#kesh.writes

there were many things quinn looked forward to in his life; playing against his brothers during the season, making childish digs at petey and brock during practice, but nothing outdid the feeling of you gently twirling his curls around your finger as you washed the soapy suds out of his hair.

he had just gotten back from an east coast roadie, jet lag and missing hours of sleep were settled deep into his bones, his eyes closing shut the second you brought him into the shower. warm steam enveloped the both of you the faint scent of eucalyptus filled the air from the bundle hung around the shower head neck.

you stumbled back half a step as quinn draped his entire body onto you, an amused chuckle rumbling against your bodies, "ok sweet boy, you've gotta work with me here."

"oh... yeah, sorry." quinn managed to mumble out, thick arms already wound around your middle and his head heavy on your shoulder as he helped slowly shuffle the both of you closer to where the water fell.

you took your time with the defenseman's hair, making sure it was properly wet before grabbing the bottle of shampoo, and massaging it into his locks. fingers moving with purpose from his hairline to the base of his neck, scrubbing away all the negative thoughts of the three game losing streak, taking care to also gently wash then sensitive skin behind his ears.

you felt a puff of warm hair hit your skin, "''s tickly baby." his hands moving to grip at your waist, fingers flexing ever so slightly as you neared your completion of step one, "'m almost done here, hold on for a little longer." a goofy smile settling on your lips.

flicking your hands down to rid most of the soapy suds you then brought them back up to hold his chin, "ok, tilt your head back for me- there you go." you cooed, his dark lashes kissing his freckled cheeks as the white soap flowed down the column of his neck, using gravity to let the water rinse out his hair.

gazing up at him, you thanked your lucky stars for whatever let you be here with him, his face void of any stress he brought back from the long roadie. finally, with clean water washing over the soft slope of his nose you brought a hand up to coax him back into you, "gotta put some conditioner in honey, we're almost done."

as quinn pulled back from the water and closer to you, he finally opened his eyes. and though they were still heavily hooded, you could finally see the flecks of green in his hazel hues and to your hearts desire, a small smile was placed on his lips.

his thumbs drew languid circles into the flesh of your hip, relishing in the gentleness of your fingers looping around his curls with the conditioner of yours he loved so much. the smell of oats and shea butter filling the steamy bathroom as you meticulously worked across his head, your brows furrowed in concentration before quinn's hand came up to sooth the wrinkles that found their way there.

a cheeky smile prodded at your lips, "looks like we're all done here, just gotta wash it out one last time." you said, pressing up on your toes to press a sweet kiss to his lips. you held onto his biceps for just a fraction longer than normal, your mind entirely elsewhere as warm water cascaded over the both of you, his calloused hands running up the space of your back and hugging you impossibly closer to him.

the first time he did it you were a little stunned, your heart stuttering in your chest as it felt like time had stopped for a few seconds. it was after your second date and he had just dropped you off at your apartment door (like the gentleman he is) and you just- froze.

joey had leaned back from the peck he had delivered with his cheeks flushed and a private smile reserved on his lips, before tucking a lock of hair behind your ear and bidding you a good night.

it was a sweet and innocent gesture, the warm feather like kiss leaving your skin tingling with want, and then it was like a firecracker went off. you wanted him to kiss you silly all over your face, from the corner of you lip, to the space between your brows; you needed more love from him in any way you could get.

and as your relationship progressed you did get more of those kisses you were hoping for, but the one that came to the corner of your mouth stayed the most consistent.

he'd do it before he left the house for a game, he'd do it when he woke you up in the morning, he did it after every game win or lose when you were waiting outside of the locker room for him. and as much as it drove you insane, it also made joey's insides melt in affection, always lingering for a little longer to make you squirm.

such was the case, you were standing against the brick wall outside of the locker room generally chatting with steph when joey exited for the night. a big dopey smile already spread across his face as he walked over to you, casually wrapping a limber arm around your shoulders and pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth, "hey steph, good game tonight yeah?"

cheeky motherfucker you though, talking to your friend as if he hadn't reduced your will down to a puddle, heat flaring against your cheeks and neck as you tilted your head up to look at him.

"I thought it was ok," you hummed, capturing your bottom lip between your teeth.

you felt the rumble of his deep laugh against your shoulder, "just ok? not like I got a shutout or anything." he said, angling you closer to him, yeah he was going to be the death of you.

boldly, you pressed your index finger to the edge of your mouth, a scheming smile tugging at your lips, "dunno maybe if you give me another kiss I'll change my opinion."

joey's eyes crinkled in adoration, "you drive a hard bargain, doll," leaning down and pressing a warm kiss to the crown of you head, then a longer one to the corner of your lips, "so, what do you have to say about the game now?" he asked, face merely inches away from yours, his deep midwestern drawl breaking your resolve.

luke had already stripped down to his slacks, crisp white button up and black blazer discarded behind the shut door, somewhere in the dimly lit bedroom as you sat on the vanity counter in the bathroom with your fingers curling over the cool edge.

you were using every little ounce of will left to in your body to hold yourself up as you nearly melted into his touch- one of his hands gently cradling the size of your face as his other delicately wiped away at your makeup.

there were many things you loved about luke, from the way he'd send you random photos throughout the day of things he saw, to the way his curly hair was an unruly but adorable mess when you woke up next to him every morning.

but the best thing you loved about him, was how tender he was. not only from his words and emotions, but how he physically cared for you as well. never rubbing too hard on your eyelids to get the glittery eye shadow off, never scrubbing away at the nearly indestructible eyeliner with too much force, and always making sure to make gentle swipes at the blush adorned on your cheeks.

it was unbearable almost, your heart virtually crushing at the softness of it all. nearly purring into his hold as he threw away the last make-up wipe, then bringing both of his hands up to gently cup your cheeks and tilt your head up so he could press a tooth-achingly saccharine kiss to your lips.

as he pulled back, you both harbored dopey grins- eyes crinkling at the corners in adoration for each other. your heart hammered against your chest as you took in luke's curls, the bathroom lighting creating halo around his head causing you to miss most of what luke seemed to have said to you.

"sorry, what?" you deliriously giggled, shaking your head a little to get out of your haze.

"I asked if you wanted to take a shower, 's late but I you hate going to bed without one." luke asked again, already moving to get you standing and towards the shower door.

you nodded, robotically peeling off your gala attire as luke set the temperature of the shower, kicking off his pants and boxers before guiding you under the water. a chuckle bubbled out from his chest as you were essentially using him as a crutch, loose arms wrapped around his middle and your cheek mushed against his chest as the water ran down your back.

he made quick work with your body wash, making sure to get under your arms, the sensitive parts of your neck, and behind your ears. he then gently pushed you off of him for only a moment so he could apply and rinse your face wash before you came crumpling back onto him.

"you're so warm lukey." you mumbled, tilting your head up so you could gaze at him with big doe eyes, taking extra enjoyment in the sturdiness of his toned arms keeping you up.

"I know baby," he hummed happily, a soapy hand pushing a stray lock of hair behind your ear, "'m almost done here, I just gotta wash the soap off of us then we can get out." he cooed.

he angled you both so the shower head drained away the soapy suds, all the while rubbing a comforting hand across your back, trying to keep you upright for just a few more seconds till he could sit you back down on the toilet to dry you off.

perfumed steam had filled the bathroom leaving luke to open the door to vent the air out. where when he turned back around, he was greeted with the most adorable sight of you shrouded in one of the many hotel bathrobes he had stolen for you while on his roadies.

your eyes were seconds away from drooping shut with the serenity of it all, only just registering luke's large hands towelling you off as your heart nearly leaped out of your chest, "I really love you luke." you sleepily droned.

1) THE TAVERN INCIDENT

It wasn’t out of the ordinary to find yourself leaned against a sticky stand-alone tabletop at the local tavern on a Thursday evening. Gripping a cool pitcher containing a very dubious mix of alcohol and soda that was half downed, you were more than entertained as your friends failed miserably at throwing darts anywhere near the vicinity of the dart board.

However, what was starting to become a bit out of the ordinary was the influx of girls who wanted to garner the attention of a certain Harvard hockey player, but more importantly your only outlet to a larger social group than the average college student; Prince Charming on ice, Jack Drury.

The regular season was rapidly coming to a close and with the stakes high of the Frozen Four being favored to be won by the boys in Crimson- rubbing elbows with their best man on the ice was proving to be a little tricky. Nay, not for you though, but more so in ways he couldn’t imagine- it was tricky for Jack. 

You could ask anyone and they’d all tell you that Jack was a kind person, sometimes a bit too kind, his midwest politeness coming out in full force anytime someone came up to him. But, he was starting to feel the nag of annoyance with girls coming up to vie for him anytime he stepped out of the apartment. He really just wanted a fun evening with some of the boys and you and your friends.

Like clockwork, by the time his first beer was downed and he was nursing his second (and probable last) beer of the night, he could hear a group of far too high pitched and tipsy giggles from behind him, followed by not so hushed whispers being thrown around the group of girls to see who could ‘bag prince charming’ for the night. His lips pressed into a tight line as he shut his eyes hoping, albeit very hopelessly, that ‘prince charming’ would maybe be goalieman Connor for the night, and not him.

Jack wasn’t a cruel boy, nor was he one for emotionlessly shutting people down, but with this being the third week in a row in which he was being drunkenly courted for the sake of some sorority girls aphrodite-esque ego, his patience of rejecting them chivalrously was drawing to a close and he was looking for a more fool proof action.

The drag of acrylic nails raked down his bicep in some provocative manner of getting his attention, the hairs on the back of his neck and down his arms prickling up like a scared cat as he willed every fibre in his body to not immediately retract his arm like he’d been touched by lava.

“Well hello there handsome…” The girl purred- obviously a couple shots of vodka deep into the night. Her eyes were glassy and wide as she tried to talk her way into a night with him. But her words were turning into white noise and before his mind could even process what he was doing, Jack found himself gently removing her heavily manicured hand off his arm with a tight smile before turning his head to where you stood next to the dartboards and shouting out a Hail Mary.

“Honey!” He called out over a bass boosted version of ‘Pink Pony Club’, blue eyes locking with yours as he called out for a second time, “Hey, hon! Can you c’mere for a sec?” His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, heart nearly jumping out of his chest as if clearly drunk the girl in front of was going to call him on his very fake impromptu girlfriend. But somewhere in the small corner of his mind that wasn’t occupied with the current situation, it felt scarily natural to be calling you pet names he’d only ever dreamed about in his mind.

Your brows furrowed as you comically brought your index finger up to prod at your chest, ‘Me?’ you mouthed as you watched him vigorously shake his head in affirmation. Shrugging your shoulders you made your way to Jack, taking in the scene in front of him as a buzzed giggle escaped from your lips.

You hated how easy it was for you to slip your arm around his waist, chirping out a bright “Hello!” to the brunette girl in front of you both- The weight of Jack’s arm settling across your shoulders, warm fingertips brushing the exposed skin on your upper arm as the rumble of his voice vibrated through your body.

If someone had asked you to reiterate what Jack was saying in that moment there was no way, life on the line, you were going to be able to tell them. But what you did know between the way you were slowly melting into his side, and the way the pretty brunette girl's face was dropping, you were maybe- potentially- only a little bit- ever so incredibly down bad for your best friend.

And for a brief moment, you were able to come out of your thoughts to see Jack tilt his head down to you in that stupidly boyish way where a few golden strands of hair flopped over his forehead and his eyes crinkled from a cheeky smile as he continued talking.

“I know you just want a good night, but I’m here with my girl for my night so may I suggest someone else?” He asked, dusting of pink covering his cheeks as the brunette mulled over his question, only to nod in agreement of finding someone else to settle down with for the night.

From where his hand was perched on your shoulder, you felt the drag of his fingers again as he pointed behind the girl, “That amazing guy over there is Connor and I’m sure he’d be more than happy to-” but she was off before he could finish his sentence. A huff of relief tumbled past his lips as he leaned into your frame, his forehead gently knocking atop your head.

“Fuckin- Jesus Christ, you’re a lifesaver you know that?” Jack groaned into your hair, his arm tightening around you in a side hug, a physical ‘thank you’ as your heart struggled to stay even. 

It was embarrassing how such little physical contact had you reeling for more affection from him.

“I’ve been told a few times by you,” you breathed out, gently pushing his head up so you could comb the fallen strands of hair back into place, “but I didn’t even do anything, you did a fine job yourself, y’know, with whatever you said.” A cheeky smile spreading across your lips as his eyes blew wide.

A gasp of faux hurt ripped between the two of you, “You didn’t even hear what I had to say? It was like, so good! Really had her going that we were together you know.”

Playfully punching at his chest, all you could do was laugh, “Sorry, sorry! I was distracted, but you can definitely call me ‘honey’ the next time you need me to play girlfriend or whatever.” You said, trying to come off as nonchalant as you could, the back of your mind screaming ‘Or you could call me that any time! Any day! Honestly, you could call me honey whenever and I’d probably fold for you faster than a piece of wet paper!’ 

Jack’s smile grew even more, rubbing his hand up and down the length of your arm, “Yeah, for sure, I’ll keep that in mind for next week when this inevitably happens again.” His heart somersaulting at the idea of being able to keep up the fake gig, especially since that was probably the closest he would ever get at a chance with you.

2) TRUTH OR DARE... MOSTLY TRUTH

Now, you don’t go out to parties much, much less frat ones, but you did have a system in place for when you did go to one. The non-negotiable rules were 1) Jack and Audrey had to be going and 2) you’d be D.D while rationing a pair of energy drinks throughout the night. 

Audrey, your roommate and student physio for the hockey team, was the one who both introduced you to Jack freshman year. But more decidedly right now, was also the one who had urged you to go out with her for the night. She was adamant enough about the both of you going that you were willing to compromise on your first rule if Jack wasn’t going, her infectious energy alone seemed enough to get you through the night without another social crutch.

But you still sent him a text before you left just in case. Definitely not because since the Tavern Incident you’d had a few too many realistic dreams about him that had your heart yearning for something more. Or the fact that every relationship tiktok coming up on your feed was feeling like a personal attack at your evident lack of a relationship- no, definitely not any of that…

Jack had responded with a thumbs up emoji, and it had left you smiling at your phone like a love sick idiot while waiting for Audrey to meet you in the car.

~ ~ ~

The party was on par for what you had expected going into the weekend before spring break. There were hoards of college students half way to a blackout night trying to forget the stress of midterms, mixed with those who were ready to celebrate the upcoming break. But truthfully, all you could concentrate on was the warm hold of Jack’s hand against yours. 

Audrey had gone off to a group of sorority girls you vaguely remembered meeting earlier in the semester (they were nice enough, they had offered you free food at fall welcome) leaving you to meander around the frat house with Jack as he offered nuggets of information regarding the flashes of people coming up to have a chat with him. 

You did your part waiving hello to those who you met, offering general staple pieces of information like your major, what year you were in, and how the semester had been treating you so far. But beyond the small talk, you were more entranced with watching Jack socialize throughout the night. The LED party lights causing his golden hair to glow like a halo in the most rave-neon-angelic way possible.

It was ridiculous really, the way someone could look so good while simply just existing. But it wasn’t just the looks, Jack always made sure to introduce you before letting someone get too far into their own conversation. He was always checking between people to make sure you weren’t feeling overwhelmed, and maybe the most thoughtful action in your opinion- tugging you into the kitchen to raid for some snacks. Playfully chucking a bag of chips at your chest as he unpromptedly cleaned up empty solo cups and beer cans into their respective bins as you finished your last energy drink for the night.

He was making it difficult for you to not fall harder for him every day, between the silly tiktoks sent to each other throughout the day, to his continuous kind actions, and his infuriatingly boyish prince charming look- all you could do was watch from an arms length and hope maybe the world would be kind to you as it was to every other couple you had been seeing in your day to day life.

~ ~ ~

It was late enough into the night that the number of people who were left, were able to huddle into a circle on the basement floor- an empty beer bottle sat on its side in the center. Sitting yourself between Jack and Audrey felt like the safest choice, watching random people take their turn at a Truth or a Dare.

A few Truths had gone past the trio of you all, and one Dare on your end to lick a part of Audrey (you licked her elbow as it seemed the least offensive), but Jack had stuck with all Truths. It was safe for him, especially since he didn’t need anything going out on social media that wasn’t supposed to be out before transitioning into the nhl after the school year.

But some frat boy, who you were pretty sure was the president of the greek house you were in, wasn’t having it- groaning in annoyance when Jack had answered ‘Truth’ for the fourth time that night. An awkward chuckle leaving the forward's mouth, “Yeah, yeah, I guess I could do a dare.” He admitted, shaking his head in mild regret.

“I dare you to do a body shot off of Talia.” The boy proposed, a cocky grin already covering his face while Talia (the treasury appointee for the frat’s sibling greek sorority, if you remembered correctly), in all in her body glitter glory and red tube top, smiled like a minx, head tilted like a siren's invitation.

Your eyebrows raised in surprise, turning to see Jack’s cheeks covered in pink, a heavy pause hung in the air, as the Dare sat in the curious basement. Besides Jack’s initial gut reaction of ‘absolutley the fuck not’, his immediate second thought was ‘how the hell am I getting out of this’ not particularly fond of getting physically cozy with a girl he’d barely even spoken a sentence to the entire night, let alone at all.

“I’m not sure-” he coughed, clearing his throat to still the nervousness, “I’m not sure I’d be ok with doing that, especially if I’m sat next to my girlfriend y’know?” The lie rolled off of his tongue too naturally for someone who was most definitely not in a relationship with his best friend. One of his hands coming to squeeze at the meat of your thigh causing heat to rush up your cheeks at the same time your caffeine fueled brain short circuited at the touch.

Murmurs of mixed opinions filled the space as the frat boy’s voice cut through the mess with an asterix, “If the girlfriend says she’s ok with it, then you should do it.” He said with a shrug.

Jack turned to face you, putting on the best puppy dog eyes you could have ever imagined, reducing your will to that of a puddle, “What does the girlfriend say?” He asked, voice lowered and soft so only you could hear it as he squeezed at your thigh again, gently asking for an answer.

There wasn’t much to think about the matter, “The girlfriend says no, I don’t want to see that.” You answered sternly, followed by a chorus of whines coming from those around. But that was the truth, you weren’t sure if you could, with a strong face, watch the boy you’d been silently falling for do something so physical without blowing a fuse on the inside. 

But by the looks of it Jack didn’t look like he would’ve been up to the task himself either, swiftly moving in to press a quick kiss to your temple, “thanks honey, you saved me again.” His hand still sat comfortably on your thigh as he pulled away, not quite ready to fully let go of you.

“No problem Jay, that’s what I’m here for.” A small smile pulling at your lips.

“Nah, you’re better than that, you’re great company too, it’s nice having you around with me.” He admitted softly, the handful of beers he had had throughout the night loosening his filter around you, his walls coming down enough for you to feel the sincerity of his comment.

The briefest flicker of a spark ignited in your chest, “Yeah?” you asked, “Yeah. Honest to God.” he echoed back, eyes crinkling at the corners at the force of his smile as he leaned in once more to press another kiss to your forehead. You were so incredibly fucked.

“Great work, girlfriend.” Audrey nudged you with a knowing look, the texts between her and Jack still bright in her mind from the night before regarding the Tavern Incident. But all she could do was hope for the day the two of her friends came to their rightful senses.

3) SPRING BREAK AND BREAKING NEWS

jacky boy! [11:57pm] : i have a question you [11:58pm] : i maybe have an answer jacky boy! [12:01am] : what would you think about going home with me for spring break? you [12:01am] : oooh uh you [12:01am] : depends on the context of what ‘going home’ w you is

Staring at your phone you had not a clue in the world what was coming next. The question itself was a bit odd and your tired brain wasn’t coming up with any rational answers. It wasn’t like you’d never met the Drury family, having had conversations with his mom and dad from the few times they made it out for home games, they were kind people- leaving you a bit clueless as to what the college boy was getting at.

The typing bubbles on Jack’s end were rapidly popping up and down before he messaged back, a block of text obviously written in thorough yet nervous explanation.

jacky boy! [12:05am] : so i may have fucked up a little bit and alluded to my mom that we were dating bc i was on the phone with her the other day telling her about the party we went to. and i didn’t really specify that you were like not * not * my girlfriend given the circumstances. and now she’s way too excited about the fact that i finally have a girlfriend because, and i quote ‘she’s a really good girl she’s great for you’ (you are! that’s not entirely a lie! just the girlfriend part, i’m so so so sorry:( you’re too good and precious for putting up with me for this past semester) and now she really wants you to spend some time up north with us. and so i may have caved and told her that you’d ‘love to come for the break!’ because idk, fuck i was stressing! jacky boy! [12:06am] : um so yeah… would you be free to spend spring break with me ???? jacky boy! [12:06am] : i will literally doordash you food for an entire week if you do, i owe you the biggest of big time. 

Fingers hovering over your keyboard you blinked owlishly, rereading the message at least four times over- he couldn’t be serious could he?

you [12:09am] : let me get this clear you [12:09am] : you need me to go home with you because you caved to your mom?? and didn’t want to correct her?? 

Maybe it was the late night getting to you, but your heart ached at the noticeable panic in his text. Overly apologetic at every stop when quite frankly you had nothing booked for your summer break, and even before his novel of an explanation you’d already mentally agreed to go. Who were you kidding, a week straight of pretending to date the guy you were irreversibly fallen for? What could go wrong! (re: sarcasm). 

jacky boy! [12:10am] : … yes you [12:11am] : jkjk. i’ll go home with you! no doordash needed, i’ve heard the lakes are super pretty this time of the year you [12:11am]  : and don’t apologize j, i agreed to help you too in the first place, there’s worse things to be doing over break than pretending to be your girlfriend :) 

Heart thudding in your chest as you typed out the last bit of your message, playing a pretend girlfriend. At this rate, your feelings were on a fast track to becoming a full-blown romcom- gone wrong. You needed to get yourself in check by the end of the break or else you knew your certain heart would fall into a diabolically new criminal level of being a hopeless romantic.

jacky boy! [12:12am] : you’re a fucking live saver angel jacky boy! [12:12am] : like seriously thank you so much, i’ll text you later with more details. you’re so awesome

Angel. A new nickname that had your cheeks roaring with heat, you were definitely going to be holding onto that one for a while. Something so holy yet soft intentionally infused into the pet name given the massive ask, and it had your mind spiraling into a possible gateway of maybe for the first time in knowing him, something that lead to more. 

~ ~ ~

Leaving your apartment to get to the airport with Jack went by like a blur, being far too early in the morning to process anything other than the bagel and perfectly made coffee order he had passed to you once you were past security to keep you upright till you were in your seats on the plane.

You remembered blearily finding stead on his study shoulder while in the air before feeling the comforting weight of his hooded head atop of yours joining you for a quick morning nap before touchdown in Illinois. 

But, you remembered even more though, the way he offered you one of his earbuds on the Uber drive back to his house, letting you pick whatever songs you wanted to listen to while on the way there. Whether it was a way to calm you down or him, you still weren’t sure- mentally filing away the rare stoic look he had on his face as his smile dropped after thanking the driver.

But most dammingly, you vividly remembered the way he always found a way to be touching you. Linked pinkies as you drove to the airport, a warm hand between your shoulder blades as he guided you in front of him while waiting for tsa, the offering of his arm to link through yours as you settled in for the flight. And even now, the gentle brush of his fingertips against your skin as he tucked loose locks of hair behind your ears, his face a bit softer than before yet still carrying an edge of nervousness behind his eyes.

Arriving at the Drury’s home, his mother and father were kind enough to not bombard either of you with too many topics of conversation. Clearly seeing the residual sleeplessness from an early start to the day, they shooed you both to his bedroom for some more rest before the entire family got together later that night.

“I’m so glad you made it out honey,” Liz said earnestly, a nurturing hand squeezing your upper arm, “get some rest, you and Jack are going to need it for tonight.”

“Of course,” you nodded, “and thank you all again for having me, I really appreciate it.” A grateful smile pulling at your lips.

Padding into Jack's childhood room, you could only giggle at the amount of hockey memorabilia that lined his walls and shelves, a low whine coming from the blond as he laid starfished out on his bed, an arm covering his eyes.

“I’m too tired to hear whatever joke you have about my room, you can chirp me all you want when we wake up.”

Lifting up the flannel duvet, you slipped under curling onto your side nudging his other arm onto his stomach for a bit of room, “I wasn’t gonna say anything Jay,” wiggling into the mattress to get more comfortable, “I was going to say though, I just found out where you got the ‘honey’ nickname from.”

Jack lifted his arm up off his face just enough to turn and look at you, brows furrowed adorably, “How so?”

“It’s cuter when your mom says it to me,” you revealed, “but you say it with the same softness as her, it’s sweet like that.”

“Yeah, I agree,” he said, shuffling himself under a Harvard Crimson throw blanket, “wait till you hear where I got dickwad on the ice from, you’ll have a hell of a time with my dad.” A smile evident in his voice as you closed your eyes for some much needed rest, nestling into the comfortable warmth between the two of you.

~ ~ ~

You’d never even admit to Audrey how much you enjoyed waking up with his arm around your waist, rosey cheeks smushed into your neighboring pillow as soft breaths escaped his lips, hair tickling his forehead from the whirring fan above. You only allowed yourself the penance of carefully pushing the golden strands back and ever so slowly peeling his arm away from you so you could freshen up for the night- before you did something unnecessarily domestic like feathering his face with kisses.

When he finally woke, his mother was more than delighted to have an extra pair of hands to help her sort out food and decorations for the incoming guests. Bypassing any need for questions about your relationship, she opted to order around your fake boyfriend for the week about the house while feeding you golden nuggets of baby Jack lore, back when he was still learning how to tie his skates.

By the time the last cooler was filled with drinks, the backyard was also filled with family and close friends. Overlapping voices bubbling with giddy conversations that were interjected with children's laughter. You hadn’t thought you’d stopped smiling from the second the evening had started, not realizing just how much you enjoyed being around Jack’s personal world. 

Your heart squeezed with affection every time Jack let his nieces score a goal on him, and it fluttered like a butterfly when he came from behind you mid conversation and naturally interlocked his fingers with yours while introducing you to another member of his family. It felt like you were floating around the party with him like some fairy, cheeks happily aching in a smile every time he recounted the first time he met you- making sure you interjected with only the best comedic timing to correct him on some non essential points.

But at some point between dinner and the numerous kisses Jack had placed on the back of your hand, his dad had whisked you away along with some of the cousins to show off his son's accolades in the basement. Pride oozed with every story he told and every medal he pointed out. It was all so charming hearing about the world Jack grew up in, clearly able to see how his mom and dad raised Jack to be the kindest and most tenacious boy you’d ever met.

As the rest of the cousins were leaving to grab dessert, his dad made sure to take a moment with you, “Now hold on a minute there, you.” He said, rummaging through a red scrapbook binder with ‘Harvard’ scribbled across in bold before handing you a ticket stub dating back to Jack’s freshman year.

“Do you remember anything particular about that game?” He asked. 

The answer came immediately like you were on a game show, “He got a hatty that game, absolutely electric- I remember chucking my friend's hat off her head because she didn’t know what to do.” 

“That’s right. But I remember seeing my baby boy after that game and him swearing up and down that you were the reason he got the hat trick that night.” 

That made you pause, your breath catching as his father gave you a look filled with the kind of pride reserved for people who recognize love when they see it.

“He kept on going on and on about how you weren’t able to make the last couple of home games, and how that was the reason he was only getting one or two assists every game. I remember him having this gigantic smile on his face when he walked out of the locker room because he was texting you. He made sure to show us a picture of you and your friend beanieless with the same smile as him.” He let out a chuckle, eyes crinkling in the same way Jack’s did when he was retelling a story that lit up the whole room.

“And I remember distinctly thinking, that’s what a boy in love looks like. He didn’t stop smiling that entire night, bringing you up every other minute because you made sure he didn’t miss any assignments that week from being too excited about how you were going to be there to watch.”

“Jesus…” you swore, “I didn’t know any of that, really. I remember he was definitely way more amped up after that game than usual, but that’s… that’s just insane.” Your mind was running at a hundred miles an hour trying to catch up with the new information. Your hands were starting to tingle where the ticket laid in your palm, the paper slip feeling more like a core memory rather than a scrapbook addition.

“He really thought he got that hatty because I was there?” You asked, head tilted in absolute bewilderment.

“Absolutely. He reminded me that night of myself when I met his mother and scored my first hatty with her in the stands,” he laughed, “I couldn’t mistake that look for anything else than a man in love.”And in a moment your whole perspective on your relationship with Jack had been turned on its head. You found yourself walking out of the basement feeling lighter than air with only two things on your mind: 1) kissing Jack absolutely silly and 2) finally letting him know exactly how you felt because it seemed like he’d already made his feelings known to everyone but you.

+1) HONEY, I LOVE YOU

His laugh found your ears before your eyes could spot him- bright, warm, and louder than anyone else's. The overhead fairy lights strung along the back porch danced across the sharp of his jaw, and his sandy hair shimmed every time he ran a hand though it.

As gracefully as you could with the ball of energy trapped inside of you, you nuzzled up to Jack winding your arm around his and slotting your fingers against his hand. Your chin cushioned into the meat of his bicep, sporting a cheesy smile as you tilted your head up to look at him.

“Hi love.” You cooed, giddy with excitement, the pet name coming out far more smoothly than how your heart was functioning.

“Hey honey, what’s up? Did dad bore you too much about games you’ve already watched?” He asked, squeezing your hand.

“Oh no, not at all. I actually think I learned a bit more about those games.” You said, “I’ve gotta pick your brain though about one of them though, for science.” 

A chuckle rumbled through his chest, “Yeah of course hon, c’mon we can go inside, the bugs are killing me out here.”

Trailing no more than half step behind him, you couldn’t help but feel a little playful, swinging your arms as he led you back up to his room, making sure to grab a plate of dessert for you both on the way there.

Plopping down onto the unmade bed you watched him set down the plate before nudging you over for him to lay down, a long groan escaping his chest as he stretched his back, shirt riding up enough for you to see a flash of his stomach.

You couldn’t help it, a giggle bubbling out of you as you poked at his side, “So,” you dragged out, “I heard from a little birdie that you accredited me for your one and only collegiate hattrick.” A smile so wide you were sure it had to be at least a little off putting as you turned to look at him.

“He told you that?” He asked incredulously, eyes wide as he immediately sat up, a tuft of hair falling across his forehead from the speed of him jerking up as another giggle fell from your lips.

“He told me that, and he told me you just ‘would not stop talking about me’ for like the whole night.” Eyes glinting with amusement, “So what’s your take on all of this?”

Jack blinked slowly, the excitement written across your face causing every failsafe answer he had in his mind to just vanish, something more honest and raw coming out instead.

“My take is that I like you.” He admitted, feeling like time had come to a screeching stop, tucking his lip between his teeth and pausing. But he didn’t feel nervous in the slightest, being around you made him feel anything but that, his heartbeat surprisingly calm for a secret he’d been keeping to himself for quite a while.

“Like I like-like you.” Eyes flickering across your face as if trying to catch any micro expression that would indicate you felt otherwise, as if your beaming smile and kind eyes were anything but fake.

Nudging your shoulder against his you could feel the butterflies swirling in your chest, “Well it would seem that I also like-like you.” You said, “Like a stupid amount considering I agreed to play pretend girlfriend for a whole week. Well actually… considering I agreed to play pretend girlfriend at least three other times before this.” 

“Yeah?” Jack asked, a small smile starting to creep up on his lips, “Like for real?”

“Yeah,” you whispered, your voice a little smaller and softer, “like, for real real.”

And that was all Jack needed to hear. He didn’t rush his movements, a steady hand reaching up to gently cup your cheek, his thumb brushing across your skin with the kind of tenderness that made your heart threaten to burst. You could see the relief in his eyes, the relief of not having to ask you to play pretend out of worry or overstepping. The relief of knowing that what you shared wasn’t just a role to play, but something honest and real- something you both had felt over the years of knowing each other.

And then his lips were on yours. They were soft, tasting like the cider he had been nursing the entire night as he tilted your head up ever so slightly so he could slot more firmly between your lips. As if he was always meant to kiss you, because maybe he was.

It was slow and sweet, everything that he was as a person wrapped up into a kiss. Your lips were moving on their own accord as you sighed into him. The happy little sound escaping you as your fingers danced across the fabric of his shirt, finding purchase against his chest where you pulled him in closer.

He smiled against your mouth, the kiss deepening into a moment that was full of the warm, fluttering kind of intimacy that left his lungs knocked out breathless- like he’d just scored the winning overtime goal. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, noses brushing as you both sat there dazed in awe.

“I’ve wanted to do that for months,” he mumbled, a tiny grin tugging at his pink lips, 

“Me too,” you breathed, smiling so wide it almost hurt.

“You know this means I can stop asking you to cover as my girlfriend now, right?” he teased, gently squishing your cheeks “No more fake girlfriend. Just, the girlfriend. My girlfriend… if you’ll have me, honey” He asked, voice pitched low at the question.

You let out a soft laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I will, but only because I was getting dangerously close to accidentally telling your dad the truth. But now I don’t have to.”

“About time,” he whispered, leaning in like some heaven sent disney prince to press another soft kiss to the corner of your mouth, then your cheek, then your forehead- each one placed like he was cherishing something finer than diamonds.

You both hung in the comfortable silence, curling into his sturdy body and wrapping your arms around his torso. You laid your head happily on his chest above his heart, a drumming rhythm only for you to hear. A permanent smile on your lips as your fingers tangled together.

Outside, the sounds of laughter and rowdy kids still floated up through the spring air, but inside his room it was quiet- just you, Jack, and the comforting feeling of everything finally falling into place.

“I think I’m gonna like being your real girlfriend,” you whispered sleepily, eyelids fluttering shut.

laundry days in the apartment weren't by any means done on a set schedule, leaving wyatt or you to start a load in whenever the laundry basket was starting to top off, or, whenever wyatt had one too many many sweaty post-practice shirts stacking up on the chair in the corner of your room- causing you to wrinkle your nose and gingerly pinch the garments between your fingers to throw into the washer with a hefty amount of tide.

much was the case though when running multiple loads of laundry in a day, it left you with the reality of wearing 'laundry day' clothes, an oversized dallas stars tee paired with whatever shorts or pants you could find lying around the home. it was comfy, well worn (by more than just you), and had a little 53 on the shoulder sleeve that was starting to peel away from the multiple washes.

soft padding was heard between the laundry room and your bedroom as you put dirty clothes into the waster, clean clothes into the dryer, and warm clothes back into the basket to be folded. with the addition of a podcast droning on in the background it was a quaint and familiar domestic rhythm you found yourself in, dumping the freshly dried clothes onto the king sized bed to begin folding.

you heard the soft click of front door closing, and with a bright smile on your face you bolted to the entrance, fuzzy socks on your feet allowing you to slide perfectly in front of wyatt and throw your arms around his middle for a hug.

a chuckle rumbled though his chest as his own arms drew you closer to him, it wasn't a long morning practice, but you also weren't awake when he left so the excitement of seeing your favorite person for the first time today was palpable.

"hey baby," wyatt cooed into your hairline, pressing a warm kiss against your head, "I got us chipotle for lunch" shaking the brown bags behind your back for emphasis.

"hmm, thank you wy!" you chirped, pressing a quick kiss to the edge of his jaw in reply, grabbing the bags out of his hands then instructing him to put his shirt on the floor next to the washer so you could run the next load.

"yes, maam," he agreed, pinching at your waist as he walked past you to do so, a content smile making his eyes crinkle in the most adorable way. it wasn't until after he was shirtless and looking for a spare shirt, that there actually weren't any left, rather there weren't any left in his size... other than the one you were wearing right now

making his way back into the kitchen where you were plating up your bowls his eyebrows pinched together in moderate confusion, "isn't that my shirt?"

without missing a beat you answered back, "you mean our shirt?"

wyatt snorted in befuddlement, "since when was that our shirt? it literally has my number on it!" he whined, joining you at the kitchen table, "plus as far as I know they gave me that shirt not you."

bumping your shoulder into his you simply just hummed in amusement, "it became our shirt when I moved in here doofus, plus it's not like you don't have five hundred other shirts exactly like this."

on cue with your rebuttal, the dryer timer went off, the melodic tune prompting the final nail in the 'laundry' coffin, "I would know, I'm the one who cleans all your shirts anyways wy," you giggled poking a finger into his torso, "you can get the load out when we're done though, I've still got some clothes to fold."

it was a sliver of morning light that snuck though the closed blackout curtains that slowly started to awaken you, and from the eerie calmness that was settling into the room you already knew the day was melting into the latter hours of the morning, perfectly content in how you were situated.

it was ridiculous how perfectly tucked in you were into into joey's chest, as if the universe was taunting you with a vortex of spending all day in bed with him. your eyes begrudgingly pried open from a night of thick sleep, slowly blinking away the morning fog as your chest expanded with a deep breath in, your body gradually remembering how to exist again.

it was so peaceful like this, unsure where your limbs started and joey's ended, like a cocoon of warmth lulling you back to sleep. nevertheless you persisted though the haze, taking time to revel in his presence where both of your arms were tucked in close to your body against your own chest, and your legs in a pretzel-ed mess with joey's. it was it was impossible to even try to get up and use the bathroom through the entanglement of limbs and sheets.

not like you were complaining, inching back from your curled in state just enough so you could take in his face, his summer freckles starting to come out tenfold across the bridge of his nose, and his eyelashes kissing the apples of his cheeks- oh how angelic he looked. still snoozing in dream land as his brown hair was splayed against the dull blue pillow sheets, smaller tufts of hair by his forehead fluttering in the gust of the overhead fan.

you couldn't help yourself though, the urge to just touch him in the serenity of the morning where you had him all to yourself, especially where times like these during the season were far and few. wiggling a spare hand from between your bodies your index finger grazed the slope of his nose, tracing invisible constellations between this freckles, and smoothing out the ever so small furrow between his brows.

then came a grumble, so deep it reverberated against your front as a heavy arm tightened around your middle- a small puff of air blowing past your lips as you let him bring you back into his hold.

"g'mornin honey," you mumbled into his chest, "d'you sleep good?" pressing a feather light kiss to his front.

something ajacent to an mm-hmm tumbled out of his throat, "yeah, slept just fine doll." immediately your lips quirked up in a smile upon hearing his voice in the quiet room, the bass reverberating in your mind.

his midwestern drawl drew deep as his mind started to wake up, "thinkin' maybe blueberry pancakes?" and you just had to stifle a giggle, he was always thinking about food or legos.

"'m thinkin' maybe we order in instead?" you suggested.

"order in blueberry pancakes?" he countered, a slight voice crack as he asked again.

finally a sharp laugh broke though, "yeah, we can order out blueberry pancakes you freaking child." you said, shuffling back so your head was level with his, blue hues dark in the dim room with smile lines sprouting at the edges.

sat on the back porch of your home, you were quite content being all bundled up in a mclaren blanket with oscar's arm draped across the back of the hanging swing and onto your shoulders, allowing you to nuzzle deeper into his side. the cup of coffee warming your hands as the sun started to rise above the bushes that lined your backyard.

dew tickled the tips of each blade of grass as the ever rising sun made the lawn sparkle like glitter, vibrant shades of orange, pink, and red painting the sky in natures most beautiful masterpiece. humming into a sip of your coffee you felt oscar press a kiss to the crown of your head, then leaning his cheek into your hair as he ever so gently tightened his hold on you.

"y'know what I can't wait for?" you spoke lowly, not wanting to break the bubble of the peaceful morning.

"what's that?" he hummed, vibrating against your head as his thumb brushed against your shoulder in a soothing manner.

"I can't wait for us to have a cat that wakes us up every morning meowing for treats, and then lets us take them outside to lay with us in our laps while we watch the sunsrise." you mused, still watching the sun ahead of you.

and like an explosion oscar's chest was full of warmth, there was something so domestic and casual of how you said that, like the statement wasn't an 'if we get a cat' but a 'when we get a cat', and it made his heart flutter in adoration at the thought of a potential new addition to your little family, one you had both obviously spent much time thinking about.

"you're so sure we're going to get a cat then?" he asked, prodding a little more to see where your pretty little mind was running, "not a dog?"

"yeah a cat, maybe a tuxedo or an orange cat, our cat needs a little personality, yet would be ok being put in one of those cat backpacks to go to the gp's with us," you confirmed, twisting your body ever so slightly so you could gaze at the aussie, warm yellow light highlighting the smattering of freckles on his face, "a dog wouldn't fit our temperament much I think." a thinking pout set on your lips.

"how so?" he wondered, "I'd thought you'd want a dog to hang out with leo, or roscoe?" eyes analyzing every micro expression you made, trying to read your response before you could speak it into existance.

"sure, a dog would be on brand I suppose for what it's given, but with how much we like having our quiet time, a cat would be perfect," you explained, the gears in your mind churning even faster now, "plus, our cat could have the same energy as the dogs on the grid if we found the right one, but overall they would require less maintenance. and I'd have a cuddle buddy while waiting for you at the hotel after races." you finished with a smile.

"our cat," he tested on his tongue, oscar already knew that he absolutely loved the sound of that, "our cat with a personality it will be then," oscar admitted, "I agree though, our cat would be mellow like us, I'm sure we'll find one that fits all your boxes, love. and it's not like I haven't seen you looking up cat backpacks, we could mclaren-customize it?" he offered, eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"plus, I wouldn't mind a little purring fur ball, besides you of course, snuggling up next to me." a boyish smile flashing across his face.

you gasped in faux astonishment, "oscar piastri I know you did not just call me a fur ball!"

pros about summer in michgan: unadulterated access to any of the lakes, almost always pushing simon out of bed at 8am if it meant you could spend the whole day being silly in love on the beach and playing mermaids. secondly, you loved going out and getting ice cream with simon after the fact, even when he tried to balance three or more scoops of ice cream on his cone- usually resulting in him smearing the cold treat across his face as the first scoop was wolfed down in a race against the heat.

the cons? bugs trespassing inside of your apartment, flies buzzing around in your bedroom when you swore you hadn't even left the window open for that long! stink bugs you could handle, having done the rounds with them over the years of sub-par college apartments. but flies? things that could suck your blood or sting you, or god forbid a spider? you were done for, and you knew it was irrational, but something about it just made your skin crawl, nose wrinkling at the fact that the outside nature didn't always stay outside and would sometimes take residence in your fresh AC controlled unit.

simon was in the kitchen, prepping some post lake-day sandwiches while you were putting away your swim gear in the bathroom to dry when you heard it.

bzzt. small at first, you thought maybe it was the passing of a car outside of your unit.

then again, bzzzzzztttt! it was right against your ear- your head whipping around faster than what your cracking neck would have liked, eyes rapidly scanning the decently sized room.

"where the fuck are you." you muttered under your breath, damp towels tightly gripped in your hand as you eyed around the room for the stupid bug to fly past you, hoping your reflexes would let you get it.

but your eyes were of no use, your heart rate spiking as a long bbbzzzzttttt was heard around your head, you dropped the towels as you started to inch yourself back out of the room, "ok, yeah no I'm not dealing with this." setting the fan in the room to high and hoping if you left the space for a few minutes it would find it's way out, somewhere that wasn't near you.

you made your way into the kitchen, slotting yourself next to a shirtless simon as he was putting the finishing touches on your sandwiches, bumping his shoulder as you looked up at him. golden curls unruly from being in the lake and air drying, and his chest starting to form a warm golden tan, he's going to be warm to sleep on tonight, you thought making a mental note.

"sime, there's a fly in our room," a small pout starting to form on your lips, "stupid fly, why is it even in here?" you whined, knocking your forehead against his arm.

a smile pulled at simon's lips, understanding your silent ask, "I dunno älskling, do you want me to get it?" he asked, gently rubbing up and down your back, a small yeah mumbled against his tantalizing warm skin.

you followed simon to your bedroom like a shadow, peering your head into the room as simon couched near the foot of the bed, the large and annoying crane fly sitting on the wall under your window.

the defenseman palmed the layers of paper towel in his hand as he slowly crawled to where the fly was, head ducked down in concentration as his curls fluttered from the fan. then in an instant a thud was heard against the drywall, and simon peeled his hand back checking the bug stain on the white paper towel before crumpling it up and crudely scrubbing away the fly stain on the wall.

"ok, all good in here." he said standing up to his full height, striding over to the bathroom to throw away the trash.

"are you sure?" you questioned, always a little nervous that maybe there were more little creatures that just hadn't come out into your vicinity. you were still stood by the door, a large red wings t-shirt of simon's hanging off your frame as your eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sure, you're safe now," simon promised, "no more stupid bugs, I'm here now." he walked over to you, unfairly large hands rubbing at your arms to ease your tension, "come on I made lunch, I pinky promise you there are no more bugs in the room, and if there are I'll take care of them, ok?"