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hrtsdevils · 5 months

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dog-eared. | jh86

summary reader and jack broke up before he was drafted to the nhl. after years of watching from afar, jack finally sees y/n in person. past feelings are brought up to the surface.

pairing jack hughes x fem!reader

wc 2.6k

an my lovers… also another gracie fc sorry idk what to tell you! also for the sake of the plot pretend that the devils play the ducks on tuesday instead of vancouver thanks!!! loosely based off of everywhere everything by noah kahan ft gracie abrams

It had been years since you’d seen Jack. You broke up right before he started his NHL career as it seemed like your plans didn’t align. You’d be going to college in California, as USC had been your dream school your whole life. You dreamed of living somewhere where it was sunny and it was never freezing, unlike the weather in your hometown of Toronto. He dreamed of making it big in the professional league, which he was so close to achieving already.

The breakup between you two was mostly mutual. It happened in your 2005 Honda Civic, in the parking lot of a gas station after you had gone to buy soft drinks. The two of you could feel the breakup impending, and it felt as if the weather channel told you a meteor would be hitting Earth within minutes. As if the sun was about to collapse. The silence was deafening as you started your car, putting your drink in the cup holder. He followed suit.

“I..” He started before you cut him off.

“You think we need to break up?” You asked, giving him a soft smile. It wasn’t genuine, it was quite the opposite. You just didn’t want him to feel guilty, you thought it was the right thing as well.

He nodded softly, “I just think we’re on two separate paths… you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Your hands tensed under your thighs, as you were using them as hand warmers. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Buttons.” That had been his nickname for you since the 8th grade. You had a perfect little button nose, and it quickly caught on and everybody would use it for you as well.

The drive back to his parents’ house was in silence, as neither of you had much to say to each other. In about ten minutes, you were parked in front of his house. “You’re still going to come to my birthday party, right?” You asked. You were turning eighteen in a few weeks, June 7th.

“Yeah, I will.” He smiled sadly, “It’s not over. We’re just separating until we get brought back together.”

You huffed, “When’s that? Whenever fate decides?”

“Precisely. Call it a dog ear.. you like to read, right?”

“Yeah, I would never doggy ear my books though.” You giggled, “Bye, Jacky.”

That was the last you talked formally. He never did come to your party, texting you an excuse about how he had a training camp that day. You didn’t believe it, but you never said anything about it. It had been years, you watched him succeed from your dorm room and then to your small apartment couch. Your roommates never understood your love for the sport, but you always attributed it to being from up north.

That was a reason, but not the only one.

Every year you anticipated the Devils coming down to Anaheim to play the Ducks. That was practically the only time you watched Jack in person. You were particularly excited this year, as his little brother Luke would be playing too. You adored Luke, he was so sweet and well-mannered, especially to you. Trevor would also be there. He wouldn’t be playing as he was injured, but you’d caught him after a few games to catch up and he was your little piece of Michigan in California.

It was a Friday game, which met that the tickets were slightly higher and there were fewer of them. You finally got your good friend, Cecilia, to agree to go with you. She was familiar with your love of hockey, and she knew you went to a lot of games. She didn’t know you knew two players on the ice, and two players up in the press box. As you were buying your tickets with her, you got a text from Trevor.

trevor zegras 🐣 : hey buttons r u coming to the game? idk cause jacks playing

You hastily replied, trying to shield your phone from Cece in the most subtle way possible.

y/n buttons : yeahhhh i was jst about to buy my tickets bahaha

trevor zegras 🐣 : don’t buy them ❌❌ i have a club ticket right above the benches if u want it

y/n buttons : usually yes i’d love to but i’m bringing my friend cece

trevor zegras 🐣 : i have 2! i’ll send em to u later

y/n buttons : thanks trev i appreciate u ☺️

You put your phone down and closed your laptop. Cece was a couple feet away on hers, but looked at you when your laptop snapped shut. “Did you buy them?” She questioned, scooting closer to you. You shook your head.

“Kind of? Well, one of my friends is on the team and he’s injured, he offered us seats right behind the bench.”

Her jaw fell slightly, “You never told me you had connections!”

You smiled, “I don’t really, I usually buy my tickets. This was a first time thing, I think he might be drunk.” You tried to explain it in the least suspicious way possible. You didn’t want to seem boastful, but an explaination had to come from somewhere.

You two discussed the arrangements for a couple minutes longer. From outfits to hair to transportation, you were more excited for this game than you had been for any others. Maybe it was because it was Jack’s team, or maybe it was because someone finally seemed to share your admiration for the sport.

Who knows, it was probably the latter.

The day came quick, as it was only a day or two out from your initial conversation. The tickets usually dropped in price right before the game, but luckily you didn’t have to spend the money on it regardless. You lended Cece a Zegras jersey that he got you, while you chose to wear an unnamed 30th anniversary jersey. You still had a few hoodies with Jack’s last name on the back, from his time with USNDTP, but you wouldn’t be wearing those tonight.

You arrived shortly before warm-ups, but when you looked at your section and seat numbers you realized Trevor wasn’t lying about you being right behind the bench. He just never mentioned that it was the away bench. You watched from your seat as the boys entered from the tunnel. They weren’t facing you, but you watched to make sure they didn’t turn around at least not now.

You managed to go a little while without being seen by Luke or Jack, that was until Cecelia got extremely into the game. The Devils had a goal in the late first period, opening up the scoring. Luke was sitting on the bench about a foot to the left of Cece, and once they scored she started banging on the glass.

As he stood up to cheer, he turned around due to the banging. The first thing he did was make eye contact with you. His eyebrows raised, and he blinked as if you’d disappear when his eyes opened. He didn’t say anything as you tried to avoid his gaze, and simply turned back around.

The game continued on, and you didn’t see him say anything to Jack. Soon enough, it was intermission and you felt safer. Like eyes weren’t on you anymore, even though they never were. It went by fairly quickly as the two of you watched the silly halftime games that usually were played by young children. As soon as the Devils came back through the tunnel, Jack turned around and looked at you. He kept sneaking glances as they warmed up again before the start of the second.

The rest of the game wasn’t as fun, as the brunette kept staring at you. As if you couldn’t go to hockey games, his hockey games. As if he couldn’t help looking at you. As if he missed you.

It didn’t help that Cece kept shouting at you, telling you that the cute one kept staring at you and that he wanted you. You knew her best interest was at heart, but she had no idea the magnitude of your situation with said cute one. You entertained her teasing of you, and how she kept pointing at you everytime Jack glanced your way.

By the end of the game you were over it. You wanted to escape and go home before the off chance that you ran into Jack actually happened. It was relieving when you got into the car, but startling when your phone lit up with a single message from Jack. Cece was giggling to herself, looking up one of the cute guys she saw on Instagram. She was oblivious to the situation

jack hughes : hi why were u there

You tried to think of an excuse, but eventually you realized it wouldn’t matter if you told the truth or not.

buttons 🩷 : because i was given tix my trevor.. and i go to a lot of ducks games

jack hughes : oh no other reason?

buttons 🩷 : u think i went for u?

jack hughes : maybe a little. sorry for bothering u buttons.

buttons 🩷 : don’t be sorry. how long are you in anaheim?

jack hughes : tonight n then flying up to seattle

buttons 🩷 : where r u staying?

It was a twenty minute drive back up to your apartment, but with your speeding it was around seventeen. Cece didn’t question your urgency as you dropped her off at your shared apartment, and left immediately after. She was a little bit tipsy. As you drove to the Marriott in Anaheim, you thought about what you were doing.

Throwing away years of peace for the same boy who disrupted it all those years ago. If you started to have feelings for him again, who knows how much you life could be uprooted? Everything could be ruined. All the progress and the getting over Jack. Your Jack. You knew you were risking your own personal journey by going to see him, but at this point you didn’t care.

The hotel receptionist was reluctant to let you up, as she knew who was staying there. The skepticism on her face was present from the very moment you walked in.

“Look, I know him and I know his room number, so can you just let me go up?” You pleaded with hed. Going to a room usually wasn’t necessarily an issue, the issue here was that a sports team was staying. She might’ve thought you were a crazy stalker fan.

As she was about to answer, Jack exited the elevator and spotted you talking to the receptionist. “She’s with me.” He told her, as he walked up to the desk. “Thanks, though.” You had texted him a minute prior about the receptionist, but you didn’t expect him to rush down.

“Hi.” You breathed as you made your way toward the elevator, “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good.” He stopped before the elevator, “Would you rather go for a drive? I’m sharing a room with Luke.”

Your story paused in a car, so you were unsure how this would turn out. Maybe it will be different this time. “Sure.” You replied softly.

You two walked to your car in silence. You were about to get in the driver’s seat, but he insisted on driving. “You should drive slow around here, there’s a bunch of cops at night because of drunk college students.” You chuckled, “I’ll tell you when you can speed.”

You buckled up, and he started your car. It was an upgrade from your Honda, being a more recent model of a Nissan. “So, why’d you come to the game?” He asked as he pulled out of the hotel’s parking lot.

“I go to a lot of Duck’s games. Trevor plays, of course I go watch him.” You started, “He offered me club tickets, and I figured they were behind his bench. They weren’t, obviously.”

“So you didn’t go for me?” He questioned once again, “I don’t believe that, Buttons.”

You rolled your eyes, “I kind of did. I’ve been while you were playing for the last three years, but I still like hockey in general.”

“I’ll believe that.” The silence sat for a little while as he drove 25 down the city roads, the radio wasn’t even playing. “Do you think we could’ve done long distance?”

You shook your head, “No, not then at least. That’s why we broke it off. Maybe now.” You said the last part quieter, just enough so that if he wasn’t paying attention he wouldn’t have heard it.

But of course he was paying attention. You were his everything before, and possibly even now.

“Now?” He questioned, “What do you mean by that?”

“When we broke up, you said our page was dog-eared. Bookmarked. It was more like a pause until we were ready and mature, or at least that’s how I took it.”

He smiled, “I remember that. Do you think we’re ready and mature?”

You shrugged, looking at him. “Maybe, just this semester and then I’m done. I chose to graduate a semester early. I could move back east, we could be closer. Even without I think we’d be mature enough for long distance.”

The chances of this moment happening just weeks before you graduated was an alignment of the stars in itself. This could be everything you wanted, without disrupting your peace.

“If you need a place to stay, you can always stay with me and Luke.” He offered, “To get on your feet, if you come back.”

“Maybe.” You hummed. His hand was resting on the gear shift, even though it was an automatic. You made a move to lay your hand on top of his, squeezing it gently.

It was a soft step in the right direction. A step to getting the love of your life back, which is what you’d wanted since the minute you broke it off. It’s been a long three years without him, he was your best friend and you intended to make up for the lost time soon enough. You wouldn’t bring up how he never contacted you either, because it was far in the past. You were both kids at the time and you can’t hold a grudge about that.

As he re-entered the hotel parking lot, you smiled at him. Your hands were now intertwined on top of the cup holder region, and you never wanted to let go. His hand was more rugged than before, matured and weathered, but it was still a comfort you had missed. He dropped it to shift the car into park.

“So, I’ll see you soon then?” He asked, as you got ready to get out. 45 minutes had passed between getting into the car and now. You conversed about your current life and your future. Your future together.

You nodded, “Yeah, hopefully. Keep in touch, okay? No ghosting me.” You stepped out of the car and walked around to the driver's side as he got out as well.

The two of you shared a hug, but exchanged little words. You could hear the cars around you, and the sounds of the city were still alive. “Bye, Jack.” You released him from your embrace.

“Bye, Buttons.” He smiled, “I’ll text you.” He turned around and walked back to the hotel as you watched, a smile gracing your features as well.

You’d love him forever, whether you got back together or not. You believed he felt the same. You were glad that Trevor had known about the seating on the tickets, and made sure they got to you. You were also glad Luke saw and recognized you. You were excited to see him. The end was over, and the new start was just beginning.

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teapartyprincess4two · 3 months

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heyy <3 I am absolutely in LOVE with your writing. I was wondering if you had ever written a 5+1 fic? I noticed that you like to write really lengthy fics with slow build ups which would be perfect for 5+1 style fics!!

I have a request if you would accept it ^^

5 times y/n denies having a crush on Matt (she's just oblivious to her feelings) and 1 time she didn't (when she finally realises)

or it could be the other way round and you could write in Matt's pov. whichever one is easier for you! (or u don't have to do this at all and just write a completely different 5+1 fic based on your own idea. I'm sure it will turn out perfect!)

In Denial- M. Sturniolo

pairing: PopularStudent!reader x Student!Matt

classification: angst, fluff

warnings: slight angst, rejection, jealousy, use of y/n, slight cursing, childhood memories/flashbacks/setting, VERY VERY VERY slow build up, characters are in high school for a majority of the story

inspiration: request^^

summary: It’s hard to admit when you’re in love, especially when the person you love is so different from you. But, as they say, opposites attract.

—

“Are you guys inviting any friends from school?” The triplet’s mom, Marylou, asks as she mindlessly prepares the vegetables for her soup. Nick, Matt, and Chris were buzzing with excitement as they sat around the kitchen table with crafting supplies sprawled everywhere. The three of them were working towards creating invitations for their 10th birthday party. Ten was a big number because they’d finally be in the double digits so they had to make sure everything was just right. Most of the invitations were illegible and their mom would definitely have to redo them, but as long as it kept them occupied while she cooked she was happy.

“I’m going to invite Jackie,” Nick responds as he digs through his pen pouch for the perfect shade of purple. Most of Nick’s invitations had so many random doodles on them that you could barely see any of the words. “Oh Jackie’s nice,” Marylou murmurs, only half listening as she continues stirring away at the soup on the stove. She had to make sure it wouldn’t boil over.

“I like Carlos better so I’m inviting him,” Chris chimed in, his tongue poking out in concentration as he decorated his invitations with random scraps of craft paper. Chris’s invitations were covered in so much glue that every time he picked something up it stuck completely to his hand. “That’s so mean, Chris!” Nick responds in a whiny voice which puts a smirk on Chris’s face. Chris actually liked Jackie too because she was a good friend and sometimes she did his homework for him, but he also liked annoying his brother. The two were about to break out into an argument, but were swiftly checked by a stern look from their mother.

Matt was too immersed in creating the perfect invitation for you to care about the conversation surrounding him. He worked diligently to ensure that it was legible and nicely decorated, ensuring to include doodles of things he knew you liked. Once the other two calmed down, Marylou turned towards Matt and asked, “Who are you inviting, honey?” Truth be told, Matt was inviting a lot of people from his class, but he really only cared if you showed up. If it was only you and him at this birthday party he’d be the happiest ten year old on Earth.

“Probably just Jason,” Matt replies nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders. This answer seems to satisfy his mom because she doesn’t ask any further questions and immediately returns to the pot on the stove. Nick and Chris, on the other hand, hear this and immediately jump at the opportunity to expose his crush for you to their mom. “He’s probably inviting y/n,” Chris snickers as he pokes Matt’s sides teasingly, his sticky fingers gripping Matt’s t-shirt in the process.

“No I’m not, Chris. Shut up,” Matt replies as he pushes his brother’s hands away from him aggressively. This was his favorite shirt and Chris was getting his gross glue hands all over it. Nick laughs at this, making kissy faces towards Matt to annoy him. “Matt and y/n sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Chris and Nick sing loudly, both of them working hard towards pushing Matt past his breaking point. At this point Matt’s face is burning hot and red from embarrassment.

You were a new student in their class who moved to Boston from out of state. For whatever reason you were placed in their class and seated right next to Matt, the only available seat left in the entire classroom. From that moment on Matt’s been absolutely obsessed with you, but he didn’t need his mom to know that.

“Who’s y/n?” Marylou asks, true curiosity in her voice. She was now facing the three boys, providing them with her full attention and turning the stove off for safe measure. “Oh just Matt’s GIRLFRIEND!” Chris screams, once again poking at Matt’s sides. “I love y/n soooo much. She smells soooo good and has the prettiest smile,” Nick quotes as he gazes dramatically into the distance and pretends to swoon. Their mom is amused with their antics, but is mostly curious to learn more about the girl who has her most timid son so ‘in love.’

“I never said that, you idiot!” Matt retaliates, pushing Chris off of him and standing up abruptly from the kitchen table to make his way towards Nick and push him too. The table shook in the process causing some of the markers to roll onto the floor. Matt was beginning to get genuinely upset from the pure embarrassment that he felt. “Then why do you guys always play alone at recess!” Chris rebuttals, feeling as if he had just won the greatest argument of his life.

“Just admit you like her, Matty!” Nick chimes in, throwing his nickname in there to further push his buttons. Matt is furious at his brothers, but he doesn’t understand why if everything they’re saying was true. He did have a crush on you, you did smell good and you did have a pretty smile.

“Boys that’s enough!” Marylou steps in to Matt’s defense, earning both Nick and Chris a smack upside the head. Nick and Chris yelp in pain, rubbing their heads to alleviate some of the pain. “You guys are so annoying!” Matt says one last time before grabbing his invitations and storming off to their shared room.

The kitchen is silent after that, both Nick and Chris realizing that they had taken it too far. Marylou is more than displeased with the outcome of her sons’ teasing, but she understood that it came with the territory of having triplets. “You two need to apologize,” she says sternly, giving both Nick and Chris a disapproving look. The two boys didn’t understand why they had to apologize, they were just telling the truth plus everyone in your class knew about Matt’s crush on you.

“But he called me an idiot…” Nick grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping in his seat. This earned them both another smack upside the head.

—

Matt didn’t end up handing you the invitation himself, too embarrassed to be caught alone with you again by his brothers. Instead he instructed Nick to do it because over the course of your time in Boston, you and Nick had become very close. Matt was a bit jealous of this, but he never showed it.

“Why don’t you just give it to her?” Nick asked, continuing his walk towards the playground. Their class was currently at recess and there was only 15 minutes left, if Nick wanted to have a turn on the swings he couldn’t slow down now, not even for Matt’s sake. “Because you’re her friend!” Matt replied as he followed closely behind Nick, his feet pushing against the wood chips of the playground as he struggled to keep up.

“You’re her friend too! Plus you sit right next to her!” Nick was not backing down, especially because he did not like doing favors. His pace didn’t slow either, he needed to get at least 5 minutes on the swing before he was ready to go back to class. “Just do it please,” Matt pleaded, fully expecting his brother to deny his request and force him to give you the invitation himself. Nick’s mind lit up with an idea, he’d only agree to give you the invitation if Matt agreed to push him on the swing, “Ugh! Fine, but you have to push me.”

“I’m not pushing you, Nick,” Matt responded matter of factly. Matt didn’t want to spend his last 15 minutes of freedom pushing Nick on the swings, he wanted to rush back to Chris on the field as quick as possible so he could race him. “Okay, that’s fine. You can give her the invitation yourself then,” Nick said as he finally arrived to the swing set, taking a seat on the warm plastic.

Matt looked between Nick and the field, desperately trying to figure out if this was worth not beating Chris in a race. “Your choice, Matt,” Nick’s voice was taunting, almost like he was telling Matt that if he didn’t do this one thing his entire life would be ruined. Matt sighed, deciding that if you didn’t get this invitation his life would, in fact, be ruined. So, he decided that he’d just have to race Chris another day and he stood behind Nick, pushing him reluctantly.

Nick ended up giving you the invitation later that day, pretending like it was his idea to invite you. When you realized it was your first invitation to a party in Boston you couldn’t contain your excitement. Nick felt like your first true friend here and you couldn’t wait to see your friendship blossom. Nick, of course, was excited for you to come too, but no one was more excited than Matt.

“I gave your girlfriend the invitation by the way,” Nick commented to Matt as they walked home from school. Matt perked up at this, becoming excited at the prospect of you coming to their house. “Not my girlfriend,” he responded in a feign tone of annoyance that completely contrasted the excitement he felt bubbling inside.

“Whatever you say,” Nick huffed, shrugging his shoulders and pulling his backpack up by the straps. Nick picked up his pace to catch up with Chris who was already down the street. When Nick’s back was fully towards him, Matt couldn’t help but smile. He really couldn’t wait to turn 10.

—

10 came and went and before they knew it, the triplets were 14 and nearing the end of middle school. The friendships they made in elementary didn’t seem as important anymore, only a few friends remaining a part of their immediate friend group. You were one of those friends seeing as you and Nick only became closer over the years.

You spent countless nights texting and talking over the phone with Nick gossiping about people in your grade and fangirling over the latest teen heartthrob. One of the solidifying moments in your friendship was when Nick came out to you as gay. It was a moment that bonded you two and you’ve been inseparable since. Because you two are so close, you would often go over to their house to work on homework, study, or just to hang out.

“Mom, can y/n come over today?” Nick asks his mom, praying that she’ll just say yes so he can rush up to his room and text you to come over. “Sure,” Marylou replies nonchalantly. You were always over and she had become accustomed to your presence. She liked that you were respectful and you seemed to be a good influence on her kids.

Nick immediately rushed upstairs to relay the news to you over text, but bumped into Matt on the way to his room. “Watch it, dumbass,” Matt huffed, stumbling backwards a bit from the force in which Nick ran into him. “Sorry,” Nick apologized quickly, moving past Matt to continue the walk to his room. From the way Nick was acting Matt knew that you were probably coming over, he always got super excited when you were coming over.

Matt turned on his heel, following Nick into his room just to make sure his suspicions were correct. “Why are you so excited?” Matt asks, leaning on the door frame as he watches Nick type away on his phone. “None of your business,” Nick replies, laying on his bed as he continues to text you.

The both of you are going over your plans for the night in excruciating detail, discussing every thing beforehand so that you wouldn’t waste time once you arrived. “Is y/n coming over?” Matt asks again, a part of him knows the answer but he’s still itching to know. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” this time it’s Chris who speaks as he enters the room and sits in Nick’s desk chair.

Chris always had the tendency to show up out of nowhere, especially in moments when he could potentially annoy his brothers. It was like his brother senses tingled every time the perfect opportunity to bully his brothers appeared. A smirk is already plastered on Chris’s face because he knows that Matt’s crush on you has only grown over the years. “Whatever,” Matt replies already annoyed with Chris, waving his brother off and pushing himself off the door frame. He leaves the room and returns back downstairs to do whatever he was planning to do in the first place.

As he makes his way downstairs, Nick calls out to him from his room in a sing-song tone, “Y/n is coming Matt!” This immediately puts a smile Matt’s face. Even if we wasn’t going to spend one on one time with you, he was content with the fact that you'd be in his house.

"He's totally in love with her," Chris snickers, twirling around in Nick's desk chair. Nick hated the thought of Matt being in love with you, his bestfriend. "That's so gross," Nick replies, but even he knew it was true.

—

When you finally arrived to their house 20 minutes later, Nick was already outside waiting for you. “Bye mom!” You said, hopping off the car and waving goodbye to your mom as you ran up to Nick. He was sitting on the front porch, patiently awaiting your arrival. You two had so much planned for the night and if you played your cards right you might even be able to have a sleepover!

“Hurry, y/n! Time is ticking!” Nick called out as he watched you quicken your pace to make your way to the front porch. You were carrying a large tote bag filled to the brim with magazines, crafting supplies, board games, and a pair of pajamas in case you were allowed to stay the night. “I’m hurrying!” You replied, adjusting your heavy tote bag against your shoulder

Finally you two made your way inside, where Matt and Chris were playing video games on the living room. Chris was locked into the game, but Matt was only half immersed in the game on the screen. He was waiting for you to walk through the front door so he could greet you in the most casual, cool way possible.

“Hi guys!” You greeted, offering the two boys a small wave before rushing upstairs to Nick’s room. “Hey y/n,” Chris replied casually, too occupied with his game to fully acknowledge you. Chris was used to you always being at their house, so he didn’t get excited anymore when Nick announced you were coming over. “Hi y/n!” Matt greets you, sounding a little too excited causing his voice to crack slightly.

When Chris hears this he immediately pauses the game to look at Matt. “Hi y/n!” Chris mimicked Matt’s voice crack, exaggerating it so every syllable contained a higher octave than the last. Matt pushed Chris slightly by the shoulder, unpausing the game to avoid diving deeper into this topic, “Shut up, let’s just play.”

Chris wasn’t having it though, he quickly pauses the game again before saying, “just admit you like her, bro.” It was so much easier said than done, if he admitted his feelings for you there was always the possibility that you didn’t feel the same way or that you’d find it weird, or both. “I don’t like her,” Matt grumbles, unpausing the game once again.

Chris doesn’t miss a beat, quickly pausing the game for the third time since you had arrived. “You do like her!” Chris teases, poking his brother’s side like he always does when he wants to annoy him. Matt wasn’t annoyed anymore, but he was upset. “I DONT LIKE HER, YOU IDIOT! I COULD NEVER LIKE HER!” He shouts, shoving Chris off of him and standing up from his seat. He storms off into his room, forgetting completely about the game and that his sudden outburst could probably be heard by you.

“Geez, what a sore loser,” Chris mumbles, unpausing the game and continuing the onscreen quest. Unbeknownst to them, you were going downstairs to grab a snack and had heard the whole thing. Your heart shattered at Matt’s words. You had never thought about Matt in that way before, but for some reason when you heard him say he could NEVER like you it hurt worse that anything you’d ever felt.

You didn’t even descend all the way downstairs for your snack, instead you returned to Nick’s room and informed him that you weren’t up for a sleepover anymore.

—

Before the four of you knew it, you were freshmen in high school and although you all became a part of different friend groups, you still remained close. Everyone in your school grew to love you, causing you to become really popular really fast. Both you and Nick were friends with everyone including freshmen and upperclassmen. Plus you joined as many extracurriculars and clubs as possible which opened the door to many new friendships.

“No we can’t hang out that day, we have art club,” you told Nick, as the both of you worked hard to schedule a time and date to hang out outside of school. You were both currently in the library enjoying the down time study hall granted you. “What about Wednesday?” He asks, flipping through his school planner to try and find an available date for the two of you.

“Nope. NHS meeting,” you reply, pointing to the Wednesday in question where ‘NHS MEETING 4:45PM’ was highlighted in bright yellow on the top of the page. “Oh right. What about Friday?” Nick asks again, hoping that you two will finally be able to hang out. Ever since entering high school it was like you guys never had time to just be friends because you were both too busy with your after school activities to hang out.

“Friday might work, I just have to work concessions during 8th period. You can meet me there after class?” You say, examining your planner thoroughly to make sure you weren’t misinforming him. “Okay, I’ll walk over there and then we can meet Matt and Chris in the parking lot,” he informs you, gathering his things to shove them back into his backpack. You do the same thing before replying, “I thought your mom would pick us up?”

The bell rings, signifying that the period was over and it was time to walk to your next class. You both stand from the table, slinging your backpacks over your shoulders before making your way out of the library. “She was, but Matt’s getting his learners permit,” he replies, pushing the library door open for you to walk through before following closely behind. You hum in response before offering Nick a side hug and parting ways, both of you heading to your next class.

On your way to class you catch sight of Matt and Chris, they’re leaned against their lockers having a conversation. Matt’s back is to you so Chris is the only one who notices you. “Y/n!” Chris shouts excitedly through the hall, ushering you over to them with his hands. You light up with a smile, hurriedly making your way over to your friends.

“What class do you have next?” Chris asks once you’re close enough to where he doesn’t have to shout. Matt is avoiding eye contact with his head hung low, he didn’t even greet you and you were standing right next to him. You tried not to let it bother you.

“I have math,” you reply, offering Chris a quick hug. It was normal for you to hug your friends, especially friends that you knew for so long, but you were never able to get to that point with Matt. He always got super awkward about it, so after a while you just stopped hugging him altogether. “Oh cool! I think my class is next to yours,” Chris replies, looking expectantly at his brother who was still looking at the floor. All Chris wanted to do was shake his brother by the shoulders and yell at him to at least acknowledge you.

“We can walk together?” You ask Chris hesitantly, not wanting him to feel forced to leave his previous conversation with Matt. The bell was about to ring soon anyways so he quickly dismisses himself from Matt before joining you on your walk to class. Matt’s about to do the same thing, but he’s stopped by his old friend Jason.

“Chris stole your girl, huh?” Jason jokes, slinging an arm over Matt’s shoulder as the both of them watch you and Chris disappear down the hallway and into the crowd of students. “She’s not my girl,” Matt huffs, shrugging Jason’s arm off his shoulder aggressively. “Well she’s gonna be someone’s girl soon if you don’t step up,” Jason replies, only half joking.

You were one of the prettiest girls in school and every boy was dying at a chance with you, Matt knew this and it made his blood boil. He couldn’t bear the thought of you being someone else’s ‘girl,’ but you were so popular now that he didn’t know where he fit in with you. Jason’s comment bothered him more than he’d like to admit, but he waved him off and made his way to class.

After school Nick waited for you at the concession stand just like he promised. Since you knew he was going to be waiting for you, you snuck a frito pie for him. You even got two sodas, one for you and one for Chris, and a pack of Matt’s favorite candy. “For you, sir,” you greeted Nick in a posh accent, handing him the Frito Pie as you two started walking towards the parking lot where Chris and Matt were. “Why thank you,” he replied, doing the same posh accent as you before stirring the frito pie so that the chili and cheese were evenly coating the frito chips.

You two made light conversation as you weaved your way through the cars of the parking lot in search of Chris and Matt. The both of you said goodbye to friends as you passed them, hugging a few of them and wishing them a good weekend. Matt was watching you from his car, leaned against the trunk. Chris was standing next to him mindlessly scrolling on his phone.

“Bye Jason, have a good weekend,” you called out, waving goodbye to your friend as you and Nick continued to make your way towards the car. This made Matt’s jaw clench as he recalled what Jason had said to him earlier, ‘she’s gonna be someone’s girl soon if you don’t step up.’ Matt wondered if that was Jason’s way of saying that he was going to make a move on you if Matt didn’t do it first.

When you and Nick finally approached the car you immediately handed both Matt and Chris the snack you brought for them. “What’s this for?” Matt asks, gingerly taking the candy from you. He noticed it was his favorite and thought that maybe you chose it on purpose, but he decided it must’ve been a coincidence. “Just to be nice and for giving me a ride,” you smiled at him, handing Chris his soda in the process.

Matt was about to thank you, but Chris interrupted him by cracking his soda open and immediately chugging it. This was followed by loud burps which made the rest of you laugh. “You’re welcome, by the way,” you say sarcastically towards Matt and Chris. Chris ignores you, walking towards the passenger seat to join Nick who’s already waiting in the car. “Thank you,” Matt says shyly, a blush creeping onto his face.

Matt turns to join his brothers in the car as you say, “you’d think you have a crush on me with the way you’re blushing.” He stops dead in his tracks, going stiff as a board. Had he been caught? Was he that obvious? “Jeez, Matt I’m kidding,” you chuckle jokingly, patting his back to ease his nerves. He shies away from you, not wanting to go into a state of shock from your mere touch.

You notice the way he avoids you and it breaks your heart. Was he really this repulsed by you? The only words ringing through your mind were the ones you heard that day in middle school, ‘I COULD NEVER LIKE HER.’

“Ease up, Matt. I was joking,” this time you say it seriously and decide to just get in the car. “Oh, yeah sorry,” Matt felt like an idiot, but so did you.

—

High school was a blur for you, filled with countless memories and so many new friendships. You were now in your senior year and busier than ever as you juggled school, a social life and work. You, Nick and Chris remained close and over time you warmed up to Matt again, deciding to put his comments and actions towards you in the past.

Prom was just around the corner and after that was graduation. The four of you were excited, but didn’t know what direction life would take you in. You’re currently sitting with Chris, Nick, and Matt at lunch discussing all the plans you have for the remainder of your senior year.

“Who are you going to prom with, Y/n?” Nick asks as he pops a fry in his mouth and wiggles his eyebrows at you teasingly. You scoff and roll your eyes in response. So many boys had asked you to prom at this point that you were debating on not even going at all, but Nick insisted on you being there. “Probably just you guys,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders. Chris and Matt were listening intently to the conversation, Chris was waiting for the perfect moment to interject.

“So boring,” Nick says dramatically, he felt like you had to take advantage of the wide range of options you had. You could pick any boy to go to prom with and here you were choosing to go with a group of friends. Matt, on the other hand, was relieved with your answer, happy that no one would get to claim you as their prom date. Maybe by the time prom finally rolled around he’d grow the courage to ask you to be his date and finally admit his feelings for you.

“I heard Jason say he might ask you,” Chris mentions casually, stealing a fry from Nick’s tray and popping it in his mouth. Nick slaps his hand away and shoots him a glare. You scrunch your face in disgust at the idea of going to prom with Jason. Sure he was cute and nice, but he was a football player and he was known for leading girls on, plus he’s had at least 8 girlfriends since freshman year. Matt’s also disgusted by the idea because he can’t imagine you going to prom with anyone other than him, especially not Jason.

“I thought he was dating Katrina,” Matt chimes in, attempting to shake the thought of you and Jason out of his mind. What if you did end up going with him to prom? What if Jason ends up pulling something weird? What if he tried kissing you?!? Matt’s mind was racing and he felt himself growing more and more upset at the idea.

“Apparently they broke up,” Chris shrugs, trying to steal yet another fry off Nick’s tray. “Oh yeah, Katrina told me about it yesterday in 3rd period. She seems sad,” Nick informs you all, only confirming the promposal rumor Chris had just dropped on you guys. “Poor girl,” you mumbled, picking mindlessly at the food in front of you. If Jason asked you to prom you’d feel almost obligated to say yes considering he was one of your oldest friends and he’d surely make a spectacle of it.

There was only one person you wanted to go to prom with, but he was too oblivious to realize it. “There’s only one person I would go to prom with,” you say quietly, your gaze landing on Matt and staying there for a little too long. He doesn’t notice though, too caught up in your words to look up. ‘Does she want to go to prom with Jason?’ he thought, the anger bubbling up inside him like a volcano about to erupt.

Suddenly he felt overwhelmed by the situation, grabbing his tray and standing from the lunch table abruptly. The rest of you stared in shock at his sudden actions, wondering what had gotten into him. He was always the type to evacuate a situation as soon as it became too much for him to handle. “Um, I have to get to class,” he grumbled, walking away and throwing his tray away in a nearby trash can aggressively.

“Geez what’s his problem,” Nick scoffs dramatically as he watches his brother disappear out of the cafeteria. “He’s just a nerd,” Chris responds with a chuckle, not putting too much importance in Matt’s actions. Instead he used this moment to sneak as many of Nick’s fries as possible. You sat there in silence, a wave of sadness washing over your body as you realized lunch was nowhere near over.

Prom was getting closer and unfortunately for Matt, Jason ended up asking you to be his date before he could muster up the courage to. Jason’s sentiment was very sweet; he decorated a huge poster, held a bouquet of flowers, and even had a speaker playing some sappy love song. Because he’d made such a big scene of his promposal you felt obligated to say yes. The whole school was watching, many of the students commenting on how you were going to be the power couple of the year.

Matt was in the crowd and had seen the whole thing, he was horrified, angry, and jealous. He actually wanted to ask you that day, he didn’t know how he’d do it, but he knew he’d do it. Matt had even bought you a rose to accompany his promposal. He felt slightly pathetic as he stood there holding his singular rose, watching as Jason held an entire bouquet for you. Chris, who was standing next to Matt, offered him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the back. Nothing would make Matt feel better. “Sorry bro,” Chris says sympathetically, offering Matt yet another sad smile. “Whatever, not like I like her anyways,” Matt grumbles, at this point it was like he was trying to convince himself.

—

“Are you excited?!” Nick asks, waiting for you to appear from inside the dressing room. You’re currently trying prom dresses on at the mall, trying to find the perfect dress. You check yourself out in the mirror, smoothing the dress out and adjusting the straps slightly before replying, “eh kinda.”

“What?! How are you only KINDA excited?! You’re going to prom with Jason!” He exclaims, sitting forward in his seat as if you could see him through the dressing room curtains. You were excited to go to prom and if you would’ve had it your way you would’ve just gone with a group of friends, seeing as Matt never asked you. But being pressured into doing things you don’t want to do comes with the territory of being popular.

“He’s just Jason,” you shrug, finally opening the curtain and doing a silly, dramatic pose for Nick. “What do you think?” You ask, twirling so he can get a full look at the dress. You could always trust Nick to be honest with you, especially when it came to fashion. “It’s cute, but it’s the wrong color,” he replies, you nod in agreement and retreat back into the dressing room to try on a different dress.

“Also, he’s not ‘just’ Jason. He’s quite literally the star quarterback AND the hottest guy in school,” Nick says, using his fingers to do air quotes around ‘just.’ You pull another dress on, zipping it up haphazardly before opening the curtain once again and walking out of the dressing room.

You motion towards the dress, silently asking Nick what his opinion about it is. “Too short,” he says, earning a groan from you. You trudge back into the dressing room, closing the curtain dramatically in the process. “What’s the real reason you don’t want to go to prom with Jason?” Nick asks because he’s almost certain there’s an underlying secret reason he doesn’t know about.

You sigh, jumping as you struggle to pull on the last dress. “I was hoping someone else would ask me,” you admit, being completely vulnerable and honest with your best friend. This was news to Nick, as far as he knew you weren’t interested in anyone at school. “WHAT?! Who is it?!?! Do I know him?!” He asks excitedly, wanting nothing more than for you to spill the beans and tell him who you were secretly crushing on.

“Yeah, you know him,” you respond, adjusting the strap on the dress you were currently trying on. Finally you fix it and take one last look in the mirror before opening the curtain and showing Nick the dress. His mouth goes agape, this was the perfect dress for you. “Girl, that’s the one,” he says, taking in all the small details of the dress and how they complemented you perfectly.

“You really think?” You ask, looking at yourself in the dressing room mirror again just to make sure he’s not lying. It did look good on you and the color was really nice. “Yes! Now tell me who your crush is!” He’s quick to dismiss you, too eager to find out who you’re crushing on. This causes you to roll your eyes, but he’s being so loud that you have to hold back your laughter as you hold onto him and shush him. “Nick you’re so loud!” You whisper through laughter, trying to keep your own voice down so you don’t get kicked out.

“Don’t shush me, woman!” He replies dramatically, earning you both a couple of stares from the surrounding customers. You continue laughing, going back into the dressing room to change so you can take the dress to the front counter and pay.

As you do this, Nick is on the other side of the curtain trying to guess who your crush is. He begins listing the names of all of boys in your class. He lists every person he can think of before giving up. “You’re never gonna guess it,” you say in a sing song tone as you exit the dressing room, dress in hand.

“The only people I didn’t say are Chris and Matt,” he scoffs, he feels almost 100% sure that you’d never have a crush on either of his brothers. You don’t say anything, instead walking in front of him so he can’t see the blush forming on your face. “Oh my god! You like one of my brothers!” He exclaims in realization, somewhat grossed out at the thought of it.

“Never said that,” you reply, reaching the cashier and plopping the dress on the counter. The cashier cashes you out, placing the dress in a bag for you. “You never denied it,” he replies. As long as he didn’t guess which brother you’d be fine.

Nick is thinking long and hard, trying to figure out which of his brothers you have a crush on. ‘It can’t be Chris,’ he thought. You and Chris had always been close, but never close enough to raise any suspicion of a crush. Plus Chris was always doing weird gross stuff around you that he only ever did around Nick and Matt. ‘Maybe it’s Matt,’ Nick’s so deep in thought that he doesn’t realize that you guys are now in the food court. You and Matt always had a slightly awkward relationship, but Matt did have a crush on you since forever so maybe you returned the feelings.

“It’s Matt,” Nick states simply, both of you now waiting in line for Chinese food. You go stiff, how had he guessed it so fast? It was a 50/50 chance and he guess correct on the first try. He watched you and noticed your change in body language, realizing that he was right. “It’s Matt!” He exclaims, he feels like he just won the grand prize on a game show.

“Quiet down!” You whisper shout, looking around the food court to ensure that no one from school was lurking around. If word got out that you had a crush on Matt it would travel around the school like wildfire, especially if you were going to prom with someone else. “So I’m right?!” He’s still yelling, he can’t help it he’s excited and also grossed out. Nick’s going through so many emotions right now thinking about his best friend and his brother having secret feelings for each other.

“Yes, now shut up,” you grumble, moving forward in the line. “That’s so cute! But also so disgusting,” he comments with a chuckle and a fake gag, earning an eye roll from you.

—

Finally it was the long awaited day of prom. You took an extra hour on your hair and makeup than usual and your mom steamed all the wrinkles out of your dress. Everything had to be perfect because once you walked into that venue with Jason all eyes would be on you.

Jason picked you up an hour before the event started, walking you to his car carefully and politely. This drive to the venue felt so impersonal and awkward that you kind of wished you had rejected his promposal. If you were with your friends you wouldn’t feel this way.

The two of you walked into the venue hand in hand and even if you were nervous, you held your head high in confidence. You greeted so many people on the way in that it felt like you were on the red carpet and everyone wanted your attention. The two of you made your way to a table and situated yourselves before the real party began.

As soon as the dancing started Jason disappeared somewhere with his friends, but you didn’t mind because it gave you time to look for your friends too. You must’ve lapped around that building 10 times before giving up, you couldn’t find a single person worth talking to that wasn’t already busy or just plain missing. Nick was nowhere to be found, Chris was dancing with his date and you didn’t even know if Matt was here or not.

You made your way back to your table, slumping in your seat a little. You felt so alone. From the corner of your eye you noticed Jason making his way towards you, you silently hoped he’d at least ask you to dance so you wouldn’t be so bored. What he actually says catches you by surprise, “Hey, Katrina asked me to dance. Is that okay?” You were taken aback, was he really asking his prom date if he could dance with his ex?

“Katrina? As in your ex Katrina?” You asked, bewilderment evident on your face and in your voice. He doesn’t say anything, instead he just nods and walks away in whatever direction Katrina is. You sit there in shock, had you just been ditched at prom? “Fuck this,” you whisper to yourself as you grab your purse and walk out of the venue.

You felt like you couldn’t breathe, how had this become your prom night? As you make your way out of the venue you feel all eyes on you and the tears begin to brim at your eyes. Finally you’re outside and you sit on a nearby bench, not noticing that Matt was already sitting there. As soon as you feel like no one is watching, you let the tears flow.

Matt recognizes your sniffles and immediately looks up from the ground to find you sitting next to him crying. He was out here to avoid seeing you with Jason. “Y/n?” He asks softly, leaning forward to check if it was actually you or not. You jump at the sound of your name and work to wipe your tears away as quickly as possible. The last thing you needed was people knowing you were crying at prom.

You lift your gaze slowly to see who had caught you crying only to find Matt. He’s offering you a small, sad smile and opens his arms to engulf you in a hug. You don’t second guess it, you just fall into his arms and let the tears flow again. Finally, after such a lonely night, you’re in the arms of someone familiar.

“It’s okay,” he whispers repeatedly into your hair as he rubs your back in an attempt to calm you down. Usually Matt wouldn’t allow himself to be this close with you, he always let his nerves get the best of him before he could get too comfortable. His soothing seems to work because your breathing steadies and you pull away from him with one last sniffle.

“Sorry,” you whisper, wiping away the stray tears. Your makeup was definitely messed up at this point, but you tried not to dwell on that thought too long. “It’s okay,” he repeats for what seems like the 100th time that night before asking you what happened.

You explain the whole situation to him, taking him through the emotional rollercoaster you had just been on. By the end of your story, he’s so mad. How could Jason toss you to the side so easily? “You deserve better than that,” he says, both in an attempt to make you feel better and to reassure himself that he would never treat you that way. You hum in response, not sure what to respond to such a vague statement. I mean, it seemed like the typical thing to say in a situation like this.

“I would never do that to you,” Matt says, but it comes out as an almost inaudible whisper. If you two weren’t sitting so close you would have missed it, but you still have to be sure that he actually said that. “What?” You ask, now it’s your turn to lean forward and look at his face. You’re trying to read his expression so you can figure out what he meant by that.

“I would never do that to you,” he repeats it louder this time. His tone is firm and confident because for the first time since he was ten years old he isn’t doubting his feelings for you. “Matt, what are you saying?” you ask, still unsure if he’s aware of what he’s saying right now. Maybe someone spiked the punch and he was drunk right now because the Matt you knew would never be so bold.

Seeing you cry was his last straw, his push to finally tell you how in love with you he was, “I’m saying that I would never do that to you. I would never mistreat you, I would love you and take care of you for forever if I could.” When you hear this, the butterflies in your stomach begin going crazy and if you don’t ground yourself now you might just throw up from excitement. Just when you think he’s done, he continues, “Y/n, I’ve loved you since we were ten years old when you walked into that classroom and sat next to me. I’ve just been too in denial to admit it until now.”

You don’t respond because you’re still registering everything and it’s driving Matt crazy. Had he just messed everything up? “You don’t have to say anything,” he attempts to backtrack, his mind racing with the thought of you being disgusted with his confession. He wishes he could read your mind and control time because if you didn’t feel the same way he could just rewind time and take it all back. Fortunately for him, you were internally jumping for joy.

He’s about to stand up and walk away like he always does when a situation becomes too uncomfortable, but he’s stopped by your hand on his shoulder. “I wish you would’ve said something sooner,” you say with a slight chuckle, the world’s biggest and brightest smile plastered on your face. Matt lets out a sigh of relief, immediately taking you face in his hands and doing the unthinkable.

His lips are on yours before he can stop himself, but, to his surprise, you kiss him back almost immediately. In that moment you felt every cliche take over your body; fireworks, sparks, butterflies, everything.

“I’ve loved you too,” you whisper when you two finally break away. This was the beginning of something beautiful.

—

MASTERLIST

A/n: thank you for this request, it was so much fun to write! I hope it was what you were looking for & that you enjoy!!! Also, because you asked for a 5 in 1, I made this much longer than expected haha. I’m working on a few other stories/ requests, but if you guys are looking for something in particular feel free to ask! K byeee

- L.A.M.B 👼🏻💗

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