#th.luca

i just landed. he types the message and hits send before his nerves can talk him out of it. slinging the dufflebag he had brought along over his shoulder, he makes slow strides from the gate to baggage claim. what if this was a mistake? what if they stood him up or this was some sick episode of catfish in the making. he wets his bottom lip and scrolls back through their messages, rereading the description they sent for what has to be the hundredth time.

closed starter for @bruiscdmouth

“at arrival door b12. currently getting yelled at, so please hurry.”

luca hits send, keeping his gaze fixed on his phone like that’ll somehow make him invisible to the airport security guard glaring at him a few feet away. he knows he’s not supposed to be idling here. he also knows he’s not supposed to be driving at all. his arm is strapped tight in a sling, the result of a nasty hit during a game. a bad collision along the boards that left him with a partially torn shoulder muscle and a strained ligament. not life ending, but enough to sideline him for a couple weeks and make even basic shit, like turning a steering wheel, way more annoying than it should be. but there was no way in hell he was making theo take an uber. “finally,” luca mutters under his breath as he spots him, pushing the car door open and stepping out. he flashes the security guard a quick, overly friendly grin before all his attention locks onto theo walking toward him.

“you took your sweet time. i was two seconds away from airport jail.”

he’s grinning like an idiot, he knows it. can’t help it. the north carolina air is finally perfect. not too hot, not freezing and theo’s right there in front of him after weeks apart. “i’d take your bag, but…” luca lifts his shoulder slightly, gesturing to the sling. managing a pitiful pout. “handicapped. here.” he tosses theo the keys to his cherry red jeep without a second thought. “stayed off the pain pills long enough to get here in one piece,” he adds, already moving toward the passenger side. “but now? yeah, i’m getting fucked up.” behind them, there’s an impatient throat clear. luca glances back once, then immediately looks at theo.

“you still mad at me?” he’s grinning like he doesn’t already know the answer, leaning back against his bike outside her place. he’s been there for an hour. maybe more. long enough to know she’s been dodging his texts on purpose.

closed starter for @loveisliquor

reply to @bruiscdmouth from this prompt.

“you’re really going to end this here? over whatever the hell she said that got into your head?” luca forces his voice to stay low, tight with restraint. the last thing he wants is to start yelling and have one of the guys in the next room think there’s some kind of domestic blowout happening. even if, technically, that’s exactly what this is. they had just played each other. a game that should’ve been clean, easy. at least on paper. instead, theo spent every shift hunting him down.

the first time it happened was late in the first period. luca had just cleared the puck along the boards when theo came in hard, shoulder driving straight into his ribs, sending him slamming into the glass. the whistle blew almost instantly, but theo didn’t stop there. gloves dropping, grabbing luca by the front of his jersey and swinging before luca could even process it. the refs dragged them apart, both sent to the box. roughing, unsportsmanlike. luca sat there, chest heaving, staring straight ahead while theo refused to look at him from the other side.

the second was worse. third period, tension already thick, the score too close. luca had the puck again, cutting across the ice when theo came at him out of nowhere, stick abandoned, hands already fisted. this time luca barely got his gloves off before theo was on him, fist connecting with his cheek, snapping his head back. the crowd roared, teammates shouting, but luca didn’t swing back. just tried to shove him off, grab at his arms, stop it before it got worse. it didn’t matter. they both hit the ice, tangled, refs piling on seconds later. more penalties. more damage. luca’s team, barely pulled off a last minute win. but no one in the locker room cared about that. not with the way theo had been coming for him all night.

the guys kept asking what the hell that was about. why one of the opposing players seemed dead set on taking luca’s head off. he didn’t answer. didn’t have the energy for it. didn’t have the bandwidth. because it was bigger than a game. it was theo. and whatever the hell bella had said. luca doesn’t even know who reached out first. probably her. always her, finding ways to wedge herself in, to stir something up. she’d been pissed since the gala. since luca told her to back off, blocked her outright. maybe she connected the dots, maybe she didn’t. she knew they were close. that had always been a problem before. the late night calls, luca dropping everything if theo needed him. maybe she just wanted dirt. maybe she wanted to be messy. either way, it worked.

because now theo won’t even tell him what she said. won’t explain why he was so angry out there, why he nearly took luca’s head off in front of an entire arena. luca’s eye is already swelling dark, bruised. theo’s got a split along his nose. mostly from luca trying to shove him away, not fight back. he hadn’t hit him. couldn’t. not like that. not in front of everyone. fucking humiliating.“theo. stop—stop!” his voice cracks louder now despite himself, the frustration breaking through. he closes the distance in two strides, hands pressing into theo’s chest, forcing him to stay, to listen. brown eyes lock onto green. they’d been on opposite sides of the room. luca on the edge of the bed, theo barely past the tv after storming in but not anymore.

“i’m not letting you do this. this is fucking stupid. you’re being stupid.” his voice drops again, quieter but harsher, each word bitten off through clenched teeth. anger burns under it. not just at theo, but at the situation, at the fact that he’s here again, having to prove himself. “i’m not fucking around on you. i do everything you ask, so why are you punishing me?” his eyes are glassy now, wide, the hurt bleeding through whether he wants it to or not. before he can think better of it, his hands come up, rough palms sliding along theo’s neck, fingers curling just enough to pull him closer. forcing him to look at him. “you’re not leaving me. i won’t let you.”

closed starter for @softnspiteful

luca hated this kind of shit. his manager having talked him into posing for a sports illustrated photoshoot highlighting athletes under thirty, complete with some painfully cheesy headline he was trying not to think about. under the harsh lights, dressed in full gear, he could feel sweat gathering at the back of his neck. he was just about to ask if they’d gotten what they needed when she walked in. he’d run into desirae at a charity event earlier that month, then again at a party a teammate had dragged him to, and now here she was, looking just as fine as the last time he’d seen her.

closed starter for @roleplaysearcherz