xobarbie

[xobarbie]

Just Friends

Jack Hughes x Best Friend!Reader

summary: You’ve been best friends with Jack for ages. He’s also been in love with you for ages, but he’s got that completely under control. Really, he does. Right? 5.2k words

warnings: alcohol/intoxication, non graphic mentions of surgery/blood/stitches, hospital stay, reference to Jack’s shoulder surgery :(

Jack finds you in his apartment kitchen, a black tie in his hand. He’s already dressed in his suit pants and shirt, and for once, he feels like hair looks almost presentable. You take the tie from him without a word, and you loop it around his neck, underneath the collar of his shirt. Meanwhile, he grabs your necklace off the counter and fiddles with the clasp.

You hum to yourself as you start to tie the tie. “Ready for the game today?”

He shrugs. “I’m always ready.”

Luke is there, too, shoveling cereal into his mouth and watching the two of you warily. As you loop the tie around your fingers, Jack slips the necklace around your neck, your skin soft under his fingers. He latches it, blindly, with expert precision, muscle memory. He’s done it a million times now.

You tug the tie into place and then smooth it out on his chest. He hasn’t put his jacket on yet, but you’ll fix the lapels of it, too. You take a half a step back and give him a once over. He stands, waiting for your approval with his breath held in his chest. It shouldn’t mean this much, you making sure he looks good, but it does. You reach up and tuck a lock of hair back into place atop his head, and he smiles happily.

“All good,” you say, dusting your hands together as if you’ve just finished a hard day’s work.

Jack squints at your face, spotting something, and he brings a finger up to brush against your cheekbone. “Eyelash,” he explains, and you hum, closing your eyes as he brushes it away. “Got it.”

“Thanks,” you murmur. “Come on, don’t wanna be late. And no cereal in the car, Luke.”

Jack rushes off to grab his jacket. When he comes back, Luke is dumping the last of his cereal into the sink, and Jack grimaces. You’re in the hallway, stepping into a pair of shoes. Luke turns to him with a smirk, and Jack shakes his head before his brother can even open his mouth.

“Don’t,” he whispers.

Luke rolls his eyes. “I just think you guys are-“

“You thinking is dangerous,” Jack says. “Save all that energy for the game.”

He walks away, down the hallway to find you. You reach up to fix his jacket for him, and then you reach for the car keys and hand them off to him. He grins and nudges his elbow against your side.

“You’re such a passenger princess,” he teases.

You shrug. “I’m very good at it!”

He’s not complaining, really. There’s nobody he’d rather see in his passenger seat than you. Your jersey hangs proudly from your shoulders, his name and number on the back, and it makes his chest feel warm. You’re his good luck charm. He just hasn’t told you that yet.

…..

Jack’s spent so much time convincing his brothers and his teammates and his parents that he’s not in love with you, that he can’t pinpoint when it actually happened. He’s not sure there was some big moment, some realization, some day where he looked at you and everything changed. You’ve just been so present in his life that maybe it was a sort of gradual thing. Maybe it’s always been there, and he’s been in denial since he was eleven and Quinn was teasing him on the playground near their house.

Now you’re in New York, closer than you have been in years, both distance wise and friendship wise. You have season tickets, because he’s playing in the NHL and he wants you at every game possible. You spend half your nights at his place when he’s home, and he ignores the funny looks Luke gives him about it. Honestly, he’s a bit tired of denying it all. He thinks maybe if someone just asked point blank he’d let it all spill out.

He reads the text from you and smiles- you’re on your way to the Rock, one of your friends in tow. He’d gotten you two seats for the season, so you wouldn’t have to sit alone. He sort of dreads the day you decide to bring a date, but then he wonders what guy would be stupid enough to go along with that. Jack’s cocky, he’ll admit it. He knows he’s good at hockey. He laughs at the thought of you dragging a date along to see him play.

Someone announces they’re ordering food before the game, from the deli down the street. Jack listens as his teammates put in their orders. Luke goes with his usual. Timo changes things up. When the assistant gets to him, he grins. He orders his go to, and then another, and asks for a can of Coke, too, for good measure. Luke gives a knowing roll of his eyes.

When the guy brings the food in, Jack takes his bag, fishes his sandwich out of it, and hands the other sandwich and the can of Coke back. “Can you get this to seat B322?” He asks, grinning widely. He knows your seat number by heart.

Luke sighs heavily next to him. The guy agrees, of course. Nico, who’s standing nearby, cocks his head in confusion.

“She’s coming straight from work,” Jack defends. The ribbing he gets from the guys will be worth it when he sees you after the game. “She’s gonna be hungry.”

“It’s a hockey arena,” Luke says drily. “There’s so much food here.”

“But she loves Krauszer’s,” Jack says, and Nico rolls his eyes. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t order her some?”

“Friend,” Nico says, drawing out the word. “Sure.”

Jack ignores him. He ignores Luke’s smirk, too. He eats his sandwich and finishes getting ready, and then he heads out onto the ice, knowing you’re there somewhere, probably sipping on a can of Coke.

…..

The issue, Jack finds, is that it’s getting harder to ignore the fact that he’s in love with you.

It was easier, before, when you were younger and he was more dumb and less aware of… everything. He could convince himself it was just puppy love, just absence making the heart grow fonder, when post high school saw the two of you split apart. But now you’re here, close, and yet not close enough. Jack wants more, and he can’t really ignore that feeling these days.

He’s out at a bar, team bonding, as Nico put it. Except that half the team is drunk, including Nico, and the only bonding Jack’s doing is the brotherly kind, trying to keep Luke from sneaking drinks, or worse, getting caught sneaking drinks. Sometimes he hates being an older brother. He’d wanted to come out, maybe talk to a girl, maybe take said girl home, or get her to take him back to her place so he wouldn’t have to worry about Luke overhearing. But it’s not really working, not with Nico hanging off his shoulder like a leech and Luke sneaking another shot, and god, Jack’s going to kill him. If you were here, you’d be keeping an eye on Luke, too. He wishes you were here.

He has a shot to take the edge of the annoyance off. Then he has another, and another, and then there’s a girl across the bar, smiling at him, and- she sort of looks like you, is the thing, but not quite. The sort of uncanny valley of it all is freaking him out. For a moment he wonders if hooking up with her would make it better- would get it out of his system, would scratch the itch. The sane, more sober part of him thinks it might just make it all worse. To have some girl under him and hear a voice that isn’t yours. Jack used to do this all the time. The thought of it makes him feel sick now. That’s new.

He downs another shot and passes his leech of a captain off on his problem of a brother, hoping the two of them will keep each other in line. Then he pulls his phone from his pocket and gets an Uber.

It’s only when he’s standing at your apartment door that he realizes he probably should’ve called first. You might already be asleep. You might be out. Maybe you have a guy over. His stomach does a somersault at the thought. He raises his hand to knock anyways- he’s come all this way.

You open the door with a smile on your face. “Nico called to ask if I knew where you went. Thought you might be headed here.”

Jack lets his shoulders drop. “They were annoying me.”

That’s not the real reason he left, but he can’t exactly tell you he saw the uncanny valley version of you and decided to leave. That would be… a lot. You seem to take his answer as the truth, because Luke is annoying on a night out, and Nico can be, too. Jack still probably should’ve told them he was leaving. He’ll get an earful about it. Oh well. The way you step aside to let him into your apartment makes it worth it.

He heads for the couch, and you laugh when he flops onto it, facedown. He likes your laugh. It sounds so much like you. He remembers the years when you were in college and he was far, far away from you, when he’d crack jokes on the phone calls just to hear you giggle. He presses his face into a pillow and hopes you don’t see the blush on his cheeks, or that you’ll attribute it to his drunkenness.

“Want food?” You call out, from the kitchen, he thinks. He groans loudly in response. “I have mozz sticks.”

He turns his head to the side and says, “fuck, I love you.”

He can say it here, in the comfort and privacy of your living room, in the relative safeness of the fact that he’s been drinking. You won’t think anything of it. You won’t realize how much he really means it.

The sound of your laugh is music to his ears. “Love you too, Rowdy.”

You don’t mean it the way he wants you to. That’s okay. He came to terms with that a while ago, listening to you say it over staticky phone calls. But you’ll make him mozzarella sticks, and you’re not upset that he’s here, so he’ll take it. He’ll take anything, really.

You come into the living room a few minutes later, plate full of food in hand, and make him roll over. He sits up slightly, leaning against the arm of the couch, and you lift his legs to sit under them. He doesn’t complain when you turn on some stupid reality tv show he hates- there are mozzarella sticks for him to eat, and the warmth of you under him, the weight of your arm where it’s draped across his calves. He can put up with the host’s annoying voice for this.

He falls asleep on your couch, half a mozz stick in his hand. When he wakes up, he’s tucked in with the quilt you’ve had for years now, a pillow under his head, and water waiting for him on the coffee table. You’re probably at work by now. He’ll send you a text to say thank you, later, unless he decides to just wait here until you come home. That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, really.

…..

It’s a Saturday, and Luke is out for lunch with some of the other younger players, so Jack’s fending for himself. Trevor, knowing this due to what he would call their cosmic connection, has seen it as an opportunity to talk Jack’s ear off over FaceTime. Jack has his phone propped on the kitchen counter, half listening as he cooks.

He loves Trevor- really, he does, but the guy could talk for hours upon hours and never run out of things to say. Jack lets him, because he knows Trevor likes talking, so he’s not going to be mean. He just chimes in with noises of agreement or disagreement at the right times. Then Trevor says your name, and he zones back in.

“I fucking knew you weren’t listening!” Trevor cackles, wide grin taking up most of the phone screen. “But the second I mention-“

“Shut up,” Jack groans, rolling his eyes. “I’m listening. I’m just also making lunch.”

“Right, right,” Trevor snarks. “Just for you?”

Jack knows what he’s insinuating. Honestly, as much as he hates to admit it, it’s not a bad idea. You’re not working today, and he could probably convince you to come hang out with him in exchange for free food. He’s bored enough to listen to Trevor go on and on. You could save him from it.

“Yeah,” he says, and immediately contradicts himself by picking up his phone and sending you a text.

He tries to listen this time, he really does. He cares about Trevor, he wants to hear what he has to say. He finishes cooking lunch, and then Trevor has to go, shouting something to someone in the background, and he hangs up. Jack sighs at the empty, quiet room. He thinks about texting Luke to see when he’ll be back, but that feels pathetic. Maybe Nico’s not busy.

His heart leaps when his phone buzzes with a text from you.

Lunch sounds good. I’ll be over soon.

He can’t wipe the grin off his face the whole rest of the day. You come over, and eat the rest of the food happily, sitting at the kitchen counter. He watches fondly and tells you all the drama Trevor just told him- screw you, Zegras, he was listening. You smile brightly up at him.

“Got plans for the rest of the day?” He asks, hoping desperately that you don’t.

You shrug. “Nope. I’m all yours.”

God, he wishes.

…..

Jack thinks that maybe, just maybe, he can’t really be blamed when it all comes crashing down on a Wednesday afternoon in April. It’s been coming for a while. He’s had time to prepare. It shouldn’t take him out the way it does, because he’s seen it coming from miles away. It shouldn’t, but it does anyways.

They pull him from the games and finally, finally, ship him off to Colorado to have surgery. He gets an email with the flight information, another with a hotel to stay in the night before, and instructions on how to book his flight back to Jersey after he’s released. They don’t want to book it now, for fear of something going wrong in surgery. Hockey teams are superstitious like that, even their travel management.

There’s another set of emails, too- ones from the surgeon, about his prep and things he needs to do and bring and what to expect from the healing process. He hasn’t bothered to open it. That’ll make it real. He just packs up some of his clothes, shuts himself in his room, and waits. He ignores Luke, then he ignores Nico, who he’s sure Luke has brought over. He ignores Quinn’s phone calls, too, and everyone else’s.

When you show up, though, knocking on his bedroom door and calling out his name, he can’t ignore it. He makes a noise that isn’t a go away, and you take it as an invitation in, which he supposes it was. You make a soft noise of disapproval when you see him, curled up in his bed, hood pulled up around his head to block out the world.

“Hey, J,” you murmur, padding your way across his bedroom. “What’s going on?”

He sniffles and presses his face into the mattress. “The surgery.”

You sigh and sit down on the edge of his bed. “Yeah.”

Jack’s not afraid of having surgery, really. He’s never been very squeamish, never one to shy away from blood draws or stitches or IVs. You know this. Everyone knows it, which is probably why they’re all so worried about his reaction to this. He doesn’t want to admit it really, but it’s you, so he finds the words slipping past his lips.

“Mom can’t come,” he says, voice raw and scraping. “Or dad. Too short notice. And- and Luke and Nico and Quinn are gonna be busy, obviously, and I just… all this talk about surgery all this time and I didn’t think I’d have to do it alone, you know? It couldn’t wait till after the season so I could-“

He breaks off into an embarrassing, breath stealing sob. You make a soothing little noise and lean down next to him, scooping him up into your arms. It sort of helps and sort of makes it worse. The tears flow freely now. It’s just you. All his walls are down.

“You won’t be by yourself, Jack,” you murmur, and he waits for the reassuring words, that you’ll all be with him in spirit, that he’ll be home in no time, that he’s never alone. Instead, you say, “I took some time off. I’m gonna fly out with you, be there for the surgery.”

He pries one eye open, waiting for the punch line. There isn’t one. Just you, watching him carefully, holding him close. He knows how hard it is for you to get time off right now. It’s your busy season at work. And yet, here you are. Tears start running again. The whole world goes blurry. You just brush them away, one by one.

“Oh, honey,” you soothe, voice low and soft. “You didn’t think I’d let you do it alone, did you?”

God, he loves you. And he thinks this might be the final straw, the last puzzle piece. There’s no denying it now. You brush stray hairs from his face and press warm kisses to his forehead while he admits that he’s scared, not of the surgery but of what comes after, of the healing and the rehab and everything involved in it. You draw soothing patterns on his skin and just listen, because you know him well enough to know he needs to get it off his chest. He thinks about telling you how much he loves you as he starts to drift off, but he thinks better of it. There’ll be a better time than this, tear stained and curled up in his bed like a little kid. For now, it’s enough to know you love him, in any way, shape, or form.

…..

Jack wakes up in a hospital bed in Vail, Colorado, utterly disoriented and freezing cold. The ceiling is this ugly grey color, just like the rest of the ceilings in the building have been. He’s spent a lot of time staring at them in the last 24 hours. He blinks, and the tiles blur and swirl, and he hears his name in your voice. He tries to hold on, but he’s so, so sleepy, so he closes his eyes.

He wakes up again with no idea how long he’s been out. He’s warmer now. There’s an extra blanket laid over him, and a hand holding his. Hm. It feels nice. He squeezes his fingers experimentally. He hears movement to his left. A plastic cup appears in his field of vision, and he suddenly realizes how thirsty he is. He turns, slightly, and finds you.

“You’re here,” he says, quietly.

Your face is a little out of focus, but he thinks you smile. “Yeah, of course I am. Told you I would be.”

He knows that. He knows you flew out here with him, eating snacks on the plane before he hit the 12 hours before surgery mark and he had to stop. You checked into the hotel with him, got all the supplies ready for after the surgery, got him here, promised you’d be waiting when he woke up. But now he’s here, post surgery, and you’re holding his hand, and his chest hurts in the best way.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” you murmur, lifting the cup to his lips. He takes a sip. “Does it hurt?”

He shakes his head gingerly. He’s a little achy, but nothing that would make him cry normally. He can’t help it, it’s probably the meds. He remembers crying when he got his wisdom teeth out, too. He tries to tell you as much, but it comes out garbled and teary and raw. You shush him, smoothing your hand over his forehead and pushing his hair out of his face. That feels nice. You’re warm.

“Okay. It’s okay,” you soothe. “Take a breath. It’s alright.”

He does his best. You help him take little sips of water, and eventually the tears dry up. He’s left sitting there, your hand running through his hair, and he suddenly feels so, so sleepy. He turns his head and blinks at you. You’re clear in his vision now, beautiful as ever.

“You’re pretty,” he mumbles.

He thinks it all the time, he may as well say it. Nothing’s holding him back now. You laugh, and your face gets blurry again. He sighs.

“You’re pretty,” you say back.

He rolls his eyes, but he smiles anyways. “Hmm.”

“Are you sleepy?” You ask, thumb brushing against his temple. He nods. “You can go to sleep, okay?”

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” He asks, feeling a little vulnerable, suddenly.

“Yeah, Jacky,” you murmur, and when he closes his eyes, he thinks he feels your lips against his temple. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The third time he wakes up, you’re sitting next to him, eating ice cream out of a little plastic cup with one of the tiny wooden spoons. The tv in the room is playing that same stupid reality show. The host’s voice would piss him off if he wasn’t so focused on how adorable you look. He inches the fingers of his good hand towards you, towards where your knee is pressed against his bed. When he makes contact, you jump nearly a foot in the air. He can’t help but giggle.

“Jesus,” you mutter, shaking your head at him.

“Nah, just Jack,” he teases.

You roll your eyes. “Someone’s feeling better.”

If he’s being honest, he still feels a little loopy. Your face is in focus, but everything feels a little softer around the edges. His fingers scramble against your knee, and you laugh, leaning close. You set down the ice cream and reach to tangle your hand up in his. That’s nice. He doesn’t get to do that a lot- hold your hand. Maybe he should have surgery more often. You smooth his hair out of his face again. It’s such a caring motion that it sends his heart stuttering.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he says, quietly.

You shrug. “What kind of best friend would I be if I wasn’t?”

And. That’s nice, but it’s not really what he wants to hear. He wants you to be here because you love him. He probably wouldn’t spend hours in a hospital waiting room for Nico, probably wouldn’t sit and wait for him to wake up. He’d bring him food after, when he got home, would help him however he needed. But to fly halfway across the country just to be here? He’d do that for you in a heartbeat, but he’s not sure there are many others he’d do the same for.

You seem to notice the way he’s staring, and you wave the wooden spoon at him. “You want some ice cream? The nurse said to call when you actually woke up. I’m sure she’ll give you one if you turn on the charm.”

He blinks slowly. “I love you, you know that?”

It’s past his lips before he can take it back. It should be terrifying. He should feel sick to his stomach. Maybe it’s the hospital drugs, or maybe it’s just that he’s been holding it in for so long, but it doesn’t feel scary. He sort of just feels relieved.

You smile brightly. “Yeah, I love you, too, Jack.”

He huffs. “No, you don’t get it-“

Before he can get another word out, the nurse comes in. He wonders if you pressed the button when he wasn’t paying attention, or if hospital staff just have comically bad timing. He lets out a groan. You give him an amused smile.

“Welcome back, Jack,” the nurse says. He reads her nametag- Nancy. “I’m just going to do a little checkup, alright?” She turns to you. “If you want, you can step out into the hall.”

By the time he’s squeezing your hand to keep you there, you’re holding onto him tightly, too. Huh. That’s interesting.

“She can stay,” Jack says.

You nod. So does Nancy, a knowing smile on her lips. Jack wonders if she sees this a lot. Guys with friends who sit by their bed, oblivious to the fact that said guy is hopelessly in love with them. Maybe it’s a common thing in hospitals. Maybe it’s not just Jack. That’s a nice thought.

He gets his blood pressure taken, and his pulse, and he gets asked to take a few deep breaths for what seems to be just the fun of it. She asks his pain level- a 3, at which point you break in and tell the nurse that his three is more like a five. She smiles at the two of you. When she goes to leave, Jack speaks up.

“Could I have some ice cream?” He asks, hoping the way his voice cracks on the words makes her sympathetic.

Ice cream does sound good. His throat feels raw, and his mouth is dry. And he’s starving.

Nurse Nancy smiles and looks at you. “What do you think? Has he been well behaved enough?”

Normally, Jack would take a little offense to it. But he turns to you, and you’re smiling bright, lighting up the whole room. His stomach does a somersault. He wonders if the way he feels about you is visible on the heart monitor, if his pulse picks up every time he looks at you.

“He’s the best,” you answer, and he melts. “Give him all the ice cream you’ve got.”

Ten minutes later, you sit there, holding a container of chocolate vanilla swirl. He’d been ready to eat it on his own until he remembered his arm, the surgery, the whole reason he’s here. He’d had to settle for letting you feed it to him. Maybe settle is the wrong word, really. It’s nice to be taken care of, even nicer when you’re the one who’s doing it for him.

He thinks maybe he’s still loopy, because in between bites, he pauses, looks at you, opens his mouth, and puts his foot directly in it. “I meant it, you know. I love you.”

You nod. “I know.”

He’s too far into this to stop now. “No, I-“

You interrupt, dropping the spoon in the cup to place your hand over his. “Jack, honey. Tell me later, when you’re not high off anesthesia, okay?”

Oh. He cocks his head, slightly. His mouth tastes like chocolate and vanilla. You smell like flowers. Like the lilacs in the backyard of his childhood home. There’s a light and warmth in your eyes that makes everything feel a little bit better.

“And if I tell you later,” he says, feeling braver than he ever has before, “are you gonna tell me something back?”

You laugh. It’s still music to his ears. You pick up the spoon again, scooping up a bit of ice cream. His gaze stays locked on you.

“Yeah,” you say with a nod. “That I mean it the same way you mean it.”

That’s enough for Jack, for now.

He tells you again the next day, waits a full 24 hours because a part of him is worried it was all some sort of drug induced dream. But you’re packing up the suitcases, that same stupid show on the TV, and he turns to you where he sits on the edge of the bed and says it.

“I love you. Like, really love you. As more than a friend.” His heart is in his throat.

You drop the hoodie you’d been holding into the bag, walk across the room to him, and come to stand between his legs. He’s holding his breath. You hook your finger under his chin and pull his face to yours. He thinks he recognizes the look on your face, from the kitchen when you helped him tie his tie, from the living room with a plate of mozzarella sticks in your hand, from every moment he was feeling all his feelings for you.

“Yeah,” you say, kissing his cheek. “I really love you too.”

When you kiss him on the lips, soft and sweet and everything he’s wanted for ages now, he thinks that maybe the whole mess has been worth it.

…..

He sits in a wooden chair on the back deck of the lake house. It’s mid summer, the week of the 4th of July. The heat is nearly unbearable, heavy and sticky and inescapable. Trevor and Luke are on the grass, throwing a football back and forth. Jack’s trying not to check the time obsessively.

Quinn, who’s sitting next to him, gives him a look when he picks up his phone again. “She’ll get here when she gets here.”

Jack rolls his eyes and sinks further into his seat. “You’re a dick.”

“Jesus, I know she’s your friend but…” Quinn is shaking his head. “You’re being obsessive.”

He hasn’t told any of them. Not about the hospital bed confession, or the kiss, or anything that came after it. The flight back to Jersey, his head on your shoulder. The way you took care of him before he flew to Michigan for the off season. The late night calls the two of you have shared since then. He’s itching to see you. It’s been far too long. He’s been scared to tell them because he’s scared you’ll get here and it won’t be real. He’s being ridiculous, he knows it, but he can’t help it. It’s you.

He hears it when your car pulls up in the driveway. He stands up, ignoring the look Quinn gives him. He’s not quick enough- you must’ve parked and ran inside immediately. You come racing out onto the back porch, eyes wide, smile even wider, and he could melt into a puddle right there in the hot summer sun. You’re brighter than all of it.

He pulls you into a kiss right there, in front of everyone, earning a series of surprised yelps and gasps and cheers. He doesn’t care about anything else. You’re here, and you’re kissing him back, and that’s more than enough.

“Fucking called it!” Trevor yells, and Jack laughs.

“We all did,” Quinn says. “Glad you two finally figured it out.”

You won’t be here forever. You have work, and a life in the city. But for now, for this little slice of time, he gets to have everything he’s always wanted. That’ll hold him over for the rest of the off season. Or, more likely, until he caves in and gets an early flight back to Jersey to spend more time with you. From the way you smile when you stare up at him, he thinks it probably won’t be long.

a/n: thanks for reading! have been wanting to write about Jack for a bit & he’s just so best friends to lovers coded. so here we go!

[xobarbie]

holy fucking brick wall

I didnt know he was this strong

[xobarbie]

so cute!!! love love love 🥹

My Heart’s Racing, and it isn’t the Exercise

Luke Hughes x reader

Summary: Luke Hughes has a gym crush, and his brother wants a sister in law

Warnings: there’s a reference to like… dropping a weight on his head to induce memory loss, you’ll understand if you read it 😭 other than that, nothing!! (Unless u include Luke embarrassing himself but that’s just cuz he’s a cutie patootie)

Notes: I’m so sorry I’ve barely posted!! Uni is kicking my ass. Still, I appreciate all the support on my previous fics!! Y’all are so kind!! Also, a lil reference to the readers job as a hairdresser

Luke was sure that if y/n wasn’t here, he’d cry.

He had explicitly told his brother that he needed to be at the gym within 10am-11:30am, and no later. He hadn’t told him why, exactly, but he thought he made himself pretty clear anyhow. It wasn’t like Jack to be late to anything, but Jack had expressed that he believed you couldn’t be late to the gym in the first place. To him, it was a personal pleasure. Luke would have agreed if it weren’t for the girl with the strict schedule, who went everyday, at the same time, with no exceptions.

He couldn’t explain that to Jack without the certainty of him telling the whole Devil’s team about his little crush, and suddenly the chirping would go beyond anything he’d ever live down. So instead, when Jack would roll his eyes at his brother with a comment about being uptight, Luke would bite back with a reminder that Jack had assigned certain coats to certain hooks in the entrance way. Surely, Luke was not the uptight one in that apartment.

Jack had only hurried things up when his brother threatened to leave without him, jingling his keys and walking to the door with exaggerated stomps. Still, they had only left the house at 10:41, and for reasons unbeknownst to Jack, Luke had refused to switch to the gym nearest their building. It was 10:53 when they got there, and Luke ignored his brothers scolds for his crooked parking job, rushing to check who was at the girl’s favourite machine. It was then that Luke realized he had never learned her name. Had she ever even had a full conversation with him?

She was there, in all of her beauty, but Luke didn’t crack a smile. Instead, he walked over to the chest press for his warmup as if he had never seen her. His sudden stop-and-stare session did not go unnoticed by his brother, who not so subtly squinted his eyes in her direction, trying to find what had his little brother so dazed. His eyes flickered to the dejected look on his face, back to the girl, and then to the foot that Luke was subconsciously tapping. A knowing grin grew on Jack's face before he wiped it off with the back of his hand, wringing his wrist out in an act of preparation for his dead-lift warmup. He halted when he began to pass by Luke, stomping his foot on the ground exaggeratingly as he turned to his brother.

"Luke, Luke," Jack said, bending down to reach ear level with him. "You see that girl over there? The one on the, uh, the walking thingy?"

"The elliptical." Luke corrected, a little bit too fast. He’d learned the name of the machine a while ago, just in case he needed it one day.

"Yeah, whatever. She's real pretty, huh?"

Luke's eyes met Jack's so fast it hurt, and he blinked a couple of times to make the room stop spinning. His knuckles turned white at the grip he had on the bars of the machine, despite having paused the lifting to speak to his brother. "What- why?"

"I think I’m gonna ask her out."

"No!" Luke yelped, and those in the gym who weren't wearing headphones or struggling to breathe with the intensity of their workout glanced over at him curiously. His cheeks burned bright red, and Jack had to repress a smirk. "She’s," he shook his head, "She's not even your type."

“What? Of course she is. You don’t think she’s pretty?”

“She’s-!” Luke started, chest puffed up and eyes wide as he went to defend the girl. That was, until the smile on his brothers face looked a little bit too evil to be classified as adoring, and Luke squinted his eyes at him. “What are you trying to do here?”

Jack let out a girlish giggle and gave him a smack to his knee. “I think you think she’s pretty!”

“Shut up!” He wacked his brother right back.

“I think you’ve beaten me to her!”

“Jack, stop.” Luke begged, gripping his brothers wrist strongly enough for Jack to wince, his eyes wide as saucers.

Jack snickered, wringing out his wrist. He glanced back at the girl, whose machine beeped as she finished her cool down. “C’mon! She’s done. Go talk to her!”

“What? No!” Luke refused, his voice much quieter and harsher than his brothers. “No, she’s leaving anyway.”

Jack glanced at the girl again, who had finally stepped off of the machine and stood in front of a window. Her silhouette was black as she tipped her head towards the ceiling to chug down some water. He looked back at Luke. “I don’t think so… looks like she’s just having a drink before her next workout.”

“No.” Luke shook his head, certainty in his movements. “It’s 11:30. This is when she leaves.”

Luke seemed to have not realized the weight his words held before he said them, and quickly made himself busy with his machine before Jack’s head jerked foreword, his jaw dropped far enough that if he had dared to look, Luke would be able to count all of his teeth.

“Woah, woah, wait a minute!” He said, stepping in front of his little brother so that he had no casual excuse for avoiding his gaze. “Is this why you’ve been whining every day about when we get here?”

Luke cringed, ending his first rep early to stick an earbud in his ear. “I’m working out. Can’t hear ya.”

“Oh my god!” Jack gaped, yanking the earbud back out. “This is why I have to go to a gym 15 minutes away from my apartment- that has a gym in the building?”

“It’s only 10, don’t be such a baby.” Luke groaned, seeing no point in trying to hide his little secret any longer.

“Oh my god. Luke, I’m being serious right now, if you don’t go talk to her- I will.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.”

Luke’s eyes worriedly flicked back to where she stood before, but let out a breath when she wasn’t there anymore. He didn’t know wether it was of relief or disappointment, but he forced himself not to dwell on the weird feeling in his chest. “She’s… She’s gone anyways.”

Jacks head whipped to the window and then back to his brother so fast that Luke was surprised he wasn’t in pain. He quickly promised himself he’d give him pain if he looked at him like that any longer- his brows slightly furrowed, eyes more pitiful than annoyed. Jack let out a soft huff. “Next time then.”

---

Jack was ready before Luke was the next morning, bouncing on the balls of his feet on the mat in front of the door. Luke walked sluggishly, something he hadn’t done since he had first seen her. He was sure this would be the last day at her gym- certain he’d be too humiliated to return.

“Could you wipe that look off your face, please?” Luke asked, annoyed.

His grin only grew, flashing his recently fixed straight white teeth. “Why would I? Todays the day- Lukey Boy is getting a girlfriend!”

Luke rolled his eyes.

The 10 minute car ride was mostly silent. To Jack, it had felt like the longest ride he’d ever taken, even with all of the complaints he’d given about the length of the drive in the past. This was most certainly the worst of them all. To Luke, it had been the shortest. He’d listed multiple plans for certain scenarios in his head, noting that if he really needed to, there were weights near the elliptical she used that he could drop on his head if he needed to forget he’d ever seen her. Maybe his brother would feel bad enough to never bring it up again. He planned to run a few fast miles on a treadmill beforehand, so that he could build up some adrenaline, and blame his red face on the exercise.

Jack walked in with a pep in his step, only stopping when his brother suddenly grabbed his wrist. His face was white and his eyes wide, and Jack had never seen him so scared to talk to a girl before. “She’s gonna think I’m a creep.”

“No she won’t! Just… don’t be a creep, and you’ll be fine.”

Luke releases his brothers wrist to run a stressed hand down his face. “I hate you.”

“Luke, it’s gonna be fine, I’m telling you.” Jack tried to reason. He sent him a funny smile, “Plus, you’re in the NHL. what girl would say no to that?”

Luke didn’t laugh, and Jack licked his lip awkwardly. “Buddy, just do it. There’s no use comforting you now- she hasn’t even rejected you yet!”

“Yet!”

“No!” Jack gripped Luke’s shoulders tightly. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Now go. Now. It’s time.”

Luke almost tripped, his feet too nervous to react to the push his brother gave him. He prayed that it was too bright outside to see the reflection in the window her machine overlooked, and that she didn’t see any of that. He stood awkwardly a safe distance away from her, looking back at his brother who gave him a not-so-subtle thumbs up.

She was changing the song coming through her headphones when she felt the presence of someone next to her. She turned, startled when someone was actually there. He was tall, but had a young, sweet face. His hair was long enough for him to have to push behind his ear and she could imagine him hating it. Most people with curly or wavy hair did, she had learned from work, but his was her favourite texture to cut and work with. She’d recognized him well. He seemed to have a similar schedule to her, and she had used him as proof to her friends that she wasn’t uptight. He was too handsome to look at, she had decided one day. She couldn’t afford a gym crush, not when she was doing so well with her gym streak. It would complicate things. She flicked an earbud out, giving him a friendly, but curious smile.

“Hi.” He said, the word breathy.

“Hi.” She said back with a slight chuckle. “Did you need something?”

“Oh! Sorry, uh,” she didn’t notice Jack watching them, cringing at the way his brother stuttered. “I was wondering… if I could use that machine.”

She blinked at him, eyes flickering to the 3 other ellipticals lining the large window, still and unused. She nodded anyway. “Uh, yeah! Sure!” She said, stepping off and beside the guy, who looked much taller from the new angle. “Are, are the other ones not working?”

“Uh-“

“Nope!” She jumped at the loud voice behind her, looking right in time for her to miss how Jack stepped on the machines cord, unplugging it. He smacked his hand on the buttons exaggeratedly, proving to her that it wouldn’t turn on.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I’ve been hogging the only working one, haven’t I?”

“No, no! You’re okay. Uh, I just, um-“

“My brother thinks you’re pretty!” Jack blurted out, cutting off his stuttering.

Luke looked mortified, shoulders curling in on himself. Y/n reddened, her lips unintentionally curling up into a giddy smile. “Oh! Thank you!” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Um, you’re his brother?”

“I’m so sorry.” He said instead of answering, and she hoped he didn’t look so sick because his brother lied.

“Don’t be! I’m,” she let out another nervous chuckle, “I’m very flattered.”

“You should let him buy you a smoothie from the drink bar.” Jack suggested, grinning wildly. Y/n felt brave under his enthusiasm.

“Jack!” Luke pleaded, fists balled up.

“He doesn’t have to pay.” She said, and she smiled awkwardly at their intense gazes. “Uh, I mean… are you thirsty?”

“You want to get a smoothie with me?”

“Well, sure! Only if you tell me your name though.” She giggled

He looked at her, his gaping lips turning up into a smile. “Luke.”

Luke had never loved his brother more. He hadn’t listened as he came up with some excuse for leaving the two of them alone. Something about already having water or having to get his workout in while he could, Luke assumed. He didn’t really care. He had imagined a million ways his day could go, and he had somehow lived the one he didn’t think would ever happen. He smiled at her, panicking when she began to reach for the pack she had around her waist. “I’ll pay!”

She looked back up at him. “Wow! A cute boy calls me pretty and buys me a smoothie in one day? This isn’t what I imagined would happen when I walked into the gym today.” She giggled, walking with him.

“Yeah… neither did I.”

[xobarbie]

gorgeous, gorgeous man… 😍🥵🤯

ANDREI SVECHNIKOV - 3.4.2024

[xobarbie]

obsessed 😻

lukey pookie💗🫠🌷😜

#moose #nhl hockey #umich hockey #nhl #hughes brothers #luke hughes

[xobarbie]

i’m crying but in love at the same time?????

Middle Of A Memory - J.Seresin

Synopsis: Jake Seresin was an asshole, everyone knew it. He flew with confidence and held a cocky smirk. Behind every cocky smirk and snark remark was you, built into his memories, memories he always lived in.

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin X Pilot!Reader - CallSign: Hela.

Warnings: 18+,mentions of alcohol, mentions of flying accidents, mentions of death, swearing, angst and of course fluff.

“Hangman, the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave”

The hairs on the back of Jake’s neck stand and his body stiffens at the sound of Rooster's voice, causing him to stand from the pool table.

He knew he needed to keep his cool in front of the group of aviators. He plants his signature smirk on his lips, making his way to Rosster, looking over his face.

The smirk covers the thoughts running through his mind as he is quiet for a bit too long for Hangman. “Anyone who follows you” he leans back on the pool table, a smirk plastered on his lips. “Is just gonna run out of fuel” he tilts his head.

“You are just too snug on your perch” he pushes off the table, his back to the group he lets his facade falter.

He never wanted the group to know that Rooster hit a nerve.

His face remained stone as he turned back to the group, his mind on one thing, you.

+

Tennessee.

Tennessee.

The bar was packed full for Friday night. The sound of the jukebox could be heard for miles. You grin, pushing into the crowded bar, looking around for the group of friends you were meeting. With none of them in sight you walk towards the bar, sliding on one of the stools. The bartender grins at you with a raise of their brows.

She chuckles, “new to the area?” she asks as you chuckle, eyes moving to her face. “What gave me away?” she shrugs, “I just get the impression you are not from here” she nods as you smile. “I am not, I just got stationed here” she grins, looking you over. “Army?” she asks as you laugh, head falling back. “No Ma’am I am Navy” she grins wider.

“I don’t see them very much” smirking, you shoot her a wink. “No, we certainly do not” the southern accent pulls your attention to the left. He’s leaning his elbow on the bar as your brows furrow, looking up at the sunkissed man beside you.

He grins, looking you over and then back at the bartender. “I’ll take another beer and add whatever the lady is havin to my tab” she smirks and moves her way across the bar. Sitting back in the chair, you look up at him, “well thank you for buying my drink” you say.

He smirks, nodding looking back down at you, “what brings you to lil ol tennesse?” he asks as you shrug, thanking the bartender. “Work for the most part” he nods, pulling the stool beside you closer, to the point your knees were touching as he sat down.

“Well, welcome, I’m Hangman” he holds his hand out with a smirk. You hold back the chuckle, raising your brows, you decided to play along. “Hangman? Did your mother hate you?” he laughs, shaking his head, “it’s my call sign, I’m a Naval Aviator” you nod slowly, biting back your growing smirk.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Hangman” you shake his outstretched hand, noticing your group of friends make their way in.

You stand and send him a smile, “Thanks again for the drink” you wink over your shoulder, walking towards the girls. “He was cute,” Raven, your best friend says.

“Please Ray, he’s a pilot, major red flag” you smirk as she chuckles, “So is that your red flag too?” you laugh behind the straw of your drink. 

The music was pumping through the speakers loudly. Raven had a smirk on her lips as she danced to the Usher song playing through the speakers.

She points toward you seated with your third drink, motioning you to her. You laugh, setting the drink down and walking towards her.

Her hands fall to your hips, pulling her body into your own, whispering loudly in your ear, “you should go dance with hot cowboy!”. You laugh, hands falling on top of hers, “I don’t know Ray” you look up and as if he knew you were talking about him, he smirks and meets your eyeline.

“Do it! You need to get laid!” you shove her shoulder gently, catching her stumbling body.

“Fine!” you smirk as she laughs loudly.  Raven watches as she cheers behind her own solo cup, looking at her over your shoulder with warning eyes. In the process, you don't notice Hangman making his way to meet you halfway. “Wanna dance?” he smirks, startling you as you meet his eye. Smirking, you holding your hand out to him, he takes it and pulls your back into his chest.

He chugs the last of his red solo cup, handing it off to someone beside him and lands his hands on your hips.

He leans down, lips brushing your bare shoulder causing a shiver down your spine, he smirks. “You are quite beautiful” he whispers in your ear, nose brushing your hairline as he stands to his full height. You laugh, head falling back onto his shoulder as your hips continue to grind against his own.

The bodies were sweaty, his musk was intoxicating more so than the shot of vodka in your drinks. Turning to face him, your forehead resting against his own as his smirk stayed tattooed on his lips.

Looking up at him through your lashes he grins, winking as the two of you make eye contact. “(Y/N)!” you turn to Gypsy, another girl that came out tonight. She smirks looking between the two of you, eyes falling back to you. “Hi Jakey” he grins, nodding towards her with a grin, hands still attached to your hips.

“Jakey?” you question slowly, in your intoxicated state thoughts moved slower. Your hand slides down his chest, “oh my god, big brother Jake?!” your finger is planted against his chest as you look at Gypsy. She nods, smirking as your eyes widen. “Anyways, Raven got a text from Bradley” you sigh, nodding.

Your hand continues it’s journey down Hangman's chest, landing on the buckle of his jeans with a smirk on your lips as your eyes meet his again.

“Nice dancing with you, hungman” kissing his cheek, you hurry over to the group of girls. In a blink of an eye, you were gone.

“Ladies and gentleman” Admiral Cain smirks from the front of the room full of aviators. “We have someone new joining our squad today” he stands with his hands on his hips, “she’s coming to us from Florida down in Pensacola, her skills will be an asset to this squad”. Walking into the room and shutting the door gently behind you, the smile on your lips is not hard to miss.

“I welcome, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), call sign Hela '' making it to the front of the room, you shake Admiral Cain’s outstretched hand.  Raven smirks from her own seat at the look on Jake’s face at the sight of you.

“Let’s see what you got” he dismisses the group as everyone makes their way out of the room, green eyes stayed burned into your flight suit as you followed.

``You’re a pilot?” he asks, his voice full of southern charm. You sigh, turning to face him. “I am” you smirk, his own smirk grows. He holds the toothpick between his teeth, looking you up and down in the green flight suit, it was sexier to him than the skimpy outfit you had on the night before.

He holds his hand out again, “Jake Seresin” you shake his hand slowly. “I know who you are” you say, watching his face as he shrugs.

“You know of me darling, you’ve now formally met me” he winks.

“So, Hela huh?” he asks, following beside you towards the tarmac. “Named after the goddess of Death” you chuckle, grabbing your helmet on the way out the door. “Let's see if you can keep up hangman, or do I call you Hungman?” you wink.

“Can’t wait to see you fly Hells Bell” rolling your eyes, you look back at him. “What did you just call me?” he smirks,

“welcome to the south sweetheart”. 

The ground was never as easy as the skies were, you were more comfortable flying a multi-million dollar plane instead of walking on the ground. “So, Hela” Jake’s voice is slightly distorted on the comms but you don’t miss it.

“What could you possibly want?” you ask, turning to see him beside your own plane. “Are you ready to have some fun?” he asks as you chuckle, looking around.

“Two bogies” you motion to him with a nod veering aside to move below him. He shakes his head with a soft chuckle. The comms fell silent only for a matter of minutes. “I could really use some  help here” you grunt, continuing to attempt to avoid lock on yourself.

"Don’t you worry your pretty little head, Hangmans coming” you can hear the grin in his voice. “get down here and help me you glorified ken doll” he chuckles. “You wound me” you smirk behind your mask, moving below the boogie, they flew above you and straight ahead.

“I got you Hells” if you could count the amount of time you rolled your eyes. “I’ll see you back on the ground” you mumble, flying back to the base. 

The cold shower was cool on your skin causing you to close your eyes. Being the new kid was never easy nor was it easy getting now with the attention of Jake Seresin.

“Jake likes you,” Raven says from the bench as you sigh.

“I don’t understand why he’s known me for a total of two days” you push the water out of your face with a groan. “You practically gave him a hard on at the bar, probably gave him one today” you laugh, stepping out the shower with the towel around your body.

“You okay?” you question, standing in front of her. She nods slowly, looking up at you with a shy smile, “everything okay with Brad?” you ask as she nods. “He got into Top Gun'' you grin, sitting beside her.

“That is wonderful!” you laugh as she nods sadly. “What is it?” you ask, picking up on the sadness in her voice. “I just want to be there with him,” she admits as you shake your head, standing up.

“You will totally be there with him before you know it!” she nods with a smile, standing herself.

“Are you coming tonight?” she asks, the squad was going out for drinks down the road from base. “I-I don’t know” you admit as she groans, “please hels?” she asks as you nod slowly. “I'll think about it” she nods with a smile on her face, kissing the top of your head as she exits the room.

You've been in Tennesee almost 10 months. On base with not one Seresin but two. "Please hels come out tonight!" Gypsy pleads from your the closet, shuffling through the clothes. "Why?" you ask from the bed, looking up from the book you were nose deep in.

"So you can flirt with Jake and get it over with" she admits, stopping at the surprised gasp you let out. "What are you talking about?" knowing the growing smirk on the younger Seresin's lips, you regretted asking.

"You and Jake flirt, you have since you got here, I think you should come out and show him what he’s missing" you laugh, nodding slowly. "What he’s missing? And that’s what exactly?” she shakes her head, hands on her hips as she turns to face you.

"Remember the army sergeant? Who was just head over heels for the hot naval aviator? What was his name?" you laugh, falling into the sheets. "Do not bring dylan into this!" you defend as she smirks leaning over you.

"You're coming."

The summer sun was slowly setting as the bar crowd made their way into the bar. You smile, looking around the bar. Girls danced on the bar as two women behind them happily gave drinks and shoved tips in their shirts.

“Is this a coyote ugly bar?” you ask Gypsy who grins from ear to ear. You laugh shaking your head, walking through the crowd, once you get closer a name calls for you.

“(Y/N)!?” you look up and see the eyes of the redhead from the bar looking down at you.

“Oh my god, Wanda?!” you yell back, moving closer to take her outstretched hand. “Are you kidding me?! What are you doing here?” you yell over the music as she grins, “Vis is stationed here too!” she grins as you laugh, squeezing her hand.

“I’m so happy for you!” you smile, taking the beer from her hands. “I’ll be back!” winking, she nods and stands and moves along the bar as you make your way to the crowded table.

Jake and the rest of the pilots had finally shown up. “There she is” you roll your eyes at Jake’s drawl, smirking at the blonde pilot. "Hi Hungman" he smirks at the nickname, noticing the short neckline of your top tonight. He notes it was similar to the one you wore when he first met you.

You move to stand beside him and turn to your friends. Raven is nose deep in her phone and Gypsy is flirting with one of the other pilots on the squad.

You couldn’t quite remember how many drinks you had or how you managed to get up on the bar with Wanda.

The group of aviators left you unsupervised for a matter of minutes and you were gone, like a child.

“Where’s hell's bell?” Jake asks, looking around the table as Gypsy shrugs, her eyes slowly land on you. “Uh, Jake” she nods towards the bar as you are taking Wanda’s outstretched hand. Climbing up with her as you gasp as No One Like You by Scorpions blasts through the speakers loudly.

“Gooooooood Evening Tennessee!” Wanda yells into the megaphone. “We have ourselves a special guest tonight, a former coyote herself now a Naval Aviator!” you laugh at the cheers in the bar, holding the beer up. “Give it up for our very own” everyone claps as you take wanda’s hand, swaying your hips. “Oh Jesus” Jake mumbles under his breath, setting his beer down and excusing himself from the conversation.

He was curious to see what happened but knew he couldn’t let you embarrass yourself very long.

Wanda’s hands land on your hips as your hips sway against hers, the crowd cheering as you bend down, running a hand up your bare thighs and standing with a flip to your hair. “I didn’t know she had it in her” Jake makes note to his younger sister who stood beside him, “I did” she winks. “I should probably get her down,” he says more to himself as she shrugs, “give her time”.

As the chorus plays the buttons on your blouse slowly come down and before Jake knows it, your plum lace bra is on full display.

Walking along the bar, you swing your shirt in your hands as a cowboy would a lasso, crouching down to get the money that fell in front of you. Standing back to your full height, you don’t notice him or his blonde hair right away, singing along loudly to the speakers.

He reaches forward, his hands falling behind your knees, jumping at the feeling of someone's hands on you, looking down at his smirking green eyes.

“C’mon Hell’s Bell, you’ve had enough fun for tonight” you laugh, head falling back as you laughed harder. Wanda makes her way over then noticing his hands at your knees.

“Hey now!” he holds his hands up in defense, she notices then the service khakis , “are you part of her squad?” she asks.

He nods and before you know it the world is upside down and you are face to face with Jake Seresins ass. 

Jake gently sets you in the passenger seat of his truck, shutting the door quietly as you slump back into the soft interior. “Be careful” Gypsy has her hands on her hips, Jake notes she looks just like their mother. “I will, I’ll be back before you know it” she nods, patting his chest and walking to her own vehicle.

He climbs in as you are fumbling with the radio, “do you have anything good on this thing” your words are slurring. “Sit back, I will pick something” he smirks at the small huff you let out as your body hits the seat.

The roads are quiet in the early hours of the morning. Jake is skipping through songs at the red light as you gasp, “no no go back!” you protest, he furrows his brows and turns the song back. You grin as Waiting for a Girl Like you by Foreigner plays softly.

Reaching over, you turn the song up loudly and roll down the window. The summer breeze felt amazing against your skin as you sang along loudly. “Hela, get your ass back in that seat” Jake looks over as your seatbelt is unbuckled, he was not driving fast or dangerously but he can see the gears turning in your mind.

The upper half of your body is leaning out the window, your hand grips the handle above the window as you pull your hair out of the pony tail you opted for the evening.

“I’ve been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive!” you sang loudly, Jake hears you clear as day as you're hanging out his passenger side window, singing loudly to the eighties hit.

Jake knew at that moment, you were going to be one of the best people in his life.

+

San Diego. 

Top Gun.

Everything in your naval career led to this moment, “I’m sending you to Miramar so pack up your shit” Admiral Cain grins from his seat, standing as he holds a hand out to you. “I am excited for you Hela” he shakes your outstretched hand as you grin.

That’s how you found yourself here, The Hard Deck bar.

Walking through the door, you are taking a look around the room. You make your way to the bar, sliding into the vacant seat farthest from the door. A shadow casts over the dim lighting causing you to look up at the smiling face. “You're a new face” she grins, setting her towel aside. “I just got in a few hours ago” she nods, reaching for the cold beer in the fridge under the bar.

“I’m Penny” she sets the beer down, winking and walking to another customer. You couldn’t understand how you made it here, the next class at Top Gun. 

Sipping slowly on your second beer, you notice his laugh first. Ears perked up at the familiar sound, looking around as his laugh continued.

Jake Seresin was in this bar.

A smirk grows on your lips at the jukebox across the room. Sliding out of your seat and making your way over to the box, you slide the change into the slot and pick the one song you knew would trigger something in the aviator.

Jake's ears perk up at the sound of Foreigner but thinks nothing of it. 

He knew the chances of you being in this bar were slim, the two of you hadn’t seen the other in almost two years. Thick as thieves, he was your best friend, you've kept in touch the whole time, random phone calls and sparse text messages.

“Excuse me Lieutenant '' the voice is soft and high pitched as he smirks at the snickers of his friends. They see the smirk on your lips, of course the group has no idea who you are but you still signal for them to keep quiet.

Jake turns around and his body goes slack.

You stood with your arms crossed over your chest, dressed in your service khakis and a smirk on your lips.

“Hells bell?!” he’s shoving the beer into his friend's hands, arms wrapping around your waist and spinning your body around. You laugh, arms wrapping around his neck and hugging him tighter.

“Hi Hungman '' he laughs into your neck, setting you to your feet. “Oh my god you made it to Top Gun didn't you?!” he asks, hands landing on your elbows.

The grin grows on your face as you nod, looking up at him. His face held nothing but pride as he pulled you back against his chest.

“Oh my god, I am so proud of you” you laugh, hugging his neck tighter, “I’m proud of you, I’m so excited we're doing this together” you admit, his smile grows. He pulls you into his side as his arm remains on your waist with a hand on your hip and faces his group of fellow aviators.

“Gentleman, I’d like to introduce to  Hela '' you grin, holding out a hand towards them, “nice to meet you”. 

The waves crashed against the shoreline, sending a slight shiver down your spine as you stood beside Jake, hugging his arm. “I can’t believe we’re here” you whisper, mostly to yourself but he grins.

“I know” you sigh, head falling to his shoulder. “I wish Gyps and Raven were here” he chuckles as you look up to meet his eye, “What am I chop liver?” he asks as you shake your head. “I’m so excited to do this with you Jake” you look over his face with a grin.

He leans down and kisses your forehead, “me too, of course it would be so amazing to have Gypsy but I am excited to go through the challenge with you” you blush, hiding your face against his service khakis, kissing his shoulder.

Chuckling, he rests his head on top of your own, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulls you into his side.

“Welcome to California Hells Bell '' you giggle, hugging his waist as your head falls into his chest.

“We’re gonna kick Top Guns ass” you grin. 

The classroom was filled to the brim of Top Gun students. Shuffling through the door quietly, you look around for the blonde gel-covered hairs. He twirls the toothpick between his teeth as you smile, moving to sit beside him. “Good Morning” the man stands in the front of the room, hands behind his back.

“I am Admiral Bates, one of your instructors here at top gun” he smiles and eyes the room before continuing on, “and of course our airboss, Admiral Simpson'' he nods to the man at the back of the room who smiles.

“You are all here because you are the best the Navy has seen” he paces in the row of seats, “someone saw something in you all and thought you’d be perfect for Top Gun'' you turn towards jake, a smirk on your lips, “he means me” you whisper, nudging his shoulder. He rolls his eyes with his own grin, looking back at Admiral Bates.

“In the six weeks you are here, you will have a mix of things here at Top Gun, of course you will have airtime but also classes on the ground that you will need to complete before the air time” Admiral Bates seemed as the more laid back instructor compared to Admiral Simpson. “We can’t wait to see you all compete for the number one seat” Admiral Simpson says from the back of the room.

“Let's start today’s lesson, a good ol 'dog fight in the skies?” Admiral Bates questions as Cyclone grins, “I say we give 'em a shot”. 

The aviators sat perched perfectly on your nose as you looked over the F-18, preflight pre-checks were something you took very seriously. “Hells bell!” you turn at the sound of Jake’s voice with a grin.

He makes his way in front of you, his own sunglasses perched on his nose, the sun kissing him almost perfectly.

You squint behind your aviators, looking up at him with a smile, “you ready?” he asks as you smirk, hands on your hips. “I’m always ready, Hungman” he chuckles, looking at you with a wide grin. “You still my wingman?” you ask, looking over his face as the smile breaks out across it. “Obviously, you aren’t going to get rid of me that easily '' your smile is contagious as one breaks out of Jake's face.

The two of you lean forward, foreheads falling against the others, “Fly Fast"' you wink with a whisper as your hand reaches out to the nape of his neck. He grins, his own hand reaching out to the nape of your neck, tangling his fingers in the gel-covered hairs, “Fly Safe” he whispers back to you.

You and Jake started the small tradition before you were shipped back to Florida, always encouraging each other to fly fast but always fly safe, it was something the two of you told the other everytime you were in the skies.

“I got Warlock on my six” you mumble into your comms, looking out the canopy at the jet low in the hills. “I got you, tell me what we're doin” Jake replies, looking down from his canopy at you on his six. Smirking behind your oxygen mask, you look up at his jet, “I’m going after him”.

He holds back his chuckle, watching as you turn and head down to follow Warlock.

“You got him Hels!” Jake yells behind his comms as you continue after Warlock. He flies beside you, watching as you continue to attempt fighting off Warlock. “Hels, go left I’ll go right and split up in the canyon” Jake mumbles as you nod, looking over at him. “You got it”. The two of you break in opposite directions and move through the canyon.

Within seconds Warlock had tone on your jet,  “Shit!” you grunt, slamming your hand against the glass. “That's a kill Hela, head back to base” Warlock says over the comms as you make your way back to base.  

Landing on the tarmac, you huff and climb down the ladder, pulling the helmet off your head quickly. Walking towards the door, you ignore Jake making his way towards you.

"Hells bell!" he yells, joggin to keep up. "Hela!" he yells, hands on his hips as he watches your body stop. He approaches you slowly, “Look at me” he whispers, moving his hand to cup your cheek. Avoiding his eye, he tilts your chin up to meet his green eyes. You were never one to take losing easily and always discouraged yourself.

“You did great and did everything you could” he whispers as you nod slowly, “I still got myself killed, if I get myself killed, I can get you killed" your voice is soft.

He shakes his head, looking over your face, "I'm okay, and we're okay and we have six weeks to perfect it, six weeks to make top gun ours" you can't help the smile that makes its way on your face with a slight sniffle.

“There’s my girl” he smirks, pulling you into his body by the shoulders, walking towards the showers.

+

Six weeks flew by, graduation snuck up on all of you. Jake was number one and you were his number two. Gypsy sits herself on the bed in your small beachfront home, watching as you adjust your dress whites in the mirror. “I can’t believe you and Jake are number one and two for top gun” grinning, you look at her in the mirror.

“Jake is a good pilot” you smile at the thought of one of your favorite people. “Yet, in the six weeks you’ve been here you haven’t told him how in love with him you are” you chuckle, looking at her with a raised brow.

“You mind your business” she holds her hands up in surrender as you laugh. “We all see the love you have for the other, it’s been there for the last three years” she says, taking your wings in her hands and pinning it to your chest.

“I do love him” you admit with a smile, watching her smile grow in the mirror, “He’s my wingman”.

The ceremony was nice as awards were handed out to each aviator. Taking number two as Jake took home the plaque. You watch as he takes photos with everyone, plaque held high in his hands, his smile even brighter.

“I did it!” a voice whispers in your ear, warm hands placed against your hips, grinning against the beer bottle in your hand. Turning around you are met with his dazzling green eyes and loving smile.

“You did it” you whisper back, holding the beer out to him as he takes it in his own hands, sipping it with a smirk. “Couldn’t do it without my number two” you laugh, hand reaching out to hold onto his arms. “You could’ve done it without me, I know it” you admit as his face falls into seriousness.

“No, I couldn’t have done it without you Hela, any of it” he grins, leaning down to kiss your forehead.

“Ladies and Gentleman” Cyclone appears at the front of the room, looking around at the aviators and their families. “I hate to cut celebrations short but I just got a call from the high ups, we are needed” he takes the envelope and lists off the names.

You and Jake were the first two listed.

You quickly shake the hand of Mr and Mrs Seresin as they grin at the two of you. Jake’s hand around your waist as the two of you run off. Mrs.Seresin knew the love in your eyes as you looked at her son. 

The breeze was setting in as was the evening sun. You stood beside your jet as you went over the missiles and guns attached, pre-flight checklists. “Hela” looking over your shoulder, Jake makes his way to you. He has a smile on his face, the same smile that for the last six weeks brought you so much comfort.

The last three years of your life flashed in your mind. From the moment you met him in that Tennessee bar, to when he carried you home and listened to you sing your heart out to Foreigner.

“Hey” Jake’s voice brings you out of the flow of memories, a smile on his lips.

“Hangman” your voice is soft as he approaches, his brows furrowed. “What is it, are you okay?” he asks, he was never Hangman, always Jake or Hungman, your own twist on his callsign. Nodding as you look up at him “yes, yes” you grin.

He nods slowly, leaning forward to rest his forehead on yours.

Your eyes fall closed as your hand reaches back to his nape. “Fly fast” you whisper, squeezing the back of his neck as he grins holding the back of your neck to pull you closer, “fly safe” he whispers. As he goes to stand straighter, you hold him closer.

He furrows his brows, looking at you closely, “what is it?” he asks.

“I love you” looking over his face, he grins, “I love you too Hells bell” you shake your head, pulling away from him.

“I love you, I’ve fallen in love with you. You are my person, my wingman. I can’t imagine my life without you and I know this is the worst time to tell you this as well, we are going on a death mission possibly and if one of us doesn’t come back you need to know how-”

He grins at your rambling, pulling you back into him from the nape of your neck to connect your lips. You sigh against his lips, cupping his cheek and standing on your tippy toes to get closer to him.

“I love you Hela” he whispers against your lips, nudging his nose against your own. “Let's do this, get home safe and I am taking you out on a proper date” he grins at the smile on your face as you nod against his hands, “let’s get home safe”.

The mission started simple, enemy lines using planes identical to the ones you flew to shoot you down. “Hangman!” you pant, looking around you at the two bogies who surrounded you, frantically looking for your wingman. “I see you Hels, I see you!” he yells back, watching as the two of them continue hot on your tail. “Hangman” your voice is calm so calm it sends a chill down his spine.

“Hela, you are okay” you sigh, looking to either side of you, taking a deep breath. “I’m out of flares Jake '' you whisper, looking around the sky as the two bogies are surrounding you.

“Jake, I need you to take these two out” he shakes his head, watching over you. “I am not doing that, that could kill you!” he defends as you sigh.

Flying through the canyon you manage to get one of the planes off you.

In the matter of minutes smoke fills the air. “Smoke in the air!” you yell. Jake watches as the plane shards fall into the ocean beneath him. “Hela!” he yells through the comms.

“Combanchi, do you have visuals on Hela?!” the comms cut out for a short second before they kick back to him,

“negative”.

He grits his teeth as he follows the enemy plane, “Lieutenant, you need to return to the carrier”. He ignores the voice of Admiral Bates as he follows the plane, shooting them down with one missile.

He flies by as the smoke lingers, watching for a parachute in the water, he doesn’t find one.

The rain poured in New York.

Jake stood beside Gypsy and Raven at the back of the ceremony, watching as Admiral Simpson folds the flag and hands it to your mother.

Gypsy sobs beside him, hugging his arm as the cemetery slowly empties and the sea of umbrellas are gone. Just the three of them.

“She’s gone,” Raven whispers, holding onto gypsy’s hand. “I can’t believe this” Gypsy’s body shakes with sobs as Jake gently hands her over to her best friend. “Take her to the hotel, she needs rest” he encourages as the rain pours down onto his uniform. “Jake” Raven looks over his face as he shakes his head watching as she nods, an understanding in her eyes.

He watches as the car door opens and Bob, gypsy’s boyfriend steps out, helping her in and sending her a comforting smile.

He turns to the pile of dirt that is now turning to mud. “This isn’t fair Hels” he looks up at the sky, sniffling as the rain covers his cheeks, running with his tears. “It's not fair I have to say goodbye to you” he looks back down at the pile of mud.

“I miss you already” he sniffles, “I waited a long time for a girl like you” he smiles to himself at the memory of you hanging out the passanger seat of his truck, blaring the forigner song. Sobs take over his body as his knees fall into the mud. “Hey” he jumps at the hand on his shoulder, looking up to see Raven with her own sad smile.

“I know” she whispers as he sobs harder, body falling into hers. “I know” she rubs soothing circles on his back as he sobs into the mud.

“She’s gone and I couldn’t save her Raven” he hiccups, holding onto her as she shakes her head. "It’s not your fault Jake, I know she didn’t feel that way either” she lets him sob in her arms as the rain pours over the both of them. After a few minutes, she encourages him to stand.

He stands, hand holding onto her arm as he takes one look back at where you lay, your dog tags sat in his palm, he knew he should've left them but his heart couldn't part with them.

He turns back one last time at pile of dirt now running with the rain.

+

Present day.

The raven haired woman comes into his sight before he processes it, “take that back Bradley” Raven defends, looking at her boyfriend and back at Jake. “I’m sorry” Rooster taken back at the sound of his girlfriends voice as he looks at Hangman. Jake shakes his head, handing the pool stick to Coyote, walking out to the back deck of The Hard Deck.

The saltiness of the air filled his lungs, almost burning them. The night of your funeral comes rushing back to him as he watches the waves. “Hangman” he turns at the voice, Bob stands there with a sad smile. “I’m sorry” he whispers, moving to stand beside the blonde.

“It’s okay” he nods, looking over at the WSO. Bob was the only one in the squad who knew about you, he was there for Gypsy at the time of the funeral. “He shouldn’t say that, he doesn’t know what happened” he defends as Jake shakes his head.

“I don’t need to explain myself to Bradshaw, or anyone for that matter,” Jake stands taller, watching as Raven digs into her boyfriend. 

“Jake lost his wingman, my best friend” Raven looks between the group of aviators. “(Y/N)” she looks at Gypsy, who has a sad smile at the mention of their friend. “He loves her so much, he hasn't processed her death very well, even after almost five years” Gypsy adds, looking at Rooster.

"Hela?" he asks softly as Raven nods, he knew of you, never getting the chance to meet you but always had the chance to talk to you when he called Raven.

“You know how he got his air to air kill?” Raven looks over, shooting daggers towards Phoenix who looks away ashamed.

“He went after the enemy plane who took her from us" she whispers, hands on her hips.

“He has a right to feel the way he does and act the way he does but, Bradley" she moves closer to her boyfriend, "that was a low blow even for you". She walks past her boyfriend and the group to join the two men on the patio.

She makes her way to them, smiling sadly at Jake, “I’m sorry” she reaches out, hugging him as he hugs her back tightly. “It’s completely okay” he admits, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

The two of them forming a bond since the day at your funeral, she understood what he was going through.

“I’m gonna head home for the night", he stands to his full height. “Big day tomorrow” he chuckles, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he sneaks past the rest of the squad. 

Sitting behind the wheel of his truck, his eyes fall to the photo of you against his dash. It was from the first summer barbecue his family always had, the sundress laid against your skin perfectly as you smiled at him. He can feel the same smile deep in his bones as he smiles back at you, “miss you beautiful” his voice was soft in the night.

Jake walked through Top Gun the same way he did the first time, strong and confident. He knew the squad had to know what happened to you, guessing his sister and Raven told them about what happened.

The room was silent as he made his way on deck, sitting down in the front of the room with a smirk on his lips. “Never let them see you fall” your words played on replay in his mind, reminding him he was strong. He looks up as Admiral Bates and Admiral Simpson make their way on deck, standing immediately.

Jake throws himself into flying and flying only. He watches as Maverick makes his way to the front of the room, smirking behind his toothpick, recognizing him not only from The Hard Deck but also from the stories of the famous Maverick.

“Wheels up in 10” he nods, walking past the aviators, Jake stands and is immediately stopped by the admirals.

“Lieutenant Seresin” Admiral Bates stands with his hands on his hips, turning to face him he pulls the toothpick from his teeth. “Yes Sir?” he asks as Admiral Simpson looks at him, “I need you to follow me” he says,motioning to the door. 

The squad watches as Hangman follows the Admirals. “What is going on?” Gypsy asks as Raven shrugs, looking between their boyfriends. “Did Jake do something already?” She asks as they all shrug again.

She sighs, hands on her hips as she follows Bob through the hall.  The two men knock on the office door, watching the other before a soft voice encourages them in.

“Now Lieutenant” Cyclone looks at Hangman, he remembers him from his time at Top Gun, he remembers the two of you always together. "We know this might be confusing and shocking, so please remain calm" Jake follows the two men and his world stops.

There in front of him stood, you.

You turn from the window, face covered in bruises and a busted lip, covered in your Navy bomber jacket. 

Jake felt his world rushing back to him, felt the weight of the last four years almost drowning him as he was staring into the face of death.

“Hi Hungman” your bruised lip smirks back at him. 

-

#jake seresin #fic reblog #fic rec #tgm fic

[xobarbie]

reasons i haven’t replied back:

- i’m socially exhausted - i don’t have the time right now - i don’t know how to reply - i have a bad memory and got distracted - i’m having a depressive episode and don’t have the energy to socialise

not reasons i haven’t replied back:

- i’m ignoring you just because - i hate you - i’m fed up with you - i don’t want to be your friend anymore

#fern reblogs

[xobarbie]

i just know this man free balls 🥵

HIM HIM HIM HIM HIM

#glen powell #jake hangman seresin #top gun maverick #fern reblogs

[xobarbie]

I WANT A ROOSTER 🙁

Ooh I have an idea for Rooster that I just can't get out of my head. Rooster dating civilian reader and she takes him to a family bbq to meet her extended family (like aunts, uncles, cousins). No-one knows she's got a bf expect her parents and they LOVE Rooster. And when she introduces him, she uses his call sign bc she's so used to it and everyone's confused and he has to explain that he's in the Navy but they can see throughout the whole night that they're so in love with each other. Roosters constantly got his arm around her, giving her forehead kisses, grabbing her drinks etc and he's just the perfect bf!!!!

oh this is so sweet!!!

you’ve brought him over to a little family get together, and the house is packed. your aunts and uncles, your cousins and their kids, your siblings and their kids and your parents. 

it’s loud and rowdy but the second you walk in your smile is so wide that rooster smiles too. your immediate family’s already met him, so he’s not worried about that, but you speak highly of your extended family and he wants to make a good impression.

“you’re gonna be fine roos, i promise.” you kiss his lips quickly before your mom and dad spot you both, beaming smiles as they hug rooster first. 

“am i not your child?” you ask jokingly and your mom grins wider. 

“rooster brings me wine.” she says like that’s all the explanation you need and your jaw drops. 

“bradley,” you harrumph and he only laughs, shaking your dad’s hand before your parents finally hug you. 

he only shoots you a bashful look and a dramatised pout that has you shaking your head. 

“guys this is rooster, my boyfriend.” you introduce and rooster laughs. 

“bradley,” you ammend at their confusion and he jumps into explaining that he’s in the navy and rooster is his call sign. 

“like a chicken?” one of your nephews ask and rooster blushes. 

“kinda, my dad was goose.” 

“they’re birds!” one of your cousins’ kids says and rooster nods. 

the kids suround him all day, getting him to play football with them and even just chase them around till your mom calls, “dinner!” 

there’s talking and a little less rowdy-ness as food is passed down the custom made dining table. 

rooster dishes yours out without much thought, just taking it out from familiarality more than anything. his plate is filled after, one of his hands on your thighs as you both dig in. 

“full?” he asks when you lean into him, head on his shoulder as your eyes start closing a little. 

“impending food coma.” you say slowly, glasses bumping into his shoulder as you turn your face. neither of you notice that your brothers and some of your older cousins are staring, watching as rooster plucks your glasses off your face and tucks them into his shirt pocket. 

the table watches as his hand comes to your neck, massaging softly making your eyes droop further. 

“go lay down angel,” he says softly but you shake your head. 

“waiting on you.” your mom grins widely as rooster nods and kisses your forehead making the kids fake gag. 

when he’s finished you’re somewhat coherent, enough that you’re able to tell your mom, “gonna take a nap in the living room.” you kiss her temple and rooster compliments the food before following behind you. 

“alright sleepy girl.” he pulls you on his chest as he lays down, tugging a blanket over you both just as the whispers at the table filter in. 

“he’s so good to her.”

“she’s so in love with him.” 

“he’s so in love with her!”

your family is just as in love with him as you are. 

#top gun #fic reblog

[xobarbie]

does anyone have any recommendations on how not to pour sweat all the time??? i work in fire/ems and especially during the summer i pour sweat anytime i do something. obviously can’t stop from sweating when i am working for fire (because fire) but i should not be sweating this much doing a simple transport! 🙃🥵

#firefighter #emtb #sweating #plz help

[xobarbie]

IM CACKLING

Extremely summarized EMT class:

You will need: Glove, mask, Good - questionable people skills

Bleeding? Bad

Not Breathing? Very Bad

No Pulse? Extremely Bad

No head? Ded (So no head? 🛹)

No limb? Tourniquet

Bleeding?

Pack it, if no work, refer to step 2

Tourniquet, if no work, refer to step 1

Not Breathing? Congratulations you are now the lungs

No circulation? Fuck. Uh, what was that episode of the office again? That song uh ....

ah ah ah ah, stayin alive, stayin alive - CPR, Aed

Altered mental status?

Why are they not thinking straight?

Low blood sugar? Sugar

High blood sugar? Hopital.

Anything else? Hopital.

"Oh god oh fuck I didn't pay attention in the whole giving birth unit wtf do I do omg she's having a fucking baby like RIGHT NOW omfggggggg"

*List of a thousand ways you can die on scene, accept your fate, move on*

*Angy people*

Side quests, such as: "My cat Rufus got out can you go find her young missy?"

If in doubt, go to Hopital. They actually know what they're doing.

#bsi scene safety

[xobarbie]

11 months out of the year: life is a trainwreck

in december: life is a polar expresswreck

[xobarbie]

#booey season #spooky season

[xobarbie]

johnny<johnny with kiddos 🤍

Johnny at his kid’s hockey game makes me all kinds of weak

“the girl at the concession stand seriously hooked us up,” johnny makes his way through the otherwise empty aisle with a thing of nachos (what he had been sent to get) in one hand and two slurpees in his other. “do we know her or something?”

“red hair? freckles?” you ask, taking one of the slurpees from his hand and wrapping your lips around the straw. he nods and takes the seat beside you, setting his slurpee on the ground so that your daughter can crawl into his lap, “that’s lily. she’s like seventeen, but will has a crush on her and if you ask him, he denies the hell out of it.”

“just like his dad then, eh? chasing the older woman,” he nudges you with his elbow, keeping an arm wrapped around eleanor (lea, for short) to keep her from falling. you roll your eyes because you were only a year older than johnny, but he always made it a point to refer to you as though you were five or ten years older. “what’s up, lea? you can’t have a nacho babe. you’ve got about three teeth.”

“four,” you watch as your son skates onto the ice, stick in hand and making way towards where the puck was moving at the other end of the ice. “she had another breakthrough this morning.”

he gasps, tickling her stomach and she squeals, “four teeth?”

“c’mon will!” you shout as he takes possession of the puck, slipping past the other defenseman and passing the puck to aaron who tucks it past the goalie. the horn sounds and you jump to your feet and so does johnny, keeping his arms around lea.

“that’s my boy!” johnny cheers and you turn your head towards him. his smile is wide as he watches your son embrace his teammates, patting aaron on the head before skating away. ever since you found out that you were having a boy almost fourteen years before, he always wore that same, proud smile.

you were fresh out of college and johnny had just signed his first professional contract a week before when you found yourself on the floor of the bathroom in your college house. you weren’t even together then, having been friends with benefits for well over a year at that point. though you were both in your early twenties, you still felt like kids who were about to become responsible for a kid. you accepted a job in boston to be close to johnny, but still, you remained friends for a while which was completely your decision. it wasn’t until you were in the hospital, watching johnny poke at will’s soft cheek just hours after he was born when you finally gave johnny an answer to his question, “yes.”

“yes?” he looked up at you confused. his hair was disheveled and he was still in bruins workout gear because you had caught him in the middle of practice with the news that you were on your way to the hospital. will coos and johnny diverts his attention back to his son, “hi buddy. i’m sorry.”

you smile tiredly, letting your head rest on the pillow you had been provided. it was really the first time since you had arrived that you had been alone and it was slightly scary, but watching johnny with will, watching how supportive he was even when you were screaming at him only hours before, it clicked in your mind, “let’s give us a shot.”

“i’ve been asking you out for over a year and all it took was some pain meds to get you to say yes?” he has a lazy smirk on his lips as he leans back against the chair.

“you’re lucky i feel dead and you’re holding our baby or i would absolutely launch this remote at your head.”

“we need to have a conversation, john,” you sigh as you reach for the plate of nachos. you smile when you notice how only half had jalapenos on top because he knew how much you hated them.

“about?”

“rodgers came up to me earlier, he wants to know if we would let will play up,” you turn and look at your husband who raises his eyebrows at your statement. you nod your head, reaching down to hand lea her sippy cup, “i had the same reaction. i wanted to talk to you first because you know more about all of this than i do.”

“yeah, you didn’t even watch hockey before you met me,” he teases and you nudge his side with your elbow, “how far up are we talking here? the 14s?”

“15s. one of the kids isn’t making the grades like he promised his mom he would or something and his mom’s pulling him for the season. rodgers says will’s got good height and he really bodies everyone out there. apparently, they wanted him to start the season up there, there just wasn’t a spot for him, now there is,” you shrug your shoulders, eyes following the boys on the ice.

“how do you feel about that?”

“i mean, i’m his mom, i want what's best for him. he’s already got scouts watching him and it would be good for him. i just want to talk to him about it first. that was part of our deal.”

when you put will in hockey, you and johnny made a deal, you wouldn’t force him into it. you wanted him to have a genuine love for the game, rather than one that was forced on him because his father played. it was obvious from when he first learned how to skate how much will loved being on the ice. he was insistent every season when you would ask if he still wanted to play how serious he was about it and how he wanted hockey in his future.

“i know that, babe. he should be included in that decision,” johnny confirms, stealing a nacho from the jalapeno side. “you know what would be crazy? us playing in the league together.”

“i’ve thought about that too. when he’s eighteen, if he goes to the draft, you’re only gonna be thirty-nine.”

“that’s not necessarily young in the hockey world, y/n,” he sighs, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there- atta boy!”

will nets the puck and you both shoot up for the second time that period. your hands cover your mouth as you watch him be embraced by his teammates. a smile hides behind your fingers as the clock ticks down for the final seconds and the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. there were no words to describe how proud you were of will and how hard he had worked the last couple of years.

“dad!” will shouts as he makes his way towards the three of you, “did you see my goal?”

“of course i did,” johnny says, shifting lea on his hip to wrap his arm around will. “i’m proud of you.”

“i am too,” you step forward and press a kiss to his cheek.

“mom,” he whines, trying to pull away. he smooths down his shirt and looks around to see if anyone had seen.

johnny claps him on the shoulder, “worried lily might have seen your mom kiss your cheek?”

your son looks at you with a shocked expression, “you swore that you wouldn’t tell him, mom!”

#johnny beecher #fern reblogs #umich hockey

[xobarbie]

i can’t even remember how many times i have read this, but i can only hope this is what my future is like. a man who loves his wife and children more than they can possibly even understand.

dear winter | c. parakyo

a/n: this one was entirely inspired by and written to dear winter by ajr. highly recommend listening to this while you read. this is your reminder that vince dunn isn’t the only player on the blues. enjoy!

warnings: a little swearing. otherwise, alllllll fluff. 

word count: 6K

You sighed as you felt a firm kick to your bladder. You had to give it to her, your baby had great aim, something she’s definitely inherited from her dad since you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a baseball even if you were being coached through each movement. You rubbed your growing bump softly, a vain attempt to get her to relax, before you grabbed the full file box. Colton would be upset if he knew you were moving boxes without him. You loved Colton, god, did you ever love your husband, but he was treating you like you were going to break any second. He had as soon as you’d told him you were pregnant. You tried to fight him on it, but if Colton wanted something to go a specific way, there was pretty much nothing you could physically do about it. He was a physical immovable force. You settled for doing things when he wasn’t home.

Keep reading

#fern reblogs #hockey imagine

[xobarbie]

head empty, no thoughts

thoughts on ?

fuck it thoughts off

[xobarbie]

IF YOURE A FAN OF 9-1-1 YOU NEED TO READ THIS!

so cute fic request. You are Maddie's OBGYN and at every appointment she insists to set you up with Buck, you deny her and finally one say yes just to be quiet and you meet what a great guy Buck is

The Set Up

Evan Buckley x Reader

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy and doctors offices, reader wears makeup, alcohol and the consumption of

Category: Straight Up Fluff 

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Note: here's a lil later v-day present for y’all :) 

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“How does the baby look ?” Maddie was laid back, her eyes on the monitor. “Perfect, a perfect little baby” you smile at her as you hand her a towel to wipe up the gel. 

“How many copies would you like ?” you turn towards the ultrasound machine. 

“As many as you'd give me” she laughed, pulling her shirt back down. 

“Dad’s working ?” you asked, leaning back in the chair. “Yeah, he’s been trying to get off a day to come with me” she sits up, pulling out her phone. 

Maddie was one of your favourite patients, she was a sweetheart and always happy, regardless of what was happening, you didn't know how she did it. She began showing you a few pictures of the nursery and two guys who were in the picture. The first guy was Chimney, who was the baby’s father and Maddie’s boyfriend, the two of you had met at a previous appointment and the other guy, who you hadn't meant yet but felt like you had, was her brother Evan or Buck, which is what he went by. 

“You know, if you want to just come in one day when he's off work, we can just do a regular check-up just so he can see. It doesn’t have to be anything special for you to come in” 

“You’d do that ?” 

“Of course I would, between me and you, you’re my favourite patient” 

Maddie smiled at you, “so,” she gave you a look, “since I am your favourite patient, would you also go on a date with Buck ?” she asked, you nearly choked on your coffee. Maddie had a habit of trying to set you up with her brother. She did it often but it still caught you off guard each time. You coughed, “Maddie, no.” you laughed, “that would be unprofessional” 

“Oh come on, take a risk y/n. Life goes on and one date won't kill you” 

“Who said I’m looking ?” 

“Please, you are. You can't lie to me” she smiled, you shook your head. “Still a no Maddie” you handed her the copies of the ultrasound. “If you do want to do the ultrasound when he’s home, just give me a call” you smiled at her and she got up. “I will, thank you”

-- 

A few weeks later and Maddie was back in your office. “Good afternoon momma,” you were looking at the files as you walked in, pushing the door shut with your foot. Taking a seat on your little spinny chair, you look up when Maddie says good morning back to you. 

“Oh Chimney, it’s nice to see you” you smile as you shake the gel bottle. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “it’s good to be here” 

You hand him the gel bottle, he looked at you with brows furrowed. “You’re a paramedic, aren't you ? Go ahead” you chuckle as you turn the ultrasound machine on. “How are you feeling ?” you ask, “good actually, thanks for asking” Chim answers you. 

“I’m glad to hear that but I was asking Maddie” Chim’s mouth forms an O and he nods, Maddie smiles at him. “I’m good, baby’s good too. Kicking a lot recently. Especially when I drink orange juice” she chuckled. 

“And still just the one cup of coffee ?”

“Yeah, he won’t let me have anymore” she groans 

“Good, as he should be. You’re lucky I agreed to the one cup Maddie, you know I rather if you didn’t” 

“Ugh,” she groaned and rolled her eyes, “not you too” 

“I’m your doctor, it's my job to remind you unfortunately” 

Maddie sighs and rolls her eyes once again. You get what she meant, you couldn’t be pregnant and not have coffee, pregnancy is exhausting as it is, imagine it without coffee. “you know how to use an ultrasound machine right ?” you look over at Chimney, who was looking rather confused. 

”I do, why ?” 

“Would you like to do it ?” 

“Really ?” 

“Yeah, I let the dads have a chance to do it sometime. Makes them feel a little more involved” 

“I'd love too” 

You hand him the wand and step back, you watch as he rolls it across her belly. It was always sweet when the fathers came to the appointment, even more so when they're involved. 

“Y/n?” 

“Yes Maddie?” 

“Will you go on a date with Buck ?” She smiled sweetly at you, Chim looked at her, half shocked and half confused. 

“If I say yes to one date, will you quit bugging me about it ?” 

“Of course, just one date is all I’m asking for” 

“Does he know you’re setting him up ?” 

“Yeah- well no ? but he won't mind. It's part of my job as his sister” 

“Maddie, I have siblings as well, you don't see me setting them up” 

“Yeah yeah, that’s fine” 

Chim turned to you. “everything looks good doc” 

“Then we’re all done. Just hit print on the machine and you’ll get the pictures” 

Maddie wiped the gel off her stomach. She took a pen from the desk and scribbled a number down before handing the paper to you. “That’s his number, just message him” 

“You’re setting me up and I have to message him too ?” 

“Oh come on, you’ll be fine. Thank you for this and I'll be expecting details at my next appointment!” She gave you a smile before walking out. Chim looked at you, “I’m sorry I didn't know she was going to do that.” You laughed, “it's okay, she’s not the first person to do that. You should catch up with her though, she walks really fast for a pregnant lady” you chuckle, Chim smiled and walked out to find Maddie. You had some time to kill before your next appointment, you looked down at the paper in your hand. 

Do you text or not ? Wouldn't that be creepy ? Like oh hey, I'm your sister’s doctor let's go on a date.

You know what ? 

Screw it, what’s the worst that could happen. 

To Buck: Hey, I'm y/n. Your sister gave me your number, hope this isn't weird. She's been trying to set me up with you for months, thought we’d hit it off haha

God that was so stupid. Why the hell did you put haha ?

From Buck: Hey, it’s cool. She’s weird like that. What’s up ?

Oh shit, he answered. 

To Buck: Just at work, how about you ?

From Buck: Same thing 

Wait what do I say now ? Do you ask him out ? 

From Buck: Hope this isn't too forward of me or anything like that, but maybe you’d wanna grab a drink tonight ? Only if you’re free

Guess you don't have to ask him now 

To Buck: Yeah, that sounds good. Pick a place and let me know ? I’m off at 4 so anytime after that is fine. 

From Buck: I’m off at 6, how about 7 at the bar on Main Street ? 

To Buck: sounds good, see you then 

It was now 3:30 and Maddie was your last patient of the day. There was no harm in leaving now. After putting away your files and replying to a few emails from patients, you headed out. Only one issue you had when you got home was what to wear. 

Well so you thought. 

Taking a shower was the easy part, trying to do your hair and makeup with only 2 hours left, was a bit of a hassle. First disaster of the night was too much mousse in your hair, making it sticky and tacky. Washing it out, you managed to set it the way you like. The powder compact had fallen onto the floor, you hoped it wasn’t broken, turns out hope isn't enough. The other powder you had was far too light for your complexion right now and you decide against makeup for the night. 

Let him meet the bare you, you can wow him next time, if there is a next time. 

Deciding on a simple outfit, a white shirt that fit you nicely and a pair of black pants that went along with it. In your head, it seemed boring but in the mirror, it looked much better. Walking into the kitchen, there was a half drunk glass of wine from the night before.

Stale wine or nervous wreak ? Stale wine it is. 

You down the wine, spilling some onto your shirt. “Are you kidding-” groaning and turning back to the room, you end up changing your entire outfit. A pair of blue jeans and a black top that fit you in all the right places. One more look in the mirror and a hand through your hair, you headed out the door. 

It didn't take you long to arrive at the bar, as you only lived a few minutes off Main Street. You had seen Buck from the countless pictures Maddie had shown you so it didn’t take long to spot in at a table in the corner either. 

“Hey” you walked over, a smile on your face. He stood up, “Hi! you must be y/n” he leaned in for a hug, you mirrored his actions. “I am, it’s nice to meet you” 

The two of you sat across from each other and there was a bottle of beer in front of you. Buck spoke up when he noticed you noticing the bottle, “I ordered for you, I hope that's alright- you can order something else” 

“It’s fine, thank you” you take a sip, not your usual choice in drink but you didn't need to complain either. There was some silence for a while, not uncomfortable but not comfortable either. Anyone that passed by could tell it was a first date, if you could even call it that. 

“How do you know Maddie ?” he asks, you smile at him and take a sip of the beer before answering him. 

“I’m her OB” 

“Her ?” Buck had a confused expression on his face. 

“Her doctor, her obstetrician actually” 

“Oh for baby Buckley” he nodded. 

“Yeah, she's been bugging me about you since we’ve met actually. She’s sweet but she’s persistent” you chuckle and Buck gives you a smile, “that’s my sister” 

The night went by rather quickly, the two of you sharing work stories. Buck told you about the time he worked a full moon and they responded to a call at a yoga class only to have 3 women go into labour simultaneously. 

“It was the full moon I swear! I tried to tell Bobby but he didn't listen to me!” he said, laughing. 

You nodded and laughed too, “no, it’s true. I've had so many full moon babies. I never book off full moons because I know someone is going to go into labour”

“Thank you! Someone gets what I mean!”

You then told him about the time you filled in for your colleague, he told you it was supposed to be a regular birth but turns out it was quadruplets. It was nice to find someone who understood your weird work schedule. The two of you shared stories until the waitress came over to tell you that they’d be closing in a few minutes. It was a little past midnight when she came over, the two of you decided to call it a night and head out together. 

“How are you getting home ?” he asked you, you walked with him over to his Jeep that was parked down the street. “I’ll just walk, I don’t live too far from here” 

“No” he stated while shaking his head 

“No ?” you questioned him, your brows furrowed as you looked at the man in front of you.

“I invited you out, at least let me take you home. It’s late too, it won't be right to let you walk home by yourself” 

“Are you sure ? I don't want you to go out of your way” 

“Oh no it’s cool, c’mon” 

He opened the door for you like the gentlemen he is and then got in after. “Which way my darling ?” he gave you a cheesy smile which made you chuckle. “A left at the next light and the brown building is me” you leaned back in the seat. It was quiet as he drove down the street, you looked over at him and admired him. From the way his hand rested on his wheel to the little smile on his face, even to the birthmark above his eye. 

“It's rude to stare” 

“Can't help myself, you're pretty” 

Oh shit, did you just-

Buck looked over at you, a wicked little smile on his face. “You think I’m pretty ?” 

You could feel the blush on your face, “uh- well- um I guess ?” 

“I think you more than guess that but whatever you say” he smiled 

Buck pulled into the building parking lot, he stopped and his head hit the seat as he leant back. Looking over at you, “let me walk you up ?” 

“You’ve already done enough, it's fine” 

“It’s fine. Come on” he got out, you mirrored his actions. Buck followed behind you as the two of you made your way up to your apartment. Unlocking the door, you stepped in and he stood by the door. 

“Do you want to come in ?” setting your keys on the counter, you look back at the man who was leaning against the doorframe. 

“I’d love too but I've got the first shift. Maybe another time ?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine” walking back over to him, you stood in front of him. Even with him leaning, he still towered over you. 

“I had a nice time tonight” you say, he nods. “I did too. Maybe we can do this again sometime ?” 

“I'd like that” 

“Okay.” he smiles, “well, good night then y/n” 

“Good night Buck” standing on your toes, you go to kiss his cheek but it seems he had the same idea, both of you turning your heads at the same time and your lips were on his. Buck’s hand cupped your face for the few moments your lips were on his. When you pulled away, Buck had a slight red tint on his face, a blush or simply could have been the heat coming from your apartment, either way you were sure you looked the same way. 

“How does Saturday sound ? Noon for lunch if you’re free ?” he breaks the silence.

"Saturday sounds perfect” 

Buck smiled at you once more, he turned and began walking back to the elevator. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning back once again and walked towards your door.  He leaned down and gave you one more kiss. Laughing at the sweetheart that was now smiling at you from the other end of the hallway, you watched as he stepped on the elevator and then shut your door. 

Outside of your building was a happy Buck who skipped his way over to his car, his keys twirling on his finger with a big grin on his face. As he got into his car, he sent his sister a text message. 

To Maddie: You seem to know me better than I think, thank you. 

Upstairs, there was a similar scene, a happy you skipping their way to bed with a smile on their face. As you laid in bed, you too sent a text message to Maddie. 

To Maddie: Your match making efforts have worked, thank you. 

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