summary: The one where you run into the guy who makes you believe in love all over again.
warnings: kissing, strangers to friends to lovers where theyâre both a little oblivious, game mentioned is the game against philly with luke's ot goal
note: no angst?? who am i?? thank you maddy for answering my questions about luke so i could make this as accurate as possible ily
Someone once said that love comes when you least expect it and when youâre not looking for it, but you used to never believe that. You used to think that love was something you always searched for in others, that love was something everyone wanted, but you stopped believing that after it kept leaving you stranded and broken. You stopped looking for romantic love, choosing to believe that maybe it wasnât meant for you, until one day when youâre quite literally trampled by the boy that made you believe in it all over again.
Walking the path near the water was one of your favorite pastimes since youâve moved to the unfamiliar city. It was something that always brought you a sense of serenity whenever reality became a little too overbearing, or when you just needed a space to breathe after a particularly straining day at work. It was also your favorite way to start off your day whenever you had the time. Always a coffee in hand as you savored the peacefulness before the day truly began.
Today was one of the fortunate days when the weather wasnât too cold that you needed more than a light jacket when you stepped outside. There weren't many people out and about as the sun had barely risen, but there were still a handful on their morning jogs or simply relaxing on the benches as they read a book. You had only looked away from the path in front of you for a brief second when you collided with something, or rather someone, and it sent your barely drank coffee to the ground, spilling all over your shoes.
âShit,â You heard a boyish voice exclaim, his hands grasping at your biceps to keep you upright, âIâm so sorry!â
You knew it wasnât on purpose, but you couldnât help but grow a slight annoyance as you stared at the dropped drink. It wasnât entirely his fault because you werenât paying attention either and it wasnât like you had just bought the coffee, you were just slow to drink it. Looking up at the person in front of you, your breath hitched in your throat when you saw one of the cutest guys youâd seen in the city yet. Though he looked slightly familiar, you just couldnât place where you might have seen him.
He had a sympathetic, small smile on his face as he awkwardly dropped his hands back to his side. He had a beanie covering his hair, but there were a few strands of curls that had managed to poke out from the thick material. You were close enough to him that you can see a small scratch on the bridge of his nose that looked almost fully healed. He was quite a bit taller than you as well, his anxious eyes peering down into your own as you slowly blink at him.
âAre you okay,â He spoke again, gaze briefly filtering down to your shoes.
âYeah,â You sigh as you step away from him, âIâm fine, but my shoes might not be.â
The both of you let out awkward chuckles before you bend down to grab the cup, slightly frowning to yourself as you bring it to your chest. When you meet his eyes again, he looks as if he was contemplating something by the way he keeps looking all around you. His hands were shoved in the pocket of his hoodie as he shifted his weight on his feet. The air is a little awkward as you think about just walking away, but he speaks before your feet ever move.
âLet me buy you a new drink,â He suggests, his voice slightly quieter than before as if he was nervous, âItâs the least I can do.â
âOh, no you donât have to do that,â You shake your head, âItâs no big deal. Itâs just a coffee.â
âPlease,â He tries, not wanting to press so hard enough he comes off desperate, âIt looked almost full based on what I can see on the ground.â
You couldnât help but notice his shy smile and hesitant eyes as he waited for your response. His cheeks and nose were slightly pink from the wind that refused to stop whipping at any exposed skin it found. He was sporting a nervous half smile as you mulled the option over in your head, trying to gather if there was any plausible reason to not let the cute boy with a crooked smile buy you another coffee.
âI guess it wouldnât hurt,â You agree, a smile of your own toying on your lips as you keep your gaze on him, âBut only if you tell me your name first.â
âLuke,â He lightly chuckled, taking his hand out of his pocket, extending it for you to shake, âYours?â
You gingerly took his hand in your own as you told him your name, ignoring the way his touch made your cheeks heat up and butterflies fill your stomach. You retracted your hand quickly, moving it to grasp the cup with both hands as you gestured for Luke to lead the way. You catch the way his eyes briefly dart to your cup before he began to walk the direction you had been coming from.
The two of you fell into a bit of an awkward conversation, him asking you if you were from the area and him telling you that he wasnât either. He told you that he played professional hockey for the Devils and it clicked in your brain that that was why he looked familiar. You had seen him on TV, but you werenât involved in the sport enough to put a name to his face. You teased him a little and playfully asked if he would get you tickets to a game, but the speed at which he said yes shocked even himself.
When Luke was handing you your new drink, that was when he told you that he was already running a bit late to some sort of meeting with his team and as much as heâd like to stay, he had to leave. You would be lying if you said you werenât a little disappointed at the news, but you ended up exchanging phone numbers before he was rushing away, still not entirely looking where he was going. You watched him leave with a smile on your face and a sort of hope filling your chest that you hadnât felt in a long time.
The two of you had began texting each other so often that people started to ask questions. Though it had only taken three days of you quietly giggling to yourself for your roommate to ask who the guy was. Whereas for Luke, it had only taken Jack until after practice the day he had met you. Jack had never seen his younger brother rush to check his phone while still in full gear before so quickly, and that was how he knew.
You didnât see Luke for nearly two weeks after you had initially met courtesy of the stars, also known as his games and your work schedule, never aligning in the right way. When Luke had texted you after one of his games asking if you were free the following evening and you finally got to answer with a yes, you grew excited, and also extremely nervous.
He had given you the option to go out and do something, or to come over to his place and the two of you could order food and watch movies; just hangout, he had said. You ultimately decided on the second option since the weather had grown colder and you werenât necessarily in the mood to join the crowds of people in the city. He subtly mentioned that his brother would be gone so it would just be the two of you, and the thought made your cheeks warm despite knowing he had no underlying intentions.
When you had texted Luke to tell him you had finally found a parking spot and he told you where to go from there, you had to take a small breather in your car to get yourself to stop shaking before finally going into the expensive looking building. You were so focused on taking in all of the little details inside the lobby that you werenât paying attention to where you were going and ran straight into someoneâs chest.
You let out a surprised squeal as you squeeze your eyes closed at the impact, fully prepared to go stumbling backwards, but you never do. You can feel their hands on your hips, the pads of their fingers slightly digging into the skin separated by the material of your shirt. The soft laugh that filtered through your eyes made your eyes snap open to see a familiar face sporting an amused smile.
âAt least thereâs no coffee this time,â Luke teases, keeping his hands on you a tad longer than necessary before he pulls them back to his own body.
âShut up,â You mumbled, hoping he didnât notice the tinge to your cheeks, âI was looking at the stupid fancy decorations. I didnât know you were going to be down here.â
âI noticed,â He chuckled, âYou thought I wouldnât meet you down here?â
âWell, no. You gave me the apartment number so I expected to meet you there,â You shrugged, forcing your gaze away from him and to your feet.
âYou wouldâve thought it was weird if I didnât give you the apartment number,â He raises his eyebrows even though you arenât looking at him, âBesides, sometimes people have trouble finding the door. Itâs a little confusing.â
When you had reached the floor his apartment was on and saw that it was only one big hallway, you couldnât help but give him a confused look. It wasnât confusing at all, especially given the fact that his door was only the second one on the left. You could tell he was purposely avoiding looking in your direction as he pushed through the door, holding it open for you to slip inside, and you chose to let it be.
The rest of the night was spent with the two of you talking about anything that possibly came to mind once you got through the brief bout of awkward tension, and you quickly found that Luke could talk forever. He talked about his teammates and family in a way that made you smile because it was clear he truly loved and looked up to them. You told him about your family back home and why you moved and the way he was hanging on to every word made you flustered because no one had ever cared enough to listen to you that way.
By the time the night was winding down, you were close enough to him on the couch that your thighs would brush together and his arm was slung around the cushions behind you, but not touching you. There was a movie playing on the tv in front of you, but you would be lying if you said you were paying attention to it. All you could think about was how things with Luke flowed so naturally and how you hadnât felt this comfortable around someone in so long that you forgot the feeling even existed.
The two of you began hanging out regularly after that, never doing anything more than something you would do with a friend, but you could feel your feelings for him grow with each passing day. It started off as small notions and things you could brush off, but then you found yourself thinking of him no matter what you were doing. You were always seeing something that reminded you of him or something that made you think âoh, Luke would love that. I canât wait to show himâ. However, you were far too scared to let yourself believe that he would ever feel the same, so you swallowed those urges and went on as if nothing had changed.
When Luke had asked if you would be interested in going to one of his games, you thought nothing of it. You had told him that you would gladly go, but you would only need one ticket since your roommate worked most evenings and you didnât necessarily have anyone else to go with. He told you not to worry about that and he would figure something out for you before he asked for your email to send the ticket. What he meant by that, you werenât sure, but you didnât ask questions.
You asked your roommate to help you with your outfit before she left for work that day, wanting to make sure what you wore wasnât too much but also wasnât sloppy. Once she had settled on something that adhered to your standards, she managed to leave enough time for her to help with your hair as well. She could tell that you were nervous based on the way your hands were constantly fiddling with each other and by the way your already clumsy habits seemed to increase by the second.
You werenât entirely sure why you were so nervous. It wasnât like this was the first time you were hanging out with Luke, and it surely wasnât going to be the last. For some reason, him inviting you to one of his games felt different, but then it made you queasy because you began to think about how many girls he had invited before. By the time you were on your way to the arena, you had managed to calm yourself down enough that your heart rate was almost back to normal and your self sabotaging thoughts had been long forgotten.
Luke had taken the liberty of reserving parking for you, which you tried to deny but he said he had already done it so there was no room to argue. The parking garage was full of people in various jerseys for both teams as they made their way into the arena with you following suit because you had virtually no idea where you were going. You were so focused on looking at section numbers that you kept bumping into people, quiet apologies tumbling from your lips as you rushed away from their pointed looks.
Eventually, you found the correct section and showed your ticket to the usher at the top of the stairs before following his direction as you walked down. You stopped at the row your seat was in, your eyes falling on a group of women as they talked and laughed with one another, and you suddenly felt a wave of insecurity wash over you. They clearly knew each other, and you were there by yourself, and on top of that, they were absolutely gorgeous.
You took a deep breath before you shuffled down the row and to your seat, trying to ignore the way their voices grew quiet whenever you sat down. You could feel their eyes on you as you kept yours on the rink, watching as they set up the net and as others filed down towards their seats before the game started. It wasnât until you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder that you turned to look at the one sitting right next to you.
âHi,â One of them greeted, a bright smile on her face, âIâm Nicole!
You let out a shaky breath as you took her hand, giving her your name before returning her smile. The way her eyes lit up and she briefly glanced at the girls around her with a subtle smirk threw you off, but she was quick to ease your confusion as she moved her focus back to you.
âSo youâre the girl Luke wonât stop talking about,â She playfully teases, âHe made sure Jesper told me you would be coming and to look out for you so you werenât alone.â
You canât stop your face from heating up by being identified as âthe girl Luke wonât shut aboutâ, and judging by the way the other girls looked at you, it seemed to be a universal experience. They went around and introduced themselves, and their children, to you before they began to ask you questions. They started off with the easy questions such as your career, if you were in school, if you were from the area, if you were a big fan of hockey, but they quickly transferred the topic over to your relationship with Luke.
âWeâre just friends,â You meekly said, eyes darting away from them as you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth.
âBut you like him,â Cat asks as she raises her eyebrows, though her tone hints that she knows the answer to that.
You briefly hesitated, not sure what your response should be, but you were very graciously saved by the music blaring through the speakers followed by the announcer's voice. You hastily turned towards the ice, thanking whatever higher being saved you from the embarrassment of admitting your feelings out loud.
As the game started, you caught yourself really only focusing on Luke rather than the puck itself. If he wasnât on the ice, you were leaning towards the girls beside you to ask questions about the game you didnât entirely understand. When he was on the ice, you flinched every time he got hit a little too hard, or when he would trip over seemingly nothing and fall on the ice. Although, you did know to join in on the collective booing whenever he was sent to the penalty box for a bogus call.
The game ended up going into overtime with Luke, his brother, and team captain on the ice as they stood opposite the Flyers players. Your hands were clasped together as you leaned forward, waiting with baited breath as the puck dropped on the ice. You watch as they skate towards their net, hastily trying to get the puck from the other team. Youâre not sure who managed to get possession, but the next thing you know Luke is taking a shot that ends up in the net to win the game.
You jump out of your seat as you scream, your eyes not leaving Luke as he learns forward into a celebratory bow that youâre positive he did when he was at Michigan. A fact you knew after you asked him âif he was even good at hockeyâ and he proceeded to show you his highlight reels for the next hour. His team rushes towards him with giant smiles on their faces as they crowd around him, the arena filling with cheers so loud that it made your ears ring.
By the time things had calmed down, Nicole was the first to tell you that you were supposed to go with them down to the locker room. You walked through the arena with them, only briefly stopping to talk with security because you didnât have the correct pass. The area outside the locker room was buzzing with life as various friends and family members of the team waited for the guys, their voices meshing with the loud cheers from inside.
The guys slowly began to trickle out of the locker room clad in their fancy and expensive suits, dopey grins on their faces. You stayed tucked between Cat and Nicole as they talked, but you were only halfway listening as you kept an eye out for Luke. Some of the guys you only vaguely remembered from pictures or videos Luke had shown you, but most you knew with confidence because of how often their names popped up in conversation.
When you finally saw a familiar head of curls walking through the doors, it was a bit embarrassing how quickly a smile grew on your face. He wasnât even looking in your direction, instead animatedly talking to his brother who had seen you, a slight smirk on his face. The girls had stepped away from you, knowing looks on their faces when Luke finally looked in front of him to see you standing there waiting for him.
If they thought Luke was excited before, it was absolutely nothing compared to the look on his face when his eyes landed on you. He quickened his pace, leaving his conversation, and his brother, behind as he only focused on getting to you. You were painfully aware of the multitude of gazes on you, the attention beginning to slightly overwhelm you, but all of the worry disappeared the moment Luke wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to him.
âCongratulations on your goal,â You mumble with your head pressed against his chest, your arms draped around the middle of his frame.
âThank you for coming,â He quietly says, his hold on you subtly tightening as he lets out a deep breath.
You can barely hear the quiet whispers of those around you over the blood pounding in your ears, but you didnât mind them anyways. Right now, all you wanted to focus on was the way his arms felt around you and the way his entire body seemed to relax under your touch. While physical touch with Luke wasnât uncommon, it still gave you a small sense of hope that maybe everyone was right and maybe he did like you back after all.
âJack, you might need somewhere to stay tonight,â You heard one of the other guys tease from behind him, making your face heat up as you stepped away from Luke. Though he doesnât entirely break away from, keeping his arm slung across your shoulders as he turns to look at his teammates.
âOh, I planned for it donât worry,â He laughs as he shakes his head, âYou picked a good first game to come to. Luke played his ass off.â
âI always do,â Luke quickly defended himself, his voice slightly raising and his posture straightening the smallest amount.
âYeah, but you really did tonight,â Dawson pressed with a mischievous smile on his face.
âYou guys are annoying,â Luke rolls his eyes, âIâm starving, so we are going to leave. Iâll see you guys tomorrow.â
Your gaze snaps up to Luke as he briefly looks down at you with his usual half smile, but the sound of Jack calling out to him briefly moves his attention back to his brother. You let your eyes fall back to the ground in front of you, your mind running a mile a minute as you try to ignore the way heâs slightly grazing the skin above your collarbone with his fingers. Your breath hitches in your throat, the skin involuntarily raising in wake of his touch as you try to keep yourself outwardly collected.
âHey,â Lukeâs voice breaks through the thin barrier keeping you composed, âYou ready? I figured Iâll drive so you can put the chipotle order in and we can pick it up on our way back to my apartment. Is that okay?â
âYeah, of course,â You breathe out, giving him a small smile.
The two of you bid goodbye to the others, but not before they could pass on teasing comments or not so subtle winks as you passed by them. Luke had dropped his arm from your shoulders, a small absent feeling settling over you when he did. He asked you if you ended up having a good time and if the girls were nice to you, which you, of course, told him that you did and the girls were extremely welcoming and kind.
When Luke had climbed into the driverâs seat, he fished his wallet out of his pocket and handed you his credit card with the subtle threat that if he didnât see a charge on his card for the food that he would buy you the expensive hoodie you had looked at a few days ago. You rolled your eyes as you took his card, not knowing that he had already bought the hoodie anyway and was waiting to give it to you.
By the time the two of you had picked up your food and were back at his apartment, your nerves from earlier had almost entirely disappeared and things felt normal again. Before the two of you started eating, he went into his room to change, and he returned with a random pair of sweatpants you had forgotten you bought last week and a shirt youâre positive was his. He waited for you to come back before he started eating like he always did, but you couldnât help but feel like the air surrounding you felt slightly off.
You couldnât tell if you were overthinking things or if something really was wrong because you still felt that way when the two of you moved to the couch. Luke still sat in his usual spot directly next to you, but he was barely focusing on the movie. His eyes kept darting around the room and he was nervously chewing on his bottom lip. You wanted to ask him if he was okay, but you kept your eyes on the TV until he spoke up.
âCan I tell you something,â Luke nearly shouted, slightly startling you out of your spot on the couch, âShit, sorry. I didnât mean to yell. I justâ I need to tell you something.â
Your eyes were wide and full of confusion, and slight panic, as you spoke, âYeah, of course. You can tell me anything.â
You watched as he took a deep breath, slightly turning his body so he was facing you completely, and you couldnât help but let an almost painful sense of worry envelope you. You were running over every possible scenario you could conjure in your mind, but they were all so negative that you had convinced yourself what he was going to say was too.
âThis might screw everything up and if you never want to talk to me again, thatâs fine, but I canât ignore it anymore,â His voice was serious, yet thick with an emotion you refused to place, âAfter I scored tonight and all the guys were around me, all I could think about was you. Not even just you being there to see it, but celebrating with you. Seeing your smile. Hugging you. Kissing you.â
He said the last part so quietly that you almost didnât hear him, but you did. Those two words rang in your ears as you looked at him, your mouth slightly dropped open as the ability to form a semi coherent thought in your mind suddenly fleeing. You wanted to respond, to tell him that it was all you could think about too, but your mouth and brain were far from cooperative.
Your silence was slowly suffocating Luke, and he quickly wishes he never said anything at all. To him, he knew it was a long shot that you felt the same way he did. Early in your friendship, you had let it slip that you weren't looking for a relationship and you wanted to focus on yourself. He knew that, but he couldnât keep his feelings to himself anymore.
âIâm sorry,â He backtracks, shaking his head, âI shouldnât have said anythââ
You cut him off by surging forward and slamming your lips on his own, not trusting yourself to accurately say everything you felt. Lukeâs reaction was almost instantaneous, his hands grabbing at your hips and pulling you onto his lip as he kisses you back. The metaphorical wall that had been keeping the two of you as friends crumbled beneath you as you pour everything you felt for him into one kiss.
His hands had moved to the small of your back, pulling you so close that there wasnât even a millimeter of space separating you from him. Your hands were looped around his neck as your mouth moved against his own, and you couldnât stop yourself from carefully grasping at his curls. Luke groaned against you, and he knew he had to stop before he took things too far on his living room couch.
He pulls away from you, his heavy breathing falling in sync with your own as he drops his head to your shoulder. You can feel his chest rise and fall against you as you attempt to gather your thoughts and tell yourself that this was real. That it actually happened and it wasnât something you had dreamed up again, but you were suddenly shaken from your thoughts when Luke harshly snapped his head up to look at you.
âWait, does this mean you like me back,â He asks, feigning a sense of seriousness, but you can see the smile threatening to shine through.
âYouâre an idiot,â You playfully roll your eyes at him.
âMaybe, but Iâm your idiot, â He counters before his eyes slightly widen as he hesitantly continues, âRight?â
âYeah,â You chuckle, a small smile decorating your face, âYou are.â
The two of you spend the rest of the night wrapped up in the other, the movie halfway forgotten as you found yourself with your lips on his more often than not. You were selfishly thankful that Jack had been telling the truth when he said he found somewhere else to stay. The uninterrupted time you spent in Lukeâs arms allowed you to truly soak it in. To relish in the fact that you had finally found someone who made you believe that love did exist, and you owed it all to one spilled coffee.
summary: in which taking naps on your boyfriend is your favourite pastime. and he enjoys nothing more than having his girl in his arms.
content: just some fluff.
note: thank you so much for taking part in my celly! it's time I get myself a pookie bf cause writing these are making me feel lonier and lonier đ
luke loves sleeping. itâs one of the many joys in his life. and itâs no secret either. luke knows his teammates are well aware that when he declines their offers to go out, he goes home and knocks right out. and as much as he brushes their teasing off by saying heâs just a kid and heâs still growing, luke is pretty sure no matter how old he gets heâll always be down for an afternoon nap.
luke only knew one other person who loved sleeping as much as him⌠and that was you. itâs become an integral piece of your routine. itâs almost a daily occurrence for jack to find you and luke passed out together for an hour or two.
but if there was one thing luke loved more than sleepingâŚit was watching you sleep. not in a creepy way, he swears. there was just something so peaceful about watching your content expression, the way your whole face would soften, the steady beat of your heart, your soft puffs of breaths against his skin. watching you sleep put him in a state of grace that even his own slumber couldnât.
so what if he sacrificed his own two hour naps just to admire you in your sleep? it recharged him all the same and no one would ever know.
âis she asleep?â jack whispers when he enters the apartment and sees his brother on the couch. you laying completely on top of him.
âof course she is,â jack says when luke nods in response.
luke grins at the horrified expression on jackâs face when you let out a particularly loud snore. he gently runs his hand through your hair, dropping a kiss on your head.
âfuck!â jack yells suddenly and luke turns his head seeing his brother crouched over, clutching his toe.
âshut up. I just told you she was sleeping,â luke whisper-yells and jack glares at him letting out an annoyed sigh. luke glances down at you, making sure his brotherâs antics didnât wake you up.
âI stubbed my toe. It fucking hurts. but Iâm okay, thanks for asking,â Jack says and Luke rolls his eyes at his brotherâs dramatics
âIf you wake her up youâre gonna be very not okay when Iâm done with you,â luke grumbles and stills when you shift, hand clutching his shirt tightly
but he quickly forgets about the threat uttered to his brother. a warm feeling spreading through his chest when your eyes flutter open, blinking slowly up at him.
âhey baby. did you sleep well?â luke asks, gently brushing wild strands of hair out of your face.
âmhmâŚâ you mumble, snuggling back into his chest, exposing the side of your face you were laying on and luke smiles at the indented mark on your face
âI can tell,â luke says amused, pressing a kiss to the top of your head when you hide your face in his chest from embarrassment.
luke squeezes you tight, his eyes fluttering close with a content look on his face. jack contemplates waking both of you when he sees your drift off again, knowing the two of you were on dinner duty tonight, but the peaceful look on his little brothers face makes him hesitate.
jack decided to leave the two of you be, but for no other reason other than the fact that he doesnât want to eat lukeâs burnt rice again. or so he tells himself.
Hello, and welcome to my new series, where I try to explain different aspects of hockey since I know this sport is growing rapidly! This series will cover some rules, the rink's anatomy, how to read stats, etc., so hopefully, by the end of this, you'll understand what the fuck is going on :D
Also, if I miss something you would like me to cover or something is still confusing, feel free to drop an ask, and I'll do my best to answer them! If I also misexplained something, please do not hesitate to correct me on anything!!
Terminology
Basics
âł Player Positions and Rosters
âł The Rink
âł The Game
âł Types of Shots
Rules
âł Face-offs
âł Icing
âł Offsides
âł Minor Infractions
âł Fighting and Subsequent Penalties
âł Different Types of Penalties
âł List of Penalties
Statistics
Trophies
NHL Technicalities
âł Waivers
âł Free Agency
âł Trade Deadline
âł Fines and Suspensions
Teams
Fun Stuff
âł Nicknames
âł Narratives You Might See Us Talk About
summary: anon request for luke getting hurt during a game
notes: yâall i think i struggle writing luke for some reason. i just never seem to really like what i write when i write for him. wtf am i doing wrong đŠ
[3.3k]
~
There werenât many times you regretted moving to Jersey, but right now was one of them. The constant traffic within the city wasnât something that usually got under your skin, but today it was the absolute bane of your existence. Of course, you were in a hurry. A big one. You had approximately thirty minutes until puck drop, and you needed to get there before that puck hit that ice. No exceptions. You hadnât told Luke what you were doing, so he probably already expected you to be there, wondering why youâre not in your usual seat for warm-ups.
As if he could hear your thoughts, your phone buzzed with a message from Luke, not being able to read what it said while trying to weave in and out of traffic.
âQuinn, can you see what Luke just sent. And then tell him Iâm on my way. I donât want him worrying that Iâm not showing tonight,â you ask the Hughes brother currently in your passenger seat.
Quinn grabbed your phone from the cupholder, listening to you rattle off your passcode so he can open Lukeâs message.
âHe asked where you were, and if you were already there. Wanted to know why you werenât in your seat for warm ups,â Quinn reads the message, looking to you for an answer.
âTell him Iâm just running late. Be there before puck drop. And tell him I love him and good luck.â
You hear the sound of Quinn typing your reply as you increase your speed, cursing the people who want to drive below the speed limit in the fast lane. This is what you get for trying to be a good girlfriend and surprise your boyfriend and his brother. You get stuck on the road with New Jerseyâs worst drivers.
In your defense, you were supposed to already be safely at the arena in your seats, but Quinnâs airline had different plans. His flight being delayed by three hours gave you barely enough time to run and grab him from the airport and make it back to the Rock before the hockey game started. The only thing saving your ass right now is the fact that if you can just get there, you can go through the player entrance and avoid the crowds trying to get in at the last minute.
âIf you donât calm down and drive like a sane person, weâre never going to get there. Weâll be squashed on the side of the road,â Quinn scolds you, grasping what your dad always called the âoh shitâ handles.
âIf I can just get around these idiots in front of me weâll be fine. Weâre almost at our exit, then I just have to pull around back and weâre in,â you tell him, once again pressing the gas pedal a little harder.
Quinn stays silent the rest of the drive, closing his eyes once you start speeding around the other cars on the freeway, finally getting to the right exit and rushing to the underground parking that the players always park in. You pull your car into the spot next to Jackâs car, barely even turning the car off before youâre jumping out and sprinting to the entrance.
âCâmon, Quinn! I know you can move faster than that! We only have a few minutes! Move it!â You yell over your shoulder, Quinn barely having gotten out of the car.
âRemind me to never let you drive ever again,â is all he says as he catches up to you, looking a little greener than before.
The two of you make it inside the arena with no issues, sprinting to your seats just as the national anthem finishes, both teams sending their starting lines out on the ice.
You had managed to snag Quinn a seat next to you, asking the teamâs manager for a favor to help surprise their rookie defenseman. With no hesitation, he handed you a ticket and a locker room pass for Quinn, knowing how homesick Luke had been lately. You had thanked him a million times, asking him to keep it a secret from both Jack and Luke, not wanting either one of them to know until the day of. He gave you his word, and was also the reason you were given access to the player parking for the night, not wanting Quinn to be ambushed by fans going through the regular entrance.
You felt your heart rate start to slow once you were both situated in your seats, glad that you had made it in time. Neither Jack nor Luke had looked over and noticed you yet, wondering if they were going to clock Quinn before they took their stances on the ice.
Your question was soon answered as Jack looked back and saw you, waving and turning to get Lukeâs attention before he did a double take, noticing the brunette sitting to you left. Quinn gave a small wave, flashing his younger brother a smile as you watched Jackâs eyes widen, mouth curving into beaming smile. Luke had turned back, looking in your direction, a relieved smile on his face once he noticed you were finally in your spot, eyes too focused on your figure to notice Quinnâs next to you. It wasnât until he looked over at Jack and followed his gaze that he finally noticed his oldest brother in the crowd, a Devilâs hat on his head.
Lukeâs eyes flicked over to you once again, mouthing âwhat the fuck?â to you, your only response a shrug of the shoulders and a smirk on your face.
The two brothers quickly focused their attention to the officials on the ice, lowered into their stances, waiting for the puck to drop onto the ice.
âYou know theyâre going to compete now, right?â Quinn says as he elbows you to get your attention.
âWhy would they compete? Theyâre literally playing for the same team. It doesnât matter who scores as long as the team wins,â you respond, confused at Quinnâs words.
âIt matters now. They do the same thing when mom or dad come to watch them. They want the praise. They want to be able to out perform the other so they can brag about it to me after the game,â Quinn clarifies.
âI donât know about that. Jackâs been good about trying to set Luke up for success all year, I think theyâll surprise you.â
Quinn gives you a skeptical look, not believing your words, but lets it go otherwise; his attention quickly stolen by the sound of the puck hitting the ice, followed by clashing sticks and skates scraping against the frozen floor.
Much to your surprise, Quinn proved to be right. All throughout the first period, the two brothers fought to get the puck, sometimes even fighting against one another. You noticed the odd looks from their teammates, Nico even skating over to Jack during a tv timeout to ask him what was up, not having seen the pair act like this before. You kept throwing glares at Luke, trying to tell him to knock it off, that theyâre playing for the same team, but he wouldnât look at you for more than a few seconds at a time.
As the second period started, the competition between Jack and Luke had nearly ceased to exist. You assumed they got their asses chewed in the locker room during the intermission, noting how their coach seemed to watch them like a hawk. Once the brothers started actually playing together instead of against one another, the Devilâs were scoring goals left and right, putting up four goals before the end of the second period, one Lukeâs and two being Jackâs.
With only three minutes left in the second period, Luke was attempting to get possession of the puck from behind the net, fighting two of the opposing players for the black piece of rubber. He lost control of the puck, and in a moment of frustration, pushed one of the enemy players in the back, wanting out of the sandwich they had put him in. The player he pushed fell forward onto the ice, drawing a penalty on Luke. The official had blown the whistle, stopping gameplay, when Luke looked over at him, frustrated at the call.
What Luke didnât see was the player who had gotten the puck come skating up behind him at full speed, pushing Luke so hard his skates came out from under him, causing him to land on the ice on his back. He was angled just enough, though, that his body slid at high speed straight into the bottom of the wall a few feet away, head bouncing off the boards along the ice.
You were on your feet immediately, hands flying to the glass in front of you, begging for him to get up. Quinn jumped to his feet next to you, placing a hand on your shoulder, whether to comfort you or himself, you donât know. Jack leaves his spot on the bench to skate over to his brother, falling to his knees on the ice, hovering above Luke.
Luke hadnât moved yet. Not a foot twitch, a roll over in pain, or a thumbs up to let anyone know heâs okay. Heâs laying lifeless on the ice, trainers calling his name, careful not to touch his head or neck. Your hand flies to cover your mouth, a sob making its way out of you when you noticed the stretcher being put on stand-by near the tunnel. Everything feels like itâs in slow motion, time stopped as Luke continues to lay, unmoving. Quinn tries to move you back from the glass, averting your attention from the scene in front of you, but your eyes are glued to Lukeâs body.
You thought you imagined the twitch of his foot, thinking it was where the medics were tapping his leg, trying to coax him awake. When you finally see his body try to roll over, you let out the breath that you didnât even know you were holding. Your relief was short-lived, however, when you hear the scream that makes its way out of Lukeâs throat. Youâre not sure which one hurt worse, him lying there not moving or the scream of agony thatâs currently echoing through the arena.
Your knees start to give out, eyes blurring from the tears falling down your face. Quinn catches you as you slide down the glass, holding your sobbing figure in a crouched position.
âQuinn, gotta go. Gotta go, locker rooms,â you manage to say between sobs, trying to stand and make your way out of the stands.
âOkay, yeah, letâs go. Letâs get you out of here.â
The fans watch as Quinn guides you out of your seats and up the stairs. Most of them familiar with you, you and Luke not being super private with your relationship. A lot of them are still shouting obscenities at the player who went after Luke, demanding he be suspended. Some of them give you sad smiles as you pass, hoping your rookie is okay.
You finally reach the entrance to the training room, knowing this is where theyâll have taken him before they decide if he needs a hospital or not. You can hear them in there talking to him, unsure if you should enter yet or wait on someone to come out and get you. You stand at the doors, staring into space, when Quinn decides to speak up.
âHeâs gonna be fine, Y/N. Probably a gnarly bruise, and likely a concussion, but it couldâve been worse. I know its scary, but I promise, heâs going to be okay. Might not even miss more than a game or two.â
All you can do is nod at the words, unable to do much else at the moment. You try to give a small smile, but you think it comes across as more of a grimace. You turn your head when you hear the door to the training room opens, revealing one of the team trainers.
âOh, good, youâre already down here. Heâs asking for you. Wants you to know heâs awake and okay. Nothingâs broken, just banged up and a mild concussion. Probably going to have him follow up with a doctor tomorrow, but for now he just needs rest. You can go ahead and go in. He wonât be playing the rest of the night,â the man in front of you finishes stepping aside so you can walk through the open door.
You turn back to look at Quinn, seeing if heâs going to come with you.
âIâll just give you two a minute first. Go ahead, Iâll be right behind you,â he tells you, wanting a minute to process his own emotions before seeing his baby brother.
You nod and turn to walk into the training room, following the trainer down a short hallway before turning the corner into a room with three different treatment tables, Lukeâs long body taking up the farthest one. His head is laying back on a pillow, a large ice pack taped to his right shoulder. His gear is laying in a pile on the floor next to him, completely bare from the waist up. As you get closer, you can see the already purple skin forming in the exposed parts of his shoulder and upper arm. You gasp quietly at the bruised skin, causing Lukeâs head to snap up at the sound.
âHey, pretty girl,â he rasps out, voice raw from his screams earlier.
You stop on the side of the bed opposite to his injury, unable to say anything yet. Tears still streaming down your face, looking him over for any other signs of injury.
âHey, no need to cry, angel. Iâm okay, see. Just a little bruise. Nothing to be worried about. You should see the other guy,â he tries to joke, being told he left a dent in the wall where he hit.
You glare at him through your tears, unhappy with his weak attempt at joke.
âOkay, yeah, maybe not the time to joke just yet,â he brings the hand on his good arm up to rub the back of his neck, looking away from your tear-stained face.
âYou were unconscious, LukeâŚyou werenât moving,â is all you managed, staring at his injured shoulder.
âI know, baby, I know. But Iâm awake now, see?â he gestures towards his body with his good arm. âIâm just fine. Yapping ability unaffected,â he once again tries to bring a smile to your face, this time it almost works.
âGod, Luke, if you couldâve heard the scream you let out. It was the worst sound Iâve ever heard in my life. I thought my heart was going to rip in two right there on the spot. I donât ever want to hear the sound again,â you finally look at his face, noting the small cut on his forehead, you assume from his helmet.
âY/N, Iâm so sorry you had to witness all of it. I canât imagine how it mustâve looked. If the roles were reversed, I donât think I would have been able to keep myself from trying to climb over the glass to get to you. But I promise, sweetheart, Iâm fine. Told me as long as my headâs fine I should only have to miss two games to let the bruise run its course,â he grabs your hand, rubbing small circles with his thumb.
âIt was just so scary, Luke,â you sniffle, closing your eyes for a brief moment. You finally start to calm down now that his hand is in yours.
âI know. But now you get to play doctor and take care of me for a few days. Kiss all my boo booâs better,â Luke wiggles his eyebrows at you, finally earning that laugh heâs been trying to get out of you since you walked in.
âThat was probably one of the ickiest things youâve ever said to me,â you laugh with Luke, fake gagging for dramatic effect.
Luke opens his mouth to say something else, but the the doors to the training room open, cutting him off. The familiar sound of skates against the floor making their way towards the two of you. Jack turns the corner, a frantic look in his eyes until he lands on Luke, awake and sitting up.
âIâm going to kill you for scaring me like that,â Jack points a finger, glaring at his younger brother. âI mean, why the fuck did you hit him, Luke! What were you thinking? You know how these guys are, theyâre begging for any excuse to fight! They donât care if youâre a 20 something rookie, theyâre gonna hit back, dumbass!â Jack yells at Luke, throwing his arms around in frustration.
Luke winces at the volume of Jackâs voice, his ears sensitive to loud noises right now. Before you can get the words out to tell Jack to be quieter, Quinn enters the room and does it for you.
âJack, be quiet for fuckâs sake. He has a concussion; you yelling at him is only going to make it worse. Yell at him later.â
âWell, it was stupid, Q. What he did was stupid,â Jack says in a normal tone of voice, still angry. Â
âDonât act like youâve never done anything stupid on the ice before. Just because you never get caught when you hit people doesnât mean you donât do it,â Quinn walks over to stand beside Jack at the end of the table.
âYou good, Moose? Looked pretty nasty out there from where I was sitting. Scared us, man,â Quinn asks Luke, tapping him on the foot. You note the redness of Quinnâs eyes, knowing how much he cares for both of his brothers. The whole situation shook him up, too, you were just too worried about Luke to notice at the time.
âYeah, mâalright. Head hurts. Shoulder feels like itâs been run over by the âboni, but other than that I got off pretty clean. Nothingâs broken. Have to miss two games at least, more if my head ainât right,â Luke answers Quinn, moving his hand so he can thread his fingers through yours.
âYour headâs never been right, Moose,â Jack says, causing Luke to roll his eyes.
Quinn leans over to bump his shoulder into Jackâs, shaking his head, unimpressed with his joke.
âWait,â Luke starts, causing everyone to look up at him. âAre we just not going to address the fact that Quinn randomly showed up to the game tonight?â
âYeah, how did you get here. Shouldnât you be in Vancouver right now?â Jack adds, looking over at his older brother suspiciously.
Quinn looks over to you, causing the other two Hughes to shift their gaze your way.
âSurprise?â you say as a question, not knowing what to do with all the eyes in the room on you.
âYou did this?â You look over at Luke, still nearly eye level with him, even as heâs propped up on the table beside you.
âWell, I know youâve been struggling with adjusting to life here lately, and you were feeling pretty homesick, so I figured it would be nice for you to have both of your brothers in Jersey for a night or two,â you shrug your shoulders, not seeing the big deal with your actions.
âTried to get your parents here, too, but they couldnât leave work right now. They sent their love and apologies, though. Promised me theyâd be at a game as soon as they could,â you added, wishing you couldâve had all the Hughes here tonight.
âIâŚ.I donât know what to say,â Luke looks at you, so much affection in his eyes it makes you squirm.
âWell, a thank you would be a nice start,â you joke.
âThank you. I love you. So much. If I could lean over to kiss you right now I would,â Luke brings your hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of your hand clasped in his.
âPlease, for the love of god, donât make me witness anything else painful tonight,â Jack interrupts the moment, earning a slap to the back of the head from Quinn.
âDonât you have a game to go finish, jackass?â
âOh, shit, yeah,â Jack jumps, forgetting about the last period thatâs about to start. âSee you at home, Moose, Q. You, too, Y/N. Assume youâre staying over to help take care of the patient, yeah?â He nods his head towards the injured one in the room.
âYeah, Iâll be there. Be safe, Jack. Good luck,â you wave as he turns to leave.
âIâll go pull the car around, be back in a few to help you get this oleâ goon out of here,â Quinn announces before leaving you and Luke alone once more.
âSo, youâre really going to stay over? Play nurse for me?â Luke asks, looking at you with puppy dog eyes, batting his eyelashes.
âOf course Iâm staying over. I canât trust Jack to make sure youâre not up and around doing something stupid when youâre supposed to be resting.â
âSo, if youâre going to play nurse, does this mean we can stop on the way home and get you one of those sexy nurse outfits?â Luke asks, eyes hopeful.
âMaybe they shouldâve just left you out there unconscious on the ice, you were less annoying that way,â you fire back, smiling at the laugh Luke let out, thanking your lucky stars your boy is okay.
WARNINGS: absolutely none. Just some pure, sweet content.
PAIRING(S): Luke Hughes x Fem!Reader
SUMMARY: in which Fem!Reader wakes up Luke Hughes to confess her love.
âHey.â Y/N poked Lukeâs chest, hearing a low groan rumble underneath her cheek. âLuke?â She shoved his chest, making him groan as his arms tightened around her. His upper body was bare, and the warm skin against hers felt like home, but it was simply not enough to have her go to sleep. âLuke, wake up. Câmon.â She insisted, and he huffed, cracking an eye open and glaring at her through a squinted and sleep-hazed gaze.
âWhat?â Oh, he sounded a little tired. Maybe she shouldâve let him sleep.
âYou awake?â Y/N asked him, anyway.
âI am now.â He mumbled. Well, he was already awake, so she might as well indulge in it now. âNeed something, baby?â
âJust missed you is all.â Y/N pouted. Hearing that made him grin despite the way he yawned, all wide and smooth even as he fought the sleep in his eyes. She felt just a bit guilty, reaching to cup his cheek and running a thumb over his eyelid carefully.
âYeah?â Luke chuckled quietly. âIâm right here. You still miss me?â
âYeah.â Y/N whispered. âI always miss you, even when youâre right here.â
Luke was grinning into her cheek as he leaned down and pressed a wet kiss to the skin. He couldnât possibly be mad that sheâd waken him up so late. He couldnât be mad when it was her, and it was him, and it was each other. Sleep could wait, there was always time for that later. But there was never a moment where he wanted to risk counting on later when it came to her.
âWhatâd you miss about me?â Luke hummed, nibbling on her earlobe as his head buried into her neck.
Y/N shifted, letting his body tuck against hers as her arms wrapped around him. He felt safe like this, somehow. Infinity didnât make him feel nearly as secure as the way her arms did, tight and warm and made just for holding him. âI donât know.â She murmured. âEverything.â
âLove me that much?â He asked cheekily. âMe sleeping right beside you just isnât enough?â
âNo.â Y/N huffed. âYou canât pay attention to me in your sleep.â
Smiling softly, he pressed delicate kisses to her cheeks before connecting her lips, humming into the kiss as his hand rubbed up her spine. âMy needy baby.â Luke snickered, rubbing circles into the small of her back with his large palm.
Luke was warm against her, she could feel the rhythm of his heart as it beat against her body. He was pressed so close to her, that not even air could slip through the cracks. Truthfully, she didnât know why she woke Luke. She didnât know why she couldnât sleep, she just knew that she needed him more and more and even more.
âLuke?â Y/N asked quietly, making him hum as his eyes drooped back shut slowly. He must really be tired.
Y/N stared at him fondly, stroking his curls as he sighed happily at the feeling, and then she pressed a kiss to his forehead, to his cheek, to the corner of his eyes where they crinkle when he smiles, and to those lips of his that always found hers no matter how long it took. He always came back to her. Always. He never wouldnât, that much she trusted.
âGot something on your mind, baby?â Luke asked slowly, voice thick with sleep. She giggled, scratching at his scalp as he smiled lightly. He was dozing off and she was watching him, hopelessly endeared.
âI love you.â Y/N whispered. âI need you to know that. I love you so, so much.â
Luke cracked an eye open, staring at her like she was the reason his heart ever started beating, like she was the only one that could ever command it to stop. Every inch of his face was laced with love so gentle, she could see the way it made his skin glow. She loved him. She was sure he loved her. That was all she needed to know itâll be fine. Everything else was an afterthought, just as long as she had Luke.
âWoke me just to confess your love for me?â Luke gasped. âYouâre down bad. Real, real bad. I must be a super handsome, totally awesome boyfriend. I do try, you know.â He said cheekily.
Y/N giggled, rolling her eyes as she pinched his cheek. âBe humble, you jerk.â She said exasperatedly. It sounded more like she was in love, too much fondness slipping into her voice that it might make her teeth hurt from how sweet. Lukeâs always had a sweet tooth, though. He accepted her love graciously, like it was never too much. In fact, it might just not be enough. He needed more.
âCanât.â Luke said slowly, yawning again. âYou waking me up just to love me is a bit ego boosting.â
âThis was a mistake.â Y/N scoffed. It was playful, and it was fond. It sounded like deeply falling headfirst.
âAwe, câmon.â Luke pouted, and then he was brushing his lips against her neck a he clung closer to her, curling into her body with his six-foot-something stature as she pulled the blanket tighter around him. âI love you, too. What was it you said again? Oh, right. So, so much.â
âGood.â Y/N hummed, nodding in satisfaction. âYou better.â
âI do.â He chuckled. âCan I sleep now? Or are we gonna start talking about all the things we love about each other? Because I can stay up to listen to that, of course.â
âGo to sleep, you idiot.â Y/N scoffed. He grinned, and she pressed one last kiss to his forehead as she counted the soft breaths he took while he fell back asleep. She loved him, and it was all she ever wanted to do.
Author's Note: never once in my life have I gone to a Top Golf but I've seen many dates on TikTok occur there. Also he's so soft in this gif like be fr
Summary: Y/N and Luke go on their first date
Warnings: awk
Word Count: 2,275
Luke Hughes x Edwards sister!reader
She was laying on her bed, staring towards the movie on the screen. Nessa was rambling on about something that had happened during her study group. In all honesty, Y/N wasnât listening to a single thing she was saying because her mind was filled with the events that occurred earlier in the night.
She couldnât get the feeling of his lips on her skin off of her mind. Or the way his hands delicately ran along her skin with so much respect and need at the same time. They didnât do anything serious, clothes remained on but it was amazing. To the point where she couldnât stop thinking about it.Â
âAre you even listening?â Nessa asked while laughing. Y/N blinked multiple times before she shifted her gaze towards Nessa; nodding. âWhat else is on your mind?â she asked teasingly.Â
Before she got a chance to answer, there were three knocks on her bedroom door. Y/N jumped from her bed and walked towards the door. Nessa watched her wide eyed as Y/N peeked her eye through the peephole to see Luke standing outside of her door. She fought the smile forming to her lips as she opened the door and slipped outside.
Nessa gasped as she watched Y/N discreetly leave the room. Luke furrowed his eyebrows as he watched her slip out and lean her body against the door. âMy roommate is here,â she whispered. He nodded, a small oh leaving his lips.Â
âSo for tomorrow, Iâve got ideas but I need your opinion,â he mumbled as he glanced down the hall. Suddenly aware of the public place they were at. Any one of his teammates could stumble upon them.Â
âYou couldâve texted me that,â she teased as she bit her bottom lip. His mouth opened as his cheeks flushed red as he fought the smirk forming on his lips.Â
âWell, texting means I donât get to see you and I wanted to see you,â he muttered as he looked into her eyes, squinting slightly. She smiled as she continued staring into his eyes. âSo,â he started as he bounced slightly, âFirst option is the basic dinner and a movie. You pick the movie, I pick dinner, or the opposite. Thatâs up to you,â he paused. She nodded encourgingly.
âWe could do dinner, dinner is in all of these options by the way, so then we go to dinner and then go to Top Golf,â he let out as he continued to scan her features, âAnd then the next option is dinner, obviously, and then we go ice skating which I feel is a little on the nose with the whole hockey thing but anyways.â he chuckled nervously.Â
âAnd then the last option is dinner and then we go on a drive around town. I didnât really think that one through as much as the others but I think it could be fun,â he mumbled. âWeâll eventually do all of them Iâm sure.âÂ
She smiled towards him, âLet me think it through and Iâll let you know later,â she expressed. He nodded excitedly. She leaned towards him, pecking him on the lips before she slipped right back into her dorm room. Nessa was standing at the door. Y/N stared towards her with her mouth agape. Nessa was staring towards her the same way trying not to giggle.Â
âWhen did that happen!?â she asked in a hushed tone. Y/N shuffled away from her and the door as she fought the smile on her lips. âWait, I thought you didn't get involved with Ethanâs teammates?â she asked quietly as she followed her towards their beds.
âI didnât until that one kept looking at me with his eyes and his tallness and his curly hair and his smile and I am in trouble arenât I?â she rambled on as she collapsed on her bed. Nessa laughed as she sat down on her bed.
âOh my god, tell me everything,â Nessa begged. A groan left Y/N throat as she held her pillow against her face.
~~~Â
It was the next evening and she was waiting for Luke to knock on her door. She was pacing back and forth, trying to decide if her outfit was perfect enough for her dinner and Top Golf date. She wanted to be casual but cute. She didnât want to wear anything too tight.
âItâs perfect, stop freaking out!â Nessa let out while excitedly kicking her feet back and forth off her bed. Y/N sighed as she stood still, glancing into the mirror once more. âHeâll think youâre so sexy and hot and-â she was interrupted as three knocks hit their dorm door. Y/Nâs eyes widened as she met Nessaâs gaze. âDeep breath,â Nessa mumbled as Y/N took a hold of her purse before walking towards the door.
She took a deep breath as she pulled the door open expecting Luke, but Ethan was standing at her door instead. Her eyes widened as she saw him, âEthan, what are-why are you here?â she asked, Ethan scanned her frame. His face scrunched together.
âWhere are you going?â he asked. Her mouth fell open but she shut it quickly while shaking her head slightly.Â
âNone of your business, what are you doing here?â she asked as she leaned her body against the door frame.Â
âI wanted to see if you wanted to go out with the guys and I but it seems like youâre going on a date,â he said with a teasing smile.
âNo, Iâm just going out,â she said confidently. He nodded with a smirk before he took a step backwards.
âHave fun, not too much fun. Iâm not ready to be an uncle,â he teased walking down the hallway. He walked back towards the elevator. The doors opened quickly and he stepped on. Y/N still leaned against the doorway to see Luke round the corner with his eyes widened. She smiled widely as her cheeks heated up.
He was wearing his baseball hat backwards with a simple black long sleeve with dark wash jeans. âGotta go,â she muttered towards Nessa before she shut the door behind her. âHey,â she let out as she walked towards him.
âHey, that was a close one,â he mumbled. She nodded dramatically as they met up near the elevator to wait for its arrival.
âYeah, Iâm not ready for him to know about anything,â she said nervously. He nodded as he shoved his hands into his pocket.
âYeah, I want him to at least get to know me before he realizes Iâm taking his sister out on a date,â he muttered as the doors swung open. She chuckled nervously as they entered the elevator.
âOh for sure,â she let out while meeting his gaze.
âI walked out of my room and saw him at your door and I spun around so fast,â he explained while laughing.
âThat would âve been one awkward conversation,â she mumbled. He laughed as he dropped his gaze to the floor.
~~~
The dinner was going great, conversation was flowing beautifully. He was the most perfect gentleman. âSo if the Devils called you tomorrow, would you go?â she asked before she took a bite of the chocolate cake they were sharing.Â
He thought about the question, there wasnât many reasons why he wouldnât go. He loved Michigan, he loved the team. He hated school but itâs always good to get some education before jumping into the league.
He tilted his head to the side, fighting a smile on his lips, âI think I canât say no if theyâd ask,â he said thoughtfully. âIt wonât be for a few years though,â he muttered before he took a huge bit of the cake. She giggled.Â
âYou donât know that,â she said, raising her eyebrows, he shrugged shyly.Â
âWhat about you? What are your plans after graduation?â he asked, meeting her gaze. She shrugged, frowning slightly.Â
âI have no idea, Iâm an undecided major right now. Testing the waters on some things,â she expressed. He nodded, âI love kids, so maybe teaching. I donât know yet,â she continued. He listened intently, loving the sound of her voice.Â
âYouâve got a lot of time to figure it out,â he expressed as the waiter dropped the bill onto the table. Before she had a chance to reach over to it, Luke was already placing his card down. He chuckled watching her squirm and put her hand back into her lap. âYou didnât think you were paying did you?âÂ
âI picked the restaurant,â she said nervously. He smiled softly.
âI wanted you to pick a place you were comfortable,â he muttered as he ran his hand over his chin, âAlso youâre never paying when Iâm around,â he said with his eyebrows raised. She smiled shyly.
âWhat if Ethanâs with us?â she asked teasingly. His mouth opened and shut a few times before he chuckled.
âTouche, but Iâll still find a way,â he said with a smile.
It was a little while later and Luke was driving them to the Top Golf place a few miles away from the restaurant they were at. He was playing soft country music as they rode in silence for most of the ride.Â
It was soft and easy. The only thing that was bothering her was the fact that he hasnât touched her yet. Despite yesterday and how touchy he was then. Just as the thought entered her mind, he reached over and took a hold of her thigh, rubbing his thumb across the fabric of her jeans. She tried to contain her excitement as the soft gesture meant a lot more than he probably thought it did.Â
Although, he was freaking out too. He was trying to decide when the best moment was to make a move. It was subtle, and to him, she barely reacted to it.Â
They climbed out of the car, Luke quickly jogging towards her side of the car to open the door for her. âThank you,â she muttered as she met his gaze for a few seconds before he rested his hand onto her lower back. He guided her towards the entrance of the facility.
After around ten minutes they were ready to go. He went first, to show her how it was done. He looked back towards her with a smirk and she nodded before she stepped up. Awkwardly trying to figure out how to hold it.Â
âWhat are you doing?â Luke asked while holding back a chuckle. She turned her head towards him as she was trying not to laugh.Â
âHow do you hold this thing?â she asked, pouting slightly. He laughed as he walked towards her.
âYou wanted to do Top Golf and you donât know how to hold a golf club?â he asked as he walked towards her, standing beside her, delicately adjusting her arms and hands to hold it correctly.Â
âI donât know how to skate either,â she mumbled as she met his eyes for a brief second.
âYour brother plays D1 hockey and is drafted to the NHL and you donât know how to skate?! How does that happen?â he asked while shaking his head. He stepped away from her while crossing his arms over her chest.Â
âI played volleyball in school,â she said simply while chuckling before she swung and hit the ball very pathetically. She looked towards him, frowning slightly. He pursed his lips forward trying not to laugh.Â
âDonât laugh at me,â she said as she walked towards him, setting her club up against the chair before she looked towards his gaze again. He smiled as he scanned her features.
âNot laughing,â he muttered while shaking his head, he pouted his lips forward to stop the smile forming on his lips. He lowered his gaze towards her glossed lips for a brief second before he met her gaze one more time.Â
âYouâre literally laughing,â she said with a pout still on her lips. He took a hold of her hip and pulled her towards him, he kissed her urgently. Heâs been trying to find a moment where he could kiss her.Â
He missed the feeling of her lips on his since yesterday. Itâs all that heâs been thinking about since. She smiled into the kiss as she rested her hand onto his chest. âThis has been so fun,â she mumbled against his lips as his phone rang in his pocket.Â
âSorry,â he mumbled as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Ethan was calling him. He looked towards her panickedly. She shoved him softly, encouraging him to answer it. He cleared his throat before he pulled it to his ear. âHey man,â he said, smiling awkwardly towards Y/N.
âSome of the guys are going to the bars tonight, you in?â Ethan asked. Luke tilted his head back, muttering a few curse words before he met her gaze.
âNot tonight, Iâm out on a drive right now,â
âOh come on, donât be lame,â Ethan countered. Lukeâs eyes widened as he took a deep breath.
âI-uhm, I donât really feel like it tonight, what about tomorrow?â
âAlright, Iâll hold you to that Hughesy,â he mumbled before he hung up the phone. Luke slowly pulled the phone from his ear as he looked deeply into her eyes.Â
âAre we going to lie to him forever?â he asked, swallowing hard.
âI donât know,â she muttered as she delicately shoved him forward to continue his turn. She glanced down towards her phone to see a text from her brother.
E: Bars tomorrow? Nessa can come too.Â
She stared towards the text, her heart beating rapidly.
requested? yes - luke meeting an ice skater at umich and falling in love with her but never confessing their feelings for each other, he knew she had a brother but didnât know that he was john marino⌠she goes to a playoff game for the devs and luke sees her outside the locker room
It was a crisp winter morning when Luke first laid eyes on her. Y/N was effortlessly carving figures into the ice, her movements fluid and mesmerizing. Clad in a simple yet elegant skating outfit, she seemed to embody the very essence of the sport. Luke found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her, his heart beating faster with each graceful turn.
Despite being a talented hockey player himself, Luke felt a sense of awe and admiration for Y/N's skill on the ice. He found himself frequenting the university's ice rink, hoping to catch another glimpse of her. And as fate would have it, their paths crossed one afternoon when Luke decided to lace up his skates and join the other skaters on the ice.
At first, Y/N seemed oblivious to Luke's presence, lost in her own world as she executed a series of intricate jumps and spins. But as he gained confidence and began to skate closer to her, their eyes met, and Luke felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him. It was as if time stood still, and in that moment, he knew he had to get to know her.
Their initial conversation was awkward and stilted, filled with nervous laughter and fumbled words. But as they continued to skate together, a bond began to form between them. Luke learned that Y/N was a sophomore studying engineering, and that she had been skating since she was a child. She, in turn, discovered Luke's passion for hockey and his dreams of one day playing professionally.
Luke had mustered up the courage to skate closer to Y/N, his heart pounding in his chest as he approached her graceful form. With a nervous smile, he greeted her, "Hey, mind if I join you?"
Y/N looked up, her cheeks flushed from the cold, and returned his smile, "Sure, the more the merrier!"
As they skated side by side, Luke couldn't help but admire Y/N's skill and grace. "You're an amazing skater," he remarked, a hint of awe in his voice.
Y/N chuckled, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes, "Thanks, I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. It's like second nature to me."
Luke nodded, feeling a sense of kinship with her passion for the ice. "I feel the same way about hockey," he confessed, "It's like I was born with a stick in my hand."
As Luke and Y/N continued their conversation, their initial awkwardness melted away, replaced by a sense of comfort and familiarity. With each passing moment, they found themselves opening up to each other, sharing stories and memories that they had never shared with anyone else.
Luke recounted fond memories of playing hockey in the backyard with his older brother, the two of them dreaming of one day making it to the big leagues together. "My brother was my biggest inspiration," Luke admitted with a smile, "He always pushed me to be the best player I could be."
Y/N listened intently, a small smile playing on her lips as she nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean," she replied, "I have a brother too, and he's the reason I started skating in the first place."
She went on to tell Luke about her older brother, a talented hockey player who had taught her everything she knew about the sport. "He's always been my biggest supporter," Y/N confessed, "I don't know where I'd be without him."
As they shared stories of sibling rivalry and camaraderie, Luke and Y/N discovered that they had more in common than they had initially realized. Their love for hockey ran deep, rooted in the bonds they shared with their siblings and the memories they had made together on the ice.
And as they skated side by side, lost in conversation and laughter, Luke couldn't shake the feeling that he had found someone truly special â someone who understood him in a way that no one else ever had. Little did he know, Y/N felt the same way, her heart swelling with warmth as she realized that she had found a kindred spirit in Luke.
As Luke and Y/N's friendship blossomed, they found themselves spending more and more time together both on and off the ice. They became each other's confidants, sharing their hopes, fears, and dreams with one another in the quiet moments between practices and classes.
Luke was drawn to Y/N's unwavering determination and fierce independence. He admired the way she approached her skating with a sense of discipline and focus, never allowing herself to be deterred by setbacks or challenges. And as he watched her push herself to new heights on the ice, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride swell within him.
Y/N, in turn, found herself captivated by Luke's easygoing nature and infectious enthusiasm. He had a way of lighting up a room with his smile, and she found herself drawn to his positive energy like a moth to a flame. Whether they were goofing off on the ice or studying together in the library, Y/N cherished every moment she spent in Luke's company.
Despite their growing feelings for one another, Luke and Y/N were both hesitant to take the next step and confess their love. They feared that doing so would irreparably damage their friendship, and so they kept their emotions carefully guarded, burying them deep beneath the surface where no one else could see.
But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, their unspoken feelings began to weigh heavily on them both. They found themselves caught in a seemingly endless cycle of longing and frustration, their hearts yearning for something more even as their lips remained sealed shut.
But as their time at the University of Michigan drew to a close, Luke found himself faced with a life-changing decision. After months of hard work and dedication, he had received an offer to join the NHL, drafted by none other than the New Jersey Devils. It was a dream come true for Luke, a chance to pursue his passion on the biggest stage possible.
When Luke finally mustered up the courage to share the news with Y/N, he was met with a mixture of excitement and sadness. She was thrilled for him, of course, proud of all that he had accomplished. But deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that settled in the pit of her stomach.
"I'm going to miss you," Y/N admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked into Luke's eyes. "But I know this is what you've always wanted, and I couldn't be happier for you."
Luke smiled, reaching out to take her hand in his. "I'm going to miss you too," he confessed, his heart aching at the thought of leaving her behind. "But no matter where I go, you'll always be in my heart."
The atmosphere inside the arena was electric as the New Jersey Devils battled it out on the ice in a crucial playoff game. The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers echoing throughout the stadium as the players fought tooth and nail for victory.
Amidst the sea of red and black jerseys, Y/N stood out like a beacon of hope, her eyes shining with anticipation as she watched the game unfold before her. She had always been a devoted fan of the Devils, but tonight held a special significance for her â her brother, John Marino, was a star defenseman for the team, and she wouldn't miss the chance to cheer him on in person.
As the final buzzer sounded and the Devils emerged victorious, Y/N couldn't contain her excitement. She leaped to her feet, cheering and applauding with the rest of the crowd as the players skated off the ice, victorious smiles plastered across their faces.
But amidst the chaos and celebration, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of her stomach. She knew that her brother would be heading to the locker room soon, and she wanted nothing more than to congratulate him on the win. But as she made her way through the crowded concourse, her heart skipped a beat as she spotted a familiar figure standing just a few feet away.
Luke.
She knew that he would be at the game, of course â she had told him as much when she had scored the tickets. But seeing him there, in the flesh, sent a jolt of electricity shooting through her veins. Despite their unspoken feelings for each other, Y/N couldn't deny the rush of excitement that coursed through her at the sight of him.
Luke's eyes met hers across the crowded hallway, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. He looked just as handsome as ever, his face lit up with a smile as he made his way towards her, weaving through the throngs of people with ease.
"Y/N," he called out, his voice barely audible above the din of the crowd. "I didn't know you were coming to the game!"
Y/N smiled, her heart pounding in her chest as she returned his gaze. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied, her voice tinged with excitement. "And besides, I wanted to be here to cheer on my brother."
Luke's smile widened at the mention of John, and Y/N felt a surge of pride swell within her. Despite their complicated relationship, she knew that Luke harbored a deep respect for her brother, and seeing the admiration in his eyes only served to strengthen her feelings for him.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here," John teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he glanced between his sister and Luke. "Y/N, I didn't know you were bringing your boyfriend to the game."
Y/N felt her cheeks flush crimson at her brother's playful jab, her grip on Luke's hand tightening reflexively. She shot John a warning glare, silently pleading with him to drop the subject, but he only grinned wider in response.
"Is that so?" Luke asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he turned to look at Y/N. "I didn't realize I was your boyfriend."
Y/N felt a surge of panic well up inside her as she struggled to find the right words to explain. She had never told Luke about her conversations with John, the late-night texts and phone calls filled with giddy excitement and whispered confessions.
Before she could respond, John chimed in with a laugh, "Oh, come on, Y/N, don't be shy. We all know you couldn't stop talking about Luke when you were at Michigan. I practically had to pry my phone out of your hands just to get a word in edgewise."
Y/N's cheeks burned with embarrassment as she shot her brother another pleading look, silently begging him to stop. But John only shrugged nonchalantly, clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease his sister in front of Luke.
Luke, meanwhile, seemed to be taking it all in stride, his expression a mixture of amusement and curiosity. He turned to Y/N with a playful glint in his eye, his lips quirking up into a smirk.
"So, what do you say, Y/N?" he asked, his voice teasing. "Should I start calling you my girlfriend?"
Y/N felt her heart skip a beat at the thought, a rush of excitement coursing through her veins. Despite the embarrassment of being caught out by her brother, she couldn't deny the surge of happiness that filled her at the prospect of being with Luke.
Before she could respond, however, John interjected once more, his tone lighthearted but tinged with a hint of seriousness. "You know, Luke, you better treat my sister right. Otherwise, you'll have me to answer to."
Luke nodded, his eyes meeting John's with a determined glint. "Don't worry, John," he replied, his voice filled with sincerity. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything to hurt her."
And as they made their way into the locker room, Y/N couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude wash over her. Despite the embarrassment of being caught out by her brother, she knew that John's teasing had come from a place of love and protection. And as she looked at Luke, his hand warm in hers, she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, everything was finally falling into place.
summary: request for jack and reader on their wedding day
notes: this is my first time writing anything for jack and i literally had so much fun with it. i hope you guys like it đ
[2.6k]
~
Jack had never been this nervous before. Not during nationals games, not on his draft day, not on the night of his rookie debut, and not in any circumstance that he can remember. Ever. Heâs not usually the type to dwell on feelings of nerves, trusting his skill and his ability to focus on the task at hand to get the job done.
Today, though, is the most nerve-wracking day of his life. Itâs his wedding day, for crying out loud. The day he gets to marry the girl that has been there for every major event of his life. The girl that has never missed a Devilâs home game. The girl that heâs pretty sure his family loves more than him. The girl that has stuck by him through every hardship and crazy hockey season so far. His girl. The girl he gets to make his wife.
Hell, he wasnât even this nervous when he asked you to marry him. He recalls the day as if it happened mere hours ago, not a year and a half earlier.
âJack, where are we going? I thought you said you had an event with the team tonight? Youâre going to be late,â you ask, noticing youâre driving further and further away from the city.
You had been doing laundry, trying to get ahead on some chores you had been neglecting, when Jack had come into the living room and told you to put your shoes on, he wanted to take you somewhere. You had asked him where, and if you needed to change, but he simply shook his head no and told you it was a surprise. This wasnât anything out of the ordinary for Jack. You just assumed he found a new ice cream place he thought you would love, or some quaint little coffee shop he knew youâd like.
You didnât think anything of it until you found yourself watching the city disappear into the distance almost forty-five minutes later, no destination in sight.
âWeâre almost there, darling. Donât worry that pretty little head of yours,â is all he said, taking his eyes off the road for only a moment to flash one of his soft smiles in your direction before continuing to drive.
You sit in the comfortable silence, a slow country ballad playing softly on the radio. Jackâs hand resting on your thigh adding a much-needed warmth to your body, not having grabbed a jacket before Jack dragged you out of your shared apartment. You watch the road around you become surrounded by trees, admiring the greenery that seems so hard to come by in the city.
Before you realize it, too lost in your own thoughts, Jack is turning off of the paved road you were traveling onto a dirt road, clouds of dust billowing behind the car. You lean forward a bit, trying to take in the scenery to find any sort of clue as to where you were. Youâre just about to ask where heâs taking you, yet again, when you see the most beautiful scene appear through the windshield.
At the end of the road stood a large red barn, aged in all the right ways. The red was slightly faded, showcasing the years of sun damage and there were pieces of the shingled roof missing, lost in the wind who knows how long ago. Off to the left of the barn was a large area surrounded by a wooden fence, a few horses grazing on the bright green grass. The sun was just beginning to set, causing one side of the barn to be coated in golden sunlight, the other side blanketed in a shadow. As Jack turned the car to enter the field where the barn sat, you noticed the obscene number of lights strung high into the trees covered by the shadow of the barn, giving the effect that little drops of sunlight were dripping from the limbs.
âJackâŚwhat- where are we?â You ask him, disbelief lacing your tone.
âJust a little place I stumbled across with Luke one day. We were out for a drive, just wanting out of the city for a few hours. Found this place and instantly thought of you. Knew I had to bring you here,â he reveals, parking the car and turning off the engine.
Jack opens his door to get out of the car and quickly moves to open yours, taking your hand while leading the two of you over to the forest of lights. Youâre so busy looking up at the sight in the trees that you miss the large, wooden arch set up in the middle of the two biggest trees in the mini forest. There were a few hay-bales on each side of the arch, large bouquets of white daisies placed all over the bales, with some even bunched around the top corners of the square arch.
Once you take in the scene in front of you, you turn your head to look at Jack, finding his eyes already on you.
âJack, you have about three seconds to tell me whatâs going on here,â you calmly tell him, even though your stomach felt like it was doing summersaults.
âI told you, I wanted to show this place to you. Thought youâd like it.â His lips curled into an amused smile once he noticed the glare on your face, knowing you were calling his bluff.
âI wanted to show you this place, because I knew youâd like it. Because I know you. How lucky I am to know you,â he begins, slowly moving you forward until youâre standing directly in front of the arch.
âHow lucky I am that Iâm the person you chose to trust with your heart. How lucky I am to be able to come home to you after a hard day. How lucky I am to be the recipient of your kindness and your love. How lucky I am to bask in your happiness and your spirit day after day. How lucky I am that you put up with the crazy world I live in, and do it without complaint.â
Your hands were starting to shake at this point, eyes watering.
âWhat I did to deserve all of this, Iâll never know. But I know Iâll never take it for granted. Iâll never take you for granted. And if youâll let me, Iâll spend every day of the rest of our lives telling you how thankful I am to whatever celestial being lead me to you,â Jack pauses, dropping to his knee and fishing around in his pocket for the velvet box heâs hidden in a pair of old skates in the closet for months now.
âYou are pure sunshine, shining light on every single person you meet. Y/N Y/L/N, please, let me live the rest of my life sunburnt. Marry Me.â
That was the easy part. Asking you to marry him was the quickest and easiest decision Jack had ever made in his life. He hadnât thought twice when he called Luke on a random Thursday afternoon, telling him he needed to help him run some âerrandsâ, driving to the nearest jeweler as soon as Luke sat in his passengers seat. Didnât even hesitate when he called your best friend, asking if you had ever talked about what your favorite diamond cut was. Not a nerve in sight when he flew out to meet your parents to ask for their blessing two months before proposing, claiming he was just making a quick trip to visit some friends.
So why? Why was he so nervous today? Heâs been looking at himself in the mirror for twenty minutes now, worried that his bow tie is crooked, or that his hair looks too messy. He didnât know why he was so focused on his appearance. Youâve seen him at his worst. Youâve been there to take care of him after far too many drinks on a night out celebrating a win, hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, head buried in the closest toilet. Youâve seen him after a brutal game, face red from exertion and weird imprints all over his body from his gear. Youâve seen him when he broke down after his first loss during his rookie year, putting all the blame on himself, holding him in your arms as he sobbed in your kitchen.
He knew you didnât care if a few hairs were out of place, or if his tie was a centimeter too far to the left. But he did. He cared, because this was the most important day of his life, and you deserved for him to look his best. You deserved for him to make sure everything was perfect.
Jack is pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door, Luke and Quinn making their way into the room.
âReady, Rowdy?â Quinn asks, going to stand behind Jack in the mirror.
âReady as Iâll ever be,â Jack responds, turning to look at his two brothers, forcing a smile thatâs supposed hide all of his nervous emotions.
âAre you sure? Why do you look like youâre about to vomit, then?â
âI donât? Do I? Oh god, what if she thinks thereâs something wrong when she sees me? How do I make myself look like Iâm not gonna hurl all over her dress. Luke, do I really look like Iâm gonna blow chunks?â Jack frantically asks, looking between the two brothers, turning back around to look at himself in the mirror once again.
âJack, breathe, man. You look fine. Luke was just being Luke. He doesnât look like heâs going to vomit, right, Luke?â Quinn attempts to calm Jack, glaring at Luke.
âYeah, I didnât mean it. Sorry, Jack. You look fine. Sheâs probably gonna want to jump your bones or some shit. You look great.â Luke blurts, trying to not only escape the wrath of his eldest brother, but to keep Jack from actually vomiting.
âOkay, not what I meant but whatever works, I guess.â Quinn sighs, placing his hands on Jackâs shoulders to turn him back around.
âListen, everythingâs going to be fine. We just went to see Y/N, sheâs nervous just like you are. I donât know why, youâre both so painfully obvious with how much you love each other. Thereâs nothing for you to worry about. She loves you, man. More than Iâve seen someone else love a person. As long as youâre standing there waiting on her at the end of the aisle, you could be covered in dog shit for all she cares. She just wants to see you. She just wants to marry you.â
Jack stares at his older brother, letting the words sink in. His thoughts drift to you, only three doors down, standing in your dress looking into the mirror just like he is, freaking out over things that donât truly matter to him. He thinks about how you could walk down the aisle, hair un-brushed, pajamas still on, slippers on your feet and he would still be ecstatic to see you.
âYouâre right, Q. Of course youâre right. I knew I chose you to be my best man for a reason,â Jack chuckles, feeling his nerves settle a bit.
âI know Iâm right. I know you. And I know Y/N. As long as the two of you leave here today with the same last name, everything else could go wrong and you would still be the happiest couple I know,â Quinn removes his hands from Jackâs shoulders.
âBut, nothing is going to go wrong, because Mom has been out there running around like a madwoman to make sure everything is in place. The only thing left is to make sure you get to the altar. Which is what we were sent here to do,â Luke chimes in, trying to assure his brother one last time.
âAlright. Yeah. I guess itâs time, huh?â
âItâs time, Rowdy. And itâs been a long time coming.â Quinn pats Jack on the back, the three brothers making their way towards the door that was left open.
Jack smiles at his brotherâs statement, knowing youâre just as much a part of his brotherâs lives as you are his. You watch every single one of Quinnâs hockey games (as long as heâs not playing at the same time as Jack and Luke) and scream loud enough for the neighbors to complain. You were there at Jackâs side for Lukeâs draft day, just as proud, if not more, of the youngest Hughes. You always invite Luke over for a post-game dinner, knowing how tired he is after games and wanting to make sure he gets a meal before he goes home and claims heâs too tired to eat dinner. He knows you hold a special place in his momâs heart, too. Her claim that youâre the daughter she never had proving to be true through this whole process, knowing sheâs been involved in every step of this wedding right along side your mom and yourself.
Before Jack knows it, the ceremony is beginning and heâs being given the signal to make his way to the altar, standing next to his groomsmen as he waits for you to walk through those doors.
As he looks out over the crowd, he finds himself growing nervous once again. Did he put on enough cologne? Did he bring the right kind? What if he wasnât wearing the one you told him was your favorite? Did he brush his teeth? What if he kisses you for the first time as your husband and his breath tastes like the burger he had for lunch? Oh god, what if you donât want to kiss him because he has burger breath?
Quinn can sense the nervous energy radiating off of his brother once again. He places his hand on Jackâs back, giving him a few pats to let him know heâs right there next to him. That everythingâs going to be okay.
Jack looks over at his brother only briefly before he hears the unmistakable tune of âIn Case You Didnât Knowâ by Brett Young start playing through the speakers. Itâs Jackâs song for you. He plays it all the time when youâre in the car together, not even trying to be subtle. He loves to send it to you when heâs on the road, letting you know heâs thinking about you. There was absolutely no question in your mind as to what song you were going to choose when your mom asked what you wanted to walk down the aisle to.
He snaps his attention to the double doors that open at the other end of the large room. His stomach is in knots, really hoping he doesnât actually look like heâs about to puke, because he sure feels like it right now.
As he watches the first flash of white make an appearance in the doorway, he knows heâs a goner.
You step into his full view, hand wrapped around your fatherâs arm, looking around at the various guests for only a split second before your eyes meet his. Jack swears, all time stops in that second. He can barely see through the tears that well in his eyes, completely in awe of you. You match his gaze, forcing yourself to keep the tears from dropping, not wanting to have mascara streaks running down your face before you even get to the altar.
The two of you simply stare at one another for what seems like an eternity. An unspoken declaration of love passed between one another in a simple glance. Your father having to tug on your arm slightly, forcing you to step forward, too lost in Jack for you to remember where you were and what was currently taking place.
As you start to walk down the aisle, every step bringing you towards Jack, towards the rest of your life with him, the feeling of calmness washes over his body. Youâre here. Youâre his. And youâre everything he has ever wanted and more. Itâs in this moment, watching the rest of his life walk towards him, smile on her face, a single tear slipping down her cheek, Jack Hughes has never been less nervous in his life.
i had this idea on my drive home earlier and iâm not entirely sure i like it but⌠itâs postable. let me know what you guys think!
luke hughes x reader
words: 2,401
masterlist
âhello?â
âhey, sorry itâs late but-â
âyou know iâll always answer your calls.â luke smiled at your reminder. very rarely had you ever missed one of his calls, because he knew your schedule almost better than his own. if he was calling during class or work, you knew it was serious. and any other time, well you would never pass up the opportunity to talk to your best friend.
âi know.â
âso whatâs up? jack annoying you again and you need me to yell at him?â you honestly werenât sure how the two had been able to live together for the past year with as much as they squabbled. in the two weeks since they had been back in michigan, you had already broken up more arguments than you could count.
ânoooooo. why did i call you?â he asked the question more to himself, causing you to giggle.
âlukey, you been drinking?â you heard him scoff into the phone, as if that was a ludacris idea.
âme? drinking? absolutely not!â however, you only had to stay silent for a moment before he was telling the truth. âokay, maybe iâve had a couple beers.â
âyou know itâs a tuesday, right?â you teased.
âwell, jacks the one that pulled them out of the fridge so you can take that up with him.â you rolled your eyes, picturing what luke was telling you exactly.
âanyway, you just miss me so much you had to call me? you just saw me a couple of hours ago.â
âi always miss you when youâre gone,â he said, maybe a bit to sincerely. your lips formed a pout, and you were about to open your mouth to speak but luke continued. âbut no, i had a reason for calling you⌠what was it?â
âi donât know, moose. iâm not in your mind.â you could hear jack yelling something faintly and luke gasped.
âoh! we were listening to music and it started playing that brad paisley song that you always refuse to listen to because it makes you cry.â jack spoke in the background again and then luke clicked his tongue. âright, two people fell in love.â
âand you called to tell me because⌠you want me to think about it and cry?â
ânooooooo. i called because it made me think about you and then i wanted to talk to you.â
âso you do miss me. thatâs what iâm hearing.â you smile, loving how attached your best friend could be sometimes. you understood where he was coming from though. you had been attached at the hip since he moved to michigan and now you lived in two different states. now that he was back for the summer, you had been spending almost all of your time together catching up. the only reason you hadnât stayed over there tonight was because of your boyfriend, peyton.
you and peyton had met in class at the beginning of the semester, but you had only been together for about four months. luckily, he understood how important luke was to you and had no problem with him. you had been worried at the beginning of your relationship that your friendship with luke would be seen as a problem, as you had heard many horror stories about boyfriends and guy best friends before. but the two had formally met the second day luke was back in michigan and seemed to have no problems with each other. since you had been spending so much time with luke, peyton had asked if you could both spend a night in together, and you were happy to grant his request.
âyou know iâd be over there right now if i was allowed to be,â luke responded, as if it were obvious. you both knew it was though. you were always inseparable during the summer, and everyone only expected it to be worse this year since you had spent so long apart.
âdonât worry, i know.â
âspeaking of which, where is he?â
âpeyton? he went to go pickup food so we didnât have to pay for delivery.â luke gasped dramatically, and you could practically picture the sarcastic hand he had brought up to his chest.
âyouâre telling me he requested you all to himself and then left you?â you couldnât help but giggle.
âhe did, unfortunately. but heâll be back soon.â luke hummed, but other than that, the line was silent for a few moments.
âhey y/n, can i ask you something?â his tone had turned serious, but you knew that didnât automatically mean that his question would follow suit.
âalways, lukey.â he didnât ask right away, which had you believing whatever he was about to say was more serious than you originally thought. he took a deep breath and then rushed the words out.
âdo you love him?â the question took you by surprise, and you werenât sure how to answer.
âwhat?â
âbecause, you talk about him, you tell me things he does for you and such, but i feel like you donât always sound⌠i donât know, excited, i guess. like heâs there but you donât truly care that he is.â
youâre stunned by his words. so stunned that you can only look down at your lap and pick at the little pills on your shorts. luke knows you well, and even though he canât see you, he realizes youâre not going to answer.
âsorry, maybe i shouldnât have asked. but i think the fact that you canât tell me yes means that the answer is no.â
deep down, you know heâs right. you know that your relationship with peyton isnât bad, but it isnât amazing either. heâs a great guy, a good boyfriend, but something just wasnât clicking for you. you had hoped that something would change as time went on, but you had heard of the three month rule and that time had come and gone. nothing.
ây/n?â
âheâs a good guy, luke.â you felt a tear run down your cheek and you were quick to wipe it away. âi hate that i donât feel more toward him. heâs so amazing to me but-â
âbut you donât love him.â you shake your head, even though he canât see you.
âno.â you reach up to wipe away another tear, taking a breath to steady yourself. âi donât know why, but i donât. no matter how much i probably should. which really sucks, because i donât want to hurt him.â
âyouâll just hurt him worse by staying with him,âluke reasoned, and you knew he was right. you couldnât lie to peyton about loving him and you couldnât keep giving him false hope by hoping you somehow fell in love with him in the future.
âi know,â you whispered. you heard the door to your apartment open and close and you sighed silently. âi gotta go.â
âheâs back?â
âyeah, bye lukey.â
peyton looked at you concerned as he set the bag of take out on the coffee table in front of you. he slipped off his shoes and sat down, opening his arms to you.
âeverything okay?â you just pulled your knees to your chest and wrapped your arms around yourself. peyton was quick to readjust when he realized you wouldnât be moving closer to him. âwhatâs wrong?â
âum, i just⌠i finally am admitting some things that i didnât want to admit for the past few weeks.â you closed your eyes and took a breath, trying to figure out how to break the news in the easiest way possible.
âyouâre breaking up with me.â your eyes flew open, your jaw dropped slightly as well as you looked at him bewildered.
âhow-â
âi really like you, y/n. which means i did my best to learn you. and it didnât take me long to figure out that you like me too, but not as much. and not in the same way. but i donât think i wanted to admit it to myself either.â
âpeyton, i am so sorry-â
âdonât be sorry.â you had no clue how he was able to offer you a kind smile right now, but he was. he even reached out and gently rubbed your arm, trying to give you as much comfort as you would let him. âitâs not your fault you donât love me. itâs okay.â the pout returned to your face as more tears welled up in your eyes.
âhow are you being so sweet right now?â he pulled you into a hug now, rubbing his hand gently up and down your spine as he laughed slightly.
âto be honest with you, iâve had about two weeks to let the information sink in.â you pulled away just enough to look up at him with glassy eyes.
âtwo weeks? why two weeks?â you began to wrack your brain. what had happened between the two of you two weeks ago?
âthe day i met luke, and i saw the two of you together, i knew youâd never belong to me. i donât think youâve realized it yet, and iâm not sure if he has or not, but y/n, you canât love me because you love him.â
his words hit you like a train. it was like you had been trying to put together a whole lego set without the base piece, and now that you had it, it was finally standing up straight and looking like it was supposed to. you were suddenly hearing what luke wasnât saying on your phone call earlier, what he hadnât been saying in all of your conversations for god knows how long. you were realizing why peyton felt like he was missing something even though he had been nothing but perfect to you.
âand now i think youâve realized it,â peyton said quietly, a smile on his face.
âpeyton⌠i am so sorry.â
âhey, donât be sorry, remember? i want you to be happy, okay? and it sucks that that isnât going to be with me. but i would never be selfish and keep you for myself when thatâs clearly not what you want.â
you couldnât help but surge forward, squeezing him tightly to thank him for the amount of clarity he had shown you. but just as quickly as you grabbed him, you let go and stood up.
âi need⌠i need to go. um, you can eat all the food and just, lock the door on your way out and-â
peyton stood and slipped on his shoes, shaking his head slightly as he laughed at you.
âneed a ride?â your shoulders deflated as some of the stress left your body.
âyes please.â
âcome on.â you grabbed your phone and slipped on the shoes by your door, following peyton out of the building to his car. from the moment that you buckled you were zoned out, biting at your nails as you tried to plan what to say.
how do you tell your best friend that youâre in love with him? what if he hadnât realized he was in love with you too. what if he wasnât in love with you? oh god what if peyton had gotten into your head and made you believe all of this as revenge for breaking up with him? no, he wouldnât do that. would he?
it took you a moment to realize the car was parked in front of jack and quinnâs lake house. however, even after you realized, you stayed still.
âyou gonna make me sit here all night?â peyton teased. you finally looked up at him, forcing a small smile through your worried state.
âthank you, peyton. for everything.â he gave a smile and a slight nod, then looked to the front door.
âgo be happy.â
you were quick to unbuckle and climb out of the car, not sparing a glance behind you as you made your way up the sidewalk. you vaguely registered the sound of the car leaving and the way the night grew darker as the light from his headlights left, but your eyes stayed trained on the front door. usually you just walked right in, but that didnât seem right for the moment. so instead you rang the doorbell.
you waited a moment, then realized the two boys probably wouldnât be phased by someone ringing the bell. it wasnât a common occurrence unless the person ringing it was a sales person or such. so you stepped forward and rang it again. it took a moment of waiting but finally the door opened to reveal your confused best friend.
ây/n? why did you⌠get in here.â but you stood in your spots taking a deep breath to steel yourself for what you were about to say.
âi donât love peyton.â now luke looked even more confused.
âwe had this conversation like half an hour ago. are you okay? come inside.â
âluke! i⌠i donât love peyton because i love you.â
it was slow, the way his demeanor changed. but sure enough, his frown turned up into a smile and his eyes lit up as your words fully registered inside of his brain. his grip on the door handle fell and he ran his hand through his curls.
âgod, i thought youâd never figure it out.â he was reaching for you then, cupping your cheeks in his palms and pressing his lips to yours. he kissed you like heâd never get enough, like he never wanted to let you go.
âgod guys, get a room.â luke pulled away then, and you glanced around him to see jack standing there. his tone was disgusted but his expression was giddy. but before you could question it, he spoke again. âgreat timing though, iâm winning five grand on this. i gotta call trev.â
he walked away, and you looked up at luke, who was already smiling down at you. his eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed, and his lips were just a little swollen. you were nearly sure you didnât look much different.
âhow about we go to my room and talk about this, yeah?â you nodded, considering the only thing youâd want more was for him to kiss you again. but seeing as you were still standing in the front doorway, maybe that could wait just a moment. wellâŚ
âkiss me one more time?â you asked, batting your lashes at him. his smile turned into a soft smirk for a moment before his lips were back on yours.
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