i've had a really long and stressful day and i know i promised that we could talk later, but i just don't have the energy for that right now."

"that's what i thought was going to happen. but you don't have to do any talking. just listen, please?"

"3 minutes. that's all i can handle."

"can we go inside?"

"no. because if we do, i'll be too exhausted to make you leave and we both know that will not turn out well."

"i've changed, y/n. i really have." he took a hesitant step closer. "i know you may not believe me but i've been going to therapy and i've been making a ton of progress in making myself better. into a man who actually deserves someone as great as you or abby in my life." he looked at her. "i know it'll take some time but all i want is for you to give me one chance to prove it. please?"

"i'm tired, andy. can we talk more about this tomorrow?"

"can i take you out for lunch?"

"if that's what it takes to get you leave right now, then fine." she unlocked her door. "i'll meet you at the cafe that's 10 minutes from here."

"okay. thank you." he went to walk away. "can you bring abby?"

"i will not allow abby any time with you until you have proven to me that you're a changed man."

"okay fair enough. see you tomorrow." he walked away and y/n fought against her will to go inside. the logical part of her brain wanted her to go across the hall and see quinn but the tired part wanted her to just get some rest. she would see quinn tomorrow.

by the time she climbed into bed and got comfortable, the only thing on her mind was the man across the hall.

the next morning, y/n woke up earlier than she wanted. even with the 8 hours of sleep, she was still exhausted. but she had promised to meet andy for lunch so she had to get ready. she did it slowly but the end result was fine enough.

she went across the hall and knocked on quinn's door. he was rubbing his eyes when he answered but when he saw y/n, he smiled.

"good morning."

"good morning." she smiled back. "would you mind watching abby for another hour or two?"

"why? what's going on?"

"i stupidly told andy i'd meet him for lunch today to hear him out."

"oh." was all quinn said.

"yeah." y/n looked at him. "will you watch her?"

"of course." he smiled. "go hear him out. we'll be here when you get back."

"oh you're the best." she leaned up to kiss his cheek and headed towards the elevator.

that was twice in less than 24 hours that y/n had kissed his cheek and left him frozen in place. things continued to get confusing.

he shut the door and went to the kitchen to make abby some lunch. it was a good thing he was an excellent chef who was good with kids or else he wouldn't be doing this.

he chuckled when that thought crossed his mind because even if he wasn't either of those things, he would still keep an eye on abby because y/n asked him to. at this point, he would do anything she asked him to do.

-----

y/n looked at the coffee and sandwich in front of her as she mindlessly listened to andy explain how he wanted to be better for her and abby. she wanted to believe him but there was so many factors from her past that contradicted what he was saying. stuff that caused her to lose her trust in almost everyone.

"do you hate me?"

"why would you ask that?"

"you've been zoning in and out of this conversation for the last 10 minutes. either something is on your mind or you hate me."

"can't it be both?" she cracked a smile.

"i understand why you hate me, but please, don't deprive our daughter of a life without her father."

"it's not really entirely up to me, andy. i'll talk to abby and get back to you."

"if it helps, i brought presents for her for every holiday and birthday i messed up on. and i have stuff for you too."

"keep it. i don't want any of it."

"but what if abby does?"

"that's up to her." y/n sighed. "i'm taking her to the park later. if you happen to stop by, i can't stop you from seeing her, i suppose."

"so what does this mean then?"

"you're on probation, andy."

"fair enough." he stood up and paid for everything. "thank you for this chance."

"yeah yeah. it's your only one so if you screw this up, you won't be getting another one."

"understood. i'll see you later."

y/n sighed and waited another 10 minutes before heading back to the apartment. she walked into quinn's apartment without knocking and froze when she heard abby's giggling coming from the hallway. seconds later, quinn was running out with abby in his arms, guiding her around like an airplane. when he spotted y/n, he slowed down.

"we have arrived at our destination." he smiled and set her down on the floor. "go get your stuff, abby."

y/n watched her daughter run down the hall before turning to quinn. "i may have made a mistake, quinn."

"i'm guessing the talk didn't go well."

"no. it went better than expected, honestly." y/n looked at him. "i told him i was taking abby to the park later and that if he jut so happened to be there too, i couldn't stop him from seeing his daughter."

"oh."

"tell me if i made a mistake."

"i don't think you did. it's important for a girl to know her father. and it's up to you to set those boundaries." he smiled. "also, i've noticed that you've never made a mistake in the time i've known you. you always think every decision through before making one."

"thanks, quinn. i truly appreciate you and everything you do."

"i appreciate you too." quinn pulled her into a gentle hug. one that she melted into without a thought.

"can quinn come to the park with us today, mom?"

"i would love to, but i got plans with some of the guys from the team. maybe next time, sweetheart." quinn bent down to give abby a hug.

"okay, quinny." abby smiled and headed across the hall. y/n turned to quinn with a grin.

"quinny?" she giggled.

"she started calling me that last night." quinn smirked. "think she likes me."

"dude, she loves you. you're great with her and i appreciate it."

"anything for you." quinn touched her shoulder gently and left her in the hallway. y/n blinked for a few seconds before going to her apartment and grabbing abby.

an hour later, the girls sat down for a picnic when y/n saw andy approaching them. she gave him a signal to stop for a second before she turned to abby.

"hey. um, your dad wants to visit you. would you be interest in that?"

"i guess. he's gonna come around even if i say no, isn't he?"

"yeah i guess so." y/n waved her hand towards him, telling him to move slowly.

"hey. mind if i join you?" he looked at abby. she nodded and looked back at her food, not wanting to engage with him.

andy took a seat next to y/n and set his bag down. "remember the gifts i mentioned?"

"mhm." y/n looked at her phone, wanting nothing more than to text quinn.

"well i brought a couple of them with me and was hoping you girls would accept them."

"presents?" abby set her food back on the plate and turned to face andy as he pulled out 3 gifts. he placed them on the table and abby began opening them.

"i told you i wasn't going to accept any gifts from you, andy." y/n eyed him for a second and went back to her phone.

"i know. but i was hoping you would accept this one." he placed a small jewelry box in front of her, finally catching her attention.

"you really think this is going to make me forgive you, andy? it's going to take a lot more than a necklace." she opened the box and she felt her eyes begin to water. inside the box was a locket with abby's name & birthday, while inside the locket was a picture of the sonogram & a picture of abby when she was 2. y/n's favorite picture. "i'll accept this one gift. but that doesn't mean you're forgiven."

"that's okay. it's a start, right?" he smiled his trademark smile and picked a piece of cheese off y/n's plate.

he ended up being so good with abby and everything he was doing was proving he really was a changed man. y/n hated that she was starting to fall back into his orbit so easily.

later that night, y/n actually let andy into her apartment for dinner. he even joined her in tucking abby in for bed. it felt like they were a family as andy put his arm around y/n when they walked out of the room. she walked him to the door and before he left, he turned to her.

"i just want to thank you again for allowing me to have this day with you guys. i know i've been a terrible person in the past but i hope today was proof that i'm really trying to change. and not just for abby. i'm trying to be a man that deserves someone as wonderful as you."

"you're still on probation, but if i'm being honest, your behavior today has shown a lot of promise."

"i'm glad you feel that way." he slid his hand down her arm and gently grabbed her hand. "i missed you, y/n."

"goodnight, andy." against her better judgement, y/n leaned up and placed a kiss on andy's cheek before he left. just as she was about to shut the door, quinn came out of his apartment.

"hey. how was your day?"

"it was surprisingly good. i think andy may actually be a changed man."

"well, be careful with who you give your heart to. i'd hate to see you get hurt, y/n."

"i appreciate you looking out for me, quinn. but i promise not to get too invested in this, just in case."

"you know i'm only saying this because i care about you, right?"

"i know. and i appreciate it." y/n touched quinn's arm the way andy had touched hers earlier. "thank you."

"you're welcome." he smiled and looked at where her hand was placed. "are you and abby free tomorrow? i have the day off before we have to go on the road for a week and i wanted to spend the day with my favorite girls before i go."

"i'm sure abby would love that, but i won't be able to make it. i work in the morning and i don't know when i'll be home."

"oh." quinn looked at her. "i totally understand. your job is important."

"i'll let you spend the day with abby tomorrow and the first day you get back from the trip, we can spend the day together. i'll make sure to book it off. i promise."

"okay. i would really like that."

"i'll drop abby off before i go to work, alright?"

"sounds good. i'll see you in the morning."

"good night, quinn." y/n kissed his cheek and headed back to her apartment.

quinn was never going to get used to the way she could freeze him with just one simple action.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 6 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 1k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes:

she didn't know how or why she did it but 2 days after quinn left, y/n agreed to an actual date with andy. and because quinn was out of town, y/n was dropping abby off with bella.

"are you and dad getting back together?"

"i don't know, sweetie. i don't think that would be good for anyone, honestly."

"good. i like quinn so much better anyway."

and with that, abby skipped through the door of bella's apartment. y/n looked up at bella, who was just as shocked as she was.

"so, you're going on a date with the ex? how are you feeling about that?"

"a little terrified, honestly. the last time i trusted andy, he ended up hurting me in so many ways. i don't know if i want to let down those walls again."

"i totally get that. but it's just one date. you don't have to promise him anything yet."

"yeah. i suppose you're right." y/n looked at her phone. "i gotta go. thank you for agreeing to watch abby."

"no problem. you know i love her and helping you is what friends are for."

"you're right. again." y/n smiled and hugged her before getting in her car and driving away. she was meeting andy at the restaurant he picked out and she was more than nervous.

when she pulled up, she waited in her car for 5 minutes. she also debated on texting quinn but she knew he would try to talk her out of it.

as if he knew she was thinking of him, his name popped up on her screen. he was calling. and as much as she wanted to talk to him, she knew she couldn't. so she hit the ignore button and walked into the restaurant. andy spotted her and waved her over, standing up as she approached him.

"hey. i'm glad you're here. i was starting to think you had second thoughts about this date."

"i did. but then i had third thoughts. and fourth thoughts. finally, i talked myself back into it."

"well i'm really happy you're starting to open up to me again." he pulled the chair out for her and pushed it in when she took a seat.

"i'm mostly doing this so abby will have a chance to get to know her dad better."

"if that was true, then she'd be here, wouldn't she?" andy raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"fine. fair point. maybe i really wanted to try this again. i don't really know, honestly. still a little guarded when it comes to relationships."

"what about you and quinn? you don't seem guarded with him."

"he's my best friend, andy. if i had even a tiny bit of feelings toward him, i would not be here with you."

"okay. fair point." he used her words against her, causing her to smile. "okay. let's order."

for the next 2 hours, things were good. conversation flowed smoothly and nothing went bad. it was as if their past had been erased and they were truly starting new.

when it came time to separate for the night, neither of them wanted it to end.

so they found themselves back at y/n's apartment. and even though she was with someone who meant a great deal to her at one point, her mind was drifting to thoughts of the man from across the hall.

"andy, can i ask you something?"

"of course."

"after i left you, how long did it take for you to start changing?"

"honestly, i was trying to change before you left. i could tell you were one foot out the door and i didn't want to lose you. but i was too late." he lowered his head. "i'm really sorry i couldn't fix myself in time."

"it's okay." y/n sighed. "sometimes, things just happen for a reason and people come in and out of your life."

"yeah, i suppose that's true." andy sipped on his drink while looking at y/n. "i missed you, you know?"

"so you keep saying." y/n smiled. "and if i'm being honest, i kinda missed you too. maybe not so much at first. but after a while, it hit me."

"i feel like i missed so much with you guys. and i will never not regret it."

"if it makes you feel better, there's plenty of things i regret. but i'm not gonna get into it."

"understood." andy nodded slowly then looked at the tv. "so, what do you guys do?"

"when i'm not at work, i'm usually just here watching tv with abby or we're at roger's arena watching quinn and his team play. i never realized hockey was so fun."

"i think hockey is a boring sport, honestly."

"i know." y/n smiled. "but that's okay. you're still pretty."

"you think i'm pretty?"

"no. i was only with you for the sex." y/n rolled her eyes playfully. "of course i think you're pretty. well as pretty as a guy can be."

"thanks. and for the record, i think you're very pretty too." andy touched her arm tentatively. and when she didn't pull back, he smiled. "more than pretty, actually. so beautiful." he reached up to move a piece of hair out of her face.

"andy, i-"

"i know what you're going to say. and i'm not sure if we should do this either." he looked at her and leaned in closer. "tell me to stop, and i will."

"i-i don't want you to."

and without hesitation, andy's lips found y/n's.they sat on the couch and made out for nearly 10 minutes before andy reluctantly pulled back.

"i'm gonna hate myself for this, but i think whatever we're doing, we should take it slow."

"i agree." y/n looked at andy and for the first time in a long time, her smile was genuine.

"do you think you, me and abby can be a family again someday?"

"maybe. why don't we see how this thing goes before we commit to anything?"

"right. that makes a lot of sense." he stood up. "i should probably get going then before i get even more tempted."

"alright." y/n walked him to the door. "thanks for tonight, andy. it's been a while since i've been on a date."

"anytime, y/n." he turned to face y/n. "good night."

"good night, andy." y/n shut the door and let out a breath. what was she getting herself into?

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch @hwalllllllelujah

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 5 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 2.2k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes:

it was just after 2am when y/n finally got off of work. she had worked for over 12 hours and she was exhausted. all she wanted to do was go home, take a hot bath and put abby to bed.

but then she remembered that quinn had texted her during her break and informed her that abby wanted to stay at his place for the night. so when she got home, she would be alone.

she loved her daughter but there was not a whole lot of time she got to herself since becoming a mother. this was just one of the many reasons why she was thankful to have quinn in her life.

when she pulled into her parking spot, she spotted a familiar car a few spaces away from hers. and suddenly, she was hesitant to enter the building.

she did promise andy she would talk to him later, but in her mind, later meant the next day or maybe days from then. but he was persistent. so she headed up to her apartment.

just as she predicted, andy was sitting outside her apartment. when he saw her, he stood up and dusted off his pants.

"i was starting to get worried about you." he looked at her, seeing if there was any damage to her body. when he concluded there was not, he let out a sigh of relief. "quinn told me you would be home around midnight. so i've been waiting."

"yeah i figured." she sighed. "look, andy, i've had a really long and stressful day and i know i promised that we could talk later, but i just don't have the energy for that right now."

"that's what i thought was going to happen. but you don't have to do any talking. just listen, please?"

"3 minutes. that's all i can handle."

"can we go inside?"

"no. because if we do, i'll be too exhausted to make you leave and we both know that will not turn out well."

"i've changed, y/n. i really have." he took a hesitant step closer. "i know you may not believe me but i've been going to therapy and i've been making a ton of progress in making myself better. into a man who actually deserves someone as great as you or abby in my life." he looked at her. "i know it'll take some time but all i want is for you to give me one chance to prove it. please?"

"i'm tired, andy. can we talk more about this tomorrow?"

"can i take you out for lunch?"

"if that's what it takes to get you leave right now, then fine." she unlocked her door. "i'll meet you at the cafe that's 10 minutes from here."

"okay. thank you." he went to walk away. "can you bring abby?"

"i will not allow abby any time with you until you have proven to me that you're a changed man."

"okay fair enough. see you tomorrow." he walked away and y/n fought against her will to go inside. the logical part of her brain wanted her to go across the hall and see quinn but the tired part wanted her to just get some rest. she would see quinn tomorrow.

by the time she climbed into bed and got comfortable, the only thing on her mind was the man across the hall.

the next morning, y/n woke up earlier than she wanted. even with the 8 hours of sleep, she was still exhausted. but she had promised to meet andy for lunch so she had to get ready. she did it slowly but the end result was fine enough.

she went across the hall and knocked on quinn's door. he was rubbing his eyes when he answered but when he saw y/n, he smiled.

"good morning."

"good morning." she smiled back. "would you mind watching abby for another hour or two?"

"why? what's going on?"

"i stupidly told andy i'd meet him for lunch today to hear him out."

"oh." was all quinn said.

"yeah." y/n looked at him. "will you watch her?"

"of course." he smiled. "go hear him out. we'll be here when you get back."

"oh you're the best." she leaned up to kiss his cheek and headed towards the elevator.

that was twice in less than 24 hours that y/n had kissed his cheek and left him frozen in place. things continued to get confusing.

he shut the door and went to the kitchen to make abby some lunch. it was a good thing he was an excellent chef who was good with kids or else he wouldn't be doing this.

he chuckled when that thought crossed his mind because even if he wasn't either of those things, he would still keep an eye on abby because y/n asked him to. at this point, he would do anything she asked him to do.

-----

y/n looked at the coffee and sandwich in front of her as she mindlessly listened to andy explain how he wanted to be better for her and abby. she wanted to believe him but there was so many factors from her past that contradicted what he was saying. stuff that caused her to lose her trust in almost everyone.

"do you hate me?"

"why would you ask that?"

"you've been zoning in and out of this conversation for the last 10 minutes. either something is on your mind or you hate me."

"can't it be both?" she cracked a smile.

"i understand why you hate me, but please, don't deprive our daughter of a life without her father."

"it's not really entirely up to me, andy. i'll talk to abby and get back to you."

"if it helps, i brought presents for her for every holiday and birthday i messed up on. and i have stuff for you too."

"keep it. i don't want any of it."

"but what if abby does?"

"that's up to her." y/n sighed. "i'm taking her to the park later. if you happen to stop by, i can't stop you from seeing her, i suppose."

"so what does this mean then?"

"you're on probation, andy."

"fair enough." he stood up and paid for everything. "thank you for this chance."

"yeah yeah. it's your only one so if you screw this up, you won't be getting another one."

"understood. i'll see you later."

y/n sighed and waited another 10 minutes before heading back to the apartment. she walked into quinn's apartment without knocking and froze when she heard abby's giggling coming from the hallway. seconds later, quinn was running out with abby in his arms, guiding her around like an airplane. when he spotted y/n, he slowed down.

"we have arrived at our destination." he smiled and set her down on the floor. "go get your stuff, abby."

y/n watched her daughter run down the hall before turning to quinn. "i may have made a mistake, quinn."

"i'm guessing the talk didn't go well."

"no. it went better than expected, honestly." y/n looked at him. "i told him i was taking abby to the park later and that if he jut so happened to be there too, i couldn't stop him from seeing his daughter."

"oh."

"tell me if i made a mistake."

"i don't think you did. it's important for a girl to know her father. and it's up to you to set those boundaries." he smiled. "also, i've noticed that you've never made a mistake in the time i've known you. you always think every decision through before making one."

"thanks, quinn. i truly appreciate you and everything you do."

"i appreciate you too." quinn pulled her into a gentle hug. one that she melted into without a thought.

"can quinn come to the park with us today, mom?"

"i would love to, but i got plans with some of the guys from the team. maybe next time, sweetheart." quinn bent down to give abby a hug.

"okay, quinny." abby smiled and headed across the hall. y/n turned to quinn with a grin.

"quinny?" she giggled.

"she started calling me that last night." quinn smirked. "think she likes me."

"dude, she loves you. you're great with her and i appreciate it."

"anything for you." quinn touched her shoulder gently and left her in the hallway. y/n blinked for a few seconds before going to her apartment and grabbing abby.

an hour later, the girls sat down for a picnic when y/n saw andy approaching them. she gave him a signal to stop for a second before she turned to abby.

"hey. um, your dad wants to visit you. would you be interest in that?"

"i guess. he's gonna come around even if i say no, isn't he?"

"yeah i guess so." y/n waved her hand towards him, telling him to move slowly.

"hey. mind if i join you?" he looked at abby. she nodded and looked back at her food, not wanting to engage with him.

andy took a seat next to y/n and set his bag down. "remember the gifts i mentioned?"

"mhm." y/n looked at her phone, wanting nothing more than to text quinn.

"well i brought a couple of them with me and was hoping you girls would accept them."

"presents?" abby set her food back on the plate and turned to face andy as he pulled out 3 gifts. he placed them on the table and abby began opening them.

"i told you i wasn't going to accept any gifts from you, andy." y/n eyed him for a second and went back to her phone.

"i know. but i was hoping you would accept this one." he placed a small jewelry box in front of her, finally catching her attention.

"you really think this is going to make me forgive you, andy? it's going to take a lot more than a necklace." she opened the box and she felt her eyes begin to water. inside the box was a locket with abby's name & birthday, while inside the locket was a picture of the sonogram & a picture of abby when she was 2. y/n's favorite picture. "i'll accept this one gift. but that doesn't mean you're forgiven."

"that's okay. it's a start, right?" he smiled his trademark smile and picked a piece of cheese off y/n's plate.

he ended up being so good with abby and everything he was doing was proving he really was a changed man. y/n hated that she was starting to fall back into his orbit so easily.

later that night, y/n actually let andy into her apartment for dinner. he even joined her in tucking abby in for bed. it felt like they were a family as andy put his arm around y/n when they walked out of the room. she walked him to the door and before he left, he turned to her.

"i just want to thank you again for allowing me to have this day with you guys. i know i've been a terrible person in the past but i hope today was proof that i'm really trying to change. and not just for abby. i'm trying to be a man that deserves someone as wonderful as you."

"you're still on probation, but if i'm being honest, your behavior today has shown a lot of promise."

"i'm glad you feel that way." he slid his hand down her arm and gently grabbed her hand. "i missed you, y/n."

"goodnight, andy." against her better judgement, y/n leaned up and placed a kiss on andy's cheek before he left. just as she was about to shut the door, quinn came out of his apartment.

"hey. how was your day?"

"it was surprisingly good. i think andy may actually be a changed man."

"well, be careful with who you give your heart to. i'd hate to see you get hurt, y/n."

"i appreciate you looking out for me, quinn. but i promise not to get too invested in this, just in case."

"you know i'm only saying this because i care about you, right?"

"i know. and i appreciate it." y/n touched quinn's arm the way andy had touched hers earlier. "thank you."

"you're welcome." he smiled and looked at where her hand was placed. "are you and abby free tomorrow? i have the day off before we have to go on the road for a week and i wanted to spend the day with my favorite girls before i go."

"i'm sure abby would love that, but i won't be able to make it. i work in the morning and i don't know when i'll be home."

"oh." quinn looked at her. "i totally understand. your job is important."

"i'll let you spend the day with abby tomorrow and the first day you get back from the trip, we can spend the day together. i'll make sure to book it off. i promise."

"okay. i would really like that."

"i'll drop abby off before i go to work, alright?"

"sounds good. i'll see you in the morning."

"good night, quinn." y/n kissed his cheek and headed back to her apartment.

quinn was never going to get used to the way she could freeze him with just one simple action.

----------

tags: @alwaysclassyeagle @justagingerliving @marroonwitch

[writingwithciara]

the stand in -luke hughes-

summary: y/n needed a date, and quick. with nobody else available, she turned to the only guy she knew was available. her best friends little brother. so what if they never got along? what could possibly go wrong?

word count: 5k

pairing: luke hughes x reader, jack hughes x bestfriend!platonic reader

notes: recently inspired by a book i just finished reading.

you're coming to the wedding, right? i don't think i could handle things without you also can't wait to meet your fiance love you so much <3

y/n stared at her phone as the texts from her cousin kept coming in. she was getting married to the guy she had been in a relationship with since basically kindergarten. marc, short for marcella, & jacob were barely ever apart growing up & it only escalated from there when they gave in to their feelings and started dating in 6th grade.

the longer y/n stared at the screen, the more she regretted ever mentioning she had a fiance. but she knew her family would get suspicious and try to set her up with someone if she showed up single again.

when she informed them she really was getting married, she was not banking on her fiance leaving her.

she whipped out her phone and sent a desperate text to her best friend.

jack i need your help. call me asap

within seconds, her phone was ringing with the signature song jack had assigned himself. when she picked up the phone, she didn't hesitate to start explaining. it was coming out so fast, he had to stop her.

"slow down, y/n. take a breath and then tell me what's got you so worried."

and she listened. she took a deep breath and sighed. "my cousin is getting married in a few weeks and i made the mistake of telling her about my fiance."

"but you don't have one because jerry is a jackass."

"mildly put, but yeah." she ran a hand through her hair. "i want to tell her that we're not together anymore but that would mean some excruciating mental pain at the wedding."

"right. when your entire family tries to set you up with a single guy there."

"see? you understand me, jack." she smiled. "so, i was wondering if-"

"you know i would love to. but unfortunately, i will be busy planning something super spectacular."

"i hate you." but she didn't. not even a little.

"no you don't." y/n could hear the smirk through the phone.

"jack, what am i supposed to do?"

"you could tell marc the truth and hopefully she won't tell the rest of your family."

"be realistic."

"you're right. i knew it as soon as the words left my mouth." jack looked around his apartment. "oh, i got it. hear me out, okay?"

"what's your idea?" she knew she was going to regret asking, due to the tone in his voice.

"luke's free."

"are you kidding? i said be realistic, jack. that is the worst possible idea ever."

"no. the worst possible idea would be telling them the truth, remember?"

"but i don't want to go with luke. he's the exact opposite of jerry."

"hey, i heard that!" she could hear luke's voice somewhere in the background.

"jack hughes, do you have me on speaker?!"

"only for a second. i had to set it on my dresser to grab something. but you're off now." he chuckled. "and luke may be the exact opposite of jerry, but that's a good thing."

"enlighten me."

"well for starters, he's nicer to me than jerry ever was. and two, he would never ever break off your engagement for stupid reasons."

"well we would never be engaged, so there's that."

"look, do you want a solution or not?"

"a helpful one would be great."

"luke is a good guy, whether you choose to believe it or not. and i'm not just saying that because he's my brother." it was jack's turn to sigh. "just please give him a chance. it's only going to be for one night, isn't it?"

"5 actually. gotta fly up a few days before & we'll be staying at my parent's old place." y/n rubbed her head. "i hate that i'm desperate enough to actually consider using luke of all people."

"hey, i heard that too!"

"take me off of speaker, jack."

"okay okay. you're off. for real this time." jack was laughing but y/n didn't find it funny. although she and luke were never shy when it came to their dislike for one another, she didn't like him hearing how she felt. "so, desperation is making you delirious, huh?"

"i suppose so." y/n looked at her tv. "tell luke to meet me here at noon tomorrow. there's some things we need to go over if this is going to work."

"got it."

when they hung up, y/n threw herself down on the couch and groaned. she couldn't believe she was doing this. and with luke of all people.

the next day, y/n sat at her kitchen counter and stared at the clock.

11:43

she was dreading the fact that luke had somehow agreed to do this. it wasn't like him to offer her any kind of help.

11:44

time was ticking by so slowly and part of her hoped that luke decided he wanted to back out. but that hope was shattered when not even a minute later, there was a knock on her door. she opened it to find luke standing there with a forced smile on his face.

"you're early."

"yeah. figured the earlier i got here, the faster we could go over everything and i could leave."

"and here i thought it was because you actually cared." y/n playfully put her hand over her heart, acting as if she was touched by his actions. she was not.

"don't get your hopes up." luke pushed past her and entered her apartment. she turned and followed him as he set his stuff down on the counter she had just vacated. "jack said he would pay me for this."

"i hope you like having one brother because after today, he's dead."

"relax. i was joking. he's not paying me. but he does owe me huuuuge for this."

"okay you don't have to act like putting up with me is that big of a deal."

"oh, but it is." luke avoided eye contact and looked at his phone. for some reason, his words stung her a little. but she had no idea why. "okay so what do we need to go over?"

"well, you already knew jerry-"

"unfortunately."

"so i just need to go over some things i told my cousin about him and we'll need to spend some time perfecting your acting skills."

"did you happen to tell your cousin his name?"

"no. you can still be luke."

"good. because jerry is the one person i hate" luke smiled and finally looked at y/n. "besides you of course."

"lovely. let's get started, shall we."

over the next 4 days, y/n and luke met in public places to test everything she had taught him. it was not easy most of the time so on day 5, she requested that jack come along with them.

that didn't work because he laughed at everything luke did. he knew his brother was way better than jerry was and seeing him try to act like that guy made jack laugh uncontrollably.

when luke was in the bathroom, jack looked at y/n.

"what?"

"i'm realizing now that you are a saint."

"what do you mean?"

"for starters, you put up with jerry for so long and now you're putting up with luke acting like him. and you're spending time with luke without complaining or yelling at him or wanting to rip his head off."

"well, it's not like i had a choice." y/n rolled her eyes and placed her gaze on her best friend. "what's this super spectacular thing you're planning?"

"it's a surprise, sweetheart." jack chuckled. "and you can't give me that look because i'm not caving to it this time."

"you suck, hughes."

"don't doubt it." he smiled. "but you love me anyway."

"always." y/n shook her head and looked toward the bathroom. "does he always take forever or is this new?"

"maybe he ran into a girl on his way and now he's getting her number."

"oh boy. do i feel sorry for the girl who ends up with that kid."

"careful. that's your fiance you're talking about." luke appeared at the table, causing y/n to jump a little. he took his seat next to jack. "what's next on the schedule?"

"nothing. we're actually done for today. you are relieved of your duties, oh kind sir."

"okay cool." he quickly stood back up. "same time tomorrow?"

"yeah. don't be late again."

"you got it, boss." luke said goodbye to jack and y/n before walking out of the building. when he was gone, jack looked at her.

"i just witnessed over an hour of civilized conversation." he chuckled.

"there's a first time for everything. doesn't mean it's going to be an every day thing after this is all said and done."

"fair point." he smiled. "but at least you're getting along for now."

"i suppose that's one way of looking at it."

---------

on the day they had to fly up for the wedding, y/n and luke woke up early. she wanted to have the earliest flight possible so she could spend more time with her family, even though she knew they were going to pester her endlessly about her upcoming 'wedding'.

"got everything, right?" luke asked as he hauled their bags to jack's car. y/n looked through her list and nodded.

"yup. we're good to go." she yawned and climbed into the passenger seat and waited for jack to start the drive to the airport.

after 10 minutes in silence, luke spoke up. "i'm not so sure about this. what if i do something wrong and mess this up for you?"

"we've been practicing for weeks. you're going to do great, luke. i just know it." she turned to look at him with a smile. it calmed him down for a minute but once she started a conversation with jack, his worry kept coming back. he really didn't want to let her down.

jack parked where he needed to and luke grabbed the bags.

"i'm going to miss you, jack."

"it's only a week. that'll fly by."

"but a week with luke? that's gonna be tough."

"hey. i heard that." luke chuckled while closing the car door. he waited patiently for their talk to end.

"it's going to be fine. you've been working with him for weeks so i figure there's not too much hatred flowing through your veins right now. plus, you'll be surrounded by your own family so that will take some of the pressure off at least."

"yeah. you're right." y/n smiled. "still going to miss you though."

"obviously." he squeezed her hand and smiled. "i'll be here to pick you up in a week."

"okay. i'll see you then." y/n got out of the car and went to grab her bag. luke gently pushed her hand away and headed inside. "luke i'm capable of carrying my own bag, you know."

"i know. but i want to do something nice for once. i know you're stressed about something happening."

"does it look like i'm stressed?"

"no. but you're great at acting. you hide it well. and i know you well enough to know when you're stressing about something."

"okay." she walked beside him and smiled. "thanks."

"you don't have to thank me for simply carrying your bag, you know."

"i know i don't have to but it's what i do when someone does something nice and unexpected. like this just seems so out of character for you."

"i'm trying to get into my role as your loving fiance." he chuckled.

once they went through all the necessary checkpoints and made it to their gate, y/n was finally able to breath.

"i just realized that we spent the last few weeks making sure you were the perfect 'jerry' & i didn't get to know a whole lot about you."

"i'm sure jack has told you plenty. plus you know me. i'm not much of a sharer."

"fair enough, i suppose." she looked out the window at the planes. "are you one of those people who sleeps on a plane or one that can never fully rest?"

"when travelling with the team, i can sleep perfectly fine. but other than that, i'm a wide-awake traveler."

"yeah me too. at least i won't be alone this time."

"we can use that time to talk to each other and not focus on your family. don't need you freaking out on the plane."

"yeah. okay. yeah. thank you."

"no problem."

they boarded the flight 10 minutes later and spent the entire time just talking and bonding as if they were actually good friends. it was unreal for both of them.

the minute they pulled up to y/n's old house, things felt off. the worry was back for both of them and before they walked in, luke reached down and held onto her hand. she gave him a look before he just shrugged.

"we're engaged, remember?"

"oh. right. i forgot for a second."

"it's going to be fine, y/n."

"i'm sure it will be." she looked at him and smiled a little. she followed luke slowly as he squeezed her hand for reassurance. they walked into the house and her parents came flying around the corner.

"oh it's so good to see you, y/n." her mom pulled her into a hug while her dad shook luke's hand. "oh and you must be the fiance."

"it's nice to meet you ma'am. i'm luke." he held his hand out but her mom pulled him into a hug.

"it's nice to finally meet you, luke." she pulled back and smiled. "oh marc is going to be so happy when she sees you guys tomorrow. she's been talking nonstop about the wedding so seeing her favorite cousin will be like a breath of fresh air."

"i can't wait to see her, mom." y/n smiled and before she could even try, luke was grabbing the bags and following y/n's dad up the stairs to their room. "i'm gonna go make sure dad doesn't scare luke too much."

she hurried up the stairs and went to the room. luke was standing at the window of her childhood bedroom and her dad was nowhere in sight.

"i like your parents. they're very kind."

"i like your parents too. they're a lot like mine in so many ways."

"i totally understand that." he smiled and turned around. "are we capable of sharing this bed?"

"we can try. i'm sorry in advance."

"no, no. it's alright. i should be the one saying sorry. we've known each other how long & i've never really been all that kind to you."

"i haven't been kind to you either, luke. just used to putting up with you for jack's sake."

"thanks." he chuckled. "but we can manage for 5 days, right?"

"well, you did tell me that i'm good at acting so i'm definitely capable of pulling this off." she smiled. "and you're really good too. we have nothing to be worried about."

"absolutely nothing." luke smiled and walked towards the door. "wait, what if nobody believes we're really a thing and they make us prove it with, like, a kiss or something?"

"i'm sure that won't happen. they're never weird like that."

"let's hope we can make it the entire trip without having to kiss. i couldn't imagine kissing you."

"hey, i'm a fantastic kisser. thank you very much."

"i'm sure you are but i just don't have the desire to find out." he smiled.

"okay, fair enough." y/n smiled at him and set her bag on the side of the bed before taking a seat and looking at luke. "marc is going to be obsessed with you."

"why do you say that?"

"she loves guys with curly hair. you should see the guy she's going to marry."

"speaking of them, how long have they been together?"

"they met in kindergarten. i witnessed the moment they met. it was adorable. they were inseparable for years but they didn't admit their feelings until 6th grade." y/n smiled while recalling the moment marcella and jacob knew they were going to be together forever. "they've been together ever since."

"really? that's honestly a sweet story." luke smiled. "so they've really never spent any significant time apart?"

"nope. the longest they were separated was the summer before our freshman year of high school when our family went on a cruise. my parents invited jacob to come along with us but his family went to visit his dying grandfather so he chose them."

"wow. 2 months." luke chuckled. "i can't even imagine being dependent on someone as much as they are on each other."

"me either, honestly. jerry was the first guy i ever had a solid connection like that with. and he'll likely be my last."

"unless you and jack follow through with your pact, right?"

"right? well, actually, even if we follow through with it, doesn't mean i'll have the same feelings for him that marc has for jacob."

"right. but at least you'll know jack would never leave you like jerry did."

"okay. that's true." y/n glanced at the picture on her desk. she stood up and walked over to it. "thank you for doing this, luke. i really appreciate it."

"of course." he stood behind her and smiled. "just remember this when i ask for a favor."

"noted." y/n set the picture down and turned to face him. she was about to comment on the close proximity but the doorbell rang. "are you ready to meet the happy couple?"

"yes." he walked to the door and waited. "lead the way."

it should've surprised y/n when, within 2 minutes, jacob and marcella were already calling luke one of their 'best friends'. but it didn't surprise her one bit.

despite her own resentment towards the youngest hughes brother, she couldn't deny that he was actually a likeable person to everyone else.

when they were alone again, y/n leaned against the wall and watched the smile on luke's face. he looked up at her and the smile fell, but only briefly.

"i love your family. hard to believe you're related to any of them."

"funny, luke. i say the same about you and your family. ellen, jim, jack and quinn are absolute saints. and then there's you."

"you sound insane." luke chuckled.

"get used to it. i'm going to be apart of your family in the future."

"you remember we're not actually engaged, don't you?"

"of course i remember it's fake. it's the only way i can tolerate you this long." y/n shook her head. "i was talking about my marriage to your brother."

"quinn?" luke raised his eyebrow. "wasn't aware you had a thing for him."

"wasn't it you who just brought up my pact with jack earlier? how did you forget about that?"

"relax. i was messing with you." luke smiled. "you and jack are rock solid. after this wedding, there will be nothing standing in your way of happily ever after."

something didn't feel right with the way the words came out of his mouth. they tasted funny and he didn't know why.

on the day of the wedding, y/n was in the room with marcella as she was finishing getting ready. marc turned to smile at y/n.

"thank you so much for being here. and for bringing luke. i love seeing you happy." marcella smiled widely. "and it's been a long time since you've been happy."

"yeah. luke's really, really great. i'm very lucky" y/n forced a smile. she hated lying to her family but it was better than telling them the truth. "i'm not as lucky as you, of course."

"jacob is perfect in every possible way. i love him so much."

"i know. i can't believe you guys have known each other your whole lives basically. it still doesn't feel real."

"the first day of kindergarten was the best day of my life." marcella looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. "you're going to make a really beautiful bride, y/n. and i can't wait to see you walk down the aisle in your wedding dress."

"you're gonna have to wait a while. we haven't even picked a date yet." y/n sighed. "plus there's so much that goes into planning a wedding." she gestured around them but smiled as she did so.

"i don't think luke would care about a huge ceremony. i think he would be happy doing it in front of just a priest. or even at the courthouse. he loves you and he can't wait to marry you."

"and how do you know this?"

"because he's my new bestie. i know all his secrets."

y/n froze. did luke tell marcella that he wasn't really her fiance? he couldn't have. right?

"plus, he told me."

"what?"

"he told me he loved you and couldn't wait to marry you."

"oh." y/n let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "i love him too."

and she found that wasn't really a lie. over the course of their visit to her old home, y/n began to warm-up to luke. he no longer got on her nerves like he did before. she loved him, sure. but it was more like she loved him like a brother.

and for some reason, even that felt weird to say or think about.

"you ready to go out there and marry the love of your life?" y/n asked while holding out her hand to marcella.

"always." she took y/n's hand and walked to where her father was waiting.

"i'll see you in there." y/n kissed her cousin's cheek and walked in with one of the groomsmen.

the second y/n walked in, luke couldn't take his eyes off of her. he had seen her dressed up before, as she had come to many team events as jack or jesper's date, but he couldn't help the way he was staring. the dress fit her so perfectly and her hair was done up perfectly as well. she was the most gorgeous person in the room and as far as everyone knew, she was his.

but reality sank in and luke knew she wasn't really his. it was clear to him that her heart belonged to jack. there was no way he could stop it. they were just meant to be. plain and simple.

y/n stood in her place at the end of the aisle and as marcella walked towards jacob, y/n' looked around the room. all eyes were on marcella, except for luke's. he was staring right at her. y/n's cheeks felt like they were suddenly on fire as she looked away from him. this was just an act.

to y/n, it felt like the ceremony took forever. she kept glancing at luke to find him already looking her way. and she couldn't deny that he looked good in his suit and tie ensemble.

when the reception began, y/n's gaze immediately went to luke. it was starting to become a habit she didn't want.

he smirked from his seat between her parents and set his phone in his pocket. y/n went over to him and smiled.

"wanna dance?"

"with you? always." luke stood up and took her hand. she tried not to stay on the words he spoke, knowing it was only because her parents were right there. but as they danced, something felt completely right.

they were getting along silently and it was nice for a change.

their moment was interrupted when luke's phone vibrated in his pocket. he pulled it out and frowned.

"it's jack. he says he's been trying to call you for an hour but you haven't been answering."

"i have my phone on the 'do not disturb' function. i didn't want it to go of during the ceremony."

"you should call him back." luke took a step back from her and sighed. "i'm sure it's important."

"luke-"

"it's okay. i'll just go talk to marc and jacob." he nodded towards the married couple and headed in their direction. y/n sighed and picked her phone up off the table. she quickly dialed jack's number and waited for him to pick up.

"about time. i've been trying to reach you for an hour. i was beginning to think you and luke killed each other" he sighed. "speaking of which, how are things going?"

"that's why you've been trying to reach me?" y/n let out a frustrated sigh. "things between us were good. we even danced until we got interrupted."

"i'm sorry about that. i didn't know."

"it's alright, jack." she glanced over at luke. "is that the only reason you needed me?"

"yes. wait, no. i wanted to tell you that you look really pretty in your dress."

"my dress? wait, can you see me?"

"no. luke took a picture and sent it to me, along with a text that read 'you made a mistake not coming with her to this thing. by far the most beautiful person in the room'. i wanted to let you know."

"oh." was all y/n could manage to say. she looked back over to where luke was last seen and smiled when she caught him staring again. "i'm gonna let you go, jack. there's something i need to do."

"good luck." jack chuckled before hanging up.

when she was free from the conversation, she put her phone back on the table, told her parents to keep an eye on it, then headed over to luke.

"what did he want to talk to you about? did he finally tell you how in love he was?"

"no. that would be ridiculous." she looked at him and grabbed his hand. "i need to talk to him for a minute. you guys mind?" she asked marc and jacob, who seemed to be in their own world. she dragged luke to a quiet hallway.

"what's going on? what did he say to you?"

"you texted him earlier."

"i did."

"what did you say?"

"nothing bad, if that's what you're asking."

"show me." she looked into his eyes. "please?"

"why is it so important?"

"jack said i looked really pretty in my dress."

for the first time all week, luke's gaze was anywhere but y/n. "okay."

"how does he know?"

"i don't know. kid's got a thing for you and thinks you're always pretty so he probably just assumed."

"luke, please." y/n rolled her eyes. "jack told me you sent him a picture of me in the dress. he mentioned there was a text included."

"what about it?"

"you called me the most beautiful person in the room. which i can't believe."

"fine. here's my phone." he swiped the screen open and handed it to her. "you wanted proof? here it is."

y/n read the text exchange jack told her about. seeing luke compliment her made her melt. it was the nicest thing he had ever said about her. she handed the phone back to him and smiled.

"luke, this is incredibly sweet. but you're very wrong."

"what do you mean?"

"at a wedding, the bride is always the most beautiful person in the room. none of the guests can ever eclipse that."

"of course marc is beautiful. but i can't help it if i think you're more beautiful." he ran his hands through his hair.

"i appreciate the compliment, luke. i really do. but there are rules for a wedding."

"i'm aware now. thank you." luke looked at her with his signature crooked smirk. "i'm sorry for the past, by the way. maybe jack was onto something when he made a pact with you."

"can we stop talking about your brother, who most definitely doesn't have a thing for me?"

"oh, he most certainly does. how could you not see it?"

"i don't know. too focused on his brother, i suppose. think quinn and i have a shot?" she glanced up at luke and giggled when his smile dropped.

"i just complimented you for the very first time and you want to talk about being interested in quinn? unbelievable. when will it be my turn?"

y/n didn't answer with her words. instead, she pulled him close and kissed him. it started as a way to shut him up but when she went to pull away, luke's hands found her waist and he tugged her closer, deepening the kiss in the process.

"it's always going to be your turn, luke." y/n grinned when they finally pulled apart.

"jack's going to hate me." he chuckled before resting his forehead against hers. his eyes were still closed but the goofy smile stayed on his face. "but it was definitely worth it."

"hmm, was it?" y/n leaned up to peck his lips.

"oh. for sure." luke held her tight against his chest. "i can't believe i was stupid and rude to you. when i could've been enjoying that kiss for years."

"the past doesn't matter anymore, luke. we've got a whole lifetime to makeup for that."

"damn right we do."

luke smirked and pulled her in for another kiss. he still couldn't believe it was happening. but as y/n kissed him back, he could get used to making up for the past.

[writingwithciara]

across the hall; part 4 -quinn hughes-

summary: y/n moves in across the hall from quinn and in an emergency, she leaves her five-year old daughter in his care

word count: 2.2k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader, toxic ex-boyfriend x reader

notes:

y/n woke up the next morning feeling different. something about what happened yesterday made things blur between her and quinn. they were friends, sure. but there was no denying the chemistry between them, no matter how little it was.

she got out of bed and got herself ready before heading down the hall to abby's room. she pushed the door open slowly and saw abby sitting up in bed, already dressed.

"good morning, princess. how long have you been up?"

"20 minutes. i dressed myself. see?"

"i see that." y/n smiled and crouched down to abby's level.

"do you like it?"

"i love it." she ran a hand through abby's hair. "you excited to stay with quinn today?"

"yes. and bella."

"i forgot you like her too."

"she's so nice. i hope she has candy today."

"oh i'm sure she will." y/n stood up. "will you let me do your hair today?"

"can quinn do it?"

"i think he's already gone." y/n smiled and walked towards the bathroom. there was a knock on the door so she turned around and headed back. y/n opened the door and smiled when her eyes landed on quinn. "hey. i thought you would've already left by now."

"i was getting in my car when i remembered that abby doesn't really like getting her hair done so i thought i'd come back up and see if she wanted me to get it done for her."

"you know what? i think she would really like that. thank you." y/n closed the door and followed quinn to the bathroom. when he stuck his head in, y/n didn't even have to see the look on abby's face to know she was happy.

"hey kiddo. i'm here to do your hair."

"yay!" she giggled and y/n set her up on the counter before leaning against the doorframe.

"thanks for this, quinn." y/n watched as he brushed abby's hair genttly and began to put it into two braids.

"it's no problem at all. saves you the trouble, right?"

"yeah. right." y/n was in awe. not only with his work on the hair but with the way he was helping her. there was never going to be enough ways to repay him for everything.

"there. all done." quinn stood back to admire his work. "you girls ready to go?"

"yeah. we'll be right behind you." y/n grabbed some stuff off the kitchen counter and shoved them into her bag. abby went to her room to grab her own bag and joined her mom in the front hall. quinn opened the door for them and while y/n locked it, quinn picked up abby and put her on his shoulders. she giggled and held on tightly.

the three of them made their way down to to the parking garage. quinn helped get abby buckled in before heading over to his car.

"you'll be right ehind me, right?"

"yes." y/n smiled while quinn got in is car and drove out. she was about to start her car when andy knocked on her window. "what are you doing here?"

"can we talk?"

"can it wait? i've got somewhere to be."

"okay well you don't work until later, so..."

"i don't want to know how you know that." y/n shook her head.

"where are you going?"

"it's really none of your business, andy." y/n sighed and pulled out her phone. she drafted an sos text to quinn and was hovering over the send button but she looked back at andy.

"i just want to talk."

"we can talk later. i'll text you when we get home, okay? please?"

"alright fine." he stood back and watched y/n drive out. she quickly erased the drafted text and decided to call quinn instead.

"hey. i just parked. you here yet?"

"no. i ran into andy before i had the chance to leave."

"he didn't....he didn't hurt you, did her?"

"no. i'm fine." she couldn't help the way her heart seemed to leap at quinn's words. "i'm pulling into the parking garage now. what level are you on?"

"second. i'll wait by my car for you."

"okay." y/n turned onto the second level and when she saw quinn saving a spot for her, her heart began to melt. he moved out of the way and when she was in park, he helped get abby out of her seat. "are you sure nobody will mind us being here?"

"i already called ahead to make sure. told them it was a protection thing and they understood."

"thank you." y/n smiled and before she could take a second to think, quinn was grabbing her hand and walking towards the locker room.

"you can stay out here and wait for me or you can head on in towards the bench. bella will be there to meet you guys."

"yay. bella." abby looked at quinn. "do you know if she has any candy?"

"i'm not sure. but she might." quinn set abby down next to y/n and stood up. "i'll see you guys in 10 minutes."

y/n nodded and headed down the tunnel with abby right beside her. when she saw bella waving, the two of them made their way to her.

"i'm so glad you're here. i don't usually come to the arena this early but when quinn called me yesterday and asked if i could keep you two company, i immediately agreed. couldn't say no to you guys."

"you don't mind keeping an eye on abby for me during the game?"

"not at all. work is important." bella smiled and looked down at abby. "i brought you something."

"is it candy?"

"as a matter of fact, it is." she smiled and handed abby a bag of candy. "i got more in my car but we should definitely save that for the game."

"okay. thank you." abby dug into the candy and smiled.

y/n looked out at the ice. "so what's quinn like? i feel like i know a lot about him. but at the same time, i also feel like i don't know enough. know what i mean?"

"i totally get it. he's certainly an enigma. but like i said last time we talked, he was a fairly grumpy guy before he met you. he's also really sweet and protective of the people he cares about. from what i've witnessed, that includes his family, his teammates, the wags and now you."

"what are the wags?"

"wives and girlfriends." bella smiled and turned her attention to the boys walking out of the tunnel and making their way onto the ice.

"oh."

"yeah. and don't be alarmed or scared if you're grouped into the wag category. they'll see you hanging out with us and honestly, sometimes, it's easier for the staff."

"alright. thanks for the heads up." y/n looked directly at quinn and found it hard to take her eyes off him as he skated around with brock. both the boys looked over at the bench and smiled.

"so, tell me your story. what brings you to vancouver?"

"i was in a really shitty relationship and i needed to get as far away as possible. so i moved out here and even this wasn't far enough."

"what do you mean?"

"he found me somehow. but quinn has been the perfect buffer and i couldn't be more thankful i moved into the right apartment."

"you know, when quinn first told us about you, i thought you were his girlfriend. and even when i met you, that's what it seemed like. you two compliment each other in ways i've never seen before. and forgive me if i'm overstepping but it seems like there might actually be something between you."

"i don't think there is. and even if there was, it wouldn't work. we both have busy lives and things would turn difficult real fast." y/n smiled at quinn when he skated up to them.

"how are my two favorite girls?" he looked at abby and smiled when she handed him a piece of candy.

"we're doing great. loving the practice." y/n smiled and handed him his water bottle. her phone buzzed in her pocket so she pulled it out. "my boss wants me to come in early." she glanced down at abby. "will you be a good girl for everyone today?"

"yes mama." she continued eating her candy while y/n started walking away.

"wait." quinn caught up to her. "i'm going to need abby's seat for later."

"oh right." y/n smiled and walked towards where she parked. quinn had to change out of his skates so he was a little behind. when he caught up to her, he grabbed the seat from her backseat and smiled. "thanks again for today, quinn. i don't know what i'd do without you."

"it's no problem. i love having abby around."

"she loves having you around too." y/n grinned and opened her door. before she got in, she leaned up and kissed quinn's cheek. "i'll see you later."

quinn was frozen for nearly a minute after she left. he touched his cheek and felt the heat from the kiss there. things just got so much more confusing for him.

he put abby's seat in his car and headed back into the building before he could get in trouble.

the rest of practice went by fast. abby and bella were walking towards the locker room to wait for the boys when abby turned to look at bella.

"bella?"

"yes sweetheart?"

"thanks for the candy."

"you're welcome, darling." she smiled and continued holding the little girl's hand.

the second quinn came out of the locker room, abby ran to him. he picked her up and smiled.

"hey kiddo. it's still pretty early so how about we go and get some lunch?"

"yes. i am starving."

"you and brock want to join us?" he asked as he glanced over at bella.

"yeah sure. that sounds like fun." bella grabbed brock's hand and followed quinn to the garage. "we're parked on another level so just text us where we're eating and we'll meet you there."

"okay. see you guys in a bit." quinn walked to his car and buckled abby in. "you having fun today?"

"absolutely." abby kicked her legs happily while quinn pulled out of the garage.

"alright. where do you want to eat?"

"the restaurant we ate breakfast at yesterday. can we eat there?"

"absolutely." quinn sent a quick text to both brock and bella before continuing their travel.

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later that night, quinn played his best but ended up getting taken out halfway through the 2nd period. knowing what he might've needed, bella brought abby down to the locker room and waited for the medic to finish up. when he left, she brought abby into the room.

"i know this isn't exactly what you wanted, but it's the next best thing. i promise." she smiled at him as abby ran and hugged him.

"this is what i needed. thanks, bella." quinn smiled back as bella left the room. "i'm sorry if the game has been disappointing for you."

'it hasn't. i liked it all. until you got hurt." she reached up and tapped the bandage on his arm. "do you have to stay here until the end of the game?"

"yeah. unfortunately i do. but you can stay here with me if you want. or bella can take you back to your eat."

"am i allowed to stay here?"

"not in the locker room. but we hang out in the media room and watch the rest of the game."

"okay. let's go."

quinn brought abby down the hall and into the room where they would be spending the remainder of the game. after the 2nd period, they both went back to the locker room to chat with the team. abby sat in quinn's locker space while he went to the coach. brock, who was sitting next to her, offered her a piece of candy.

"what do you think of the game so far?"

"i love it. i don't like that quinn got hurt though. that guy was mean."

"yeah, he was. but quinn is way tougher than he looks." brock chuckled.

"yeah. i think that's why mommy likes him."

brock raised his eyebrow. he wanted to ask more but quinn came back over.

"alright. time to go back to the media room, abby."

"okay quinn." abby ran to the door when she saw bella. brock wanted to tell quinn what abby just said to him but he didn't have enough time. so instead, he headed down the tunnel while quinn ran to catch up with bella and abby.

half an hour later, the game was over. and the canucks had lost.

as quinn drove home with abby, he wanted nothing more than having y/n waiting there for him. their friendship was still a little new so he knew he couldn't say how he was feeling about the girl across the hall. but he could keep it inside as long as possible.

he didn't want to mess up what they already had. and with the added complication of andy, he knew there would never be a right time to tell her. he was just going to have to learn how to deal with it.

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tags: @alwaysclassyeagle