the rumors might have been true enough to turn off most people, but mona wasn't most people. most of her life, people had spent making assumptions about her based on her brother, her parents, the way that she looked. she couldn't bring herself to do the same thing with justin, even when his actions proved the rumors had some truth to them.

justin was hurt, not in a way that could have been fixed overnight, or even quickly and that hurt made him hurt other people. mona couldn't make herself hate him for that.

she laughs and shakes her head, "if you think you letting someone kiss you or get in your lap will hurt me, then maybe you don't know me as well as you think. baby, you could have let me watch."

she lets him pull her closer, dipping her head forward like she would give in, before pulling her head back, "who said anything about teasing you? this is your punishment. you thought you could go find something better, why should i allow you to have me?"

"let you watch?" he whistles. it's hard to tell if she's joking or not, but she's caught his interest yet again. "i didn't know you were into that sort of thing. i think you forgot to mention that. i definitely would have remembered if you did." shaking his head, a small chuckle leaves his lips.

he almost gets her where he wants her, but then she's pulling back. justin frowns. "that's not very nice. i don't like punishments. i only like handing them out." it's as close to a pout as he can get as his hands grab at her hips. "come on. what about forgiving and forgetting? why isn't that a thing here?" he knows it's useless, but ramona will spend the night anyway. he didn't mind, even if he wasn't getting anything out of it.

while it wasn't something that mathis could really imagine for himself, chase made it easy to see all the worries and concerns on his face. every expression revealed a part of what he was feeling and every glance away showed that a new thought was going through his mind. mathis wanted to help slow it down, wanted to help take all his worries away.

mathis shrugs. "people forget things, chase. you may be an alternate, but you are not expected to be perfect. you cannot remember every birthday and focus on your own life. it is fine that you forget some things, so long as you always remember to be as kind as you always are. that is your strength, the reason why you are wearing an a on your chest and why you mean so much to so many people." his hand finds the back of chase's head, his body working on instinct to try to comfort the man sprawled on top of him. "its not stupid if it upsets you. i don't think you should hold it against him, but you are allowed to feel any way that you need to feel about this. you are allowed to be jealous that he got part of your father that you did not get and wanted, but do remember that you have parts of him as well."

more often than not, he wished he knew what the older male was thinking. while chase wore his heart on his sleeve and struggled to hide his emotions, mathis was the polar opposite. it was hard to get him to even crack a smile, let alone share what was going on in his head. and sure, it kept his alternate on his toes, but sometimes he wished that he could be let in. maybe then he'd understand his teammate more.

he wants to interrupt the other and remind him that as an alternate, that's exactly what he should be doing, but then he goes on to remind chase just how kind he was. "oh. i didn't - is that really important?" brows furrow as he questions it, wondering if that's really how the guys thought about him. "i just - i guess it's the least i could do. sometimes they need that extra morale boost, you know? but like...shouldn't i be doing more? you do a lot. i know you wear the c, but shouldn't i be lessening your load? i don't feel like i do. if anything, i feel like i increase it. especially when i'm with taylor." the two were always causing trouble for their captain. it wasn't intentional...well, most of the time it wasn't, anyway.

humming, he closes his eyes for a moment as he concentrates on the hand that's currently in his hair, massaging his scalp and playing with his curls. whether mathis realized it or not, it was a sure fire way of getting chase to calm down. whatever ledge he had been on earlier was no longer a concern as he laid on top of the older man, content with his current position, wrapped up in his arms. "yeah, i guess so. but i always like, i dunno. i guess i look like my mom. but i wish i had something to remind me of my dad, you know? when i looked into the mirror. i have his dog tags, but like, i dunno. tate looks so much like him. it's crazy i didn't realize it before. i guess, um, i guess i didn't really pay much attention to him before. i don't know why. he's just so...quiet. and any time i tried to, elias was like a guard dog with him." he often wondered what was going on there. they always seemed to be...more than just best friends, at least with the way the other looked at his brother.

wink!

It  also  does  wonders  for  his  prior  troubled  image.  The  media  has  had  a  field  day  with  Wesley  becoming  a  mentor.  He  loathes  it,  and  yet  he  doesn't  hesitate  to  play  into  it.  Poor  thing  is  being  hounded  by  people  desperate  to  have  a  hand  at  him,  and  it  fills  Wesley  with  an  irritation  that  feels  otherworldly.  His  touch,  however  firm,  holds  a  heavy  heat  that  could  only  be  understood  by  the  other  feeling  it.  Wesley  forces  a  smile,  dismissing  the  two  of  them.  When  the  noise  of  yet  another  charity  gala  fades  into  the  background,  and  Wesley  finds  himself  leaning  against  a  bar,  rattling  off  their  order  –  does  he  feel  some  sense  of  peace.  His  gaze  shifts  toward  the  other,  a  small  smirk  pulling  at  the  edges  of  his  lips.  The  shell-shocked  look  on  their  face  never  seems  to  get  old,  and  Wes  kind  of  wants  to  laugh  at  the  sight.  “Anyone  ever  tell  you  that  you're  tense?”  Wes  asks,  mindlessly  reaching  out  to  fix  the  other's  tie.  When  he  feels  content  enough,  he  brings  his  eyes  to  connect  their  gaze.  “What  are  you  so  nervous  about,  anyway?”  He  prods,  as  if  he  doesn't  already  know  the  answer. 

The past few years had been a blur. From being drafted third overall to becoming a hit after a playoff run, he could barely keep up with his newfound fame. He had put in the work as a kid, choosing hockey over most things, but never did he think he'd be on the level that he was on now. Seeing his name plastered on jerseys and signs dedicated to cheering him on was more common than not now, and while he was grateful for the support, sometimes it was overwhelming.

That's where Wesley came in.

A mentor of sorts, they had said. Despite no longer being on the ice himself, he had once been in Jackson's shoes and knew how to handle it better than most.

It's crazy how much he now depended on him, especially during moments like these.

The suit is stuffy. The air is hot. Too many people have come up to him and all he wants to do is go home, play with his dog, and call Asher. Despite being so young, his best friend's kid always seemed to have the best advice.

You can do it, Uncle J.