first time for everything
matt rempe x hughes!reader, hughes brothers x sister!reader
matt is baby!hughes’s lots of firsts!! not her first kiss (ty zegras) but basically is and wait?! first real fight with her brother(s)??
wc: 3.5k, varied formatting
warnings: sibling fight/banter/jack's an a-hole, cursing...
i finally got the writing bug! (once every 2 years) and decided to do some angst...my fav lowkey...been picking at this one since christmas! no physical descriptors of reader so could be adopted! and i think she’s like 1-2 years younger than luke. gonna link similar fics with hughes!reader soon 😎 also no use of ai for my fics or to my fics! i just love me an em-dash
baby!hughes who played mini sticks with the boys growing up, played in high school, but an acl tear threw a wrench in a future career. she’ll lace up for an outdoor rink but rarely picks up a stick anymore. luke and quinn love chirping jack that she’s still a better forward. even though she’s not playing, she’s still her brothers’ #1 fan and def has a split jersey to support all 3!
baby!hughes who’s always under jack’s arm in pictures old and new. before baby!hughes he felt classically middle child and he loves being big bro. with the age gap he finally feels like he gets to be more like quinn is to luke. obviously all of them love her and have protective big brother tendencies! but quinn is the safe quiet space, luke is her bestie and partner in crime (since they’re closest in age) but jack is all over the place! he’s her fiercest cheerleader and advocate, but these two also bicker the most
baby!hughes who finishes her degree! since she’s first of her siblings to actually graduate it’s a massive celebration—probably as big as luke’s draft party, if not bigger. they’re all in their big brother feels and just so so proud (and a little obnoxious) but jack is the most obvious, even if he swears his sniffles and red eyes are just from the pollen of the massive bouquet he’s holding during her grad
baby!hughes who doesn’t really date! always had a crush on trevor, but after an awkward smooch on the dock one summer lets it fizzle. jack still has no idea. baby!hughes had no idea that he just lost his nerve and was a total boy after. she’s 100% off limit to the boys visiting each summer! especially luke’s friends from u mich
baby!hughes who deals with unwanted male attention (aka shallow fanboys) and assumes that’s all the dating pool is! vents to her brothers about no one being interested in her but it’s never that deep and they’re always protective joking back w/something like “good. shouldn’t be dating until you’re like 45 anyways.” (little did she know each brother had at least one friend with a massive crush on her, but after almost synchronized death glares across the kitchen, or bonfire, or boat...each dropped their confidence on ever following through)
baby!hughes who ends up working in manhattan. probably has a million and one petty fights with jack as he insists on her moving in with him and luke. decides to compromise with a mandatory sibling day once a week and going to all games within a two hour drive. sees jack nd luke a lot but quinn has major fomo even if he doesn’t always say it and is worried they’d rope her into something stupid so any family time is even more sacred than before!! especially with the limited pto she gets from her first big girl job they make strict no phone rules when they can finally meet back up
baby!hughes who met matt organically in line for coffee in the spring—neither knowing their mutual connection initially with a very cute although slightly awkward meeting, but she pieces him together much quicker than he realizes her connection to the league
baby!hughes who is endeared with matt but is just shy and unsure how to pursue anything! matt who’s very aware of the cliche he’s living being interested in his rivals’ baby sister. very cautious and is always checking the pacing of their budding relationship is good given it’s her first, and he’s always talking to his sisters and mom for advice!
baby!hughes who respects and loves her sibling time so they remain oblivious to her budding romace as she facetimes him getting ready or recapping her day in hushed voice notes in her limited moments alone in her week at the lake
baby!hughes who is over the moon when matt officially asks her to be his gf!! she’s so giddy she spills the beans to ellen like immediately. keeps his last name quiet but still shares about how he has sisters she can’t wait to meet, how he shows her around town, and yes he has a stable job! he just happens to travel a lot for work...
baby!hughes who can’t wait to tell her brothers! they’ve been on a string of roadies but she’s been dying to tell them, especially luke (who endured the trevor train not a crazy amount of summers ago) but she’s hoping to find the right moment, and is scared of what they think but hopeful! matt is a gentleman and goofball and more with her, so she’s thinking about him with boyfriend lens! he just happens to play in the league!
baby!hughes who freaks at thanksgiving when she suggests putting on the game and they all cheer when rangers players are checked into the boards, chirping them throughout, then celebrating the king’s win like they themselves had won the cup. ellen who notices her daughter turn into herself as the periods dragged on, pulling herself away from the game to the kitchen. the rest of the beans are quickly spilled
baby!hughes who’s trying to do her best as she sees her brothers each going through it. jack’s whole hand fluke and desire to get back out there, luke dealing with pressures of a sophomore season and living up to his massive new contract, and quinn being traded and uprooted from his second home in van.
baby!hughes who misses her first home game ever midway through the season when her bestie came to her door in tears from getting dumped on her way out to the train. after a few apologetic voicemails and promises to rewatch the game for her notes, a little groveling is had but it smooths over (jack especially loves getting notes from his younger sister, the details she picks up and her own experience helping him ups himself to be better)
baby!hughes who’s been dating matt for a few months. they’re going steady! matt’s lease is almost up but before any considerations of moving in together can happen, she really wants her brothers to know. not that she needs their permission, but having their stamp of approval on her first ever real relationship was important.
baby!hughes who decides to tell her brothers over dinner while quinn’s in town! they all come into the city to see her apartment, and she figures neutral ground of a new steakhouse was the perfect way to butter them up. she had just met matt’s sisters, and with how well it went, she couldn’t wait to have matt meet her brothers.
quinn’s staying with her for his ny minute, which makes the secret keeping harder than she’d thought. she’s jumpy and quiet, almost subdued, which is definitely unusual when she’d typically be talking his ear off about anything and everything. he knows that she’d come to him first, so doesn’t pry, but tries a little harder to appease her. going shopping with her, trying the new matcha place she had sent so many reels about, swapping his current read with her, all just to see her smile.
it works and her quinn time gives her peace of mind to finally tell her brothers about her relationship. since he’s in her apartment though, she’s been unable to practice her spiel, as she had done...over and over...in the shower, in the kitchen, and to matt at least twice a week. matt was a good sport about it though! but he was honestly too nervous about their reaction himself to fully commit to “playing” her brothers as she tried to anticipate what might go down, “matty!! do you even hear yourself? in what world would luke say that!” and he has to balance teasing but also his fear since he’s never met the brothers really off the ice.
baby!hughes who snaps halfway through eating and puts down her fork a little too loudly,
“i have news!” none of them are really that surprised, given the fidgeting and lack of excitement when usually she’d be going off about the reviews she’s read, or telling them what drinks she wants them to order so they can all sample. she loves her brothers but is also crazy intimidated by the mix of apprehensive, suspicious, and a little bit scared look they all carry.
“what’s up bug?” luke asked from beside her, reaching out his hand with his palm up, just in case she needed the support. she quickly grasped his hand but could barely look any of them in the eye, instead squeezing her eyes shut as she took in a deep breath and with an exhale, muttered “i’m maybe kinda seeing someone—well more than seeing it feels serious but it’s not serious until he meets you guys obviously but i really like him and yeah.”
as she trailed off, they each were processing. the silence was a bit painful, so she picked her fork back up and pushed the food around on her plate, unable to meet their eyes. luke has a half frown, sad he didn’t know first (or at all). quinn recognizes the need to support first, even though he’s shocked, the first thing out of his mouth was “so uh, does he make you happy? wait—so who is this guy??” jack is unreadable, jaw ticking.
“he’s really nice, i really want you guys to meet him, i mean i just met his sisters and it went really well and yeah! wanted you guys to know there actually was someone before springing him on you but guys i finally have a boyfriend! 'nd he really likes me for me and we met in line for coffee and it was really cute and he treats me well, and don’t worry mom knows but also hasn’t met him—want you guys to do that first and—”
“bug, breathe.” there’s an exaggerated inhale and exhale together before luke continued, “so...your boyfriend’s gotta name? or does he go to another school, or is he like from canada so we can’t meet him...” he wasn’t crazy ecstatic about not being in the know, but could tell her nervous rambling was ramping up, so went straight to teasing to diffuse the tension.
quinn notices how her shoulders dropped at the teasing, but also how wide her eyes became at the mention of canada. “lukey’s right on the money, huh bug? anything else about this mysterious canadian man of yours?” this was all starting to feel like a bad game of guess who, and even though it’d be hard to narrow it down to a certain ranger, it wouldn’t exactly be impossible.
“does he play?” was the first question jack barely spat out, interrupting his own brooding. she hesitantly tucked her lip before nodding, not quite picking up his tone. realizing at this rate it’d be like pulling teeth she bites the bullet and squeaks out “it’s matt rempe, okay!” before a little more confidently sharing “i’m dating matt. we’re happy.” and then after a pause, she repeated herself more quietly: “he likes me for me.”
quinn just smiled, shaking his head, jack was once again unreadable, but luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze before it was straight back to teasing, “so bug...you have a type!”
“ugh, no luke! that’s not what—”
“oh c’mon bug, you’re tellin’ me you don’t have a type?”
“well he is kinda like my first boyfriend ever, dingus,” she frowned halfway, but knew he wasn’t being too mean about it.
“well you kissed trevor at the lake, what was that? like 4 years ago?!” she hesitated for a split second before letting out a panicked squeal and dropping his hand quickly to slap it over his mouth. if she had been less embarrassed about her biggest secret up until matt being exposed, she would’ve laughed at the contrast between surprise on quinn’s face making his eyebrows shoot up, with jack’s eyebrows furrowing deeper.
she sputtered before getting out “that was one time luke! what happened to not saying anything?!” she let her hand fall before he could lick it or something. he just smirked before grumbling something about her being all aboard the trevor train, while quinn just chuckled fondly in the back of his hand, having had a hunch himself.
after the giggles and fake broken trust settles, quinn asks for the check and they all head out towards the car together, planning on having a sibling movie night in. as quinn opens the car door for her, he quietly shares that “‘m glad you felt safe enough to share with us, bug. tell me when 'nd i’ll gladly meet him with you.” a soft, shy smile graces her face as quinn drives them back to her apartment. she quickly shoots off a text to matt but puts her phone down as soon as she catches jack’s glare from the rear view mirror.
baby ❤️: just finished up w dinner! no one yelled and quinn wants to meet you when the time’s right! full debrief soon
luke’s the one who decides to break the tension as she glances at her phone with matt’s response before putting it away, “c’mon jack attack, why so grumpy? y’not happy for bug?” he sounds generally worried, as quinn makes a sort of huff in agreement. nobody realized the simple prodding would cause such a fuss as they exited the car into the empty parking lot, headed towards her elevator.
“i just—the kid’s reckless, bug! he was suspended! he’s a fuckin’ ranger!” jack practically spits the words out, his hurt disguised by his harshness. baby!hughes hasn’t processed it yet but quinn and luke give each other a look--an unspoken "where is this going," hesitantly concerned but still protective. yes, jack and baby!hughes once had half a summer of silence over a blowout fight after he misplaced her favorite book, but that was preteen pettiness. them bickering over her not wanting to move in with them was just his way of being protective, which was annoying but everyone knew it was from a good place. his tone now though, was something else entirely.
“i know what team he plays for, jack. your rivalry—i get it, but he’s not his team—” the four of you had paused, quinn and jack just barely ahead, having sat in the front, baby!hughes and luke a few feet behind. luke really wished jack would learn to think before he speaks, but he just kept going,
“yeah that’s what he wants you to think—is that why you missed that last home game?? hanging around msg trying to see how the wag suite feels?” he practically sneered the words out, getting nasty.
“what are you talking about? my friend had just been dumped! i thought we were over this! why are you being such a dick right now?” jack’s words stung, but baby!hughes knew what she was getting into, not about to just let it up that easily. she could stand her ground.
“y’think i’m being a dick? i find out my little sister’s slutting it up for the enemy—lying to us all? going around town like some fuckin’ i dunno puck bunny? i’m not allowed to react?”
“woah jack! hey man—gone too far” quinn stepped in, grabbing jack’s shoulder to pull him back; the shock of jack’s words preventing him from stepping in earlier. he wondered briefly how much jack had listened to their sister during dinner, or if he had heard any part of it at all but jack pushes through, shrugging off quinn’s firm hand.
“i’m not done. not only did you apparently whore it up with one of my best friends—at my fucking lake house right under my nose, now you’re sleeping with rempe? i know you’ve been off the ice a bit but are you really that desperate to get back in the game you had to get in as a wag? well i mean c’mon let’s be real. that was always the only way—i mean, even without your acl you would’ve been stuck in my shadow. you’d be nothing without me, baby sis. let’s be real.”
luke, who had been somewhat calmly trying to hold his sister, shielding her, snapped at that. maybe it was the own constant media comparison to quinn, playing the same position—or maybe it was because she was frozen with shock, fear, disbelief and her eyes quickly welling up with large tears—or maybe it was because he had never heard such ugly words from his older brother. bringing up her injury in such a throwaway manner was beyond a dick move, and hearing the way jack was slut shaming his sister was heartbreaking.
“jesus, man! the fuck’s gotten into you?” luke had never seen jack get so nasty. was luke a fan of rempe? no, but he loves his baby sister beyond any rivalry any day. it was a big step to share this, and the whole night felt off now. jack, although pissy to the media and sometimes straight up an ass, was a standup guy! the a on his jersey showed that; the way ellen raised him showed that; the way he usually showed up for all of his siblings showed that.
“i’m just saying what everyone already knows i guess; i mean hell rempe’s probably doing it to piss me off! ranger's know that's the only way for them to get by huh?” luke decides to push past with baby!hughes, knowing nothing would get resolved right now with jack so heated. quinn was almost at a loss for words, unsure of why baby!hughes’s relationship was making jack feel so insecure, so unwanted to lash out this way. luckily, he found his voice:
“jack i don’t know where the hell this is coming from but you’re so out of line right now i don’t even recognize you. you’re tearing into bug and for what? you’ve been in a shit mood all night and yelling at her like that you’re a shit brother right now. why can’t you be happy for her? she’s spent the whole time i’ve been here nervous about finally sharing—and then you bringing up her injury like that? yeah, you’ve had season ending injuries but she put it down for good. and slut shaming her? for what was probably just a peck with trev? mom raised you better than that. did you wake up deciding you didn’t want a sister anymore? it’s like you didn’t even hear anything she said at dinner at all. honestly, you should go back to jersey tonight. don’t want you around bug right now. i mean, jesus jack—i don’t know if i wanna be around you right now. you’re my brother and i love you but i don't think i've ever seen her cry like that and i don’t know how to look at you.”
baby!hughes who is genuinely inconsolable inside her apartment. luke is holding her closely on the couch, trying to keep himself together while trying to murmur words of encouragement.
jack left without much of a fight, having deflated after quinn's talk. quinn closes her apartment door with a sigh, and upon seeing his youngest siblings trying to deal with the turn of the evening.
he thinks his heart cracks a little further as he approaches, realizing baby!hughes is barely breathing, the tears streaming down, her face hot. he looks over to luke's face to see slight panic, anger, and fear.
quinn joins them on the couch, and baby!hughes barely realizes when she's shifted over into her oldest brother's lap. luke gets up to pace the floor, hands quickly finding his hair. quinn holds her head with one hand, the other rubbing her back as he tries to soothe her into slowing her breathing.
"i just don't get it! i mean what the fuck was he on just now? the comparison? that was just straight up cruel--" luke's heated rant was interrupted by a sharp glare from quinn, a silent 'not the time' that was eventually received. after a deep pause, Luke continued, albeit at a much lower volume.
"sorry, bug. it just sucks that it happened, but i'm always on your side. y'know us babies gotta stick together, huh?" quinn couldn't help the snort he let out at that; luke, at his age and his stature referring to himself that way just made him realize how young (and a little stupid) his brother still was.
while things were nowhere near solved, there was more lightness in the room than there had been. baby!hughes's tears had finally slowed a little, relaxing into her older brother. luke joins them eventually, reaching for the remote to turn on something brainless.
baby!hughes who falls asleep not even 15 minutes into the movie. quinn and luke wordlessly trying to figure out what's next. in the morning, she'd be still upset, hurt, and then as it shifts to anger neither of them really wanted to be there for the fallout.
