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#nina hischier
pocketsizedq · 2 months
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All of the above
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dearstvckyx · 1 month
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𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬
𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫
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𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ➜ 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞
Location: New Jersey
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Liked by njdevils and 19,572,194 others
thelunahughes ‘I lose my mind when it comes to you I take time with the ones I choose And I don't want to smile if it ain't from you, yeah’ 💗 my 13
tagged nicohischier
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njdevils: mom and dad?
⟶ thelunahughes: 😭 devils!
jackhughes: disgusting
⟶thelunahughes: WDYM YOUR THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER
⟶ jackhughes: LIARR
dixiedamelio: love this for you ☺️
⟶ thelunahughes: LOVE THIS FOR YOU TO 😉😉
⟶ dixiedamelio: STOP OMG
ninahischier: Ich liebe und vermisse euch beide
⟶ thelunahughes: Ich liebe dich !!!
_quinnhughes: did… did the devils account just call you mom and dad?
⟶ thelunahughes: i dont know anymore quinny 😀
edwards.73: YOU TWO JUST GO TOGETHER
⟶ thelunahughes: RIGHT
⟶ lhughes_06: THEY ARE ANNOYINGLY CUTE
⟶ thelunahughes: deal with it lukey 😙
Translate:
Ich liebe und vermisse euch beide - I love and miss you both
Ich liebe dich - I love you
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flyinpucks · 3 months
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also i found this looking for nina’s birthday
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the skinny jeans go hard🔥🔥🔥
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lildevilsadvocate · 2 months
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Nico, Nina, and Rino Hischier
2-16-24
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heavenlyhischier · 2 months
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i have many words. so many
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hugheses · 2 months
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NJDevils: Family fun at the Meadowlands.
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doc-pickles · 9 days
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old friends, new adventures (nico hischier x emilia hess)
from the unless it’s you universe
Here’s my promised fic! I’ve been out of town so that’s why it’s late but I hope y’all enjoy it.
xoxo nina
“mama do we have any snacks?”
the door of the hischier house flew open as nina bounded through the door, quickly followed by a brunette.
“in the pantry,” katja replied as she smiled at the two girls. “hello emilia. good to see you around here.”
“thanks mrs. h,” emilia smiled as she caught the bag of chips nina threw her. her eyes darted to nico who sat at the kitchen table working on homework. “hello to you too nico.”
the twelve year old looked up from his papers before rolling his eyes and turning back to his work, “hi emi.”
“nico be nice to our guest,” katja scolded from her place by the stove.
“hello emilia how are you today? wonderful weather we’re having. say did you catch the game last night? riveting stuff.”
nina and emilia both burst out laughing and nico spared a smirk in emilia’s direction. their eyes met for a second before nina called her away, the two girls quickly leaving the kitchen.
“I wish you’d be nicer to emilia,” katja huffed as she made dinner. “you never know, someday you two might-“
“absolutely not,” nico cringed as he turned toward his mom. “you can marry her off to luca.”
with an eye roll katja smirked at her youngest son, “she would eat him alive. finish your homework.”
+
“right there! no not- shit nico if you break my easel you’re paying for it!”
“you say that like i don’t have the money to do that,” nico grunted as he placed the aforementioned easel in the corner of emilia’s apartment. “there?”
“perfect,” emilia sighed and flopped onto the couch that was still covered in plastic. “thanks for helping me, I appreciate it.”
“no problem,” nico grinned as he pushed another cardboard box towards the couch before flopping down next to emilia. “are you excited for your new job?”
emilia nodded and opened the box in front of them, stacking the books inside next to the couch, “kohler price is a huge publishing house which means i’ll get to work on more diverse projects. there’s only so many grimm’s fairytales that you can redraw before it starts to get repetitive.”
nico’s deep laugh echoed through the apartment as he pulled a book out of the box and inspected the cover. it’s about rapunzel, a young girl with long golden hair flowing across the cover with flowers blooming around her. the illustration is breathtaking, nico grinning at emilia’s name scrawled across the bottom of the cover as the illustrator.
“well you’re very talented,” nico held up the book as if it showed proof of his words. “but I don’t think you need me to tell you that.”
pulling another box toward him nico watched as emilia blushed deeply, busying herself with organizing the books onto her shelves in the corner, “it’s just nice to be out in the world and ready to explore you know? I mean you travel all the time for work.”
“yeah canada in the middle of winter is thrilling,” nico huffed with a smile as he opened the box in front of him. “nothing quite like freezing to death in-“
emilia looked up from her spot by the shelves and yelped as she dove on top of the box nico had opened. their eyes met and before she could say anything nico collapsed into a fit of laughter as her face turned an embarrassingly bright shade of red.
“stop! I didn’t think you’d be opening the box when I packed it,” emilia shrieked as she pushed the box into the corner of the living room.
“and you decided to pack your sex toys right on top?” nico huffed out as a wide grin spread across his face. “jesus how many are in there em? surely you don’t need all of them.”
“they all do different things,” emilia scoffed and nico raised his brows. “i’m not explaining vibrators to you hischier. some of us don’t have girls throwing themselves at our feet because we can hit a puck with a stick.”
“I do not-“
“don’t even try to correct me,” emilia smiled as she carried the box to her bedroom then came back. “when I went to that game last week every other girl I saw had your jersey on. not to mention the amount of screaming when you skated out.”
emilia grinned widely as a deep red colored nico’s cheeks. satisfaction buzzing under her skin she went to pour two glasses of red wine for them before returning to the living room.
“to your new adventure,” nico raised his glass with a smile as emilia rolled her eyes is mock exasperation. “and to old friends.”
“to old friends and new adventures,” emilia smirked as they clinked glasses.
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imperatorrrrr · 10 months
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Jack saw Nico’s thirsts traps on Facebook and had to post his own Instagram photo dump.
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bitchinbarzal · 7 months
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Always Our Daughter | N Hischier
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summary; even after you split, his mom will always consider you her daughter.
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In all of your time with Nico, you’d always been close to his mother. Katja had treated you like a second daughter from the moment Nico had brought you home.
So when you split up she was heartbroken. You felt sorry to be loosing a second family but you knew this was best for you both.
Nina reached out a few times to check on you but they all went radio silent for a few weeks until you got a text from his mom.
hi sweetheart, just checking in! you’ve been busy! it’s been so strange not having you around, we’re so proud of you! Please reach out if you ever need anything — you’ll always be our daughter.
It felt nice that she thought about you.
It was a little sad how you felt. You missed them.
Everything was changing; you’d moved out of your shared apartment in Hoboken and up to Buffalo for cheaper rent. Your mom had taken all of your belongings out of your shared home back in Bern.
She’d sent you a picture of the house almost completely empty, considering you’d bought the house together in the off season you were the only one who was able to stay in Switzerland to decorate and Nico didn’t get much of a say.
you moved! your mother showed us pictures of your new house, it’s gorgeous! please let us know if you’ll be visiting us on your trip back to Bern this Christmas, we miss you so much.
When you finally found a place you got to work making it yours, trying to make it home.
you’d never lived alone, constantly moving from rental to rental in Jersey to accommodate Nico’s lifestyle. Your first apartment was perfect and you’d considered buying it but as the internet does, fans had shared your address online and you then had to move a further seven times for the same reasons.
When you’d finally settled on your home in Bern you had planned to make it your own, you made countless Pinterest boards for each room.
You stayed up late nights in the bedroom, laying on the mattress on the floor holding one another while you spoke about all of the things you’d do to the house and all of the memories it would hold.
You spoke about how you’d get married in the garden, how you’d bring your children home here and how you’d decorate their nursery’s.
you went to South Africa?! how was it, sweetheart? you always said you wanted to go… I saw on facebook you’re dating someone new, is he nice? We’d love to meet him. miss you sweetheart.
When Nico had finally settled payment and given you your half of the money for the house you decided to go on vacation. A vacation you’d spoken about going on with Nico countless times but hadn’t gotten around to it.
On the plane you’d been sat next to a guy who you got chatting with. He told you he was headed to Johannesburg to do work, he worked with a non profit.
The two of you spent the entire flight chatting away, getting to know one another and before you parted ways at the airport you exchanged phone numbers with the promise to call when you got back to the US.
hi sweetheart, your mother told us you got a new job! Congratulations sweetheart you’ll be great.
After you’d gotten home and Alex called you, he showed you all the stuff he’d done in South Africa and you were enamoured with it and began complaining about your job and how you wanted to help more people.
Being the captains girlfriend in New Jersey meant you took lead on fundraisers and community events, you missed it.
So Alex told you about an event organiser position that was open in his company so you went for the interview and got it.
It felt nice to be helping make a difference again.
happy new year love. it was so nice to see you last week, congratulations to you and alex. you’re going to be an amazing mother, nobody deserves this more than you. can’t wait to meet this little one! don’t become a stranger please…. we love you! x
Things with Alex moved quickly. He moved into your apartment, the two of you settled into a routine and only a few months in you found out you were pregnant.
It was a massive shock and you were something bordering excited and disappointed. You liked Alex, truly you did and it was nice to be sharing your life with someone again but this was all a lot happening in such a short period of time.
Whenever you thought about having babies you always imagined them with brunette hair, Nico’s nose crinkle and his beautiful big eyes.
You called your mom and cried for a little bit, she tried her very best to soothe you. At one point you considered calling Nico, just wanting someone who would make you feel better.
it’s been a while! A little girl…. congratulations sweetheart, not long until she’s here. nico sends his well wishes, Nina shared your photos with him I hope you don’t mind. let us know if you got our gift in the mail.
A little girl.
You posted it on instagram, a heart shaped cake with pink icing inside with the caption ‘my sweet slice of heaven ☁️🩷’
Nico saw it, everyone saw it. They all tried avoiding the conversation in the locker room but Nina sent it straight to him ‘HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?!? THAT SHOULD BE YOURS!!!’
Things with Alex hadn’t been so smooth sailing, he’d been making off handed comments about your body and you guys had been arguing about finances, with the additional costs of a baby coming you were trying to be smart. That wasn’t something you’d ever had to worry about with Nico, he’d fight you to keep your credit card in your purse. He always said his money was the least he could give you for everything you’d ever given him.
oh sweetheart. claudia is just perfect. she looks exactly like you and she’s got the chubbiest little cheeks. your mom told us what’s happened the past few months, I’m so sorry sweetheart, someday someone will come into your lives for you both and change it for the best. one day claudia will know just how strong her mommy is. we’re always here to support you; we’re so glad you reconnected with nico. he’s been showing us all the pictures and videos you send him, we’re so excited to meet her someday. take care of yourself schatz, we’ll see you when you come home x
Claudia, the love of your life.
Your babygirl was born and she was perfect. Everyone said she looked like you which you were grateful for, not a reminder of Alex who had taken off just before she was born.
You freaked out when you went into labour, all alone with nobody to call so you called the only person you knew you could rely on.
He was by your side, holding your hand and whispering words of encouragement in your ear.
“I can’t do it! I can’t!”
“You can Schatz, you can. You’re so strong you can” you cried out in pain, squeezing his hand tighter.
He named her.
“Does she have a name?” He asks, stroking the little girls cheek.
“Alex wanted to call her Emma but I don’t like it” you scrunched your nose in discontent “My mom gave me a book of Swiss names but Alex wouldn’t even let me look at it he didn’t like-“
“How about Claudia?” He asks and your eyes go wide before you give a soft smile, remembering back to the first night in your house, holding one another while you said
“and our babies! if it’s a girl, Claudia and if it’s a boy I’d like to use Luca”
You nod, eyes full of tears “Claudia… hi babygirl”
Even after you’d gotten home and settled into life with your little girl you kept in contact with Nico. He asked for updates at least four times a day and you would FaceTime when he was on the road.
The devils last game of the season was against the sabres and you took Claudia to her first NHL game.
Nico found you both, standing next to the ice he waved to the baby through the plexi
“Hi, Chäferli!”
happy birthday to Claudia! we can’t wait to give her gift, we may have gone a little overboard but you can’t blame us… she’s our first grandbaby!! love you and we’ll see you three later at her party.
“Happy birthday Chäferli!” Nico shouted, peppering kisses all over the one year olds face as she sat in her high chair eating her cupcake delivered specially from the team.
Your camera shutter caught both of their attention, the two looking over at you with smiles and you shrugged “Capturing the memories”
Nico shakes his head, unclipping Claudia from her high chair and waltzing over to where you stood in the kitchen with your camera pushing the camera down from your face to kiss you softly
“Best day of our lives” he mumbled and you stroked Claudia’s cheek while nodding
“Our precious girl, you made this family”
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writingonleaves · 3 months
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and all at once, you’re all i want (i’ll never let you go) - jack hughes
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pairing: jack hughes x original female character
warnings: literally nothing. fluff! some minor worship of nina hischier (the goat), a little love letter to my alma mater
title: "king of my heart" by taylor swift
word count: 10.3k
author's note: first fic in the new year is for @wyattjohnston 's winter fic exchange 2k24!! i had the absolute pleasure of writing for @wildrangers <3 taylor, i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed putting it together and demi, thank you for your endless hard work for putting this on!!
four times where jack hughes and ashley grassie showed up for each other and one time where everyone showed up for them
*****
one - two months
“Jack, are you sure about this?” Ashley asks, fiddling with the silver rings on her fingers. 
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He responds confidently, sparing a look at her from the drivers seat before turning his eyes back on the road. “Everyone’s expecting you.”
“You told them?”
“That my girlfriend was coming with me to a New Year’s party? Of course.” He squeezes her thigh lightly. “They’re excited to meet you. And not while we’re working.”
“I’m excited to meet them too.”
“You sure?” He teases lightly. “You’ve been quiet all afternoon.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” They stop at a red light, and he leans over to kiss her cheek. “Ash, baby, they’re gonna love you.”
“But you don’t know that,” she protests softly. 
“I do, actually. Because everyone loves you.”
She rolls her eyes. “You can’t promise me that everyone’s gonna even like me.”
He shrugs. “I’ll prove you wrong. You’ll see.” He tugs at her gold sweater. “Is this new?”
“Yeah. Seems fitting for the occasion. Sparkles equals New Years, right?”
“I like it a lot.”
“I know what you’re doing,” she deadpans. 
He smirks. “And what might that be?”
“Distracting me.”
“Maybe so. You’re so smart, Miss Columbia Grad.”
“Jack,” she whines, making him laugh. 
He picks up her hand and kisses the back of it. “Trust me, okay? It’ll be great. And I’ll be with you all night.”
Ashley swallows, before forcing herself to nod. 
The thing is, after two months of dating officially (she’s not counting the month beforehand when there wasn’t a label on things even though there should’ve been), there are still important parts of each other’s lives they have yet to experience together. She’s gone to a few of his games, but has never met any of his teammates (except for Luke, but he doesn’t count), choosing to meet Jack back at his place after instead of waiting for him at the rink. She also doesn’t count that one Devils game she had to fill in for, which is how she met Jack in the first place. The few times he’s invited her along when he does go out with them, she’s been busy with other things. 
New Year’s is kinda a big time to be meeting new people. People that mean a lot to Jack. But that could just also be all in Ashley’s head. She’s never really done this before. The last serious boyfriend she had was in high school where everyone knew each other. There was no need for introductions. 
Jack squeezes her hand. “Thank you.” 
“For?” 
“Coming with me to this. Taking off work early. I appreciate it a lot.” 
She shrugs casually. “It’s about time, right?” She pointedly ignores the look he shoots her, because she doesn’t want him to know how nervous she really is.
Before they know it, Jack’s pulled into the driveway of the Toffolis and her hands start sweating again. She gathers the flowers on her lap and the wine bag as Jack rounds the car and opens the door for her. He grabs the bag, presses a kiss atop her head and hand in hand, they walk to the front door. She lets Jack take the lead as he just walks in. They walk into the kitchen area, as Cat pulls her into a hug and thanks them graciously for the flowers and wine.
It turns out that Ashley really does have nothing to worry about. Getting thrown into a whirlwind of introductions and new names is a lot, but she doesn’t mind. A wave of comfort crashes over her as Luke practically hauls her into a hug. 
She finds herself besides Nico after he hands her a glass of wine. “You’re a journalist, right?” He asks.
“I am.”
“Do you ever watch Jack’s media interviews?”
Ashley giggles. “I do once in awhile. Trust me, I have my thoughts. I also met him for the first time from that. And you, technically.”
“Right, right. Will we ever see you in the locker room again?”
“Probably not. I was just filling in for Danny. On the rare chance I do sports, it’s usually for the Jets. Besides, better to watch and support you all without any stake professionally.”
“What do you usually report on?” Nico asks with genuine curiosity. 
She perks up, like anytime she gets to talk about her job. As she talks, using her hands animatedly despite one of them holding a drink, Jack looks on from a distance with a lovesick look in his eyes.
“She is way too cool for you,” Dawson says, fixing his cap.
Jack rolls his eyes. “Shut up.” But Jack knows his teammate’s right.
Jack’s not clingy, perse, but it’s hard for him to watch Ashley just…be and not be touching a part of her. Even if it’s just sliding up against her so her body is pressed alongside his, he just wants to be near her all the time. 
(Quinn once sent some random thing he found on Instagram about love languages a few years back and Jack had remembered absolutely roasting him. But maybe he had a point)
“So,” Nicole starts, refilling both their glasses up with champagne a bit later in the evening. “Why Jack?”
Ashley snorts. “Your guess is as good as mine.” From beside his girlfriend, Jesper barks out a laugh and from next to Ashley, Jack pouts. Ashley laughs, leaning into Jack’s side. “I’m kidding. Mostly. I was hesitant at first though.”
“Oh, yeah. He told me about this,” Jesper says. “Said he chased you down the hall after post-game media and asked you out?”
“Sounds about right.”
“And you said yes to that?” Jesper asks. Jack whacks his teammate in the stomach. 
“Not right away,” Ashley admits. “He gave me his number and told me to text him if I was interested. And I ended up being interested.”
“Lucky for him,” Nicole chuckles. 
Jack squeezes Ashley’s waist fondly. “Lucky for me.”
She listens on in interest as Nicole talks about how she and Jesper got together. Somewhere throughout the conversation, she can’t help but let her mind drift. They’ve been together for years now, been living together for a bit and are looking to move into a house. She literally moved away from Sweden full-time for him. 
Ashley swallows as Jack asks about how their house search is going. There’s a very little chance that Jack will be leaving Jersey anytime within the next half decade. But her mother warned her that his career could take him places in the future unexpectedly. 
And in a way, so could Ashley’s. But it’s not as easy. 
She scolds herself for even thinking this far. They’ve been dating for literally two months. That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. They’re celebrating entering the new year today, but she has no idea if they’ll even be together for all of it.
She’s hoping they are. God, she really fucking hopes so. But she could hope until the end of the world and have it fall short. She smoothes her sweater out with her suddenly-clammy hands, chugging the whole glass of champagne before putting the flute down on a nearby table. She excuses herself politely to use the bathroom, which she does, before getting some air. 
She definitely looks a bit crazy outside on the Toffoli’s porch in the dead of winter, but she doesn’t mind the biting edge of cold. It’s grounding her, actually. 
“Was looking for you.”
Ashley doesn’t even look at Jack, humming as she hears him walking out to stand next to her. “Did my sparkle sweater give me away?”
“No, Neeks did, actually. Said he saw you walking out.” She finally looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not cold?”
“Don’t even think about offering me your jacket,” she warns. “I know you’re only wearing a t-shirt underneath.”
“Then come back inside so we both don’t die.”
“In a minute,” she promises. 
He huffs, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to try and generate some heat. “Everything good?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Just, you know, minorly freaking out at her boyfriend’s teammate’s place about the fact that she might be falling in love with him even though it hasn’t been that long and what a future could look like for them and how that future could fall apart in an instant.
So regular New Year’s Eve thoughts.
“Unlike you, I don’t have a college degree, much less two,” Jack grins. “I can’t read minds.”
“And you think I can?” She jokes back weakly. He just chuckles. She continues. “Your friends are nice. I like them a lot.”
He lights up anytime someone he loves gets brought up in conversation. “Yeah, they’re cool. They like you too.”
“That’s good,” she says softly. 
He taps her forehead with his pointer finger. “Countdown’s soon. Come back inside?” He laces their fingers together. 
“You gonna kiss me at midnight?”
“Think so.”
“You only think so?”
Jack smirks, kissing her deeply. “Shut up.”
Ashley is absolutely floored.
two - one year and one month
Cam’s wedding crept up on her. 
Of course, Ashley knew it was coming, but still. Though she was surprised when Jack told her that he was free of games on that particular early November weekend somehow, only having to miss an optional practice and that he would notify the coaching staff far in advance. 
It’s not the act of bringing Jack that she’s nervous about. Cam and Amanda, his fiance, came into the city a few months ago and they all grabbed lunch before heading to a game at The Rock that night. She’ll never forget how ultimately “traitor-like to the Bruins” Cam felt, Ashley and Amanda finding it hilarious. They both had a good time though, and that’s all that matters, and Cam, who has always looked out for her even before she had ever asked, subtly gave his approval. 
(“I’ll admit my assumptions about him were wrong,” Cam had said. “He’s awesome, and he really cares about you. If he’s the one, I won’t be mad about it. He’s very lucky.”)
It’s more of a particular person that’s going to be at the wedding. 
Weirdly, when she and Alex broke up way back when, one of the thoughts that circled her mind months after was exactly this. If and when the day of Cam’s wedding came, and they were both still close to him, they’d both be there. And here they are. 
She’s over him — obviously, considering she’s in a happy, long-term relationship and it’s been four years — but how do you prepare to see your ex-boyfriend when the last time you saw him you had just broken up and you were in tears?
She and Jack drive up to Cape Cod early the day of the wedding and she feels a bit bad that he’s driving after he had a game last night and has one in just two days but he doesn’t mind, happy to be driving as long as she’s in the passenger seat next to him. They’re switching off anyways, and she had driven the first half. Cam and Amanda rented out a bunch of rooms at a few inns for their guests so her and Jack will get ready there before heading to the venue. 
From a quick rundown Cam gave her a month ago when they caught up over the phone, she’ll at least be familiar with a good amount of people at the wedding. She’s excited to see them all again and catch up, those memories that were bittersweet at some point, all water under the bridge so many years later. 
It’s what you get for dating within a friend group. Ultimately, at some point, sides are chosen.
At the end of the day, it’s Cam, someone who has always been there for her since they were 16, even when she didn’t necessarily do the same. He’s given his friendship selflessly to her for over a decade. The least she can do is come to his wedding to celebrate. 
And she has Jack with her. Nothing can go wrong with Jack by her side. 
“You okay?” Jack’s voice breaks her out of her thoughts as he squeezes her thigh, sneaking a look before focusing back on the road. “You’re quiet. You’re rarely quiet in the car.”
“It’s a 5 hour drive, Jack.”
“I’ve been playing country nonstop for the last half an hour and you haven’t chirped me once.” She starts playing with his fingers and his eyebrows furrow. “Alright. What’s going on, baby? What are you thinking about?”
“You know what I’m thinking about.” She shoots back with no malice. 
He sighs, linking their hands together and bringing them up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Yeah. I got you though. I’ll be with you the whole day.”
“It’s dumb, really. Four years. And I haven’t thought about him in a long time.”
He shrugs. “He was your first heartbreak, and you haven’t seen him since. This is gonna be some sort of closure, even if it’s four years later.”
“You seem awfully cool about this, considering, you know, your current girlfriend is lowkey freaking out about seeing her ex again.”
“I’m not worried,” he replies easily. “You need this closure. I wasn’t smart like you back then and actually saw my exes probably way sooner than I should’ve. Besides, I’m the one on your arm now. Not him. I’m not pressed.”
She scoffs at yet another country song playing and skips it, snorting when ‘Suburban Legends’ by Taylor Swift comes on. How fitting. “I’m definitely hyping it up in my head. It’s nothing. And Cam told me that he purposefully put us at separate tables, in case Alex says some questionable shit while drunk.”
“No worries about you saying anything questionable?”
“Compared to Alex? No way.” He snorts, amused. But he knows enough about his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend to not push it. “I wonder if he’s bringing someone. God, I hope he is.”
“Why? Don’t want to rub it in his face that you’re happy and in love?”
“That’s mean,” she says airily. “No. I hope he’s bringing someone because I want to know what kind of girl can tolerate his ass. I did, but I was 20 and stupid. I wanna see what kind of girl can tolerate him at 26.”
“Does he know I’m coming?”
“Cam?”
He snorts. “No. Alex.”
“Who knows? Even if he does, he probably doesn’t care and isn’t overthinking it like I am.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” she looks at him, confused and he bites his lip. “Even if they play it off, guys are affected by that stuff more than you’d think.”
“What is there to be affected by?”
“You,” Jack says simply. “Not that I’m biased or anything, but you leave quite an impact on everyone you meet. And that lucky ass got to date you. As someone who also has had that privilege, I can relate a bit.”
Ashley chuckles before squeezing his hand. “Thanks for coming with me. I know your schedule is really busy with the season and everything-”
“You don’t need to thank me. Isn’t half of having a significant other just bringing them as plus ones to weddings?”
“Fair.” She leans her head on his shoulder momentarily as he pushes the sunglasses on top of his head to his face. “Thank you, though. I feel bad that you’re missing practice.”
He snorts. “Don’t.”
“They didn’t give you a hard time?”
“Not really. It’s an optional, anyways. Nico just told us to have fun and I think Lindy has a soft spot for you somehow. I’m excited. I like Cam. And I’m happy to be here with you.” He smirks, adding. “Come on, baby. Did you think I was gonna leave you to dry when your ex is gonna be there?”
“You don’t know anybody at the wedding. And Cam grew up in a hockey-loving family from Boston. There’s bound to be people who recognize you.”
“So I’m the arm candy for the night. That works perfectly for me.” 
They arrive at the inn just past 1, and decide to stop by a nearby cafe to grab a quick bite. Jack decides to take a short nap before they have to start getting ready and head out while she scrolls on her phone and plays with his hair since his head is on her lap. Occasionally she finds herself staring outside the window at the water with a smile. Even if not in the summer, the Cape is beautiful.
Once it hits 4:15, she figures that she should start getting ready, but she can’t move without disturbing Jack since he’s still sleeping soundly on her lap. She gently whispers his name and presses a few kisses on his forehead as his breathing changes, groaning a bit as he stretches and opens his eyes. 
“Time to go?”
“In like, an hour. I need to start getting ready.”
He hums, puckering his lips and she takes the hint, kissing him soundly twice before ushering him off her lap. She lays out the few makeup products she has, moisturizing her face before putting light foundation and concealer on. As always, she focuses more attention on her eyeshadow, deciding to add a bit of gold glitter to compliment her pink dress. She clips a matching pink bow in, liking the way it blends with the natural brown of her hair. She decides to save the lipstick for right before they leave and turns to Jack, who’s buttoning his shirt. 
“What do you think?” He looks up as he’s buttoning his cuffs. “Too much glitter?” She asks.
“Never too much glitter. You look beautiful.”
She looks at his blazer and tie that he’s laid out on the bed, looking at him with minor confusion. “Since when do you own that tie?”
“Since last week when I bought it.”
She looks at where her dress is hanging. “It matches my dress.”
“Yes it does.”
She looks towards him as he tucks his shirt in, a sudden wave of love rushing through her heart. “I love you.”
He looks up and immediately walks over to her, placing a hand on her waist and kissing her. “I love you too.”
She puts on her dress quickly, smiling when she doesn’t even have to ask Jack as he comes over to help her zip it up, pressing a chaste kiss on her shoulder. His phone ringing interrupts and she brushes her hair before she puts on her accessories. 
“Sup Quinny?”
Quinn’s voice crackles through Jack’s phone. “Where the fuck are you going all dressed up on a Saturday? I know for a fact you don’t have a game today, considering Luke just sent a snap of him playing Chel with Dawson 10 minutes ago.”
“I’m in the Cape, asshole. One of Ash’s friends is getting married.”
She peeks into the view of the camera and waves after putting in one earring. “Hi Quinn!”
“Oh! Hey Ash. You look beautiful.”
She beams. “Thank you!”
Jack scoffs. “I’m here too.”
Ashley leaves the brothers to catch up as she starts gathering her things and puts on her lip tint before sitting at the edge of the bed since they still have 15 minutes left before they have to head out and she’s mostly all ready to go. She chimes in once in awhile, always happy to talk to Quinn as Jack shrugs on his suit jacket, ties his matching pink tie and clasps on his watch.
“Looking good, you two.” Quinn says as they both stand in front of the phone. “Matching tie, eh? Good move, Jacky.”
“We look good enough to make an ex jealous?”
She just rolls her eyes as Quinn’s eyes lights up, immediately catching on. “Absolutely.”
“Don’t encourage him, Quinn.”
Quinn just laughs and bids them farewell as Jack smooths down his tie. She puts on her jacket and grabs her boots and slips them on. As she’s about to bend down and tie them, Jack ushers her to sit on the bed and kneels down. He does it too quickly for her to dwell too much on how much she loves him, but he probably knows, if him gently rubbing his thumb over her ankle and the kiss on the inside of her knee tell her anything. 
It’s only been a little over a year, but she really does think she could spend the rest of her life with him.
They end up running into Nick in the lobby and even though it’s been…four years since she’s seen him, she corrals him into a tight hug. She introduces Jack and Nick introduces Melanie, his fiancee. The only indication from Nick that he knows who Jack is is a subtle comment that’s delivered in a way that’s so Nick it makes her heart ache — “Jack Hughes. Only Ash would show up after almost five years in the flesh with a professional athlete at a wedding where her ex is gonna be at. Always gotta do some out of pocket shit.” — and makes Jack laugh as she slaps him.
The four of them walk the short seven minute walk to the venue together, with Ashley and Nick mostly leading the conversation. She can’t remember where they left their tentative friendship in their late teens and early twenties when the world was shut down and the future looked the most uncertain it had been. Even though they don’t immediately pick up where they left off, years of rust littered in their interactions and memories, she’s extremely happy to see that he’s doing well. 
(Jack’s just happy to be there, holding his girlfriend’s hand as she leads the conversation. It’s nice not having to lead for once. There’s not many situations where he’s the one tagging along) 
As they enter the ceremony space, Ashley immediately sees plenty of other people she recognizes. She chuckles to herself as she realizes many of the guys are from the soccer team. It’s touching to know they still keep in touch. Logan, one of said guys, greets Nick goodheartedly, before wrangling her into a hug. As pleasantries are exchanged and people are introduced, she does feel a bit out of place. But that’s natural, reconnecting with people after so long that clearly still hang out with each other and only hear about her through sporadic updates through Cam when they ask. 
Sides were chosen, even if not intentionally. Ashley’s learned to be okay with that. Even if she thinks it’s unfair that Alex got to keep a lot of their mutual friends and she didn’t.
As everyone settles down in their seats, she squeezes Jack’s hand, opening her mouth to apologize for…something. Not preparing him in giving the whole lore of how she knows all these people? How the only reason she knows the sport of soccer is so well is because of Alex? Not explaining clearly the mixed feelings of her coming to the Cape this weekend? 
But Jack’s enraptured in a conversation with Logan, and she smiles. Of course. Logan played hockey back in high school as well. 
(Out of instinct, Jack does squeeze her hand back though, even placing them in his lap even though he’s not looking in her direction at all)
When Alex comes into view, a pretty redhead’s hand around the crook of his elbow, Ashley starts sweating. Thank goodness she has deodorant in her bag. Jack, who’s still talking to Logan, notices, and she’s about to apologize for her clammy hands as he sends her a confused look but the nearby exclamations of Alex’s name answers his question. He just presses two kisses to her temple.
Logan, to his credit, grimaces. “You gonna be good, Ash?”
She waves his kindness away. “Of course. It’s been so long. And it’s Cam’s day.”
And it is Cam’s day, as everyone falls silent watching both sets of parents and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk down — she chuckles when she sees Sean walking down, forgetting that he and Cam got closer in college even after going to the same high school — before grinning as Amanda walks down in her beautiful A-line, ball gown of a wedding dress. Ashley wipes a tear away watching Cam do the same and she thinks if only 16 year old them could see themselves now. 
(She has a moment when she looks at Jack where her stomach flips, thinking of the day they could be the ones at the altar. She quickly focuses her attention back to the front)
Cam and Amanda are pronounced husband and wife and she cheers as he dips her and kisses her, beaming and tearing up and laughing as she hears Nick wolf-whistle. People start dispersing, the large heated patio hosting a cocktail hour before the doors to the reception hall open back up again.
While she’s sipping on a glass of wine, she hears a familiar voice calling her name and she beams, carefully making sure she doesn’t spill any wine on Sean’s tuxedo as he towers over her and hugs her tightly. He introduces himself to Jack and she watches in slight amusement as they talk. 
Sean and her never really were friends, more friends by association. He was more in the popular crowd in the school that Ashley herself was never inclined to push her way through. Her and Sean shared plenty of classes together though, and always got along when forced to work together. And in another life, sometimes Ashley thinks that she would’ve had a crush on the blonde boy. 
Instead, she dated one of his teammates. And, well, that turned out the way it did.
(Ashley rolls her eyes when Sean makes a comment about how it “makes complete sense that you’re the one who ended up dating a professional athlete” because sure, Sean. Sure.)
Jack may be among many Massachusetts natives who live and die for the Bruins and are not hesitant in chirping him within 5 minutes of meeting him, but he smiles genuinely as his hand instinctively finds a way on her lower back. After dating Ashley for over a year, he’s used to the good-intentioned bluntness of New Englanders. She only starts rolling her eyes when high school gets brought up and stories about her start piling up. In contrast, Jack loves this and just eggs them on, eager to hear the stories. 
With a quick glance at the seating chart when they’re all starting to filter back into the reception hall, she finds that the high school crowd is split between two tables, and that Cam kept to his word and put her and Alex at different ones. The tables next to each other, but still. She won’t have to worry about making accidental awkward eye contact with him across her chicken. She’s the slightest bit surprised she hasn’t crossed direct paths with him yet. But there’s enough people that they wouldn’t ever be forced to interact. And maybe that’s for the best. 
Dinner passes by without incident, Ashley squeezing both Cam and Amanda tight as they come around to toast every table as Jack gives Cam a tight bro-hug and Amanda a polite kiss on the cheek. The dance floor starts to open up, and as usual, Ashley’s one of the first ones on, dragging Jack and practically their whole table out. She feels light on her feet and happy as she leans into Jack with a big smile. He ditches his suit jacket at the table and his pink tie is loosened and she thinks he looks so handsome. She’s happily tipsy enough where the curious glances and whispers from probably the entire fucking reception hall about why an NHL player is here don’t bother her. She knows he’s used to it. She doesn’t know how.
(Jack may not know everything of the lore and context behind Ashley’s relationship with the people she knows here, but he knows her and how deeply she feels and nostalgic she can get and how that can change her perception of her own memories and how that in turn, can make her extremely self critical. 
So this whole evening, he’s tried to make it as easy as possible, talking with her old friends and classmates — which isn’t much of an ask, they’re nice enough — and just squeezing her hand or waist or kissing her temple or cheek when he feels her focus trailing off. If she talks to Alex and wants him there, he’ll be right next to her. If not, he’ll make himself scarce. Whatever she wants)
Ashley’s resting at her chair while Jack’s in a casual conversation with Cam as Alex comes up behind Cam, tapping him on the shoulder. She swallows and sits up straight and Jack automatically places a gentle hand on her back. Cam and Alex exchange a few words she can’t hear before Cam turns his attention back to her and Jack feels a surge of gratitude towards Cam, who looks extremely apologetic. 
Jack watches as she stands up and steps towards Alex with a small smile. “Hey.”
Alex blinks. “Hi.” She gives him a quick hug before stepping back next to Jack as he stands up. “Alex, this is Jack, my boyfriend. Jack, Alex.”
“Nice to meet you, man.” Jack says with a firm, polite handshake and he doesn’t really see (or care about) Alex’s reaction before turning back to Ashley again, trying to read her. She gives him an almost imperceptible nod. Jack’s eyes flicker to Cam, who also nods behind Alex and he clears his throat. “I’m gonna get a refill. You two want anything?”
“All good, man.”
“Rum and coke, heavier on the coke?”
“You got it,” Jack presses a quick kiss to her hair before he and Cam walk to the bar. 
Jack waves to the bartender for a whiskey sour for himself as Cam gets a gin and tonic. They both lean against the counter and Jack sighs, watching Alex take Jack’s previous seat. “Was that a good idea? Leaving them alone?” Because he knows her, of course, but Cam’s known her longer. And he had a front row seat to her and Alex’s friendship before they got together, their relationship when they got together, and the fallout of their breakup. 
“Honestly? I don’t know. But they’re both 26 year old mature adults.” Cam’s eyes flit over to a redhead woman a couple seats away from the bar and waves her over. Jack’s trying to remember if he’s met her tonight
“Hi Cam,” she says lightly. 
“Hey yourself,” he nods over in the direction of her and Alex. “You initiate that?”
She snorts, “Of course I did.” She perches herself on a stool and sticks her hand out to Jack. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Francesca, but please call me Fran. I’m Alex’s girlfriend.”
Jack gives her a small smile. This is something. “Jack. Ashley’s boyfriend.”
“I’m aware,” she teases. “I grew up in Jersey and my brother’s a huge hockey fan. I’ve been to a couple of your games throughout the years.”
“Always nice to meet a fan,” He responds smoothly and genuinely. “Especially in a room filled with Bruins fans that could honestly poison my drink at any moment and I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky there are no Rangers fans here.” Cam waves him off as Jack and Fran laugh. 
“What a way to meet someone for the first time,” Fran says.
“While our exes are talking for the first time in over four years?” Jack says and Fran and Cam both snort. “You could say that.”
She turns to Cam, “Cam, you can go off and mingle, you know? It’s your wedding. Jack and I will be fine here.”
Jack opens his mouth to agree but Cam just shakes his head. “It’s fine. I need a second to breathe anyways. And also make sure this doesn’t go downhill.”
“Ashley seems like a smart girl and Alex isn’t that stupid,” Fran says. “They wouldn’t make a fuss at your wedding.”
Cam sighs and Jack thinks about how thankful he is that Cam has been there for his girlfriend way before Jack even knew her. Jack then turns to Fran and asks how she and Alex met and the conversation starts there, all three of them turning to the two exes from time to time to make sure there’s no flames or glasses being thrown. 
Fran talks about how she and Alex met at work and laughs in amusement when Jack explains that it was the same with him and Ashley, talking about how Ashley had been filling in for a colleague for an interview and Jack practically fell in love with her the second he saw her and had to tell himself to not sound stupid in front of the pretty girl. 
And honestly, as Jack talks to Fran, he laughs to himself a bit ironically. She reminds him a bit of Ashley. A bit too much for him personally and harsh in a different way than his girlfriend, but decent company nonetheless. So maybe he and Alex are more alike than they think. 
Meanwhile, the conversation happening merely 20 feet away between two exes is not as casual. Not as comfortable. 
“Been a long time, huh?” Alex remarks. 
Ashley tries not to scoff. “Four years.”
Alex curses under his breath. “Yeah. How are you?”
What a loaded question. She goes along with it. “I’m good.”
“Cam mentioned you’re in New York?”
“I am. Moved out there about a year after college for work. Then went to grad school there.”
“Journalist?”
She shrugs. “More or less. The title’s changed a couple times throughout the years but all in that field.”
“That’s awesome.” He runs a hand through his hair and it looks so familiar yet unfamiliar. “I still remember when you told me you got into BU. Seems like the path was always laid out for you, huh?”
She’ll have to unpack that one later. “Guess so. How about you? I heard you were in Portland. Real estate, right?”
He nods, “Yeah.”
“That’s great. I’m really glad you’re doing well.”
“Thanks.” A moment of silence there. “For what it’s worth, it is really good to see you again.”
Ashley lets out a genuine smile. Small, but genuine. “Same.” 
The sound of his laughter kinda aches a bit, but not in a way that has her sad. Just nostalgic. There is some easy banter, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Ashley’s remembering a bit of why she loved him in the first place. 
There’s a pause in the conversation, before she continues, “I haven’t gotten a chance to meet whoever you’re here with yet, but-”
“Fran.”
“Fran, right.” she says. “But I’ve heard a bit. How long have you two been together?”
“Are we really going to do this?”
She swallows the urge to fire back, shrugging instead. “Why not? And don’t pretend like you’re not curious about Jack either. I figured I might as well just go first.”
Alex laughs. “Around three years for Fran and I.”
“You love her?”
“I do. A lot.”
She smiles. Genuinely this time. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“How about you and Mr. NHL Superstar?”
Again, she swallows down her instinct to fire back. “A little over a year now.”
“You happy?”
“Very.”
Alex nods once and doesn’t quite smile but has a pleasant expression on his face. “Cam said that he likes him. Which is a lot, considering I’m pretty sure he used to think that he was a cocky asshole.”
Ashley knows it’s not meant in that way because she knows that her boyfriend has somewhat of a reputation, but she gets defensive. “People aren’t always what they seem. Even if he’s a pest on the ice sometimes, he’s a wonderful guy.” You should know, she wants to say. You were the exact same way in high school.
They’re trickling into dangerous territory. She wonders if he’ll take the bait. If he does, she wonders if she’ll be strong enough not to fall for it. She wonders if he’ll apologize, not because she needs it, but because she knows she deserved one all those years ago. 
Alex leans back casually, putting his arm over the empty chair next to him. “From me to Jack fucking Hughes. I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”
Ashley doesn’t know at all how she’s supposed to take that. Like everything he’s always done, he says it casually, taking a drink of water as she’s figuring out how to respond. She doesn’t. For the first time, she feels like she doesn’t have control of this conversation.
He notices she has no response and keeps going. “Hey, he’s a decent player and the money can’t hurt. I’m glad you’re happy.”
She swallows. A gold digger? Is that really what he’s hinting at?
Ashley almost sighs in relief when she catches sight of Jack, Cam and a woman who she presumes is Fran walking back towards them. Immediately she plasters on a smile and introduces herself to Fran, because it’s not her fault that her boyfriend still has the ability to get under her skin even so many years after their break-up. Jack presses a rum and coke in her hand silently and she thanks him quietly before making small talk with Fran. Just having Jack next to her has her blood pressure lowering. Soon enough, they all but shove Cam back into his own wedding and bid farewell as Fran excuses her and Alex and heads over to chat with someone she doesn’t recognize. 
Jack leads her outside of the main reception hall into one of the hallways, where there are people sporadically chatting and also getting away from the music for a second. 
Jack grabs her drink and faces her with a concerned look. “Ash? You okay? It seemed to get a little…tense at times.”
Ashley shrugs and chuckles. It’s bitter though, and he knows it, immediately placing a grounding hand on her waist. “I was how I always am to everyone.”
“Sure,” he responds skeptically. 
She sighs. “It was fine. I’m fine. It didn’t go badly. I don’t know if it was good. It just…was.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “It was fine. It’s not a big deal. It’s been four fucking years and it’s not like I love him anymore. I shouldn’t-”
“Hey. Stop. None of that,” Jack says softly but firmly, leaning in closer and kissing her forehead as she bites her bottom lip harshly. He holds her hand gently and presses it against his chest. “Open your eyes, baby. Take some breaths with me.”
She obeys, looking into blue eyes that have become another home for her and taking deep breaths. “Thanks.”
“Always. Wanna talk about it?”
She debates in her mind. “No. It’s a wedding. Let’s go back and have fun and dance.”
“You sure?”
She nods, before placing a peck on his lips. “I’ll probably be more in my feelings tomorrow about it. Or the next week. But for now, come dance with me.”
“Lead the way.”
Ashley doesn’t even look at Alex’s direction for the rest of the night, instead looking at Jack when she feels like the floor beneath her is gonna get pulled away. The stupidly romantic thing is, she knows he’ll catch her everytime.
three - one year and nine months
“What do you think?”
Jack looks up from where he’s sitting on her bed and his eyes pop open, jaw dropping with it. He tosses his phone to the side. “Ash. Holy shit.”
Ashley twirls around in the yellow ruffle dress. “I like this one the most, but I don’t think it’s fancy enough.”
She looks up to see him biting his lip, eyes scanning her body. She blushes as he beckons her to stand inbetween his legs. “Don’t care. You have to wear this one, please. It fits you perfectly.”
She smoothes down the ruffles. “Are you sure it’s fancy enough?”
“Honey, most of the guys probably won’t even be wearing ties,” she settles her hands in his hair. “Wear this one. I know you love it and you look beautiful in it.”
She lets out a breath. “Okay, yeah. I can pair it with those flower earrings and matching bracelet and I think Scarlett has white heels I could borrow and-”
“Woah there,” he chuckles, rubbing his thumbs on the fabric at her hips. “Did you have too much coffee today? You’re talking a million miles a minute.”
“No,” she drawls out. “I’m just…nervous? This is the first thing we’re going to that’s so…”
“Public?” He finishes for her. She nods. He pushes her gently so that she’s sitting next to him. “I get that. I’m a bit nervous too. But I’ll be there the whole time. And you’ll have my parents and Quinn. And Nico will be there too. Besides, you’re great with people. I’ve seen you in action.”
She shrugs modestly. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Then what is it you’re worried about?”
She swallows at his tone, because she doesn’t think he gets it. Why would he? He’s not the one that’s going to be scrutinized by his fans. At least not to the degree she would be. “Everyone else’s thoughts.”
Jack nods slowly in realization. He leans in to kiss her lips twice. She has to admit it makes her feel a bit better. His kisses usually do. “You know no one else’s opinions mean anything. Besides, it’s very clear to anyone that I’m happily taken.”
And he has a point. She’s made an appearance on his Instagram with two photos in his annual summer dump — one was just of her in the city and the other was of the two of them by the lake in Michigan — and he hadn’t tagged her, but it was clearly a message to the world that he wasn’t a single man. Social media doesn’t matter and it never will, but it had been a decision they both had come to, Jack approaching her gently and asking if he could post them. 
But having it through a screen and having it in real life is different. 
“I know it’s stupid,” she says. “But you know me. I don’t particularly enjoy being out of my element.”
“I know, I know,” he bumps her knee with his. “It’ll be fun though. We’ll get drunk the night before and maybe I’ll be hungover the next morning and you get to tell Luke if I do anything embarrassing.”
Ashley laughs. “That does sound fun.”
“Exactly.” He cups her face in his hands. “I gotcha, baby. Always.”
She trusts in that when she lands in Boston a few days later. She trusts in that as she gets swept in a world she’s not quite comfortable in, but finds there are a lot more similarities than differences compared to environments she’s been in. She’s a journalist after all. It’s her job in a way to blend into different lives in order to get the best and most impactful stories. She trusts in that as she’s rolling her eyes fondly at Jack, who’s chatting with practically everyone at the bar. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen this many hockey players in one room. She trusts in that as Jack then always drags whoever he’s talking to so that he can introduce her. 
For someone who has always valued their privacy, Jack is making it pretty obvious that the “stunning girl in the floral shirt” is his. Ashley can’t say she hates it, even if it’s a little bold for her particular taste. 
“He looks happy, doesn’t he?” Ellen asks as they both watch Jack across the room with Auston Matthews. Ashley’s cousins in Toronto would be freaking out right now. 
Ashley snickers. “Drunk or happy?”
“Both?” Ellen raises her glass up to knock it against Ashley’s in a toast.
“I’ll drink to that.” 
“Thank you for coming. I know it means a lot to Jack that you’re here.”
“Thank you all for having me,” Ashley responds, suddenly a bit shy. “It’s, been, uh, a bit overwhelming, to be honest.”
“I can imagine,” Ellen smiles sympathetically. “All this hockey stuff, business wise, is more Jimmy’s scene than mine.”
“Really?” Ashley thinks to all that Jack’s told her about his mother and all the warmth Ellen has emitted since they’ve met, not to mention how everyone they’ve talked to — player, coach, agent — has gravitated towards Ellen.
To her credit, Ellen chuckles. “That’s fair. Jack tells me that you know how to work a room, which is something that Jimmy’s always said about me.”
Ashley traces the rim of her glass. “I think Jack gives me too much credit.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Ellen says with a knowing smile. “I read your article the other day. The one about the family who’s had to travel across the country to get care for their child. Quinn sent it to me, actually.” Quinn read it? She doesn’t remember sending it to him. Did Jack send it to him? “It’s an incredible piece of work. How long did that take you?”
“From start to finish? Around two months.”
Ellen grins, placing a motherly hand on her shoulder. “You’re so talented, honey. I try to keep up with everything you write, but you do so much that sometimes I lose track.”
"You really don’t have to do that. But thank you, Ellen. T-that means a lot to me.” 
“What does Mom not have to do?” Jack asks, squeezing himself next to his girlfriend.
“Read my articles.”
Jack grins. “Why not? They’re so good. Our family group chat is filled with them. Dad always loves your profiles.”
Ashley swallows. She’s pretty confident that the Hughes family likes her, but the fact that they all keep track of her published articles is a bit too much for her to handle right now. She downs the rest of her beer and waves Jack away when he opens his mouth to ask if she wants his. Instead, he asks the bartender for a ginger ale. Ashley’s grateful. 
The next day, Ashley smiles as Jack’s walking the carpet. He’s up for the Hart trophy this year and as he squats down to greet a little boy and sign his jersey, Ashley can’t help but let her love and pride for him soar. She’s as out of the way as she can be, trying not to get overwhelmed with all the voices and flashes around her. It helps that Ellen and Jim seem to always be nearby and she makes fast friends with Nina and Luca, who are watching Nico do similar things. 
She gets pulled out of her own world with a familiar hand on her waist. “Hey,” Jack murmurs into her ear. 
“Hi.”
“Do you wanna jump into a few pictures with me?” Jack asks softly. “It’ll only take a few minutes. No pressure if not.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
He beams, offering an arm as he leads them over to where the photographers are. She tries not to blink too much as the flashes hurt her eyes and hopes she and Jack are looking in the same direction. 
“You look beautiful,” he pairs his sincere compliment with a squeeze of her waist. 
She smiles at the cameras for a few seconds before turning to him slightly. “You already said that.”
“I know. It’s worth repeating.”
Thankfully, it’s only about 30 seconds before everyone else — Quinn, Jack’s parents and Nico’s family — are being ushered in for a group photo. She finds herself inbetween Jack and Nico and giggles as Nico tries to blow his hair out of his face. She takes pity on him after a few tries and she reaches up to fix it for him quickly, Nina laughing on the other side of her brother. 
“Stop messing with it,” Ashley scolds lightly through clenched teeth, smiling for the pictures. “You’re gonna make it worse.” She giggles when Nico pokes her side a few seconds later. 
When Jack wins the Hart, Ashley leaps out of her seat in excitement. To her, he’s always going to be the best player she knows because she sees firsthand how hard he works, but it’s nice that his peers are recognizing it too. He places a quick kiss on her lips before going up on stage and Ashley’s clapping and laughing to herself. He was dreading having to make any sort of speech. 
After the ceremony, she just follows everyone to whatever swanky rooftop seemingly the entire NHL is gathering at. She finds herself flocking towards Nina for a lot of the evening as they both exchange fun stories and memories of their own lives over drinks. Ashley thinks she could keep talking to Nina for the rest of her life. She’s just so damn cool. 
The next day, she drags Jack around the BU campus and is happy pointing out buildings that she had classes in, cried in, cheered in and lived her life in. They walk from one end of Com Ave to the other, Ashley dutifully pointing out Agganis Arena (“I’m sure Trevor has some good memories in this building”), their starting point.
She stands in front of the College of Communication building and stops. Jack dutifully stops next to her. “This building kinda looks like shit.”
Ashley snorts. “Yeah, I know. Especially compared to all the science buildings.” She bites her lip. “It all started here.”
“What did?”
“The dream.”
And yeah, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But Jack said similar things when he brought her to Toronto earlier this year, so she knows he understands. 
Almost two years together now, she’s convinced that no one will really ever understand her like Jack does. 
He nudges her hip with his, the breeze blowing comfortably through her hair and rustling the plants around them. They watch as a student walks through the front doors. “Wanna go in?” 
She shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good.” She tugs at his hand while sipping the lavender lemonade from Pavement in the other. “Come on. I’ll show you Bay State. I lived there my junior year after I came back from studying abroad in Dublin.”
Bay State Road is beautiful as always in the Boston summer, Ashley’s hand in Jack’s. She drags him out into the middle of the road and only squeals once when a car is coming and he pulls her to the sidewalk. 
Campus isn’t the same when classes aren’t in session, but she hopes Jack can still feel some of the magic in the air through her stories. 
“It suits you.”
She turns to Jack. “Hm?”
“This city. It suits you.”
“Oh,” she blushes for some reason. “Thanks.”
“Do you miss it here?”
“All the time,” Ashley admits. “New York is great, but Boston will always be home.”
“Would you think of working here? If given the option?” Jack asks. 
“Maybe,” Ashley squeezes Jack’s hand, “But I also have reasons to stay in New York.”
He smirks, but it quickly transitions into something gentler. “Yeah?”
She could throw something snarky back at him, but she looks around the brownstones and lets out a deep breath. This is home, but flashes of Hoboken and East Village flicker in her mind and that’s also home. 
She looks at Jack and feels overwhelmed. Oh. It’s Boston. It’s Hoboken. It’s East Village. It’s him. Jack is home.
four - two years
“Big day, huh?” 
Ashley just smiles at Carissa, nudging her side. “We’ve come a long way since that phone call at 2 a.m.”
Carissa just snorts. “That phone call got us here.”
“True,” Ashley squeezes her arm as they make their way to their assigned table. “Love you, girly.”
“Love you more. I’m proud of us.”
Ashley grins, looking around as everyone is mingling amongst each other. There are past award winners here and Ashley’s already done some of her internal fangirling, especially when Lynsey Addario came up to her and wanted to talk to her. 
She’s still decently new in this industry and knows she has so much to learn, but it’s comforting to see that all of her hard work has paid off. 
People are starting to take their seats and Ashley looks around at her colleagues. Everyone’s dressed up and looks so lovely and Ashley smiles, looking down at her midnight blue dress. When Jack had seen her walk out of the changing room in it a few weeks ago, his eyes had popped out. 
(“Fuck,” he had said. “Now I’m even more pissed I can’t make it to the dinner.”)
And yeah, it would be nice if he was here. But the Devils are playing the Islanders tonight. It sucks that he’s so close but so far away, but after two years now, it’s just part of the gig. And they make it work. So Ashley isn’t too upset about it, even if Jack is. 
She’s a bit confused when there is an empty seat next to her, as it seems like the ballroom is filled. There’s no nametag there either, but her attention soon drifts off to the front. She has to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling too hard. 
The Pulitzer Prize Awards Ceremony at Columbia University, also her alma mater in a way. Her 18-year-old-self who was sitting in the front row of Introduction to Journalism in Boston could’ve only dreamed about this day. 
Opening remarks start and Ashley really does try to listen, but her eyes glaze over as her mind drifts off. She claps as the first few awards are being presented. She thinks about all the hours that it took to get this piece down, but also all the hours before — in her classes, at her college paper, in her internships, during her job search. The times she wanted to throw in the towel and just do something else. Anything else.  
“I didn’t miss too much, did I?” She blinks, turning to the voice next to her. She freezes. 
“Jack?” She breathes out. She hasn’t been sleeping much this week, so this could very well be a hallucination. 
He beams and she reaches to place her hand on his cheek and she realizes as she scans her eyes up and down.  Oh. He’s in her favorite suit of his. And he’s here. 
“Oh my god,” she wraps her arms around his neck as her whole table cheers. Thankfully, there’s a lull in the ceremony where the whole room is blanketed in a low buzz. “What the f-don’t you have a game?”
“Technically,” Jack says, nodding at her coworkers with a charming smile. “Took a personal day.”
“What? You can do that?”
“Yeah,” he shrugs, like he didn’t just skip a game to be here. He rubs his thumb on her shoulder as he kisses her temple. “This is a huge deal, baby. I wasn’t gonna miss it. I’m so proud of you.”
“Lindy’s not mad? Nico’s not mad?”
Jack snorts. “The second you won, I told Lindy to count me out for the game so he can do what he wants with that. Nico’s lowkey pissed he also can’t be here.” He turns to Carissa on the other side and beams. “Hey Care. Congrats.”
“Thanks, Jack,” Carissa beams. “Surprised you pulled this off.”
“Surprised we pulled this off.”
Ashley looks at Carissa. “You knew about this?”
“Of course. Who do you think made sure he would have a seat?”
She looks between her colleague and her boyfriend. Something creeps up her throat that feels a lot like love. 
When her and Carissa are recognized and they have to go up to accept the award and give a short speech, it’s kinda a blur. All she remembers is Jack’s kiss on her cheek and receiving a standing ovation as she and Carissa walk up together. So many hours with her eyes glazed over glaring at the laptop. So many hours interviewing with people and reconfirming facts. So many hours dedicated to this one piece. 
She wouldn’t have it any other way. 
As Carissa is speaking, she locks eyes with Jack. He’s beaming and his eyes are actually sparkling. His hair tousled and he’s so handsome and he’s hers. 
(She almost trips walking back to him) 
He chuckles, pulling her into another tight hug. “You’re amazing, baby. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” she chokes out. “Thank you for calming me down all the times I was freaking out.”
“Of course. I’m sure all those glasses of cold water helped,” he jokes. She always said the ice cold water he would place next to her laptop would wake up her brain. 
She laughs into his shoulder. “They did.”
He pulls away and just stares at her, smile still on his face. Their attention is taken away by someone who wants to congratulate Ashley and has no recognition on their face when looking at Jack. 
(Jack looks on with pride)
plus one - three years and four months
Stanley Cups are interesting. Even some of the best athletes of all time have never gotten one. And some that are only slightly above average perhaps were just placed on the right team in the right season. 
But this Stanley Cup, in Ashley’s completely unbiased opinion, this one was fully deserved. By every single person on the team. 
She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the absolute joy in Nico’s eyes as he lifted the cup in the air to a roaring crowd at The Rock, or how long the hug between Jack and Luke was when the final whistle sounded, or seeing Ellen cry as her two sons beckoned her in for a picture with the cup, her other son and husband standing close by with pride in their eyes. 
The picture of her and Jack by the cup as he’s kissing her cheek as she smiles so widely her eyes are shut might be her favorite picture of them of all time. 
Ashley had wondered if Jack was going to bring the cup to Toronto or Michigan. He ended up bringing it to Toronto while Luke brought it to Michigan. It ended up being all the same, since they were both present at both. 
Jack winning the Cup is obviously a huge celebration. But he’s not the only one with something to celebrate.
Yesterday, when they were out to lunch with some of his extended family, Ashley had found out by phone that she was just promoted to be a director of her team. After her phone call, she had just covered her mouth in shock as she sat down on a nearby bench. It wasn’t until a few minutes later when a concerned Jack came up to her and asked what was wrong, before she told him and he smothered her face in kisses. 
The parade around his pseudo-hometown is absolutely insane. Ashley doesn’t even know how she has a voice by mid-afternoon, much less how Jack has one considering that he’s been yelling all day. At some point, she forces him to sit down and chug a giant water bottle. 
But she can’t overthink too hard. Her phone’s filled with pictures of Jack with his loved ones and she just feels proud. 
Some of Jack’s extended family who still live in the area offered their home to host a party that night with just friends and family. Ashley did all she could to help prepare, which included coming over to decorate the night before and parking herself in the kitchen the second they got there to offer a helping hand. Well, she tried, before every single person pushed her away and insisted she go join the celebrations. 
She finds herself in a long, in-depth conversation with one of Jack’s younger cousins who’s thinking about working in media when she notices it suddenly becomes quiet. Suddenly, the light flickers off and Ashley is confused.
Jack then walks in with a circular cake with candles lit paired with his beautiful smile. Ashley blinks in confusion as everyone’s eyes fall on her and before she can ask what the hell is going on, Luke bounds over to her and swings an arm around her shoulder, shaking her. 
“Congrats on your promotion, Ash!” Luke exclaims. 
Her mouth drops open and she looks around as everyone in the room cheers and shouts out their congratulations. She chuckles in shock as Jack walks closer. And then suddenly, all she can focus on is him. 
“What are you doing?” She whispers, suddenly wanting to cry. 
“Come on,” he says with the softest smile. “You didn’t think I’d just keep the news to myself, did you?”
“But this is your day,” she chokes out. 
“My day. Your day. It’s all the same, eh?” Jack nods at the candles. “Hurry up. My arms are getting tired.”
A watery laugh from her before she blows out the candles at everyone’s cheers. Jack places the cake on a nearby table before smothering her in a tight hug. Ashley’s heart could burst right now at the love she feels from the people in the room and the person in her arms. She gets a chance to really look at the cake, which is white and sage with “Congratulations Jack and Ashley!” in beautiful script at the center. The lights turn back on and Quinn’s the first one who comes up to hug her. As Ellen is giving Ashley a kiss on the cheek, she sees Jack over Ellen’s shoulder, smiling at her. 
She swallows as she pulls away, before glancing at the ring on her left finger. Ashley’s never let herself want much in her life. But if someone asked her what she wants with her life, she would just place them in this room. Right here. Right now. 
(They cut the cake together. Ashley feels a buzzing joy throughout her bones)
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nicohischierz · 2 months
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stadium debut: saira hischier au
tagging: @ivy-34, @francesfarhadi, @hzstry8, @cixrosie, @itsnotgray, @estapa94, @trevs-swiftie, @heartz4hisch you want to join the taglist let me know!!
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“i think the scar looks sexy neeks. although i am sad they had to hurt your beautiful face,” you told your fiancé.
nina snickered as she carried her niece.
rino chuckled at your expression and clapped his son’s shoulder before whispering something in swiss-german.
the hischier family and you were getting ready to have family skate down at met life stadium. this would be saira’s first time on the ice and you were terrified.
“nico. i think i’ll stay home with her and you go with rino and nina,” you voiced, seconds before heading out the door.
nico gesture for his sister and father to continue on whilst he stopped to talk to you. “schätzli, saira is going to be just fine. she’s going to have you and me there, plus there will be lots of other babies!” he reassured.
“and the guys have been dying to see her again,” nico added.
you kissed nico’s cheek and followed him out of the house, meeting up with rino and nina.
nina let her father and brother walk ahead as she grabbed your hand and smiled. “if you want to go out on the ice, i’ll sit on the bench with her,” she prompted.
you smiled sweetly at her and nodded “thank you nina,”
“we hischier girls stick together,” she smiled, pinching her nieces cheeks lightly.
the car ride to the stadium was quiet. you and nina were at the back with saira with rino and nico sitting in front.
as soon as you rocked up to the locker room, the boys cheered. they got up, half dressed, in order to meet you and your daughter.
“isn’t she just adorable,” you gushed.
dawson tickled saira’s tummy causing the little girl to clamp onto her uncles finger. the 20-year-old chuckled at the baby’s strong grip.
saira ended up falling asleep during the family skate as she was strapped up against your chest.
the next day, saira was dressed as a little italian mob daughter. you made sure to take pictures of nico and saira together, with nina offering to take pictures of the whole family.
nico kissed saira’s head before handing her to her babysitter. “i might come home from the game early and let you go soon,” you told the girl.
your neighbour, eloise, smiled “don’t worry mrs hischier, my parents know i’m here so they let me stay until you guys come back. plus, saira is one of the easiest baby’s to look after,” she reassured you.
at the stadium, you were immediately wrapped with a sense of adrenaline. you watched as the boys warmed up and spoke to their partners and families.
you’d even gone to lindy ruff and asked him to allow alex more game time, especially because he’d invited so many members of his family.
nina and rino laughed as you celebrated nico’s goal, jumping up and down. the same reaction for the second goal as well.
you’d even rolled your eyes when luke made a hit on jamie drysdale yelling “that’s pookie on pookie offence!”
whilst you may not have been able to play, you were proud of your boys. saira had changed your life for the better and you were anxious to start next season.
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dearstvckyx · 1 month
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i was wondering how did luna and nico meet? and how did lunas friend and family react to them dating? like i feel like quinn, ellen, jim, cole and ethan would be okay with them but everyone else would be upset
so i only did Luna’s family. Sorry for how long they are 😭 Enjoy!!
So in my ‘Meet Luna Hughes’ i mentioned that Luna has had a crush on Nico since he was drafted to the NHL. Being in a hockey based family, the Hughes family have watched every NHL drafts, rooting for their friends. When the 2017 Draft was happening Luna was sitting with her family. The first time the camera showed Nico, Luna fell in love. Quinn was the first and only one to notice, he also never said anything for years (which is important.) When Luna and Nico started dating Luna was 19 and Nico Was 23. They kept secret but with Quinn being Luna’s best friend, he was the first person she told and made him pinky swear to NOT tell anyone, especially Jack and Luke.
In order of who she told/who found out:
Quinn’s Reaction: He’s a little shocked but not surprised. He’d let Luna know that he knew about her long time crush on Nico (not knowing that he was also exposing Luna for that.) He would be the biggest supporter of their relationship. Oh and also since he is Luna’s older older o̲l̲d̲e̲r̲ brother, he gave Nico the big brother talk.
Ellen’s Reaction: Oh she was so happy for Luna and Nico. Literally welcomed Nico into the family with open arms. Always inviting him over to spend time with Her, Luna and Jim (eventually the whole family when Jack and Luke found out)
Jim’s Reaction: Went major over protective dad mode. With Luna being the youngest and only daughter, Jim values their relationship so much that he swore to protect her the day she was born. He gave the over protective dad talk, making sure Nico knew that if he breaks Luna’s heart he will kill him.
Luke’s Reaction: (after Luna and Nico have been dating a while) Oh poor Lukey, he accidentally caught Luna and Nico holding each other and talking in a slightly dark corridor. He was shoked, mad, confused and worried. He literally walked away, didn’t tell Luna nor Nico he was there (didn’t tell Jack…. yet.) The Devils went on to play and unfortunately they lost. When back in the locker room Nico, Jack and Luke were the last three in there, Nico was talking to Jack when Luke had had enough. He walked up to Nico (his Captain mind you) and said to him “Maybe if you weren’t so enamored with my twin, we would’ve won.” Jack instantly looked at Nico who was as red as a tomato. Oh and when he found out that Quinn knew before him he was livid, literally pulling the “I'm your twin” to Luna.
Jack’s Reaction: Jack was trying to process what Luke had just said. His captain Nico Hischier, than man he has know for 4 years, is dating his baby sister. Jack looked at Nico and then stormed out of the locker room and started looking for Luna. When he found her, she was talking to Alexander, Curtis and Timo, Jack didn’t care tho. He walked up to Luna and asked if Luke was telling the truth, obviously Luna was confused and Jack blurted out “are you dating my captain or not?” Luna was embarrassed with everyone looking at her so she dragged Jack into a nearby room and told him the truth. Jack was obviously upset and left Luna by herself and, being the stubborn guy that he is, ignored both Luna and Nico for three months (Unlike Luke who ignored them for 4 weeks.) After a stern talking to by Ellen and Jim, and even Quinn, he eventually became Lucos (he literally came up with the name) biggest fan and supporter.
Nina’s Reaction: Being Nico’s older sister she was a little overprotective but when Nico introduced Luna to the Hischier Family (unlike the Hughes family they all found out at the same time) Nina’s overprotectiveness of Nico switched to Luna. With both Luna and Nina being the only daughter of their respective families, they became the best of friends. Nina pulled Nico aside after a dinner and gave him her big sister talk saying “If you break her heart, cheat on her, abuse her or do anything to her i will end you.” Luna overheard this and tried so hard not to laugh at this, because she had just met Nina and she already loves Luna. Nico was nervous after that talk, so anytime Nico and Luna fought he would be the first to apologize (with Luna following after.) Nina is the first person Nico goes to for help for a gift or a birthday party or an anniversary thing. Nina’s also is the first person Luna goes to for anything (SORT OF SPOILER: even when Luna was freaking out about missing her period, Nina was there to help her with taking the test and calming Luna’s anxiety when it was positive)
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flyinpucks · 2 months
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ladylooch · 10 months
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Okay, so I know your requests are closed currently, but I just HAVE to send you my current thoughts about Nico. 🤭 that man gives off the impression that he’d be the best at cuddling and hugs and I stand by that. If you’re having a bad day, he’d be so soft and do anything to bring a smile to your face. If you’re feeling clingy and crave his touch? You better believe that man would be cuddling you for the rest of the night
A/N: Babe, say less. I will do literally anything for you. 
You’re having a bad day and you’re doing your best to hide it from Nico. 
It’s not that you don’t want his support. It’s that you know he has a lot going on being mid-season and with his family in town. They are all in the living room, chatting quietly as the Hischiers tend to do in Swiss German. Nico is leaning back into the couch, a content smile on his face as Nina talks about home.
You’re finishing cleaning up from dinner by loading the dishwasher and putting the leftovers away in the fridge. Nico’s eyes move from his sister to your figure as you move. He drinks in the way you brush your hair behind your ear only for it to fall back over your face, hiding your beautiful eyes from him. You nibble on your lip as you portion out the leftovers into two equal containers. Your satisfied smile when you get it just right makes him chuckle. 
He finishes his glass of wine, standing to bring it to the kitchen so he can get his hands on you. He’s missed you today. You went into the office to work and he went sightseeing with his family. You met up for dinner at your place, but his concentration has been split between all the people he loves the most in the same room.
“Hi.” Nico whispers, weaving his hands around your back. He leans down to kiss you. This one feels different. It’s all-consuming and loving and sweet. You’re a little stunned when he pulls back.
“What was that?” You murmur, a soft smile musing your lips.
“A kiss. Cause I love you and I don’t think we have kissed yet today.” He tilts his head, thinking. “No, we better do one more.”
His hands slide down to your lower back, lacing together respectfully. He puts pressure there, crushing you further into his chest. You break away from the kiss for air, leaning your cheek on his pec. His heartbeat is strong in your ear. Comforting and steady to the point where your anxiety begins to melt away. You close your eyes contently as he begins to barely sway you from side to side. It’s lazy, like waves nudging you on a calm lake day. His thumb strokes up your spine, then goes into your hair with the rest of his fingers, massaging your scalp. You lean your head into his hand, letting him support the weight a bit as his fingers work into you.
“Are you having a bad day?” He whispers against your lips.
“Yeah.” Of course he knows. It’s Nico.
“I can tell.” You open your eyes to look at him. “You’re too quiet.” 
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“It’s okay. When we go to bed tonight, you can tell me what’s wrong. We’ll fix it together and I’ll rub your back.”
You press your face back into his chest, clinging to the canyons of his back as he holds you close. 
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