[timothyjimothy74]

Masterlist

Matthew Tkachuk ft. Brady Tkachuk

Smirk Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Drivers License

Lover

Matthew Tkachuk

Dirty Laundry

Quinn Hughes ft. Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk

Great

Quinn Hughes

Grief

Quinn Hughes ft. Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes

Can We Just Be Happy Now?

Luke Hughes ft. Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes

Second Best

Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes

Safe

Trevor Zegras ft. Jack Hughes

Moments

[macksweet]

Pumpkin spice and everything nice

mat barzal x reader work count: 2.3K

requested: kinda? wrote this one for @quietblues 🤍

author note: this is all fluff! I haven’t written a long fic in a while and i’m not the best writer so please don’t mind the grammar mistakes and such (: 

also happy Canadian thanksgiving y'all 🤍

The autumn air was crisp in the early morning in New York. You were an early bird in the city that never sleeps, meaning you got all your shit done as early as possible because as the sun came up, so did the traffic, and the business of the city. You loved the city, but didnt love getting caught in the craziness that it offered. You were quiet, shy, an introvert, in one of the largest cities, but it worked for you. You could hide, keep to yourself, and no one ever bothered you. You were pretty much invisible, and you were perfectly fine with that.

You had a specific routine to start your mornings, which always started with coffee. You typically got a black americano to keep things simple, but this morning the leaves had started turning the most beautiful vibrant orange which made you feel particularly fallish so you decided to get a pumpkin spice latte to keep in the fall mood. You grabbed your cup and quickly spun around directly into a handsome boy behind you spilling the entirety of your hot drink down the front of him.

“Oh my god i’m so sorry” you say placing your cup back on the counter to reach for napkins. You started to pat his shirt dry before you realised how weird that is since you don’t even know this man. You stop and look up at the boy who’s already looking down at you with his large hazel eyes and an awkward smile.

“Dont worry about it, I needed to wash this shirt anyways” he says with a small laugh. You look at the boy’s face then back down at his shirt. His grey shirt read “islanders hockey” across the front. You quickly realised who this boy actually was. It was Mathew Barzal, the hockey player every girl loves. Your cheeks turned bright pink as you came to this realisation and you quickly gathered your belongings.

“Again, I’m so sorry. Have a nice day.” you practically ran out of the cafe and didn’t look back, but you knew he was staring at you. You felt tears start to build up in your eyes, you were beyond embarrassed and told yourself you’re never going to that cafe again in your life.

A week and a bit passed and you were missing your usual morning coffee and routine, so you decided you would overcome your anxiety and head back to your regular coffee shop. You enjoyed your walk, kicking at the leaves on the ground and admiring the bright fall colours. You step into the coffee shop and are welcomed by the barista with a friendly smile.

“Good morning, here’s your pumpkin spice latte!” she says handing you the cup.

“I haven’t even ordered yet?” you say puzzled reaching out to grab the hot beverage.

“He ordered it for you.” she says while nodding her head towards the boy sitting in the corner with his airpods in. “oh and he’s ordered you one of these everyday since your little incident, so you might want to say hi.” she gives you a wink and you turn around, and hesitantly head towards the boy leaning back in his chair. He was wearing another grey islanders hockey shirt, with navy track pants and running shoes on. You gently tap on his shoulder to get his attention. Half startled he looks up at you with a large grin and pulls out his headphones.

“Oh hey there, I thought you were ignoring me or something.” he says half laughing. “Thought I owed you another one of those since I basically stood in your way the other week.“ He was a bit awkward but you didn’t notice because you were just in awe of how beautiful this man’s facial features were. His jawline and cheekbones were sharp, yet soft. His eyes were hazel in some light but the way the sun hit them made them glisten and appear much more of a bright green. His eyebrows started to furrow and you realised you have taken way too long to respond.

“Thank you, but you really didn’t have too. If anything I should’ve bought you a new shirt.” you internally cringed at what you said. But Mat didn’t even notice.

“Nah thats okay, the shirts come free. Main perk of the job.” you both laughed, yeah i bet that’s the main perk. Mat offered the seat across from him and you sat down, trying hard not to smile too much, but you had literal butterflies in your stomach.

“I’m Mat, what’s your name?”

“y/n, nice to meet you Mat.”

“y/n is a nice name. You also have pretty eyes y/n.” you thanked Mat for the compliment and he looked down at his cup of coffee and smiled.

“I’m just going to come out and ask it…” you paused and examined the slightly scared look on Mat’s face. “Do you always come here everyday?”

“Not always, but in the last week.. yeah I’ve been here everyday at this time. I was hoping I would bump into you again.”

You were completely dumbfounded. Mathew Barzal, was hoping to see me again? He was easily the most attractive person you’ve ever laid eyes on and practically has every girl in New York drooling over him, there’s no way he would want to bump into you again. You let out a slight laugh, but not a funny laugh, a laugh of disbelief.

“I highly doubt you’ve been coming here to see me.” you said very matter of fact.

“Actually I have. I never came here until that day you spilled your latte on me. And I felt bad because you left in a rush and seemed upset about the whole situation. I wanted to make sure you were good, cause I was fine… and I couldn’t get that day out of my head and was hoping I would find you, and be able to talk to you again…” Mat’s voice started to trail off as he swirled the coffee around in his cup.

“Really?” you whisper, eyes wide staring at Mat. His eyes meet yours and he simply just nods with a soft smile. The moment was slightly awkward. You didn’t really know what else to say, you took a minute to think of what you could respond with that didn’t make you feel like any more of an ass than you already did.

“well thank-“

“so anyways-“

You both spoke up at the same time. You both let out a cute laugh and then you look at the time on your phone and realise you’re going to be late for work if you don’t leave now.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Mat. I need to go to work.”

“Oh okay, have a good day at work.”

“Thank you again for the latte, you really didn’t need too, next ones on me.” you say as you swing your work bag over your shoulder and grab your keys off the table.

“Try not to spill that one on anyone.” Mat teased. He stood up to walk you out of the coffee shop. He opened the door, his arm extended out against the door and you walked out of the shop. You unashamedly stared at the veins that ran through his muscular arm. You started heading towards the stairs that lead underground to the subway. You look back over your shoulder to see Mat admiring you as you walk away from him. He was very much checking you out, which gave you butterflies in your stomach.

“WAIT” Mat yells at you. “I didn’t get your number!!”

“Well I guess you’ll just have to bump into me again.”

You headed down the stairs to the subway, half cringing at your attempt at a cute flirt. You thought about going back up to give him your number but you’d miss the subway if you did. You jumped onto the subway and plopped yourself into a seat and thought about how your morning went. Time flew when you were with Mat. And although the conversation was a bit awkward, it felt authentic. He was being himself, which was different from what you had thought he would be like. Usually guys that are that pretty are cocky, but he was gentle and genuine.

You went about your day at work, spending any free moment thinking about Mat. You were kicking yourself for not shooting your shot more or at least giving him your number. You knew deep down that that was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you pretty much blew it. You got home from work and popped your leftovers from the night before in the microwave to eat for supper. You turned on the TV and flicked through the channels until you saw something interesting. You stopped when you saw a familiar face on your screen. It was Mat. He was doing a pregame interview, talking about his training in the summer and how he prepared for the season. After the interview he looked up at the camera and smiled. You blushed.

“Get a hold of yourself y/n” you thought to yourself. You understood why all the girls loved him now. You sunk into the couch and watched the majority of the game. Mat scored twice and got an assist. You headed to bed and laid there staring out your apartment window. Mat definitely made an impression on you, but your insecurities started to creep in as you laid alone. You knew you never had a chance, so you told yourself that: today was just a coincidence that he was there at the same time as you and that he was just being friendly. He must do this for every girl and that he probably won’t even remember your name.

The next morning you woke up and got ready for the day. It was a chilly Saturday morning so you slipped on a comfy pair of leggings and paired it with an oversized hoodie and puffer vest. You headed down to the coffee shop, as your usual morning routine, to see Mat sitting in the same place he was yesterday. You walk into the coffee shop and the barista points to the corner and giggles. You look over to the table to see Mat with two drinks, one being a pumpkin spice latte with “y/n” written on the cup. Mat looked up at you and smiled.

“I didn’t get your number yesterday, so I guess I’ll continue to be that creepy guy who bumps into you.” He said laughing. He has a cute laugh, the kind that makes his whole face light up.

“You’re not creepy” you joke back. “I’m shocked you are able to get up this early after playing last night.”

“Oh so you watched my game last night, eh?” Mat teased, his Canadian accent extra prominent. Your face got hot, you had to think quickly to get your cheeks to calm down.

“Yeah, I mean you played alright. Would have been better if you could have got the hat trick but I guess 2 goals is enough.” It was easy to tease each other and you could tell Mat was loving every second of this conversation.

“Wow tough crowd today” Mat stopped and just stared at you with a smile that left his mouth open slightly. You both just look at each other for a brief moment. His hair was extra fluffy today, he didn’t have any hair products in it so it kinda just flopped in his face in a youthful way. Today Mat was wearing cozy grey sweatpants and a black hoodie and white sneakers. He looked so good without even trying. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Yeah I would love that.” The two of you thanked the barista and left the coffee shop and headed into the cold autumn air. You walked along the quiet streets talking about your families and favourite childhood memories. You chatted about your greatest accomplishments and what you hoped to achieve in life. Conversation was so easy with Mat and you discovered you had much more in common with the hockey star than you ever thought you would. The morning slipped away and after many laughs Mat had to go to a team lunch.

“This was a lot of fun today, I’m really hoping we can do this again sometime?”

“I would really like that” you say with a smile, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“Okay well, can I have your number this time?” Mat asked with a laugh. You gave Mat your number and he pulled you in for a hug, thanking you again for spending the morning with him. His embrace was comforting. You could feel his body heat radiate through your cold body. You pull back and Mat is still holding on to you gently, looking down at your lips. You tilt your head up at him and he tilts it more by putting his hand under your chin. Mat slowly leans in and plants a soft kiss against your lips. It lasts for a brief moment before you feel the corners of Mat’s mouth turn up into a smile.

You and Mat headed separate ways, both giddy after sharing that kiss. The morning was far beyond what you ever expected. Mat was kind, funny, and thoughtful. You felt like you had known him a lot longer than a week. Conversation flowed so naturally between the two of you, and clearly the romantic side was easy too. You were excited to see where this could lead too. Your daydream was interrupted by your phone vibrating. You answer the unknown number.

“God, you look beautiful walking away from me.” You stop and turn around to see Mat calling you from the other end of the street. You blush and wave to Mat. “So the same place tomorrow?” Mat asks, while he’s walking backwards.

“Sounds good to me, but this time is on me.”

[cobrakaisb]

foolproof plan

summary: the only downside to fake dating is that someone always ends up falling for the other. 

warnings: y/n is a happy drunk; underage drinking (not condoning it); mostly cuteness; a couple swears

word count: 4.16k

“so do we have a deal?” he asked, hand out waiting for you to take it. you hesitated, biting your lip as your eyes flickered from his face to his hand. the anxiety and reality surrounding what you were about to do was setting in. were you actually agreeing to this? a surge of confidence washed over you as your smaller hand grasped his in a firm handshake. “we have a deal,” you agreed.

now all you had to do was pretend to fake date owen power. 

Keep reading

[miracleonice87]

“You know his lap is also available as a seat, right?” with Mathew Barzal (feat. Matthew and Sydney Esiason Martin) - requested by my dearest @kerwritesthings

from the two year tumblrversary prompt list

a/n: I am fully aware that I've written a blurb with a v similar premise, but I'm a sucker for Syd and Marty meddling in their friends' love lives, so I give zero effs. hope y'all enjoy!

warnings: swearing, alcohol

_____

Sydney had lured you to the house tonight under the guise of picking her up for a dinner date, potentially one of your last before she gave birth to their second baby. When you pulled up the drive and spotted a blue and orange balloon arch outlining the front door, you were puzzled, but assumed Matt might be having some sort of pre-season team activity for the guys while you and Sydney were gone for the night.

You pushed open the door to the familiar sounds of Jax barking a few times before he realized who was here, and Winnie squealing as she ran toward you. 

“Hi, Winnie girl!” you squealed back in greeting, bending down to scoop up the little blonde beauty, push her hair back from her forehead, and give her a kiss, while she did her best to wrap her little arms around your neck as she excitedly babbled your name. 

“Oh, good, you’re here!” Sydney said from the kitchen, crossing the room in bare feet and a casual jeans outfit to give you a quick hug before nodding toward the spread of food on the countertops. “Will you give me a hand with the charcuterie board?”

“We’re not going out?” you asked, confused and feeling overdressed in your pale blue ruched bodycon dress meant for a night on the town. Meanwhile, Winnie wriggled down the front of you and ran back to her previous project, scribbling in a Bluey coloring book on the coffee table.

“Nope, sorry, can’t tonight, forgot to tell ya!” Sydney chirped rapidly, throwing her stunning smile back at you over her shoulder as she walked toward the fridge. “Team event tonight. Was hoping you could help me hostess?” 

You furrowed your brow as you followed her. “If it’s a team event then why am I invited?” you asked, unenthused.

Sydney shrugged as she retrieved more cheese from the fridge, but you didn’t miss the ornery look on her face. “I dunno, maybe because a certain center specifically asked me if you’d be here?” She finally made eye contact with you, bit her bottom lip, and extended her hands in a “surprise!” motion. 

You let your forehead fall against the pantry door. “Sydneyyy!” you whined. 

You could legit throw a fit right now. Syd was famous for this shit. 

There was nothing going on between you and Mat (or so you spent your days trying to convince yourself). It was all nervous glances across the table while out celebrating a big win with the group, and laughing a bit too loudly at the other’s jokes, and light touches on your back as he moved around you in a busy bar, and replying to one another’s Instagram stories with reactions and simple emojis… and mostly it was neither of you ever, ever finding the nerve to make a damn move. 

Yes, to be certain, your and Mat’s history was a short one – shorter than you (or Syd, or Matt, or even Mat himself, though unbeknownst to you) would prefer. So, maybe, because you always looked forward to seeing Mat, no matter how awkward the two of you could be around each other, you didn’t completely hate this idea after all, but you couldn’t let Syd know that. 

“Did you tell him I was going to be here tonight, or did he ask?” you inquired, folding your arms over your chest. “Big difference.”

Sydney shook her head furiously. “No, he seriously asked,” she insisted. “Trust me, I’d lie to you about a lot of things – for your own good, of course – but never that.”

You sighed, washed your hands, then turned back to an expectant Sydney. “Hand me the fucking olives,” you grumbled as she excitedly passed you the jar, a smile too smug for your liking on her lips. 

_____

Hours later as the sun set, casting an orange glow over the backyard, you surveyed the scene, which now seemed much less like an official team event and much more like a gathering of Matt and Sydney’s friends, all of whom happened to play hockey, and their significant others. You fell into neither of those categories (though it certainly wasn’t for Sydney’s lack of trying), but filled the role of “assistant hostess” well – directing new players to the bathroom, tidying the kitchen even as people filtered in and out, and refreshing drinks and bowls of snacks. It was on one of those trips to the kitchen and back to replenish the tortilla chip bowl and grab another drink when a five-beers-deep Matthew Martin decided to pipe up as he watched you scan the crowded patio for an empty chair.

“You know Mat’s lap is also available as a seat, right?”

You sucked your teeth and turned to glower at your best-friend-in-law. He was officially worse than his wife. 

After shooting him a glare that would kill a weaker man, you slowly turned back to spot an equally embarrassed Mathew Barzal, a flush creeping up his (thick, muscular… not that you noticed) neck under his (well-fitting, more attractive than it should be… not that you noticed) black t-shirt. 

However, Mat recovered much more quickly than you, and you assumed it had to be the liquid courage when he raised his brows, patted his knee, and gave you a half-shrug – an open invitation in front of all of his teammates and friends. 

Impressed by the bold move, his captain let out a wolf-whistle, though many of the guys were too lost in their own conversations or distracted by the loud music and yard games to notice, but you could certainly see Matt’s beaming smile out of the corner of your eye. 

And you didn’t know whether it was your own liquid courage, Mat’s invitation, or your own chutzpah, but you suddenly found your feet moving across the patio toward him, casting him your biggest and flirtiest smile, and patting his chiseled knee as you took your rightful place atop his massive quads. Your heart raced and your skin was warm, but you tried to play it cool, clearing your throat and asking, “So, what’d I miss, gentlemen?”

Anders, Matt, and Pelly, who was also nearby, tried their best to lift their jaws off the floor and regain their focus, shocked by your audacious actions. If they were honest, they could barely remember what they were talking about, and as you lifted your beer bottle to your lips with a smirk, you took pleasure in their bewilderment. 

Then, you heard a deep voice immediately behind you. “The Kadri signing,” Mat prompted. “You were talking about Naz going to Calgary.” 

Matt coughed slightly, nodding. “Uh, yeah, right, right… Yeah, I can’t believe it took him so long to…”

And after that, all that was said was lost on you, because all you could concentrate on was the gentle touch caressing your bare back for where your dress left plenty of skin on display. You angled yourself just slightly toward Mat to face him, and you wrinkled your nose flirtatiously.

“I’m glad you came over here,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Who would’ve known Marty’s meddling would actually do some good?”

You chuckled, resting a hand on his toned chest. “Yeah… he’s gonna take credit for this, but it’s about damn time one of us made a move, hmm?” you said, cocking your head. He nodded slowly, curling some hair behind your ear as he leaned up to kiss you. You were immediately so far gone, so lost in him, that you could just barely hear the catcalls from around the yard.

[coltonparayko]

What song do you know all the lyrics to?

[timothyjimothy74]

Thinking about how I literally wrote in a fic that Matthew sang along to hsm songs and now this comes out

[mack-samo-deactivated20230529]

Best friends to lovers “We’ve known each other for so long. I can’t imagine my life - myself - without you anymore. And I really don’t want to.” With Briss

“We’ve known each other for so long. I can’t imagine my life - myself - without you anymore. And I really don’t want to.”

brendan holds onto her tight as he can,

"y/n," he says softly,

"yah wrenny," she says looking up at him chin to his chest. brendan flushes a little at the nickname she has had for him since they could talk,

"we've known each other for so long. i can't imagine my life-" he pauses, "myself- without you anymore. and i really don't want to," she frowns,

"bren," she starts backing away from him, "i- we cant,"

"please y/n/n," he begs, "i know im going to vegas and you texas but i need you," she sighs biting her lip,

"wren its to late. if you had mentioned this weeks ago we could've made it work, but I'm leaving tomorrow. i cant just we cant," brendan sighs running a hand through his hair,

"shit fuck i know god dammit," she smiles standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek,

"let me know when you're in dallas and ill make the drive from austin, and maybe you can take me out to dinner," he smiles,

"really?" she nods,

"yes bren, but for now we'll just be what we were before,"

[puckyess]

Observant | brendan brisson

Enjoy 2.5k of nothingness!

Words: 2.5k

Masterlist

—

Keep reading

[gabelandeskog]

canucks: NHL Player Media Tour Day 1 ✅

[fear-of-flyers]

it's all too much for me to take [the love that's shining all around here] (kent johnson)

kent johnson x gn!reader

word count: 2050

warnings: underage drinking, reader is anxious, symptoms of a panic attack (if there's anything else let me know!)

It was all too much. You were at a frat party with the team and it was all too much. The party came at the end of midterms, a way to celebrate things going back to semi-normal and everyone being done with testing but you couldn’t do it. Your original plan for the night was to stay in and watch a movie by yourself, decompress after the week, and set your brain back on the right track. But, after being begged over and over by Owen, Kent, and Briss you found yourself at a party. Granted, it wasn’t their fault. They couldn’t read your mind and you didn’t realize how truly overwhelmed you felt. But, now an hour into the party you felt yourself start to lose it. 

The music was too loud, there were people everywhere, and to top it off you didn’t know where any of your friends were. As you backed yourself into a corner you felt the familiar nerves of a panic attack creeping up. Thankfully, you weren’t too out of it yet and got it together enough to start pushing your way through the crowds. Finally, you made it to the kitchen where the boys were taking shots with some of their other friends. At first, you hung back, not wanting to interrupt their good time. You felt bad that you let your bad feelings take over and possibly ruin someone’s night. But eventually, your shaking became too much to handle and you realized that you had to at least tell someone you were leaving. Brendan looked the drunkest so you walked over to him first, hoping that his intoxication would stop him from seeing your panic. 

“Hey,” you said over the music. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna head out now. I’m kinda tired.” At that you turned to leave, but Brendan grabbed your arm to stop you. “Nooo, don’t leave Y/n.” He whined, “It’s too early to leave.” You smiled gently and shook your head. “Not too early for me bud.” You said, starting to turn again before Briss yelled behind him. “Yo! Kent, Owen get over here! You have to help me convince Y/n to stay a little longer!” Turning again to face Brendan you saw both of the boys he called walking over. Internally you broke a little more, you didn’t need to be there any longer and you knew that if you weren’t careful, Kent would be able to see how you were feeling. 

Now, this wasn’t a bad thing, but you knew that if Kent figured out how you were feeling he would also want to help fix those feelings. And the last thing you needed was for Kent to think you were weak. The two of you had been dancing around feelings for a couple of months and, with a little effort, you had kept your image pristine around him. Your thinking was if he didn’t know how fucked you were sometimes he might actually like you. But, Kent knew you better than you thought and he liked you still. You didn’t know this though, which is why you found yourself standing next to Briss, a shot in hand, trying desperately to hold a smile onto your face. “Hey!” You said, trying to sound enthusiastic as Kent and Owen slowed to a stop next to you. “I guess we’re doing shots.” You continued, ignoring Kent’s slight stare as Briss handed him and Owen their shot glasses. 

“Yeah, shots,” Kent said, looking at you, hearing something off in your voice. “3, 2, 1 go!” Brendan said, throwing his shot back rather aggressively, and cheering as the three of you took yours. With that, you placed your cup on the table. “Okay Briss,” you said, “I took a shot so now I’m actually gonna go.” You once again started to turn to leave when Briss grabbed your arm. “C’mon Y/n, one more please?” He whined. You shook your head, desperate to leave. Thankfully, Kent took notice of what was happening. “Briss, I’m actually gonna head out too,” Kent said, gently grabbing the hand that Brendan was holding. “I’ll walk you home.” At that, you, once again, shook your head. “No, Kent, I’m fine. I can make it home by myself.” You argued, pulling away from Kent and walking to the door. Quickly Kent started after you, and after speeding up once he realized how fast you were walking he caught up. 

“Y/n please,” Kent said. “I can clearly see how anxious you are right now. Please let me walk you home.” You stopped, considering your options. Kent walking you home would make you feel safer and therefore also calm your anxiety. But, you didn’t want to interact with anyone, especially not someone who could read you so well. Finally you turned to look at him and, faced with the concern you saw on his face, gave in. “Sure Kent,” you said, “you can walk me home.” Finally, Kent smiled and moved to start walking alongside you. “Can I hold your hand?” He asked, “Or would that make it worse? I know it could go either way.” Instead of answering you grabbed his hand in yours, lacing your fingers together. Immediately Kent started running his thumb back and forth along your knuckles, a soothing motion. 

Now, if you weren’t freaking out for separate reasons you were definitely freaked out over this. Not only was Kent not running far, far, away, he was holding your hand trying to comfort you. The rest of the walk sped by and before you knew it Kent was turning to you and asking “Where is your key?” You reached into your pocket and pulled out your dorm key, trying to open the door yourself before handing the key to Kent. “Holy shit Y/n, you’re shaking a lot.” He said, eyes wide, “Are you okay?” You laughed a little, “I mean not really,” you responded truthfully. “You saw how anxious I was Kent. Kinda why you walked me back. The shaking is just from the anxiety.” You explained. Your answer settled him a little but he still wasn’t fully comforted. Finally, he unlocked the door and held it open for you to walk inside. Kent walked in behind you, letting the door shut gently. He watched as you sat on the small couch in your ‘living area’ and tried to regulate your breathing before snapping out of his daze and getting you a glass of water.

You were out of it, to say the least, so as Kent sat next to you, you jumped a little. “Shit. Sorry,” he said, handing you the glass. “I got you some water because I didn’t know what else to do.” You smiled gently at him, taking a sip of the water. “Thank you,” you said. As you finished the glass the two of you sat in awkward silence before Kent cleared his throat. “Well, if there isn’t anything else I can do,” he started, “I guess I’ll just head out.” You nodded slightly but inside were scrambling for a reason to get him to stay. Secretly Kent was doing the same, enjoying the alone time that the two of you didn’t frequently get. “Actually-” you said. At the same time Kent started “What if I just stayed until you’re completely fine? That way I’m here if you need something.” You looked up from the floor and met Kent’s eyes, a smile on both of your faces. “Yeah,” you said, “that would be nice.” The following silence was notably more comfortable as you finally got your breathing in check. 

Once you were breathing right you grabbed your laptop off of the coffee table. “Wanna watch something?” You asked, opening the computer up and logging into Disney +. “Sure,” Kent said, moving closer to you to look at the screen. “How about The Princess Bride?” He asked, seeing it on your watchlist. You nodded, clocking on the movie. The two of you got a little into it before agreeing to move to your bed to be more comfortable. Eventually, you found yourself cuddled together, your back to Kent’s chest, Kent’s hand tracing random shapes onto your thigh. When that started to tickle you used it as the perfect opportunity to slip your hand into his, stilling his movements. Kent then took that as a sign to pull you in closer to him, resting his head on your shoulder. The two of you stayed like that for the rest of that movie and into the next (Step Brothers, Kent’s choice). As the end of that movie drew near you found yourself half asleep on Kent’s chest. Kent had fallen asleep about 15 minutes prior and his hand still rested in the small of your back. You let yourself drift off, happy and comfortable. 

The next morning you half expected to wake up alone, with no sign of Kent anywhere. The computer would still be closed on the coffee table, no glasses in the sink, the night before entirely a dream. But, you woke up exactly where you fell asleep the night before to Kent gently rubbing your back again. You shifted slightly, just enough to look up at Kent who was smiling sleepily down at you. “G'morning Y/n.” He said, voice full of sleep. “Good morning Kent.” You said back, moving yourself to sit up slightly. Kent moves with you until the two of you are facing each other, Kent up against your headboard and you criss cross between his legs. You stared at each other a bit longer in happy silence before Kent suggested getting breakfast. You agreed, pulling on a change of clothes and offering Kent a hoodie so he wasn’t fully in old clothes. 

With that, the two of you made your way to the dining hall. As you walked the reality of your situation came to the front of both of your minds. The night before was all the reassurance you needed to confirm that the feelings you had were mutual but you didn’t know how to address it. The rest of your walk passed in semi-awkward silence but as you made it into the dining hall you bit the bullet and decided to address it straight up. “Kent,” you started, “Can we talk about last night and what it means for us while we eat?” At your question Kent breathed out a sigh of relief, he was worried that the night before was a fluke, that he just happened to be the person there. “Of course,” he said. “That would be great.” The two of you then split up to get your breakfasts, meeting back at a table in the back corner of the room. But, despite being brave enough to bring it up, you were apparently not brave enough to start the actual conversation. Luckily enough Kent was. 

“I like you Y/n.” He said, “Like a lot. And I have for a while. And I get if last night was just a coincidence but-” At the mention of a coincidence, you had to interrupt him. “No!” You said. “Last night wasn’t just a coincidence. I like you too, like a lot. And thank you for being there last night, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be anyone else.” Your admission had Kent stoked, and you were incredibly happy that your feelings were returned. The rest of breakfast passed with fairly normal conversation. Kent talked about how practices had been going, and you shared the latest drama from your stats class. Finally, the two of you finished your meals, and as you were gathering your plates Kent cleared his throat. He seemed kind of nervous which made you nervous. “So,” he started, “with everything we talked about I was wondering if I could take you on a date this Friday.” You were quick to nod. “Of course Kent. I would love to.” For whatever reason your answer made Kent blush, out of nerves or excitement you didn’t know. “Does after the game work?” He asked, adding “I could give you a jersey to wear if you wanted.” You nodded again, grabbing his hand as the two of you moved to leave the dining hall. “That would be perfect.”

[timothyjimothy74]

i need a sequel to safe with quinn and jack more than i need air

I’m sorry I’m just now seeing this, but BET

[thombordeleau]

trevor zegras × sarah nurse nhl23 cover athletes

[amortemacura]

this pic saved me

[islesnucks]

Show you - Mathew Barzal x Reader (4+1 fic)

A/N: its here!! barzy fic with a lot of romcom influence and a bunch of taylor swift lyrics references

Word count: 7.2 k

Warnings: mention of alcohol, mention of illness (nothing serious but just in case) and there's one scene where the reader throws up

Summary: after hearing something he shouldn't have Mat is set on proving he is serious about dating you

Masterlist

Add yourself to the taglist!!

-

1.

“One date. Promise it will be worth your time.” he said followed by his signature half smirk, usual Barzal charm full of action. 

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I’m serious, I wanna take you out on a date.”

“You don’t wanna date me, you wanna take me to your bed because I’m the only girl here that’s not dreaming of that.” You gestured to the rest of the bar, more precisely the girl standing nearby that wouldn’t take her eyes off him. “It’s kind of childish really, the more you can't have it the more you want it.”

“I don’t wanna take you to my bed.” Pause. “At least not at first.” He corrected himself followed by a wink, and if said wink caused butterflies in your stomach you were going to deny it till you died. “I wanna take you on a couple dates first.”

You deadpanned at him. He wasn’t being serious, he couldn’t be. It was Mat after all. That’s how your relationship was: he’d jokingly flirt with you, you’d turn him down. It was a game, your little playful dynamic. It was never real.

“I’m not joking.” he persisted. His tone made you doubt, it sounded like he was being genuine.

“What has gotten into you?” He looked away, there was something he wasn’t telling you and it made you equally curious and anxious not knowing. “Mathew spill it out. Right now.”

“It was an accident, okay? I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything.” The way he was nervously defending himself beforehand only made you feel worse. Your heart started racing. No, there was no way he could’ve heard that- “Last friday at Beau’s, you were talking to Emma …”

Shit. He had heard it.

“You weren’t supposed to hear that.” you said, looking away as your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“I know, I know. I swear it wasn’t on purpose, I was going to get a beer from the fridge and you two were talking in the kitchen.”

“Forget it.”

“You said you’d date me.”

“Mat, forget it.”

“You’d date me.” he repeated, as if he himself still couldn’t believe it.

“You’re missing the ‘if’. I said I would date you if you weren’t you.” You remembered it very clearly. The if that was just impossible to ignore because was essentially part of himself.

“I don’t get it.” You didn’t want to explain it, there was no point. Nothing good was gonna come out of it, nothing was gonna change.

“You’re a great guy Mat and I really like what we have, let’s just pretend I never said that and go back to normal.”

“I’m serious about this.” He wasn’t going to let it go, you knew him. But you weren’t going to simply accept, because you also knew the consequences that would inevitably follow.

To you it was no news you liked him, how could you not? Apart from his obvious good looks, he was funny and sweet and caring and many more amazing qualities that would make almost anyone like him. But you knew it could never go past that, past a silly little crush. Because apart from being all those good things Mathew Barzal was a manwhore and that was surely going to end up with you getting hurt. So you decided to ignore whatever it was you were starting to feel and to stick with the jokingly flirting, not allowing yourself to even entertain the idea of him being anything more than a friend.

“You don’t do dates.”

“I do with you.” You rolled your eyes. “Come on, you can't just rule me out like that, at least give me a chance.”

You looked at him for a second, really taking him in. It didn’t seem like he was lying or attempting one of his stunts to just take a girl home, you had seen a lot of them. Still you weren’t going to give in and he could tell the hesitation in your eyes.

“I’m not like you Mat. I don’t fool around. I’m 99.9% sure if I let the slightest thing happen between us I’m gonna end up hurt because I can’t keep things casual and casual is all you do.”

He looked taken aback by it, like he suddenly realized the reputation he had and how it could make anyone not take him seriously.

“I’m gonna prove it to you.” he suddenly said after a moment of silence. Now it was your turn to look at him in confusion. “I’m gonna show you I’m serious about this.”

Before you could analyze what he truly meant Tito arrived, putting an end to the topic.

The bar started getting more and more crowded by the minute and in said crowd, just like every other night you went out with these two, there were girls looking over at your table, looking over at them. You were already used to it, at some point Tito was going to complain about how awkward it was making him feel and how much he missed Emma, and Mat being the polar opposite would enjoy every second of the female attention until deciding which girl was going to be his catch of the night and go for it.

Tito did as expected, however Mat was still sitting by your side pretending not to notice them. You then understood it was part of his plan to show you he was being serious about wanting to date you, how serious would he look if he went and made out with another girl in front of you? 

“This must be killing you.” you told him.

“What exactly?” Mat turned to look at you. He knew what you were talking about. Tito’s ‘here we go’ got lost under the noise, but his face said it all. Everyone, prepare yourself for another round of banter.

“Not being able to take any of these girls home.” you explained, even though there was no explanation needed. “That blonde one is basically throwing herself at you. You can always accept you weren’t serious about me and go with her. I won’t be offended, I swear.”

Part of you really enjoyed seeing him try to prove himself to you, being his center of attention. But you wouldn’t get your hopes up because he still was Mathew Barzal and there was a big chance, huge chance, he just wanted to get into your pants and once you put enough resistance he would simply give up and move on to the next girl who would hopefully (and probably) give in way easily. He’d probably forget about it and go back to his old ways next week.

“No thanks. The only girl I wanna take home is sitting next to me, but as I said that won’t happen before a couple dates. I’m a gentleman.” Tito chuckled, not the world he’d use to describe his friend.

“Such a gentleman.” you added, eyes squinting in annoyance accompanied by a fake smile. However his smile wasn’t fake, he was enjoying this a little too much.

“I’m getting another one. Want one?” You nodded and handed him your glass as he got up.

You watched as he made his way through the crowd to the bar, his broad shoulders pushing through the sea of bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. Faces turned when he walked by, some because they recognized him and others simply because of his looks. 

“What’s that thing about proving he’s serious?” Tito brought you back to reality, your thoughts were still stuck on Mat’s shoulders.

“Apparently he wants to date me, but it’s Mat, we both know he’s incapable of anything remotely close to seriously dating someone.”

“So he finally confessed, eh?” Your brows furrowed at his comment. “Shit, he didn’t. Just forget I said anything.”

“Anthony!” you said a little too loud earning some weird looks from the people around you. “You can’t just say something like that and then tell me to forget it!”

“Ok, look I shouldn’t tell you this, but believe him. I know Barzy is Barzy, but when he says it’s you over any girl he’s not lying. Give him a chance to prove himself.”

That only made you more confused. Tito told you to give him a chance so was Mat being sincere? Did he really want to date you? No, that couldn’t be true. Tito wouldn’t just say something like that to help his friend, it couldn’t all be part of Mat’s scheme to get into your pants, could it? Were you seriously considering giving Mathew Barzal a chance? Your plan to not get your hopes up was already off to a rocky start. 

Too lost trying to make sense of everything that had happened the past hour, you didn’t notice Mat was already back with one glass on each hand and a smirk on his face. You tried to shake off that weird dubious feeling that had settled in.

“One for the lady.” he said, placing the glass in your hands and then took his previous spot on the couch between you and Tito. “So, what did I miss?” He could help but notice your change in demeanor since he had left.

“Nothing.” Tito was quick to answer, but something did happen. A lot had happened.

2.

Your head was killing you and the ringing of your apartment’s bell wasn’t making it any better. Guessing it was just a door-to-door salesman you ignored it, but a minute later there it was again. You got up, ready to tell off whoever it was that was bothering you, but before you could even talk Mat was already asking you to let him in. Extremely confused you did so, knowing there was no point in asking for an explanation over the intercom.

“W-what are you doing here?” you said opening the door only to be met by the man himself holding a grocery bag.

“You’re sick, right?” he asked and you nodded slowly, confused as to how he could know since you hadn’t told anyone.

“How did you-” The obvious answer came to mind before you even finished the question. “Emma.” 

“Well not Emma exactly.” he explained as he walked into your apartment, heading to the kitchen. “Beau mentioned earlier at practice she was supposed to be hanging out with you today but you canceled cause you weren’t feeling good.”

He placed the grocery bag on your kitchen counter and started to look through the cabinets as you inspected what was inside the bag. A small smile appeared in your lips when you recognize the containers. You tried to hide it quickly when he turned around to face you but he caught it.

“So you bought soup and my favorite dessert and your plan is to what? Look after me?”

“Yeah.” he answered matter of factly. This was clearly part of his ploy to show you he was serious about you, since you assumed he didn’t show up to take care of just any girl when they were sick. “Now go get comfy and put on a movie or something. I’ll heat this up and help you with anything you need.”

You were too tired to even attempt to put any kind of resistance against his stuid plan. Plus it would be nice to feel taken care of, especially in the state that you were in. So with a simple shrug of your shoulders you left him in the kitchen and headed back to the couch.

The possibility of Mat burning down your apartment trying to heat up the soup was real, too real; but minutes had gone by and the fire alarm still hadn’t gone off. Before you knew it he was handing you a steamy soup bowl with a proud smile on his face, he was also worried about burning down the place.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Anything else I can do for you?” He seemed eager to help, to prove himself useful.

“Not that I can think of.”

His face fell. Yes, this was all to prove he was boyfriend material. Still he didn’t want to go, it felt wrong to leave you all alone when you weren’t feeling good, he wanted to be there for you. You could tell this, it was clear in his face, and truth be told you didn’t want him to leave, it was nice having him around, especially if he was willing to play your personal maid for the day. You could also tell he wasn’t going to ask to stay, he didn’t want to bother or be a burden. You’d have to ask him to stay, leaving your pride aside because at the same time you’d be helping him prove his point.

“Could you stay? You know in case I get worse and get a fever and stuff.”

“Yes, yes. Obviously.” He tried not to sound so excited about it. He failed.

At first he took a seat on the armchair beside the couch. He crossed his legs, then uncrossed them, leaned against the backrest, started bouncing one leg, leaned forward elbows resting on his thighs, leaned back again and started drumming his fingers on the armrests. Unable to find a comfortable position, he got up and started walking around the living room, just couldn’t stay still. You could hear him, feel him pacing up and down behind you, the creaking of the floor driving you insane.

“Mat?” He stopped, finally.

“Yes?” You signaled with your hand for him to come closer and he did. When he appeared again in front of you he looked worried, ready to call an ambulance.

“Can you please stop moving around? I swear all your pacing is making me feel sicker.”

“Yeah, sure.” He sat again on the armchair and finally the only thing that could be heard was the movie playing on the tv. It lasted less than a minute.

“I’m sorry. I never really took care of someone sick, except for my sister that one time but she was 10 and my mother told me what to do over the phone so it doesn't count. I don’t exactly know what to do. Do you want water? Another blanket? Tea? More soup?”

Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t all just part of his plan to prove you wrong. Maybe he genuinely cared. And maybe (definitely) your heart warmed at his concern.

“Come here.” You patted the spot next to you on the couch. 

He sat but his eyes were stuck on the tv. He was being weird, weirder than usual. You took his hand, making him face you. He still looked uneasy, not the chill Mat you were used to.

“You’re doing a great job, okay? I’m already feeling better.” He relaxed a little. ”Now please just calm down and enjoy the movie. I chose one with cartoons so you could understand it.”

“So funny.” His words dripped sarcasm, the Mat you knew was back.

As the movie went on it was getting harder and harder to fight the sleep; to keep your eyes from closing, your head from falling. At one point you gave into it, closed your eyes and let your head rest on Mat’s shoulder. And if you cuddled closer into him, that happened unconsciously when you were already asleep.

Mat got tense at first. Ever since this started, this being him knowing he had the slightest chance with you, everything that once was normal between the two of you had a whole new meaning for him, made him feel and think and react in a whole new way. This wasn’t the first time you had fallen asleep on him. Okay, yes, the previous times were because you were too bored or too drunk at some party and needed somewhere to rest your head; you were in the middle of the club or someone’s place surrounded by people. Now it was different, you could’ve laid against the armrest but you laid against him, and you were alone in your place. It felt intimate. It made him feel anxious or maybe nervous, he wasn’t sure what he felt, but it was the good kind of feeling.

3.

You weren’t sure how you ended up this drunk. Well, you actually did but you weren’t going to admit it even to yourself yet. Tito helped you into the uber, or maybe it was Mat? You also weren’t sure about that.

At some point you got to your place. You were changing into your pajamas when you heard a noise in the kitchen. Slowly you made your way there and almost had a heart attack when you spotted a man’s figure roaming your fridge. Almost, until you noticed it was Mat.

“Dude you scared me.” He turned around confused. “I forgot I wasn’t alone.”

“You’re that drunk?” You flipped him off. “See I was getting you a glass of cold water, but if you’re gonna treat me like that I don’t think you deserve it.”

Your mouth watered at the thought of water. You were indeed that drunk. He laughed at the look in your eyes when he mentioned water and handed you the glass, which you took no time in gulping down.

“Slow down or you're gonna-” he started to say but the look in your face told him it was too late.

“Shit.” you said and rushed to the bathroom, hand on your mouth trying to at least delay the inevitable till you reached your toilet.

Mission accomplished, you made it in time but that didn’t make what followed any nicer. In no time Mat was behind you, holding your hair with one hand and caressing your back gently with the other. It just wouldn’t stop, when you felt it was over and there couldn’t possibly be anything left in your stomach to be pushed out, there it was again.

“Still wanna date this puking mess?” you were able to joke in that rare moment your body decided to give you a break between pukes.

“I wanna date this puking mess so much you have no idea.” he said and sounded so genuine you could’ve smiled had it not been the feeling of more disgusting liquid coming up your throat.

Eventually the throwing up stopped, thankfully, and Mat helped you up from your bathroom floor. He kept his arm around you as he guided you to your room, not that you needed it but you weren’t going to complain.

You let yourself fall into the mattress the second you reached your bed, too tired (and still drunk) to care about sleeping over the comforter or the position you were in. Mat’s soft chuckled could be heard behind you, making your insides tingle at the sound. It was hot, you could admit that.

“Why did you drink that much?” he asked as he helped you get in a more sleeping-appropriate position. It was more of a rhetorical question but your drunk brain didn’t catch that. Apparently your drunk brain also felt like being honest and sharing a truth you hadn’t even shared with yourself yet.

“That bitch wouldn’t stop checking you out.” Mat looked down at you surprised. “Sorry she wasn’t a bitch, that’s not very feminist from me.”

“You got drunk because a girl was looking at me?”

“Not exactly like that.” Your train of thought wasn’t the brightest back at the party and now wasn’t much better. You were sure what you were about to explain wasn’t going to make any sense, but again your drunk brain didn’t care. “She wouldn’t stop looking at you and then she was playing beer pong and I really wanted to beat her because she was looking at you.”

“But you suck at beer pong.” 

“I know. She kicked my ass.”

He laughed. It wasn’t the cocky laugh you expected after admitting you had gotten jealous over him; it was a sweet laugh. Actually what was sweet wasn’t the laugh itself but the way he was looking at you, his eyes were full of adoration. You should’ve felt embarrassed after just confessing that, but you weren’t because it was Mat. Not old stupid-fratty-dude Mat, it was this new lovely caring Mat. You could almost feel your hopes getting up but the second and the alcohol in your blood wasn’t helping.

His laughter died when he felt the way you were looking at him so intensely, intrigued by what was going on in your head. “Penny for your thoughts.”

When he spoke your eyes went to his lips and so did your thoughts.

“You have really kissable lips.” Any type of filter you had was gone because of the alcohol. “They look soft and big. I once thought you had fillers. Still kinda do honestly.”

There it was again, that laugh, that smile that made your insides burn. “You’re gonna regret saying all of this in the morning.”

“Kiss me.” The words left your lips before your head even processed them, not that it would’ve made a big difference if you had.

“What?” 

“I really want you to kiss me Mat.” Your hand went up to cup his face, to draw him closer, but he didn’t move.

“And I really, really want to kiss you. Believe me I do. But it’s not gonna be like this.”

You pouted, earning a chuckle and roll of eyes from him. It took every bit of self control he had not to kiss that pout out of your lips.

“I’m gonna kiss you one day, you just wait.” Now you were rolling your eyes, cocky Mat was coming back, but just like Mat in general this was a new cocky, a cocky you could tolerate and actually liked. “When I finally kiss you it won’t be because you’re drunk and needy-”

“Hey!” You punched him in the chest, trying your hardest to seem offended. The smile on your face didn’t help you sell the part.

“When I finally kiss you you’ll want me to kiss you, there’s gonna be no doubt in your mind how serious I’m about you, how real my feelings are.”

He left you speechless. If only he knew your barrier was breaking down and you were second away from reaching that point, from falling completely head first blindly for him.

You held his gaze until you couldn’t anymore, still drunk and exhausted your body gave in and your eyes closed.

Mat thought you had passed out, if not he would have said it. “You’re the one for me, I know it. I’ll prove it to you.”

You heard him. Then you felt his lips gently kissing your forehead and lastly his steps walking away.

4.

Mat was losing his mind, which wasn’t ideal since the game was going to start any minute. He couldn’t get the image out of his head, you sitting next to that other guy, laughing at something he said. The brain was a tricky thing because the moment he could stop thinking about it his eyes would wander to that specific sector where he knew you were sitting and it was hell all over again.

The first period ended and they were tied on 0, so even if his head wasn’t in the game it wasn’t that bad. The problem was when by the end of the second period they were down by 2, one being a puck lost by Mat because he couldn’t stop looking over where you were and the second a power play goal made on a stupid penalty he took when frustration took over.

The second intermission came and by the way Anders was glaring at him as they made their way off the ice he knew what was about to come. He took a seat next to him, which wasn’t his usual seat, and laid it on him the second Lambert was done giving indications.

“Get your shit together man. What has gotten into you?”

“Nothing. Bad day.” Anders looked at him, not believing a single word. Then he looked over at Tito sitting on Mat’s other side waiting for an explanation.

“She came with another guy to the game.” There was no need to clarify who the she was.

“Look Mat, the girl you like brought another guy to your game, it sucks, believe me I get it. But the worst thing you can do is play like shit in front of them, ok? You’re the most competitive guy I know, go there and play the game of your life, show off, make her regret it.” Mat nodded. That was exactly what he needed, to use this as fuel to play better, as motivation.

Before they left the locker room and headed back to the ice he sent you a text. It was a simple ‘meet me outside the lockers after’. He wasn’t just going to leave it like that. Yes he was the one trying to prove something and pushing for a date, but after what had happened the last couple weeks it felt like things had changed, things were heading in the right direction. This didn’t make sense, it felt like a betrayal no matter how dramatic it sounded, and he felt like he was owed an explanation.

Anders' words indeed worked because he was a completely different player that last period, even came close to scoring a natural hatty had it not been for the final bell. With his two goals and one by Pelly they completed the comeback and won the game.

You watched the clock run out of time, begging for it to go slower. Mat’s text confused you, you had no clue what it was about but it couldn’t be good. You decided it would be better to head over there and get whatever it was going on over with before the game ended and thousands of fans started to flood the hallways trying to get out. So after saying goodbye to Pete, sending him off with some lame excuse about having to catch Emma before she left, you made your way to the locker room.

You had been there before maybe once or twice, normally choosing to wait for your friends outside the arena. It felt weird, even out of place, to be there surrounded by girlfriends and wives of the players when you were neither. Thankfully the girls hadn’t arrived yet, it was just you, some stuff and guards.

Mat had apparently given your name to security because you were allowed in the private zone without any problem and just in time to see them walk down the hallway, big smiles and victorious screams after such a great comeback.

The ones that noticed you said a simple hi or gave you a friendly nod. Mat was the last to get off the ice since he had been named first star of the game and his whole attitude changed the second he saw you there waiting for him. Bad signal.

“Congratulations-” you started to say when he approached you but were cut off by his hand grabbing yours and gently drawing you some steps away from the locker room entrance. You thought he’d shower and change before you talked about whatever it was he so urgently needed to talk about, but it seemed it couldn’t wait.

He had his helmet on one hand and stick on the other. Skates still on so now he towered even more over you. It was weird to have him standing in front of you in his uniform.

“Do you like me?” he let out, cutting straight to the chase.

“W-what?” You were taken aback by it.

“Do you like me? It’s a yes or no question.” It was not that simple, even if you had known he’d ask that it would’ve taken you some time to come up with the right answer. Hell, even you didn’t know the answer to that yet. Yes, you liked him but was that the type of like he was referring to? Was it like as in friends? As in more than friends? As in friends that could potentially be more than friends eventually?

“Mat what’s going on?” You avoided his question again, hoping he’d give you an explanation and you could move on from it.

“Ok, I’m gonna assume you like me because I like you. I like you a lot. So much that I’ve been trying to prove to you how much I like you and how serious I am about this. It would be a huge fucking pity if after everything you don’t even like me.” He could feel himself getting more heated up by the second, adrenaline still running in his veins from the game.

“I don’t get where this is going.”

“If you like me, why are you going on a date with another guy? Why are you bringing him to my game? What kind of sick game is this?” Once you realized what he was talking about you had to fight back your laugh. 

“This is about Pete?”

“So he’s called Pete.” 

“Pete my friend. My coworker. My married coworker may I add.”

“Oh.” was all he was able to say. He stared at you in slack-jaw, processing everything.

Mat had done some pretty stupid things in his life but this had to be on the top 10. He should've known it was not what it looked like, he knew you and knew you wouldn’t do something like that.

“Yeah ‘oh’.” you replied with a smile on your face. The more you thought about it the funnier the whole situation was.

“Can we just pretend this never happened?” His cheeks turned red and he scratched the back of his neck. It was adorable to see Mat out of his element, his confident exterior completely gone.

“I don’t think I want to, you look cute freaking out.”

“I’m cute, eh?” And just like that the Mat you knew was back, embarrassment disappearing as his cocky smile grew.

“Shit forgot rule number one: never give Mathew Barzal a compliment.”

“You’ve got more rules?” He leaned against the wall and accompanied the question with a jerk of his head.

“Rule number two: he will automatically assume the worst so be careful who you hang out with.”

“Ha. Funny.”

“If it makes you feel better it showed you care. In a really stupid twisted way, but it did.”

“Good. Because I really do care.” He said with so much sincerity, looking you in the eyes, hoping you could see in his how genuine he was being.

“I know.” you replied with the same amount of honesty.

The two of you went silent, only staring at each other with bright eyes and adorable smiles. There was nothing left to say.

If you had to pinpoint the moment in which you gave up trying to hold back your feelings this would be it. You had unsuccessfully tried to not get your hopes up all this time, while truly you knew there was no point in trying, it was gonna happen anyway. The only thing left for you to do was hope it didn’t end up with you getting hurt.

As if he could read your mind Mat opened his mouth, ready to ask you that one question again, but in that moment the locker room doors flung open.

“Barzy!” Anders called him, his head peeking through the door. “You and Pelly are up for the postgame interview, go shower already.”

“I should go.” he said and you nodded. He started walking away reluctantly, not wanting to leave you, not wanting the moment to be over. You didn’t want it to be over either.

“Mat?” you called and he turned around. “Are you free on friday?”

“Are you asking me on a date?” One of his brows went up in amusement.

“Still haven’t decided if I’m calling it a date or not.” He was not going to push it, not when after all he was (maybe) getting what he had been after all this time.

“I’m free.”

“Good. We can arrange everything later.”

“Good.”

There you were again, looking at each other with stupid love eyes, unable to hide your happiness. Mat told himself he was going to wait, he was going to rush it, but God he wanted to grab your face and kiss you so much it was painful to abstain. 

“Mathew!” It was Anders again, this time louder and more annoyed.

“I’m going! I’m going!” he shouted back and rolled his eyes, making you laugh. “See you on Friday.”

He leaned in to kiss your cheek, that would have to make it for now. That tingle in your stomach was back, you’d have to call it The Mat Barzal Effect because he was the one always causing it. It made you feel like a silly 15 year old with a crush, which apart from the age wasn’t that far from the reality.

“Goodbye Barzal.” you said as he walked away.

He stopped to give you a final smile before pushing the doors open and walking in. That stupid tingling again.

His teammates looked at him as he walked over to his stall, each one of them ready to chirp him about the lovesick look he had in his face and the spring he suddenly had in his step. Anders was the first. “I’m gonna assume that smile isn’t because you got named first star.”

+1

For a not date, it looked a lot like one. You wouldn’t have spent an hour dressing and undressing looking for the perfect outfit, and another extra hour fixing your hair and makeup, if it were just two friends hanging out. Mat wouldn’t have shown up at your door with flowers if it were just two friends hanging out. Most importantly the two of you wouldn’t be this nervous if this wasn’t a date, but still you refused to call it that.

It was tense at first, a bit awkward, but once you sat on the table he had reserved everything started to ease up. There was an unspoken pact to not talk about that certain topic, the elephant in the room, the reason you were sitting at the restaurant having a lovely dinner in the first place. So you spoke about everything else.

Conversation flew but you expected it to. Nerves aside it was Mat after all, you were friends, kind of. You talked, joked, laughed; as if it was a normal night with him just hanging out like you’ve done many times before.

He was charming, he always was charming with you, but this time you saw him with different eyes. When he told you you looked beautiful for the fourth time you didn’t roll your eyes thinking it was just a joke; you thanked him and even blushed a little. This new Mat, that was exactly like the old Mat but with a different undertone echoing his words an action; this new Mat was making you fall harder than what you expected. And while the idea of free falling into him and letting your emotions run wild was tempting you had to hold yourself back.

After dinner he proposed to go for a walk in an attempt to prevent the no-date from ending. You agreed, not wanting the night to end either. As soon as you walked into the street he took your hand in his and you were about to make some snarky comment about how holding hands was only reserved for real dates, but it felt good to have his hand wrapped around yours. Plus you could take it had taken him a leap of faith and a bit of courage for him to do it so naturally by the way he was avoiding all eye contact, so you decided to be nice just this once.

You walked into a park and when you passed by a nice bench illuminated by a lamppost it felt like a divine sign that it was the time and place to have that conversation.

“Let’s sit for a moment.” you said, already dragging him to the bench by your still entangled hands.

“It’s time to have that talk, isn’t it?” You could almost see the nerves from before coming back to him.

“Chill Barzal. I’m not going to interrogate you or anything. I just have one question.”

“Ok, shoot.”

There was no doubt in your mind Mat has proven he could seriously date someone, but part of you still wondered if he wanted to date you. Part of you was terrified that the only reason he was set to prove you wrong in the first place was because that night he heard you say he could have a chance. It was cynical to think you were just a challenge for him, especially after what you had gone through the past weeks, but you couldn’t help it.

“I know we’ve always had this kinda playful dynamic where you flirt with me and I pretend you’re the most despisable man on earth, and I always took it as a joke. Was it always a joke until you heard me and Emma that night?”

There it was, the question was out in the open and Mat now held in his hands the future of whatever it was the two of you were building. He took a second to reply, a second that felt like eternity and only made the anxious feeling grow inside of you.

“Kind of. Yes.”

Your heart broke. He gave you the one answer you were hoping he wouldn’t. When it all started you told yourself you’d never get your hopes up for him exactly for this reason, but you couldn’t control it and they inevitably did. But before tonight you swore no matter how much you wanted it you’d put an end to it all if there was the slight chance his feelings and desire to date you suddenly started after realizing he simply could.

You moved your hand away from his. He noticed the impact his answer had on you and has to fix it. He couldn’t let it slip away just because he chose the wrong words.

“No. Wait.” He took your hand in his again. 

“Mat-” you started to say and pulled your hand away again but he cut you off and tightened the grip.

“It’s more complicated than that.” He was silently begging you to let him explain. Since you didn’t move away he took that as a yes. “See I always liked you, ever since Emma introduced you to the group. But I know my reputation, so I knew you wouldn’t date me. I never blamed you for it, I know I haven’t been the most stand up guy when it comes to my love life. So I guess I started to jokingly flirt with you to deal with my feelings in a way. If it was just a joke then it wasn’t real.”

“And then you heard me that night.” you added. He nodded.

“And then I heard you that night. When I realized I had the slightest chance with you I knew I had to take it.”

“That was a way better answer than your first one.” you said, unable to hide your smile.

Mathew Barzal had passed the test. Any ounce of doubt that was left in your mind disappeared. He liked you, he really liked you and had done so for longer that you ever imagined. It wasn’t some shallow meaningless plan to get his way with you. Now you were ready to dive in head first fearless. 

“You seriously never noticed how much I like you?” He always thought he wasn’t being that obvious, but according to everyone that had ever seen you two intercat Mat was. Sometimes he couldn’t take his eyes away from you, even when you were standing on the other side of the room. He’d laugh a little too much at a joke you made. He’d always order your favorite drink for you whenever you went out. Countless times his friends had chirped him about it. It was crystal clear to everyone, to everyone except you.

“I always thought you were joking. That and I didn’t think I was your type”

“What!?” he seemed genuinely shocked by your answer. You were a little embarrassed to admit how much you had compared yourself to the girls he would flirt with, but you had done it and it was painfully clear you weren’t the type.

“Come on, I’m not like the girls you usually like Mat. I’m not like the instagram models, new york socialites, puck bunnies, bombshells you normally pick up on bars. I’m just me.”

“Well just you is a thousand times better. Just you has been driving me crazy from the day we met with her snarky comments and roll of eyes.” You rolled your eyes at his comment but couldn’t stop the blush from creeping into your cheeks. “You're beautiful and smart and funny and nice. I thought you were so out of my league. Still think so.”

“Well you convinced me Barzal, there’s no doubt in my mind how serious you are, how real your feelings are.” you repeated his words from that night.

“You remember that?” he asked surprised.

“You didn’t expect me to?” Your eyebrow went up defyingly.

“No, no. It’s just we never talked about it after so I just assumed you were too drunk and forgot everything.”

“Mhm. And I also heard something about being the one for you.” His cheeks turned red and he looked away. A shy Mathew Barzal might be the cutest thing you had ever seen. “Are you blushing? Am I making the Mathew Barzal blush? Oh my god-”

Your words died the moment he attached his lips to yours. It was clumsy at first as you laughed against his lips, but you fell into rhythm when you tilted your head so your lips could meet firmly and happily at once. His lips were soft like you had joked that night, and they tasted like the wine you had shared over dinner. It was intoxicating, the feeling of his lips on yours, his hand in your waist pulling you closer, your hand on the back of his neck. He gripped you firmly, as if trying to stop you from escaping.

You were the one to pull away first, but his lips chased yours making you giggle. You gave him a final peck, knowing there would be plenty more kissed like this sooner rather than later. That made your heart burst with happiness.

“Would you go out on a date with me?” he asked once again, knowing this time he would earn himself a different answer. You smiled up at him.

“I don’t know…”

“Smartass.” he said in the most endearing way possible as his hand went to cup your face, drawing you closer so his lips could find yours again.

You whispered a ‘yes’ into the kiss, but were unsure if he heard it. He didn’t have to anyway, he already knew the answer. 

-

Well hope you guys liked it!! It feels so good to be back. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated and dont be affraid to tell me your thoughts on the fic. Thank you so much!!! <3

taglist pt1:

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[fear-of-flyers]

you can let it go (luke hughes)

Luke Hughes x gn!reader

Word Count: 4059 (including lyrics)

Warnings: troubled family dynamics, flight anxiety, general angst (please let me know if i missed anything)

Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long for me to post, life has been busy. But, I'm super proud of where this ended up and hope y'all enjoy! Also so much thanks to @cobrakaisb for proofreading and letting me bug her about this for a month.

You were riding your bike to the sound of "It's No Big Deal" / And you're trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels / Nothing 'bout the way that you were treated ever seemed especially alarming 'til now / So you tie up your hair and you smile like it's no big deal / 

"Y/n, are you going home for christmas?" Thomas asked. There it was, the question you had been dreading since the talk of the holidays began. "No, I'm gonna stay over break and work. Why?" Bords shrugged, "Just curious, you haven't said anything before and we've talked about it a lot." You shrugged back, choosing not to address it further. The conversation naturally transitioned but you didn't fully insert yourself again. The truth was you didn't want to go back home. Your parents were narcissists who had raised you and your siblings with the highest of standards and very little affection. You had always thought it was normal, not knowing any other way of life but when you started high school you realized that your home life wasn't "normal". As you grew up you distanced yourself from your parents as much as possible, learning to find things you actually liked, not just things you liked because your parents wanted you to like them. That's how you found yourself at Umich. Despite the school being higher level, it wasn't an ivy and therefore wasn't good enough for your parents, who went to Yale and Brown respectively. But you couldn't imagine life anywhere else. Minoring in photography you found yourself working a lot with the hockey team. Eventually Nick and Luke introduced themselves and now, almost 4 months later, you hung out with the team all the time.

You can let it go / You can throw a party full of everyone you know / And not invite your family 'cause they never showed you love / You don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up, mmh /

Surrounding yourself with people you loved at college made you realize how much you were missing out on in your home. To know the unconditional love you felt from your friends changed you forever. You were truly happy, which is why, now that everyone was going home you found yourself feeling isolated again. It was a couple of days after that conversation, and a week before break, when you were hanging out with the boys again. This time you were in a private study room in the library, everyone finishing up the last of your work before leaving. You had control of the aux, playing some soft music, and were talking a little with everyone, keeping the mood up even on your third hour of studying. Then, as it always did, the conversation shifted to everyone’s plans for break. Brendan was especially excited about seeing Jordan after so long, and was looking forward to Bords flying down with his family a couple of days after christmas. When it was clear that the conversation was going to stay in that realm for a while you excused yourself, grabbing your water bottle to fill up and quietly leaving the room. You walked to the water fountain in the hallway and slumped against the wall, sighing heavily. You felt bad. You didn’t want to bring the mood down because of your issues and felt like it was your fault when the conversation switched away from holiday plans. You were outside for not very long, but lost in your thoughts, when someone cleared their throat next to you. “Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.” You said, rushing to fill up your water bottle, “I was lost in thought, I just have to fill this up really quick.” You rambled on, embarrassed. “Y/n, stop it, you’re fine.” A familiar voice said. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. We were talking about going home again and I know that can be tough for you.” You turned around and found yourself face to face with Luke, “I'm fine, just stressed. Thank you Luke.” You said, and he nodded, putting his water bottle under the fountain, but you could tell he didn’t fully believe you.

Of the boys on the team you were closest with Luke and Nick, hanging out with them after they introduced themselves and growing closer over the course of the season. Because of this, Luke was able to read you very well, and despite the limited knowledge he had of your family he could tell it was a deeper issue than you were letting on. Therefore, the first thing he did when you mentioned that you were staying on campus over break was call his mom. On the call Ellen could tell almost immediately that something was wrong with her youngest son. He only called so often and had already talked to her earlier in the week to solidify flight plans. With the smallest push, Luke let her know what he had called for and, not even 15 minutes later, a ticket was bought; plans were made for you to spend the holidays with the Hugheses. That brought you to the present, the boys studying, Luke nervous and you blindsided.

Matilda, you talk of the pain like it's all alright / But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead insidе / You showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest days / It's none of my business, but it's just been on my mind / 

“Luke, where is this coming from? I’m fine with my plans for break.” You said, face twisted in emotions you couldn’t begin to place. “It’s not that I didn’t think you were fine but I was talking to my mom and friends’ plans came up. She wanted to offer so you didn’t have to stay here.” At that you scoffed, you didn’t want Luke or Ellen to think that you needed help or a place to stay. “Do you even want me there? I mean, your mom offered. Do you not?” You asked, voice full of accusation and eyes full of rage. Realistically, you knew that Luke was trying to be nice and there was no malice in his actions. But you hadn’t ever had someone do something that big or nice for you and you truly couldn’t figure out how to react. Luke’s face dropped, “No, I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. The offer is still there if you want it.” He said before grabbing his water bottle and turning away, walking back to the study room.

Watching him walk away you knew you messed up, you had overreacted and definitely upset Luke. As he disappeared around the corner you finally filled your water bottle up and tried to figure out how to fix your mistake. But, when you walked back into the study room the first thing you noticed was that Luke wasn’t there anymore. The music was still playing but it was no longer yours, probably Nick's because he knew your phone login, and the mood was a bit more somber. You quietly made your way to where you were sitting before and got back to your homework. The issue was you couldn’t focus. You knew Luke left because of you, and felt like the biggest asshole. You finished the last problem in the set you were working on and started packing your stuff. “Y/n you good?” Briss asked, turning to you, eyes full of worry. You nodded softly, “Yeah, just tired. Plus, I wanna get back before my roommate does and clean a little.” Briss nodded, accepting your answer but clearly not fully believing you. You disconnected your phone from the speaker (but left the speaker for the boys to use) and softly waved as you left.

When you got back to your dorm you did clean, turning on music to lift your spirits and help you stop thinking about everything happening in your life at the moment. But, about halfway through your normal cleaning routine your mom called. You let it ring through, wanting anything but to talk with her at that moment. Luckily she only called once, leaving a probably long voicemail, and it allowed you to finish your cleaning and homework. But once you finished you were faced with the reality of the situation you were in, the situation you put yourself in. The first thing you did was text Luke to apologize. You let him know that you were really grateful for his offer and that, all willing, you would love to go to Florida with him for break. You also asked him if the two of you could meet up for lunch the next day so you could fully explain everything. The next thing you did was call your mother back, letting her know that you wouldn’t be home for christmas, before texting your siblings and apologizing for your future absence and promising to still send presents.

You can let it go / You can throw a party full of everyone you know / And not invite your family 'cause they never showed you love / You don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up, mmh /

You went to bed early that night, wanting to get a good rest before meeting with Luke, anticipating a difficult conversation. The next morning you woke up and got ready for your 10 a.m. history lecture. You got out of the shower to a text from Luke accepting your apology and confirming lunch, offering the name of your favorite diner. You responded saying it was perfect and that you would see him at 12, enough time for you to walk from class but early enough where Luke wouldn’t miss his late afternoon practice. Class was uneventful but that didn’t matter because you spent the whole 90 minute lecture thrumming with anxiety for your lunch with Luke. You had no clue how he felt given how you had left off the last time you saw each other, just that you clearly upset him. You didn’t know if he was going to forgive you or even if the offer that had started the whole situation was even still on the table. You got to the diner with 3 minutes to spare and opened the door to Luke already sitting at your usual table. You smiled awkwardly as you made your way over, sliding into the booth across from him. “Hi,” you said, meeting luke’s eyes. “Hi Y/n” he said, smiling gently, “I’m sorry for what I did,” he added, shocking you. You shook your head immediately, “No, Luke, don’t be sorry, I'm the one who should be apologizing.” You said, rushing to explain before he could say anything. “I was mean to you Luke. I know that you were trying to be nice, I knew that when you offered and I brushed you off and acted like you were crazy for it. in truth, it’s just hard for me to think about going anywhere else, no matter how much I want to.” 

That admission had a rush of emotions crossing luke’s face. “You want to come home with me?” He asked, eyes shining with excitement. You nodded, “And if the offer is still open then that’s the plan.” You added, wanting to make sure you weren’t inviting yourself. “Of course it is Y/n, I wouldn’t dream of taking it back.” Luke responded. but his smile fell when he remembered what he wanted to ask next. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me but, why aren’t you going home?” He asked, rushing to add “Please don’t tell me if you don’t want to, you don’t have to” When he saw your face falling at the thought. You laughed a little, Luke's panic lifting your mood a bit. “Luke calm down,” You said, “I’m gonna tell you because I want to. Plus, I think it’ll be good to get it off my chest.”

Taking a deep breath you started explaining everything. “My parent’s kinda suck. They’re narcissistic and only really care about how we make them look, not how we feel. My siblings and I had to be perfect growing up; all As, first in sports and extracurriculars, if there was an award for something we were expected to win it. And because it was all I knew, I didn’t think anything of it. that changed going into high school. I realized that it wasn’t normal for parents to control every aspect of their child’s life so I started distancing myself from them, which they hated. When I was applying to colleges they made me apply to all the Ivies, arguing which of their alma maters I would go to. They hated it when I chose Umich instead of Yale and made me think I was gonna hate it here. But I don’t, and being around you and the team and my other friends has made me realize how much I've been missing out on. Y’all make me feel so loved.”

“You are so loved, Y/n.” Luke said, reaching across the table for your hand, “And, if I didn’t make it clear before, I do want you there for the holidays. It would make me so happy to be able to spend time with you, even happier if it would make you happy.” When he finished you look up from your hands, the hands Luke hadn’t let go of, and make eye contact with the boy sitting across from you. You were crying a little, you knew, but couldn’t help it. “Hey, are you okay?” Luke asked, eyes shining with worry, scared he upset you more. You nodded, wiping your eyes. “Yeah,” you answered “I just really appreciate you Luke. Thank you so much, for everything.” At that the worry left Luke's face, “Of course Y/n, I would do it all over if you asked.” 

You can see the world, following the seasons / Anywhere you go, you don't need a reason / 'Cause they never showed you love / You don't have to be sorry for doing it on your own / 

You found yourself, five days later, in line at the airport Starbucks to grab drinks while Luke grabbed the two of you snacks for the flight. The days leading up to the flight you spent panicking about not having gifts for anyone that you would be seeing, especially Ellen; so you spent the time in between working and classes packing and online shopping. You had planned to pick flowers up at the Orlando airport to give to Ellen when she picked you up but you wanted to have at least something small to give everyone else. Luke indulged you, helping you find things he thought his brothers and dad would like and you thanked him endlessly for putting up with you. What you didn’t know was that whenever Luke answered “Of course” he meant it with his whole being, he would do anything you asked. The boy you found yourself spending so much more time with had been harboring a crush on you since he made Nick go with him to introduce himself. 

You finally boarded at around 3:30 and were scheduled to land at 6:10. Settled nervously into your aisle seat, you got out your water bottle and book. “Ya ready?” You asked, but turning to Luke you saw that he looked particularly nervous. “Hey, are you okay?” You asked, grabbing his hand. He nodded shakily but you didn’t fully believe him. “Luke, you don’t have to be okay,” you said, “Are you nervous about bringing me home?” you asked. That garnered a more confident response as Luke shook his head. “No, of course not. They’re all going to love you too.” He said before rushing to continue, to cover just what his words revealed, “I just kinda hate flying. I know I do it often but the fear just won’t go away. Promise you won’t make fun of me?” You shifted so that you could look at him comfortably, “Luke of course I won’t make fun of you.” You said “You can hold my hand as long as you need, okay?” He nodded at that and pulled your hand into his lap. The two of you made quiet conversation as the plane took off. Then you let go of Luke's hand long enough to plug your headphones into the screen, give one side to Luke and choose a movie.

That was the last thing you remembered because 2 and a half hours later you were waking up to Luke softly rubbing your shoulder that wasn’t slumped against him. You shuffled lightly, slowly opened your eyes and looked up at luke. “Yeah?” You asked, not fully understanding what was going on. “We landed sleeping beauty.” Luke said, a smile painting his face, “People are already getting off and I just texted my mom.” You nodded, lifting your head off of his shoulder and started to put everything into your bag. When there was a gap in people, you and Luke stood up and grabbed your luggage before deboarding the plane. Then when you made it to the terminals you made your way out of the way before stopping to figure out where you were going. After reading the signs you turned back to Luke who had a guilty look on his face. 

“What?” you asked. “So my mom just texted that she got caught up in prep stuff.” Luke started, “So my brother Jack has to pick us up.” You nodded, expecting more. But when he didn’t continue you asked “Is that it?” He nodded. “Oh,” you said, “that’s fine. I was expecting something much worse.” Luke sighed in relief “Cool, that’s great. Well, he’s almost here so we should probably start moving again.” You nod and grab the handle of your suitcase, following the signs to the gate that Jack was waiting at. As you walked you asked “Why were you apologizing because your brother is picking us up? Is he really mean or something?” At that Luke looked surprised, the real answer was that he had talked about you a lot, especially leading up to this trip, and he was certain that his brothers would tease him for it. But, he couldn’t say that without exposing how he really felt so he settled for an adjacent truth, “No, not mean. Just a lot.” he said, “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable and I know that Quinn would’ve been more lowkey.” You nodded, but you could tell there was more that he wasn’t letting on and hoped it wasn’t bad. “Well,” you said, “I appreciate you being concerned. I know it’s gonna be fine though.”

You're just in time, make your tea and your toast / You framed all your posters and dyed your clothes, ooh / You don't have to go / You don't have to go home / 

You had been with Luke and his family for a week now, both Christmas and Hanukkah have come and gone, and you were in complete bliss. Being surrounded by, and included in, a healthy family dynamic was refreshing to you and you were eternally grateful that Jim and Ellen welcomed you into their home. Throughout the week you had gotten closer with both Jack and Quinn, but had bonded even more with Luke and were absolutely harboring a crush on the boy. You had barely spent a second alone throughout your stay, wherever you were Luke was close behind, but you couldn’t complain. Luke’s company has always made you feel safe but this was true now more than ever, and despite not talking to anyone about it, Luke’s family could tell that you liked each other and were waiting until you could figure it out yourselves. Little did you know, Luke had been planning to ask you out for most of the trip and, with Quinn’s help, had the perfect way to do it.

It was a Saturday, three days before you left, and Luke asked you to go to breakfast with him. Of course you said yes, but he was nervous leading up to it which in turn made you nervous. His nerves made for a very awkward car ride filled with a thick tension and deafening silence. Finally, you couldn’t stand it anymore. “What’s happening Luke?” You asked, eyes full of concern and voice laced with anger. You were angry, you had been having what you thought was a great week only for the most awkward car ride of your life. You just wanted answers. “Do you regret this or something?” At your question Luke realized his mistake, he hadn’t considered that the lead up to his question could look bad. Aggressively shaking his head Luke pulled over onto the side of the road. “Luke what is this?” You asked again, your anger replaced with nerves. 

Oh, there’s a long way to go /

I don’t believe that time will change your mind / 

In other words / 

I know they won’t hurt you anymore as long as you can let them go 

“Okay,” Luke started, “I’m going to say something but you have to let me finish before you respond or react.” You nodded confirmation, hoping it wasn’t something that was going to break your heart. “To start, I’ve had a lot of fun this week and am super happy that you came home with me. The week has only made me realize how much I love having you in my life and how much I really like you. Like, as more than friends.” Luke rushed out, pausing to breathe. “Now, this isn’t how I wanted to do this but clearly I didn’t think through execution far enough to do it right. Will you go out with me? No wait, that sounds too casual. Will you, Y/n Y/l/n, be my partner?” Finally Luke finished what he was saying and looked into your eyes for a response. Unfortunately, the first thing you did was laugh which scared him to death. But you quickly realized your error and rushed to correct it “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry I just thought something was wrong because of how nervous you were.” You said, “Of course I want to go out with you Luke. I’ve liked you for so long.” With those words the energy in the car lightened immediately, and Luke couldn’t help but pull you into a kiss. You pulled away from him, your hands on his face, smiling wide. “It might be too soon but I have to say something” You say, “I love you.” At that, Luke’s grin widens even more than he thought possible, “I love you too.” He responds, thanking his lucky stars that everything worked out.

After your moment you continued on to breakfast, which you agreed counted as a date, and then back home where Quinn was waiting to hear how breakfast went. You and Luke walked into the house holding hands and all Luke had to do was nod in confirmation before Quinn whooped with joy. At his burst of excitement you blushed and the rest of the family came rushing into the room from around the house, not sure whether they had to be nervous or not. “What, what?” Ellen asked, eyes checking over her oldest and you and Luke for injuries or emotion. Eventually though, her eyes settled on your intertwined hands and a smile broke out onto her face. “Congratulations,” she said, smiling sweetly with eyes full of love, “I take it breakfast went well, Luke.” At his mom’s comment, Luke nodded before turning to you and placing a brief kiss on your lips to clue in Jack and Jim. With everyone on the same page Ellen came over to hug you and her youngest, whispering in your ear, “Having you with us has been a joy, you are welcome back any time.” You thanked her quietly, knowing you had finally made it home.

You can let it go / You can throw a party full of everyone you know / And not invite your family 'cause they never showed you love / You don't have to be sorry for doing it on your own

[timothyjimothy74]

Knowing you had finally made it home😭😭😭 LOVE

[drabblemesilly]

Matthew Tkachuk #9

I’ve always loved writing Rat Boy ™ and I’ve always loved writing the awkward neighbor trope so here you go! 

Enjoy! :)

Word count: 1005

You were on a mission: retrieve the ball you threw into your neighbor’s backyard. Did you throw the ball a little too hard? Yes. Did you think your dog had superpowers and can jump over the unusually high fence? No. 

So now, you had to drag your silly ass next door and force yourself to interact with the neighbor who’s always either on a trip or hosting frat boys on random week days. People shouldn’t judge but you’ve always been wondering who this guy is and what he does. Is he some sort of dealer? How much is he selling his weed for?  Would he sell to you if you were nice enough? 

Keep reading

[laurenairay]

Ummm “You’re so cute.” “What did you just say?” “I said you look like a boot.” just scream Matthew Tkachuk to me. Just an awkward little bean

Thank you for this one anon! I can so see him doing this hah, and I loved writing this one!

“You’re so cute.” “What did you just - say?” “I said you look like a boot.” - Matthew Tkachuk

Words: 1.2k

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“You’re coming over for dinner tonight, right?”

Peering around the side of your car, grocery bags in hand, you saw the familiar guy attached to the familiar voice. Matthew Tkachuk. Family friend and summer neighbour, when your two families were at your lake cabins at the same time – and for the next two weeks, that’s exactly what you were doing. Not that you were complaining in the slightest.

“Nice to see you too, Matty,” you teased.

Matthew’s cheeks were dusted with a light blush, but he just smiled at you, making you smile back. There was something about that sweet smile, when he chose to share it, that was so infectious and you loved it. Not that you’d tell him that.

“So are you?” he prompted, no shame.

You laughed at his hopeful expression but nodded, closing the trunk of the car. “Well, your parents invited my parents over for a cook-out, so I assume I’m invited too,” you mused.

“If it was just a parents thing, I’d come over to yours anyway,” Matthew shrugged.

You ignored the light fluttering of butterflies in your stomach and just smiled. Good to know.

“I’d better get this food inside out of the heat – see you later?” you said, tilting your head in question.

“Definitely,” he grinned.

By the time you’d got the groceries inside to your mom, laughed at your dad wrestling with the stack of canoes in the backyard storage shed, unpacked your clothes for the next two weeks and showered before dressing for the evening at the Tkachuk’s cabin next door, hours had passed, leaving you just enough time to put on a little mascara and lipgloss before heading out with your parents.

As always, Taryn and Brady were full of energy, trading stories with everyone and cracking jokes, while you sat back and watched in a comfortable silence, Matthew warm at your side. Spending time with him like this was the highlight of your summer, and having your two families together like this reminded you why you loved coming out here. It just felt right.

After all the food was finished and both sets of parents had headed inside for more comfortable seating, you stayed with Matthew, Taryn and Brady at the table, nursing your drinks.

“…and then I dropped all the glasses all over the floor,” you groaned.

“Oh my god, no!” Taryn gasped, laughing.

Catching up with the Tkachuk’s always meant spilling your most embarrassing moments of the year passed, and unfortunately this year you had a lot of them to tell.

“All of them, I swear! It was so embarrassing!” you giggled, running a hand through your hair.

“You’re so cute,” Matthew laughed.

You froze at his words, Matthew doing the same when he realised what he said, Taryn and Brady’s faces just filling with glee like there was nowhere else they’d rather be right now.

“What did you just say?” you gasped.

“I said you look like a boot,” Matthew said quickly, eyes wide.

His siblings immediately burst into delighted laughter, Taryn clutching at her sides, Brady doubled over, with Matthew’s cheeks flaring scarlet. He scowled at his siblings and stood up sharply, his chair scraping back across the deck, and it was all you could do to sit there, lips parted in shock.

“You are so fucking awkward Matty,” Taryn spluttered between laughs.

“Fuck you,” Matthew shot back, clenching his fists.

His scowl softened as he looked at you, enough for his cheeks to darken a little further, before he stormed off.

“What the fuck was that?” Brady wheezed, trailing off to laugh again.

“I don’t know…but I’m going to find out,” you said firmly.

Matthew thought you were cute? And he’d reacted like that?

“Ooh,” Taryn and Brady sang in chorus, making your own cheeks flare with heat.

But you just ignored them, grabbing Matthew’s beer as well as your own drink before you followed the path he’d taken away from the cabin. Eventually, you spotted him sitting on top of a boulder by the waterside, head down and fists clenched, and it sent a sad pang through your body. No, he didn’t deserve to feel like this, not at all.

“Matty?” you called out, trying not to make him jump.

The only sign that he heard you was his shoulders tensing, making you sigh. But you carried on walking towards him anyway, standing silently at his side for a moment or two, before turning your head to look at him.

“You left your drink at the table,” you murmured, passing him his beer.

“Thanks,” Matthew muttered.

The two of you fell into silence again, Matthew just taking a sip of his drink before starting to pick at the label. It looked like it would be up to you to start talking then.

“So, you called me cute,” you said casually, ignoring how hard your heart was beating.

He groaned softly, cheeks flaring in a blush. “Can we forget about that?”

You bit your bottom lip slightly, before releasing it with a pop. You could be brave, right?

“Sure, we could forget about it,” you shrugged, “Or we could do something about it.”

Matthew’s head turned sharply to look at you, his lips parted in surprise. You could feel your cheeks heat up at the attention but you didn’t dare say anything yet. No, the ball was in his court.

“You…what…really?” he spluttered.

“You gonna put that in a full sentence, Tkachuk?” you teased.

“Shut up!” he whined, only making you laugh.

Matthew looked down at his hands again, falling silent for a moment or two, before he looked back at you, with something you could only call hope in his beautiful blue eyes.

“You, uh, you don’t mind that I think you’re cute?” he said, a little awkward.

“Not at all,” you murmured.

“You don’t mind that I’d like to do something about that?” he added, that familiar smile creeping onto his lips.

“Not in the slightest,” you said, heart starting to race.

“You don’t mind that I want to kiss you right now?” he said, so softly it was practically a whisper.

Your breath hitched in your throat, his words rendering you speechless, but you broke out of your stunned silence as the hope in Matthew’s eyes started to fade. No, if he could be brave, so could you. Without hesitating, you rose up on your toes and pressed your lips to his ever-so-softly, earning a quiet whimper from Matthew. But you didn’t pull away; you kissed him again, just as softly, and Matthew quickly cupped your face with both hands, returning your kisses in a way that made your head spin. He kissed you over and over and over again, and you lost yourself in the way that he felt, the way he tasted, the way he smelled, the way he made your body soar, one hand resting on his thigh and one clutching at his shoulder. This was everything you had ever hoped for and nothing like what you expected and-

“GUYS! WHERE ARE YOU?”

“ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?”

Taryn. Brady. Whoops. You laughed against Matthew’s lips, breaking the kiss slowly, trying to ignore how red and swollen his mouth was, knowing yours would be no better. And wasn’t that a thought.

“YEAH WE’RE ALIVE. FUCK OFF!” Matthew yelled back, making you laugh again, earning that sweet smile.

“We probably should head back before they actually come looking for us,” you pointed out.

Matthew groaned but nodded, knowing you were right. He knew exactly what his siblings were like, just like you did. “We can, uh, carry on later though, right?”

“I think we can manage something,” you grinned.

[hockeystyletea]

Ellie Connell and Matthew Tkachuk in Greece Together