@tiredallthetimex prompt request #3 - "Will you stop-What is wrong with you?-Oh you're ovulating." "Let me touch it."
Summary: Luke had a lot to learn about the female cycle but nothing ever prepares him for when she's ovulating.
Themes/warnings: Smut 18+
Word count: 1.2k
Luke will credit his girlfriend for filling in a lot of blank spaces he had when it came to understanding the female body. He likes to think he's actually more educated than his brothers and most of his team because y/n has left no room for error or secrets about it.
"Baby, I'm back." Luke states returning from a roadie that y/n seemed especially needy to talk to him through. Obviously not getting upset that he was busy but when he had the opportunity to talk he was not getting out of it to do anything else.
"Hey, I missed you." Y/n smiles brightly making Luke smile as he ditches his suitcase and opts to pick up his half naked girlfriend.
"I missed you too." Luke sighs then pausing. "I'm sort of too tired for sex baby."
"Oh." Y/n mumbles seeming to deflate a little before she shakes it off and smiles bright again. "Just cuddling?"
"Just cuddling." Luke agrees earning a nod.
It is kind of late and Luke settles them down on the sofa while y/n grabs a few snacks knowing Luke would've eaten something on the way home.
The Devils lost 2 out of 3 games they were on the road for and the mood is always a little lower when they come back from such losses.
Y/n manages to restrain herself from acting like a mood bitch over the fact she feels like she's in heat and just being this close to her boyfriend and not feeling his dick somehow is like torture.
They do move to bed eventually and y/n proceeds to spend the whole night awake, painfully awake and hyperaware of her boyfriend's body that is making her squirm just from his presence. Made especially hard since they both sleep naked and that makes it so much harder to stop herself from climbing on her unconscious boyfriend.
The next morning finally comes around and her patience is rewarded.
"Good morning." Y/n mumbles climbing on top of Luke's long body, straddling his hips as she grinds down on him immediately earning a moan before he can find his voice to returning the good morning.
"I can tell it's about to be." Luke smirks feeling her kissing down his neck while he feels her literally dripping on his length as she continues to grind down on him.
"I don't think I've ever needed you this badly." Y/n whimpers then sitting up and reaching down to position his dick for her to slide down on and the moment she does Luke doesn't bother censoring his moan as he ruts up to get deeper within her while moving his hands to her hips as she lifts herself a little.
He's filling her so perfectly, enough stretch for her to feel like he's shaping her to fit to him again. They're both moving to make sure they're hitting all the spots that push y/n closer and closer to her high.
Y/n has honestly never felt herself coming to orgasm so prematurely, she feels like she's fighting just to hold back on it. It's not as if she hasn't taken care of herself in Luke's absence but there's something about getting an orgasm from her man's dick that means nothing else lives up to him.
"Luke." Y/n whines pressing her hands to his abs as she tightens around him, pulsing through her orgasm as she holds herself down and pulls him to his own high as his hands tighten their hold on her and he ruts up into her lips parting in his own moan while her nails dig into his skin a little before hers slowly eases.
Y/n continues to hold herself there before she sighs and smiles a little.
"We should probably clean up. We're hosting the watch party for Quinn's game." Y/n smiles while Luke nods a little still needing a moment while y/n feels like she's at least got her fix for the time being.
-
Turns out morning sex didn't fulfil y/n's appetite as much as she wanted and she begins to struggle to contain herself even with their apartment full of people.
She's fidgeting and she's watching Luke more than she's watching the game. Though thankfully everyone else is watching the game so they haven't noticed, though she's been touching Luke a little more and he's definitely aware of her being a little more touchy but he's not said or done anything about it. Probably just assuming that she's still just happy he's back from a week away.
"I'm gonna grab another drink, need anything baby?" Luke asks suddenly giving her an opportunity.
"I'll come with." Y/n states quickly earning a frown of confusion but he doesn't say anything as they walk into the kitchen and y/n manages to pull her tall boyfriend down into a kiss, her hand creeping to the waistband of his shorts.
"Baby, we have guests." Luke laughs gently pushing her hand back.
"We can be quick." Y/n tries making Luke laugh as he continues to try and stop her advances
"Will you stop-What is wrong with you?-Oh you're ovulating." Luke chuckles before it dawns on him exactly what's going on but y/n has one thing on her mind and she's not going to be stopped easily.
"Let me touch it." Y/n whispers as her hand does pass the threshold of his waistband only for Luke to grab her wrist, catching her other forearm and spinning her to twist her arms so she's hugging herself and pinning them there while her back is pulled back to him just in time for Jack to appear innocently entering the kitchen only to slow his steps.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"You're interrupting an attempt at something." Luke states while y/n huffs since she's not even ashamed about it and given the position that Luke has her in to prevent her from grabbing at him, she can hardly deny it.
"Well I'll just grab my beer and leave you guys to it. Let me know if I'm gonna be an uncle." Jack grins since he's actually rooting for y/n and Luke to have a baby and make him an uncle.
"Not funny." Luke states as Jack shoots them a smile and leaves with what he came in there for, allowing Luke to get back to y/n. "Baby, you're gonna have to wait till everyone leaves."
"I'm trying. You don't make it easy you know-don't get cocky about that."
"Trust me. I'm not enjoying the idea of waiting to make you feel good either but it's gotta be done." Luke sighs then leaning over and kissing her neck making her instinctually press back into him. "Can you wait a bit longer?"
"I'll try."
"Ok, now get back in there. I can't trust you to stay in here with me." Luke instructs finally releasing her and gently pushing her forward as he does so. "I love you."
"I love you too." Y/n sighs though he can hear the begrudging in her voice about it.
Summary: On your last night at the lake house Luke just can’t seem to leave your side for more than a few minutes, before bed he lets you know the reason why.
Warnings: not proofread and written on my phone but other than that nothing I think.
Word count: 1.2k
⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ i hate everything i’ve written lately but here’s Luke being clingy, please leave requests because i want to write more but don’t have much inspiration
Every end of summer the Hughes lake house gets filled with friends, family, neighbors and family friends and this year was no different. You could hear the buzz of people and soft music coming from the backyard all the way from Luke’s room where you’d been staying all summer while on the phone with your parents. You had been at the party for the beginning of it but excused yourself briefly to answer the call that had come through your phone since it was your dad’s birthday, 15 minutes later you were saying goodbye and hanging up to rejoin the party.
It took all of one minute for Luke to find you in the backyard filled with people “Hi gorgeous” He mutters into your ear as he holds you close. “How was the call?”
He’d joined you to say hello to your parents and wish your dad a happy birthday before letting you enjoy the chat with your family “Yeah, Marissa and Liam got him a part for the Camaro he’s been looking for for forever” You tell him
Over the course of the night Luke stays next to you, when his old Michigan teammates call him over for a round of beer pong he grabs you by the hand and takes you with him, he offers for you to join his team but you deny and cheer on him from the sidelines, when one of the neighbors daughter’s who you befriended at the country club comes and gets you to join a few other girls into a conversation Luke lasts 3 minutes away before he joins you, hugging you from behind and keeping quiet as he swings you both lightly while you talk with the girls.
Later during the night Quinn and Jack have dragged Luke inside to do something, probably play sticks in the garage since most of their friends have disappeared as well and you find yourself deep in conversation with Ellen and one of Luke’s Aunts, Lisa. “I do think there’s a way to make it tasteful, just not the way they did it”
“Yes, I agree, maybe we can find a way to work it into these two’s wedding” Aunt Lisa motions to you and you chuckle blushing.
“Oh no, I think we have too much taste to use blue roses in their wedding” Ellen says making your blush grow deeper. “I think my girl is more of a wildflowers kind of girl anyways, right? What was the name of those flowers you introduced me to? They’ve become a staple on the bouquets we keep around the house”
“Oh ranunculus!” You say. “They are kind of like roses but with lots of layers I guess a mix between roses and peonies”
“Yea, those!” Ellen nods. “Luke’s always bringing her bouquets of them, in the most gorgeous peach color, there were a lot of them so she donated them to the rest of the house” She jokes.
“Speaking of him, it’s a miracle he’s not here right now, he’s been glued to you all night” Aunt Lisa says noting your boyfriend’s absence.
“Yeah, Jack dragged him away a while ago” You tell her. “Probably to play mini sticks”
“They better not break anything in there, the replacement jar is almost 600 dollars in” She references the punishment she has for the boys, this summer alone they managed to break a vintage clock, two picture frames, a vase and a tv. “And speak of the devil”
You feel Luke snake his arms around your waist and press a kiss to your temple. “Hi ma, Hi aunt Lisa” He smiles at them. “Talking smack about me?”
“Your mom was telling me about the things you boys have been breaking around the house” Lisa teases
“That was mainly Jack” Luke points out before turning to the group having a conversation next to us, nodding along when he’s included but always keeping his arm around you as you retake your conversation with his mom and aunt.
The rest of the night remains the same, when you go get a refill of your drink Luke excuses himself from the conversation and follows you, when you get cold he takes you inside to the closet besides the front door and puts a sweatshirt on you before pulling you back with him, when people start to leave and it only a few of you are left sitting around a campfire Luke pulls you into his lap and holds you tight as conversation flows. m
And when the night ends you walk up the stairs and into your room, Luke closely behind, holding your waist all the way and following you into the bathroom to take your makeup off.
“Lukey I need to pee” You whine.
“Okay? I’m not using the toilet” He states.
“I can’t pee with you in here” You say.
“But-“ you don’t let him finish.
“Okay what’s going on?” You finally ask. “You’ve been practically glued to me all night” His eyes flash with hurt. “Not that I minded, I love you and I love having you close, but it was our last night here with your friends before your schedule is packed again”
“Yeah, and my last full night with you before we have to coordinate a shared google calendar just to figure out when we can have a date” He sighs. “Between hockey and your job and school and your practices, it just gets all hectic and we don’t get to see each other a lot, and I miss you” He takes a few steps to be closer to you, encasing you to the sink with his arms. “I just miss you so much”
“Oh Lukey” You jump a little to sit in the sink, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “I miss you too” You pull him into a kiss. “I promise I’ll try to make more time when you have free days, I can move around my practices and I was already considering moving a few classes to online so I’ll do that, we’ll have more time together this season I promise”
“I don’t want you to have to move your life around for me, that’s just not fair for me to ask you to do that” He says.
“You’re not asking me to do anything, I want to do this for us” You kiss him once more.
“If you’re sure” He says between kisses. “But this is not setting a precedent, if you want a winter wedding you’re getting it” He kisses you. “One of our kids’ birthday falls on a roadie, I’m flying you out and the whole team’s singing happy birthday and dressing up as their favorite characters and putting on a show for them”
“Wedding and kids huh?” You smile teasing him.
“Yup, three at least” He says with a cheeky smile
“Three at most” You say. “And I think I’d prefer a summer wedding”
“Summer wedding it is” He nods kissing you again.
“I still need you to leave so I can pee” You whisper into his lips as you separate making him whine. “I’ll be in there to be the big spoon in a minute, why don’t you get the bed warm for me”
“On it” He lets go and walks out.
“Take those clothes off before you get in bed Luke, they’re dirty!” You call out and hear something crash after. “And there goes more money into the replacement jar”
summary:, in which jack and y/n are closer to leaving for Jersey, it’s their last lake day of the summer, but Luke’s friends bring a group of girls who make it impossibly hard for y/n to enjoy her day.
word count: 3.2k
warnings: underage drinking references, bullying(?), fake girlfriend trope, angst, fluff, use of y/n, pet names (toots), use of real names, use of internal thoughts - y/n’s notated by indention and italics, jack’s indention and bolded - , friends to lover, oblivious pining,
notes: any use of names or likeness of real people or places other than restaurants, arenas / players or player’s friends, family members, old teammates etc, are all completely coincidental
Jack's muscles flexed as he hoisted the last cooler onto the boat, the sound of ice shifting against the plastic echoing in the mid-morning quiet. The sun beaming hot rays down on his bare shoulders as he bent down to put the cooler in the back corner of the boat. Luke followed closely behind, juggling a stash of towels towered on top of a tote of snacks he had probably already laid claims to. He carried the overflowing bundle with perfected ease until he managed to trip over his own feet when stepping on the boat.
Jack’s loud laughter carried over the calm body of water, “It takes talent to trip over nothing moosey.”
Luke tossed his brother a look as he picked up the towels that splayed out across the floor of the boat. “You would know, seeing how you’re supposed to be a top notch NHL player now and you still fall on the ice, when you’ve not even been checked.”
Jack was silent. He didn’t have anything to say in return, his little brother hit a nerve at the mention of ‘supposed to be top notch.’ Quickly he shook it off, kneeling down to help him pick up the snacks that had fallen out of the tote too. It was Jack and Y/n’s last day to spend out on the lake before heading to Jersey for Jack’s preseason training. Jack didn’t want to spend it in a foul mood.
“I’ll be back in a minute, Dukers and the others are here.” Luke carefully stepped off the boat before jogging off the dock, passing Y/n on his way up.
Just the same as any other boat day, she sat on the boat's bench seat at the back next to the captain’s seat. “It’s crazy to think that in two days I’m leaving my mom, my hometown, and moving to an entirely new state.” Y/n suddenly blurted out to Jack. Who was double checking they had all of the life jackets needed.
“You’re not going to back out on me are you?” Jack didn’t turn to face her or look back in her direction. He continued his inspection. He was truly nervous she would have to go another year without someone with him in Jersey.
“No, of course not…after all, all of my stuff is sort of already there in your new apartment..It's just.. Saying goodbye is always hard for me, I'm not exactly great at letting go.” She fell silent and Jack froze in his spot. He was unsure if she had more to say or if she was waiting on him, so he waited silently hoping she’d continue. Because at that moment it sounded like she wasn’t fully convinced herself she was leaving in two days.
A soft breathy laugh was let out and Y/n continued, “But I did kind of make this agreement with you to be in this fake relationship. Don’t you think that would be a bit hard to do with me here and you there?” She played with the ends of her hair from her ponytail, unsure why she would even bring that up today. She didn’t want to think about it until she had to because the anxiety over it was already eating her alive. Yet here she was letting it fall right out into the open. She was terrified of screwing up somehow and having no one believe in the facade the two of them had created.
“Heh.. Yeah, you kind of did..” Jack sounded far away from where she was, distracted almost. He had turned around to face her now, “but that’s also later, it will all be okay. I promise toot.” He offered her a soft smile and took a seat next to her, leaning over into the cooler to grab himself a beer. “Let’s put all that out of our minds until later too, today is just another day. Let’s have fun, yeah?”
Before Y/n could give any form of response shrilling fake laughter and deep voices drew their attention away from one another.
She watched as Luke reappeared with his friends. As each familiar face trickled in, a new female face with a bigger, brighter, faker smile followed. The girls they had brought along were a bit of a surprise, their presence as annoying as they were loud. Y/n felt a knot in her stomach tighten as she saw the way one of the girls, a blonde with a figure that could make even the most stoic of men stumble, was eyeing Jack like a prize catch.
Because he is a prize catch.
Quinn arrived last, his footsteps heavy on the dock as he carried a brand new handle rope for skiing, kneeboarding, and other activities alike. He looked over the crowd and shook his head. He looked over at Y/n, an apologetic smile gracing his lips. She gave him a small one back, feeling a little better knowing he was on the same page she was with their extra visitors, he also was the only one who knows of the girlfriend arrangement aside from the Devils administration, as Jack had confided in him.
Quinn dropped the rope onto the boat and took his spot behind the wheel. “Everything ready?” Quinn asked to no one in particular.
Jack took one last gulp of the beer he had just opened before nodding eagerly. “Yeah, let’s go baby!”
The blonde giggled, her eyes sparkling like the lake's surface under the hot sun. She sidled up to Jack, her hand lingering a beat too long on his arm as she decided to sit right in between them.
The knot in Y/n’s stomach tightened further. She felt like she could be sick from the blatantly obvious come on. Who the hell does this girl think she is?
This is going to be a long day.
Y/n grabbed the red Devils hat that Jack had let carelessly fall onto the boat's floor earlier when he leaned over, feeling the soft fabric against her palms. She placed it firmly on her head, hoping it would serve as an invisible shield against the barrage of flirty glances and suggestive comments from the blonde. Y/n scooted herself as far over to the edge of the bench seat as possible to get away from her. As the boat's engine roared to life, she settled into a comfortable position, pulled out her phone from her backpack, and pretended to be absorbed in scrolling through her ‘X’ feed. The wind picked up speed, whipping her hair into a frenzy around her face as Quinn steered them away from the dock. The periodic spray of lake water was a welcome distraction from the girl's invasive proximity.
Quinn's eyes flicked over to Y/n, noticing the tension in her shoulders. He cranked up the music, the bass thumping in time with the boat's steady rhythm. The noise was a reprieve, allowing her to sink into the music and momentarily forget about the awkward situation. The boat sliced through the water, leaving a frothy trail in its wake. The cool spray on her skin and the smell of gasoline mixed with the smell of the lake created a peculiar serenity that contrasted sharply with the tension in the air.
Jack, catching Quinn's subtle nod in her direction, glanced over at Y/n. Her eyes remained glued to her phone, but he could tell she was far from engaged in whatever she was scrolling through. The blonde had moved on to flirting with Luke's friends, leaving a gap of space between her and Jack that felt like a mile-wide canyon. He leaned over, his hand gently pushing up his cap from her head so he could see her face better. "You okay toots?" he shouted just loud enough over the music for her to hear him.
Her eyes snapped up to meet his, the wind tearing a few longer loose strands from her ponytail to slap against his roody red flushed cheeks. She nodded, giving him a forced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she simply responded back.
Jack didn't look convinced, his brow furrowed slightly. He knew her better than anyone, and the fake cheeriness didn’t sit well on her or with him. He could tell that she was uncomfortable now that he had paid some attention to her, but he wasn’t going to press the issue, instead he leaned back on the bench with a sigh and turned his attention to his older brother engaging him in a conversation about the upcoming season.
The rest of the day unfolded with Y/n retreating further into herself. She stuck to the back of the boat, a norm for her but she was usually involved in conversations or their silly games. But she had seen this play out before, if she got involved in their conversations or games today, one of the girls would find a way to spin a joke off on her. Making it seem innocent, when it truly wouldn’t be.
The atmosphere was electric with excitement, everyone except Y/n seemed to be having the time of their, intoxicated, lives. Jack didn’t seem to notice how reclusive she had become, or if he did he let her be. The blonde, whose name she hadn't caught, had attached herself to Jack like a leech, giggling at every little thing he said, touching him at every opportunity. Y/n felt like she was watching a movie that she had no part in. Her eyes narrowed at the girl’s antics, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. This was supposed to be their day, a last hurrah before leaving. Before his season started and their lives got hectic.
“Let’s put all that out of our minds until later too, today is just another day. Let’s have fun, yeah?”
Jack’s words from earlier replayed in her mind at a deafening level.
He doesn’t want me thinking about moving, thinking about the season, thinking about me becoming his fake girlfriend? He wants me to have fun. How am I supposed to have fun when he’s out here ignoring me? Well I mean I did tell him I was fine….and I won’t join the conversation but… He’s my Jack..
As the boat slowed down to a gentle drift she was pulled from her thoughts as Jack yelled out it was time to swim. Y/n’s heart sank as the blonde and her entourage turned their attention from Jack to her. "You coming?" one of the girls asked, her voice dripping with sweetness that didn't quite hide the sarcasm.
Y/n took a deep breath and nodded, slipping into the cool water. The relief of the water's embrace washed over her, but it was short-lived. The other girls followed. Jack and the guys raced one another to see who could swim the fastest to a designated marker. Y/n started to follow them out to their starting point, before deciding it was probably best to retreat to the boat. Being in the water with females who didn’t have her best interest in mind was not a good idea. She turned around to swim back and was met by the girls’ laughter that quickly turned to sneers the moment the boys were out of earshot. They circled her like sharks, their eyes assessing and cold. The blonde was the ringleader, her smirk a challenge as she pushed closer.
"You know, it's pretty sad," one of the girls began, her voice unintentionally carrying further than intended over the water's gentle lapping. "Jack only brought you because he feels bad. You're like a charity case, tagging along because he can't say no."
The blonde giggled, her eyes never leaving Y/n's. "Yeah, it's like bringing your kid sister on a date to a theme park so she doesn't feel left out." The other girls snickered, their words stinging like jellyfish tentacles wrapping around her heart.
"I mean, come on," another girl chimed in, her voice nasal and grating. "You think Jack's into you? If he was, wouldn't he have already made a move for you? Plus, look at yourself and then look at him. Then you have the fact that he’s a pro-athlete, he can have anyone he wants." By this point Y/n had started to swim away. She had taken enough of their antics, clearly they weren’t a fan of her.
They were only wanting to tear her down, but were they right?
The blonde swam after her, her eyes glinting with spiteful amusement. "You think he'd choose you over someone like me?" She called out when she couldn’t catch up.
Y/n swallowed the knot in her throat as she jerked up a towel and wrapped it around her body. Quinn at some point had climbed back aboard, already nearly dry.
“Huggy, i will give you every penny to my name if you leave right now.” She whispered to Quinn joking, but sort of was deeply hoping that he would take her seriously when he saw her face.
Quinn’s eyes widened at the desperation in her voice, his gaze following hers out to the group of girls. “You okay?”
Y/n nodded tightly, her grip on the towel almost painful. “Yeah, I’m just...peachy.” Her voice cracking over the knot she desperately wanted to keep suppressed down.
Jack’s eyes snapped to her at the word 'peachy'. He was climbing up the boat’s ladder as the words fell out of her mouth. It was their word since high school when said that meant they needed the other without having to say it outright.
Of course he had noticed she had been quieter than usual, but she had pushed him away when he had tried to talk to her early on. Jack figured it was just the reminisce of their conversation from before they were interrupted by everyone else. But the desperation in her voice was clear as a bell, even over the sound of music, different chatter, and other boats speeding around.
His few strides towards her were purposeful and quick, his gaze never leaving her. He softly took a hold of her lower arm, gaining her attention, the water droplets glinting off his bare chest.
The snarky blonde looked up at them from the water, her smirk slipping.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice low and concerned, only for her.
Y/n's eyes searched his, hers giving him a silent plea to not do this now. She nodded again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ye-."
“Don’t do it, don’t lie to me, toots. I heard you tell Q you were peachy. C’mon what’s up? What’s going on?” Jack pleaded, pulling her to the bench seat they had previously occupied earlier in the day. He wrapped his arm around her waist, turning her to face him before pulling her into him. He didn’t care about the wandering eyes of the females now boarding the boat, his eyes were on his girl.
She held eye contact with him for a moment before she sighed heavily and dropped her gaze to the towel piece that she had in her hand.
“It’s nothing, just those girls, they’re...they’re just saying things, Jack. It’s fine.”
Jack’s jaw tightened as he studied her, his hand moving to tilt her chin up so he could see her eyes again. “What kind of things?” He could only imagine what Angelika, the blonde, would muster up.
“They think I’m just some pity invite, that you’re only still friends with me because you feel bad or something,” she murmured, her voice thick with the evidence of barely holding back unshed tears.
Jack’s eyes narrowed and his hand holding her chin squeezed slightly. “They don’t know us, toots. They don’t know how long we’ve been friends, or how much we mean to each other. They don’t get to define our friendship, our relationship.” His voice was a soothing rumble. He dropped his hand to her shoulder, his thumb tracing circles on her shoulder attempting to ease the tension in her body.
“Even more, none of them are the ones i asked to be my girlfriend. Ya know?” Jack whispered into her ear.
“You forgot an important detail with that, fake.” Y/n laughed softly.
“Yeah, yeah but just to be safe incase others overhear, i just dropped it.” They were both laughing now.
Jack knew she was still upset, and uneasy. The two of them weren’t set to begin their arrangement until sometime after arriving back in Jersey, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to and needing to show her off after hearing what all was said. So he grabbed his phone, placed his Red Devils cap back on her head, and snapped a picture of her with the lake behind her, her smile still a bit forced but beautiful regardless. He posted it on his Instagram story with the caption 'My girl looks good in red'. The reaction was instant. His followers went wild, their excitement palpable through the screen. The likes and replies started rolling in, and Y/n couldn’t help but feel a bit more relaxed with every positive notification he received.
The blonde's eyes widened as she saw the post, and her flirty giggles turned into a scowl. It was clear she wasn’t expecting this turn of events.
“Pick out your favorites, then I’ll post them. Everyone will know then, but there will be no mistake. You’re not a pity friend. Never have been, never will be.” Jack nudged the side of her head with a simple harmless kiss to her temple.
Jack handed y/n the phone, scrolling through their photos together, looking for the perfect ones to post. The boat ride from the swimming spot had been filled with laughter and smiles, shared between just them. Y/n’s heart fluttered and she had a permanent smile on her face as she took in how many of their happy moments captured Jack had on his phone from throughout the years. His camera roll was taken up by hockey, her, the two of them, and he and his family, random memes here and there, but mainly it was them. He had her pick out a couple pictures she wanted him to post on his page as they sat cuddled up, her arm around his waist, his hand resting on her shoulder.
It was nothing new to anyone who has been around them before, but infuriating to the girls.
Y/n had picked her pictures, but before she could hand Jack his phone back, she had been lulled to sleep by the soft rock of the boat and the comfort of being with Jack. Quinn noticed she had fallen asleep when Jack’s phone fell to the floor of the boat. Jack carefully moved her to where her head was lying in his lap and Quinn covered her with another towel. Quinn handed Jack his phone and he finished making the post.
“Rowdy, do you think this is going to all work out?” Quinn asks his middle brother just loud enough for him.
“It’s me and y/n, Q.” That’s all Jack had to say before he leaned his head back and closed his eyes for the remainder of the ride.
it’s me and y/n…it has to work out.
note: pictures below are the ones jack posted (all from Pinterest)
Summary: This is my submission for the wonderful @matthewtkachuk in The Summer Fic Exchange 2k23, organized by the lovely @wyattjohnston! It’s a falling in love story with a dual timeline so I hope everyone enjoys ☺️
Your hands shook as you read the notification lighting up your screen: Timo Meier extended eight years in New Jersey. Click for contract details.
You quickly swiped it away, biting your lip as you contemplated what to do next. Things hadn’t been the best between you since playoff’s but this changed everything. You had to call him, right? Maybe just a text, to be safe.
T, I just saw the news congratulations! I can’t wait to see you in the fall.
It was already mid-afternoon in Jersey, so you knew it had to be late in Switzerland. Plus, he was probably getting bombarded with messages. With those thoughts in mind, you went about your day without worrying too much that a text didn’t arrive by the time you were getting into bed. As your thoughts inevitably drifted back to him, you couldn’t help but feel surprised that you’d only met him a few months ago.
***
Nico had given you all of three hours’ notice that you’d be having a stranger as a house guest for the next couple months and that had been about two and a half hours ago. You didn’t mind having new guys on the team stay with you, that’d been happening for years, but an earlier warning would’ve been nice.
That was actually how you’d met Nico years ago: your brother, Adam, was a veteran on the team at the time and offered his home to the rookie who knew so few people in the States. You’d been finishing up college and were accustomed to your brother’s teammates constantly coming and going as you juggled schoolwork and internships. Nico had crashed the longest because you two grew so close. When he did finally move out, it was only for the two of you to move into the same building together across town.
You were drawn back to the present as your doorbell rang just as you finished tucking in the quilt in your guest room. Nico really had some nerve being early after springing this on you last minute. You padded over to the door, throwing it open to see him and a bigger guy laughing.
“Hey guys, come on in” you said moving out of the way so they could roll in Timo’s suitcases. “I’m Y/N.”
“Timo, I can’t thank you enough for doing this” he replied, offering his hand once he’d gotten his bags inside. You shook it, unsurprised to find that his hand easily engulfed your own.
“I don’t mind at all, it’s nice to finally meet you” you said honestly; Nico had spoken of Timo often over the years. “Hello Nico.”
“Ouch, that’s all I get from my American sister?” he teased, holding out his arms for a hug. You rolled your eyes but quickly embraced him.
“You’ll get a warmer greeting once you make up for the late notice” you chastised before turning back to Timo. “But seriously, I’m glad I can help. Nico just didn’t give me much time to get the place ready.”
“I think that’s mostly my fault” Timo admitted, grimacing. “I assumed I’d crash with him and didn’t call until my plane was about to take off. I forgot Nina was staying with him for a bit.”
“Ah, I see. So, what you’re saying is I should have had Nina stay with me and leave you two to fend for yourselves at his place” you teased, earning their laughter.
***
When your alarm pulled you from sleep, your stomach sank that there was no reply from Timo waiting for you. As you got ready for your day, you debated calling him—maybe the text had fallen through the cracks. It wouldn’t be weird if you called, right? You finally bit the bullet and hit his name as you pulled onto the busy Newark streets. More worry flooded your system as your call went directly to voicemail.
“Um, hey T, it’s just me. I sent you a text but I wanted to let you know how I happy I am that you’ll be in Jersey for the next eight years. You deserve it and I can’t wait to celebrate when you’re back in the fall. Um, okay, call me back when you can. Bye!”
Work was crazy that morning so you eagerly pulled your phone out as you sat down with your lunch, expecting to finally hear from Timo. Disappointment filled your chest as his name was nowhere to be found in your notifications. You realized suddenly you hadn’t heard from Nico all day, which was unusual in and of itself but particularly given the good news so you shot him a text:
I’m on lunch, you around to chat? Miss you!
Your lunch hour passed with no reply from either Swiss boy and you tossed your phone back into your bag feeling dejected as another memory replayed in your mind.
***
You’d jolted awake at the sound of the door opening behind your spot on the couch. Timo had been staying with you for a few weeks at this point but you still weren’t totally used to not having the place to yourself. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, grabbing the remote to turn off the television broadcasting a Devils loss, hoping Timo hadn’t noticed. You turned around to greet him and noticed he didn’t quite seem like himself.
“Hey, you okay over there?” you asked tentatively. While the two of you had grown friendly, this was the first time he’d come home visibly upset after a game. If it was your brother, you knew not to talk to him until he came to you. If it was Nico, you’d already be popping some popcorn for you two to share. But Timo was a wild card.
“Just a shit game” he mumbled, slipping off his shoes and shaking off his jacket.
“How can I help?”
The offer seemed to surprise him, his hands freezing where they worked on loosening his tie. “I wouldn’t want to bother you” he replied but you could tell he was hoping you’d meant it.
“What’s your post-loss treat of choice? Nico’s is always popcorn but I have chips, ice cream, you name it” you offered as you stood and stretched before walking into the kitchen.
“Do we have any of those cinnamon cookies left you made the other day?” he questioned quietly, making you smile. You loved baking for people so it pleased you he had deemed them worthy of softening the blow of a tough loss.
“Go get changed, I’ll get them out.”
Since Timo had arrived, you’d noticed he seemed to hate feeling like a bother. He’d waited almost a week before letting you know he wasn’t sure how to get to the closest grocery store since his car was still being shipped from California. Similarly, he’d apologized on and off for days after dropping his lunch on your rug even though he’d insisted on cleaning it himself and you could never find the ‘stain’ he asserted he left behind. Because of these experiences, you waited until you heard his footsteps retreat down the hall before pre-heating the oven and grabbing the leftover dough from the freezer.
You hummed to yourself as you began lining the tray with cookies, keeping an ear out for the return of his footsteps. By the time you heard them, the oven was almost ready and you were sitting on the countertop. He took in the scene before him and shot you a look, “You didn’t have to make more, it was just—”
“I wanted to” you cut him off. “Plus, I’m comfy up here so you have to put the tray in when the oven beeps, so you’re helping anyways.”
He rolled his eyes playfully but nodded, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
A not quite comfortable silence descended for several moments until the oven beeped and Timo dutifully placed the tray on the center rack.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He sighed as he shut the oven, turning to face you—he looked absolutely exhausted. “Not much to say, I’ve been playing like shit since I got here.”
“Oh, none of that” you chastised him, tossing a towel at his face in protest.
“What was that for?” he laughed in surprise as he caught it before it bonked him in the head.
“That was for being way too hard on yourself. It’s a new team, a new system, a new city all while you’re still recovering from an injury. No one was expecting you to come in at 100%.”
He shrugged, chewing on his lip as he processed your words, “But I’m a free agent at the end of the season, I have to prove myself.”
“UFA or RFA?”
“Restricted. But I like it here so far and it’s fun playing with so many other Swiss guys. I want to do well with what time I have so I can sign for longer here.”
You nodded in understanding, “I know it can be tough not knowing where you’ll likely be long-term but all you can do is take it day by day.”
“You sound just like Nico” he teased and you rolled your eyes.
“My actual brother has been in the league a long time and I’ve been close with Nico for over five years now. So, I have some experience calming down guys I care about while they catastrophize after a loss.”
“Are you going to adopt me like you did Nico?” he asked tentatively and there was something in the way he held himself, avoiding your gaze, that made you pause. You couldn’t quite tell if he was asking because he wanted you to or if he was thinking of something more.
“Nah, I have enough brothers” you tried which earned a grin from him that made your toes curl.
“Good, my sister wouldn’t be too happy either” he joked and a far more comfortable silence settled between you.
“We don’t have to talk about it anymore if you don’t want to but I don’t mind listening if you do.”
His head dipped again but not before you caught the pink tinging his cheeks. “Would it be weird if I admitted a hug would really help?”
You grinned at him opening your arms wide, “Hugs and cookies, that I can do.”
He returned your smile before stepping between your legs and wrapping his arms around your shoulders. Yours twined around his middle and you rested your cheek against his broad shoulder. As you rubbed his back, you felt the muscles slowly begin to loosen beneath your touch. Feeling bold, you moved one hand to his hair, massaging the scalp underneath which earned you a grateful sigh as more of his weight settled against you.
“Thank you” he murmured into your hair softly.
“My pleasure” you said just as the oven timer dinged, causing him to draw himself up and away from you. He began to turn to get the tray but paused, looking back at you for a moment before placing a gentle kiss on your cheek. He was reaching for an oven mitt before you could process the tender act and how it made your heart both race and settle itself.
***
The rest of your work day passed in a blur, juggling your responsibilities with your thoughts constantly circling back to Timo. As you walked to your car and could finally check your phone, you felt your frustration flare as you scrolled through your notifications and didn’t see anything from Timo or Nico.
You hurriedly tapped Nico’s contact as you left the parking garage, hoping to get some reassurance that you were overthinking. But you felt anger rise as it rang only a few times before you were sent to voicemail.
“What the fuck?” you mumbled to yourself, drumming your fingers on your steering wheel as you waited to leave a message. “Nics, it’s me, can you call me when you get this? It’s important. Okay, bye.”
You went out to dinner with friends as a distraction but constantly checked your phone until your best friend finally snatched it away. You were admittedly grateful she forced you to stop obsessively staring at it but your swirling thoughts were another story.
By the time you’d settled into bed for the night, you were certain you weren’t going to hear from Timo. Nico would probably reach out with some excuse for himself and his friend and that would be that. As you tossed and turned, you found you couldn’t stop the memories flooding your mind.
***
The bass was throbbing and you could barely hear yourself think as you people-watched from your seat in a corner booth. All the guys, their partners, and friends were at the bar celebrating clinching a play-off spot. You’d been there a few hours already and were ready to go home but didn’t want to rush Timo—he’d earned the time enjoying himself and his teammates.
You were lost in this train of thought when you felt a hand land on your shoulder. Your eyes rose to meet Timo’s as he leaned down to speak in your ear. “You look like you could use a break, want some fresh air?”
You eagerly nodded in agreement, taking the hand he offered to help you out of the booth. You were a little surprised when he held onto it as you two made your way to the cool air outside. You took a deep breath as you leaned back against the building, closing your eyes to appreciate what a gorgeous night it was after the long winter months.
Your eyes flew open when you felt him tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. His bright blue eyes were intent, the smell of his cologne enveloping you as you took a shaky breath. As his hand moved to rest on your cheek you noticed its slight tremor before he leaned in. When his lips met yours, the kiss was achingly tender and gentle, as if he worried you might break.
Before you could doubt yourself, your hands clasped around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. As the heat of his body pressed into yours, you opened your mouth to his exploring tongue and briefly lost yourself in the feel of him. But all too soon, rational thoughts flooded back into your mind: he didn’t have a contract, you didn’t know where he’d be in a few months’ time, you didn’t want to jeopardize your friendship with Nico, you couldn’t risk him not feeling for you how you did for him.
Seeming to sense your unease, Timo pulled away slightly, eyes searching yours while his thumb gently stroked your cheek.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, I can’t do this” you mumbled, turning away from the intensity of his gaze and running your hands over your face.
“What’s wrong? It seemed good and then…” his words trailed off as he waited for you to turn back to him. The best you could do was face him again while keeping your eyes firmly on the ground. “Are you upset with me?”
“What? No, of course not” you replied, finally looking up at him. His face bore confusion, hurt, and worry which made you feel even shittier about your inability to find the right words to explain yourself.
“Do you still want to sign in Jersey long-term?” He opened his mouth to respond but you steamrolled ahead. “I just mean, you’re a free agent come summer. Even if you wanted to be here long-term, it doesn’t mean it would happen. You could end up with a bridge deal or being traded again and I just—”
He cut you off by pulling you into his embrace. You sighed, breathing in his scent as you held onto him tightly.
“There’s too many unknowns aren’t there?” he asked quietly and you nodded into his chest. He held you for another moment, hand gently stroking your hair, before he pulled away to look at you. “I get it, really, I do.”
But there was something shifting in his face, the warm openness you were accustomed to was hardening before your eyes. “No, don’t do that” you begged, hands cupping his face.
“Do what?”
“I can see you shutting me out” you said sadly and he flinched slightly at your words. “And if you have to, I understand, but I really care about you, T. Enough that I can’t just dive in and take it as it comes, because if you end up somewhere else or are only here for a season, I can’t do that…it would hurt too much.”
He took a deep breath before leaning his forehead against yours, “No, you’re right. If we’re going to do this, I want to do it right. You deserve that much.”
“I’m sorry” you whispered.
“Me too” he replied, placing a gentle kiss to your forehead.
Since that night, you’d been friendly with each other but things were understandably different. The looming unknowns of his future, as well as that of your relationship, hung heavy between you despite your best efforts. As you watched the boys shake Carolina’s hands onscreen, you busied yourself making a batch of cookies for Timo. You were leaving in an hour for a work trip and he’d likely be home in Switzerland when you returned a week later. All that was left unsaid sat like a rock on your chest.
As the cookies baked, you pulled out a sheet of paper to write him a note to go with them:
I’m so proud of you, T. I’m sorry I can’t be here with you but I’m just a phone call away if you want to talk. I’ll miss you this summer and hope I’ll see you again in the fall. -Me
When you landed a few hours later, you’d received a thank you text from Timo but nothing more. Over the next week, you did your best to accept that this distance between you two would be the new norm for at least a few months, possibly beyond that. But, when you walked into your kitchen after returning home, a little flicker of hope reignited at the sight of your favorite sweatshirt of his left neatly folded for you on the counter.
***
That hope hadn’t lasted long as the summer dragged on. You two texted occasionally at the start but navigating this limbo was difficult. You wanted him to make the decision that was best for him and his future—all you could do was wait until then. As you burrowed yourself deeper into the warmth of his sweatshirt, you finally drifted off to sleep.
Only to be woken up a few hours later by incessant pounding on your front door. You nearly knocked your lamp over in your hurry to illuminate your room so you could get to the door and stop the noise echoing throughout your apartment.
“I’m coming!” you called, annoyance lacing your voice. The building had better be on fire for someone to wake you up at 2AM like this. The knocks blessedly stopped and you yanked the door open. You fell back a step at the sight that greeted you: Timo, hair messy, bags under his eyes, two suitcases behind him.
You two stared at each other for a long moment before he cleared his throat, “Can I, um, come in?”
You shook off your shock and opened the door for him, “Of course, I’m sorry, I’m just surprised.”
“Hopefully good surprised?” he asked nervously.
“Mostly exhausted and confused and a little hurt you’ve been ignoring me for over a day now” you admitted then cursed yourself. “I’m sorry, I’m still waking up, I didn’t mean to snap like that.”
“No, I’m sorry, I was going to stay at a hotel and call you in the morning but I just wanted to see you after all those flights.”
As you processed what he said, your brain was finally starting to catch up. “Timo, have you been travelling here since you re-signed?”
His cheeks pinkened and he nodded, nervously playing with the handle of his suitcase. “Why would you do that?” you asked when he offered nothing more.
“I’ve missed you so much” he admitted, eyes meeting yours. “I get why we paused, really, I do, but it was torture being with you here every day, being just friends again. I thought it’d be easier back home with less reminders of you, but it wasn’t. Not at all. I kept wanting to call but I didn’t want to upset you. I knew my agent was working on as long-term of a deal as possible but I didn’t want to get your, or my, hopes up until it was finalized. So, when it finally was, I just wanted to see you.”
“You flew all the way here just to see me?” you asked, emotions tightening your throat.
“I guess I should have asked first instead of assuming” he mumbled shaking his head at himself but you quickly stepped forward and took his hands.
“No, this is perfect, I just can’t believe you’d do that for me” you explained, eyes tearing up. “I’ve missed you too. So much.”
That was all it took—before you could blink, his lips were crashing into yours. If your first kiss was tentative and sweet this kiss was its opposite. All of the emotions of the past few months came pouring out as you desperately clung to him. His fingers dug into your hips as he pulled you flush against his frame, and you melted into the warmth of his embrace. Your teeth clashed and your tongues fought for dominance and you couldn’t breathe but you wouldn’t pull away.
Finally, he pulled back panting and buried his face into your neck. You soothingly ran your fingers through his hair as you both caught your breath. His hands snuck up from your hips to slide under your sweatshirt, “Is this mine?” he asked and you felt his lips pull into a smile.
“Maybe” you replied and giggled as he tickled your sides in response. “Would it totally freak you out if I admitted I haven’t washed it since you left? I didn’t want it to stop smelling like you.”
He pulled away to place a gentler kiss on your now swollen mouth. “I won’t be freaked out by that if you won’t be freaked out that I only let myself finish that last batch of cookies on the plane ride here.”
You threw your head back in laughter at his admission, “They have to be so stale by now.”
“I didn’t care, they were all I had of you back home.”
Your heart warmed at his words, and you stood on tiptoes to kiss his forehead softly. “If I’d known, I would’ve left behind something of mine that wouldn’t expire on you.”
“I’ll forgive you as long as you let me stay with you for a while.”
“I can do that. How long do you think you’ll be here before you fly home?”
“Only long enough to convince you to take the trip back with me. Nico misses you too, you know.”
A/N: Thank you for reading! Shelbs, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing 💕 Thank you for the freedom you gave me; I tried to put in details so it still felt personalized you.
Summary: You weren’t expecting anything in return for your support, especially not this early in your relationship, but Luke had other plans.
Warnings: brief mentions of drinking,
Word count: 1.2k
⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ I thought this was shorter lol, I can’t wait to see all the wag jackets this year also, new challenge drink every time you see the word ‘wag’ in the story (no seriously, how tf did i end up using the word so much and for what?). It’s my first time watching the nhl playoffs and im excited (also hope the devils make it far so we get bearded Nico for a while)
You’d met Luke on a dating app. You and your friends had decided to apply to Raya on one drunken girl’s night in, at first it was just a competition, seeing who would get accepted, then it just became a fun place to snoop around all together when only you and another one of your friends had gotten accepted.
When you got Luke’s first message you hadn’t thought much about it, replying to it with your friends’ help and then moving on, but then it became more messages being exchanged even when you were on your own. Your first time meeting had been really sweet, just a coffee date where you got to know each other, and at first you were hesitant because why would this professional athlete want more than just a hookup? But at the end of the date, once your coffees had been finished and the conversation had faded, he walked you to your car, asked for your number and wished you a good night with only a peck on your cheek.
You’d been dating for only a little over two months when the devils clinched playoffs. During those two months you had met his teammates, you’d met his brother accidentally before you had even started officially dating, and their partners a couple times, but nothing formal had happened. You knew about the WAG groupchat and the WAG fee and honestly, way more than you needed or wanted to know about WAG life, from your friends insisting you needed to study the world you were about to enter.
When you and Luke first started taking things a bit more serious than just random dates here and there he had began inviting you to his games, giving you a seat in the family section for every game that his parents weren’t there for, a mutual agreement as you both felt it was too early for you to meet his parents, but recently that seat had been changed to one in the same section as the rest of the wives and girlfriends who had immediately taken you in as a part of their found family.
Still, with your newfound friendship during games with the WAGs, you were not really involved in anything outside of the game hangouts, you weren’t necessarily bothered by it, you had school to worry about and you knew your relationship was new and the state of it did not depend on whether your boyfriend payed a fee for you or not.
The first two playoffs games for the devils were to be played in Raleigh, so you were planning on inviting your friends over and watching the games with them, but those plans had changed when Nicole Laud messaged you asking if you would like to join the rest of the WAGs and their kids at the Markstrom’s where they were watching the first game. That’s how you had found yourself here, outside of the house balancing two big boxes of custom ordered devils cookies you had gotten from one of your friends who owned a bakery.
“Hi! Come in, come in” Amanda welcomed you into her house “Let me help you with that” You thanked her as she grabbed the boxes from your hand so you no longer had to balance your purse, the boxes and your phone that you had forgotten to put back into your bag before.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could make it” Nicole approached you
“Oh my god these are so cute!” Emma Dillon exclaimed once the cookie boxes were opened and put out with the rest of the food and snacks, the designs of the cookies was simple but cute, one of the design was a white frosting with the player numbers, another one was based on their Jersey jerseys, another one was red frosting with the white NJ logo and finally your favorites, the ones of NJ’s head, yes the mascot, no you had no idea how your friend had managed to pull it off in such short notice but she’d done it. “Where did you get these? I might have to order some for the girls’ birthdays”
“A friend made them actually” You say with a smile “She owns a bakery, I can give you her contact later if you want”
“Oh absolutely”
Then came the awkward moment when the girls began talking about the WAG jackets, one that you were sure you were not going to receive, again, not that you were expecting one or were bothered by the lack of. Nicole brought in a box from her car, pulling each jacket out with care and hanging them all in a rack Amanda had set up. You tried to distract yourself from the interaction by getting up and helping one of the kids get a juice refill while their mom enjoyed the moment with the other women.
“This is from Luke” Nicole approached you with a box while the rest of the girls gushed over their jackets on the other side of the room, she winked at you before retreating back.
Confused, you set the box on the table in front of you, pulling at the ribbon holding it closed and then opening it, on top of something wrapped in red paper there’s a note.
Wear this for good luck?
The messy handwriting and lopsided heart makes you smile, you put the card down and unwrap the present underneath, your mouth falling open at the jacket in front of you, an identical version of the ones the women across from you are now trying on with the name ‘Hughes’ and number 43
“Y/N come here let’s get a few pictures” One of the WAGS calls for you, none of them make a fuss about you getting a jacket, all of them knowing from Nicole filling them in on Luke’s surprise, not wanting to make you uncomfortable by making a big deal of it, instead choosing to include you on their celebrations.
You send Luke a picture Nicole took of you wearing the jacket, clearly showing his name and number wishing him a good luck on the game, getting back a message telling you how beautiful you look and how they are surely winning now that you are wearing the jacket, that you are not really wearing anymore since you all took them off after finishing the pictures so they won’t be ruined before the home games but he doesn’t need to know that.
“Okay how do we feel about me posting this one” Aly asks the group when the game goes on commercial break, her phone is passed around with the girls agreeing and you grimace at it.
“Um I don’t know if I should be in the picture, I mean Luke and I are still pretty new and no one really knows about us so…” You speak apologetically at the fact that you seem to be the only one with a problem with the picture being posted
“Oh honey, I think everyone knows” Reanne pats your shoulder and you look around the room at all the women smiling at you
“What do you mean?” You ask, confused
“Check your boyfriend’s instagram story” Reanne tells you
And there, on Luke’s public instagram story, is the picture you had sent him before the game, a red heart emoji accompanying it, loud and proud for everyone to see that Luke Hughes is officially out of the market.
Summary: Based on this request: i was wondering if you’re open to do a pt.2 with gf’s reaction to his injury in the 3rd (around ~10:55) and maybe a post game where he’s just happy to see her in the jacket and she’s stressed bc he’s injured
Warnings: mentions of his injury but he’s okay
Word count: 608
⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ what a fucked up day, the devils lost and im pretty sure my laptop is dying so i had to write this on my phone. have this part 2 of the jacket to hopefully make it a bit better.
Your heart almost stopped when you saw Luke laying in the net and the 10 seconds it took for him to get up felt more like 10 minutes. Today was supposed to be fun, and it had been, after the jackets you’d all eaten lunch and during the first intermission the kids had done an easter egg hunt, but all that seemed so far away now.
From your left Aly places her hand in your shoulder taking you out of your trance just as Luke gets up and skates away holding his shoulder in pain, the same shoulder he’d told you about that had been injured last year. You turn to look at her and one look is all it takes for her to understand, taking her son who was napping in your arms from you as you stand up with your phone in hand walking towards the house.
You check for updates that don’t come through for a while, texting him to let you know how he’s doing as soon as he gets a chance to and hoping that the lack of communication meant he was alright.
“Hey, he’s okay, he’s back on the ice” one of the girls tells you from the backyard doors and you feel like you can breathe again, locking your phone and rejoining the rest.
You’re back home when the call comes through, your phone ringing only once before you pick it up.
“Hi baby” His voice sounds tired, definitely not happy with the result of the game
“Oh god hi” You say “How are you?”
“Well that wasn’t how I wanted the game to go but hey what can you do? Seeing you in that jacket with my name on it sure does make today a bit better though” You can hear his smile through his words
“Yeah we’re definitely going to have a few words about that post later, but I don’t really care a lot about that right now, how’s your shoulder?” You ask worried that he went back to play while being injured
“Listen you just looked too good not to share, can’t wait to see it in person” He ignores your question about his shoulder
“Are you trying to distract me from the fact that you left the game clutching your shoulder in pain? Because it’s really not working baby” You tell him
“Maybe the good luck only works if you’re in the arena, hey wanna fly to Raleigh?” He jokes and that’s when you start getting concerned again
“Luke stop deflecting” Your tone is more stern this time and that’s when he realizes you’re actually worried about him and it’s time to stop joking around
“Baby I promise you I’m okay” He sighs “Shoulder’s good, just a bad hit, the doctors checked it and said I was okay to go back out there” You sigh too, relief flooding at his genuine tone “Will probably have to ice it today and tomorrow but I should be okay”
“Okay” You say “I’m glad you’re okay, got me worried for a minute there when you didn’t get back up”
“I’m all good” Your phone beeps, a facetime request “Now, how about you show me some outfits with your new jacket”
You accept the request, his face, with a big smile, covering your screen “Oh yeah, now that you’ve reminded me” His smile falls “What the hell were you thinking posting that picture”
But you’re not mad, and he knows you’re not mad, so after a playful scolding your phone is set in your dresser as you show Luke some outfits you were thinking of wearing for the home games.
Summary: In which you have a famous podcast with your best friend where you talk about everything and anything including stories about your relationship even though people don’t know the identity of your boyfriend — that is until you decide to hard launch him
Warnings: none
Word count: 554
⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ Wrote most of this last night at midnight when I couldn’t sleep and didn’t proofread it but here’s a little blurb to celebrate Nico’s second hat trick and the two wins against the wild.
You were in the middle of filming a new episode of your podcast when your best friend brings up the topic of men’s fashion “Like when men were wearing those stupid jeans with ribs on them” Your face contorts in cringe thinking back on it “Or skinny jeans but like really tight skinny jeans”
“You know what I hate? When I see a girl on a date and she’s all dressed up and the guy’s made no effort” You say, your friend agreeing
“YESSSS!!! I once went out on a first date with this guy and he wore sweats to it which I would get if our plans were just casual but we were going to a fancy-ish restaurant” You laugh at her story “You got lucky with Ken”
“He lives in athleisure when he’s home, you have no idea” You chuckle thinking “He’s so over suits which sucks cause he looks yummy in them”
Your friend winces at your last comment “Please never call him yummy again, anyways for those of you who don’t know Ken—”
“My boyfriend” You clarify
“Yes, his job requires him to wear suits and y/n loves it”
“I do love it” You nod at the camera
“You know, you’ve never revealed why you started calling him Ken online” Your friend says “Why don’t you share that story with everyone?”
“Oh well it started because I’ve never shown him in anything before and we’ve always talked about having a more private relationship since well you know I post a lot of my life on the internet” You say, your friend nodding as both of your content outside of the podcast is pretty similar “And there was this day when I was you know doing my usual making my coffee and sharing a story tiktok and the story was about how I’d had a bad day the day before I hadn’tslept enough”
“And you guys don’t want to deal with a sleep deprived y/n, it gets bad” Your friend adds
You flip her off before continuing your story “Anyways I was tired and cranky and my he had made plans for lunch that day but because I was in a bad mood we ended up leaving lunch early to take a nap because he knew I would be insufferable for the rest of the day if I didn’t get more sleep”
“Big nap household you guys are” You nod “I wish i could nap but I can’t sleep during the day”
“Honestly? I wasn’t much of a napper before him” You say “But now I love naps”
“Okay finish your story” Your friend reminds you knowing this nap tangent could keep going for way longer
“Right, so after I posted that one comment said ‘Barbie has a great day everyday, but Ken only has a great day If Barbie gets enough sleep’ and then I just started calling him Ken when I told my stories” You finish
“Well I think the nickname Ken does suit him to be honest, I will attest to Ken only having a good day if Barbie smiles at him” Soon after that you two finish the episode.
It’s months after, on your 2 year anniversary, after sharing dozen of stories about ‘Ken’ that you finally hard launched your relationship with an Instagram post.
yourusername
Liked by nicohischier and others
yourusername This Ken's job is Hockey! 2 years of loving you here's to many more 💘
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📌 nicohischier 2 years of having good days thanks to you
yourfriend you two are disgustingly cute happy two years!
user I was convinced she was dating a finance bro
↳ user2 no because me too! especially because of the suit comments
user3 it feels illegal to know this man's identity
user4 wtf do you mean nico hischier is THE ken
user5 thank you for introducing us i will now go back to pretending i don't know who this man is, happy 2 years though!
↳ user6 right? because he will always be ken to me
yourusename don't worry everyone, he'll still be ken in my story times!
