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Nico was having a day, to put it lightly. Hockey practice running late? Check. Dealing with his professor and the massive stick lodged up his ass? Check. Walking home in the pouring rain? Check. All things considered, being in a good mood was out of the question. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he wanted most: a nap, a hug, or a nice long cuddle (possibly all three…in that order.)
But all of those things involved sacrificing precious time that could be devoted to hockey, something Nico couldn’t afford to do as captain of the Devils. Which brings him back to his current state of anxiety, exhaustion, and now, caffeine withdrawal.
The only thing that made a tiny spark of hope bloom in his chest was the possibility of a warm coffee shop, preferably drinking something better than the shitty matcha Jonas insisted on making him earlier. (Nico cared about his health as much as the next guy, but he drew the line at ingesting something that tastes like wet dog.)
Of course, the place he normally went to was closed, meaning he had to walk an additional six blocks looking and feeling like a drowned sewer rat.
By the time Nico flung open the door to The Cozy Mug, shivers wracked his entire body, so he gladly welcomed the heat and the smell of roasting coffee that greeted him. He let his shoulders drop with a relieved sigh as warmth slowly seeps back into his bones. The corner of his mouth tips up in an amused smile as he takes note of the eclectic mix of worn-looking furniture and vintage decor, along with a healthy sprinkling of sports memorabilia lining the walls.
The sounds of laughter and soft music make Nico relax even more. The atmosphere reminded him of home, of long nights spent giggling with his older siblings and having hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. His grin spreads wider when he spots a trio of guys bickering behind the counter, shoving each other and laughing while they make drinks.
In between the whirring noises of the espresso machine, Nico steps up to look at the menu, chuckling under his breath when the tallest boy is tugged into a headlock. Up close, he notices the similar features marking all three of their faces. Brothers, then. Nico feels a soft pang in his chest, thinking of his brother Luca back home in Switzerland.
Somewhere between studying the menu and getting lost in his thoughts, Nico was brought back to reality by a string of curses, followed by a scalding cup of coffee hitting him square in the chest. And isn’t that just great?
He looks up in horror, but finds himself at a loss for words, staring into a pair of crystal blue eyes that take his breath away. Time seems to stand still as Nico takes in the flush of the stranger’s cheeks, the way his eyelashes flutter, and how he worriedly gnaws on his bottom lip. “Oh my god, I am so sorry! Here, let me help you,” the pretty stranger says.
Oh, Nico thinks. Oh. He knows he should say something, do something besides standing open-mouthed like some kind of idiot, dripping rainwater and hot coffee. There’s a shout from behind the counter, someone yelling, “Jack! Are you kidding me?” And in that instant, Nico knows he’s a goner. Because instead of feeling anger and frustration, his heart beats faster after learning the stranger’s name. Jack.
Jack, in between letting even more curse words fly, dives over the counter, emerging again with a towel clutched in his fist. His face twists into a grimace as he runs back over to Nico and starts dabbing at the front of his shirt.
“I cannot believe I just did that, what the hell is wrong with me,” he mutters under his breath. He looks up and meets Nico’s eyes once more, and a zing of electricity races up Nico’s spine.
Nico clears his throat and lets out a disbelieving giggle. “Please tell me you don’t do that to all of your first time customers,” he whispers. Jack’s face goes bright red, and he nearly drops the towel as he continues to swipe at Nico’s shirt.
“Sorry about your shirt, it looks like a lost cause, bud,” Jack laughs awkwardly. “Let me get you something else to wear from the back, c’mere sit down.”
Five minutes later, Nico finds himself wearing a soft Cozy Mug hoodie that faintly smells of cinnamon and vanilla. Five minutes after that, Jack places a steaming mug of chai in front of him with another round of apologies. “This one is on me…?” He trails off, waiting for the other boy to give him his name.
“Oh, sorry, my name is Nico,” he murmurs breathlessly, since Jack chose that specific moment to wipe down the table in front of him, a messy curl falling over his forehead. “Well, Nico, I haven’t seen you around here before, which is a shame because I like to think I make the best chai around campus.” He looks up and gives Nico a crooked smile until someone whacks him across the back of the head.
“Stop flirting with the new customer!” Instantly, there’s a tall frame in Nico’s field of vision, shoving Jack to the side and thrusting a piece of paper in his face. “Nico, is it? Do you have time for a quick survey? I’m trying to come up with a better name for this place, but Quinn and Jacky won’t listen to any of my suggestions.”
Nico just blinks at him, glancing down at the paper to give himself something to do. And immediately has to stifle a snort, seeing the names “Hughes Got Coffee?” and “Brewed Awakening,” along with “Cool Beans,” which had been crossed out and replaced with “Hughes Brews.”
“I take it you three are the infamous Hughes namesake?” Nico murmurs, unable to stop his eyes from straying to where Jack is pulling something out of the oven.
With a huff, the third guy pops up from behind the counter, putting the finishing touches on a tray of cupcakes. “Yes, and I’m sorry you met my younger brothers first. I’m Quinn.” He extends a hand for Nico to shake, looking like a stereotypical, annoyed big brother. Despite being the oldest, Quinn is shorter than his brothers, wearing an expression that somehow screams existential dread and faint amusement all at once.
Nico grins and takes a sip of his drink, letting out an involuntary moan at the taste. “Jack, oh my god, this is incredible,” he hums. Jack ducks his head, trying in vain to hide the blush dusting his cheekbones. “Glad you like it,” Jack mumbles, looking anywhere except Nico. Luke smirks and pats Jack’s back as he walks past, bending down to whisper something in Jack’s ear that causes the tips of his ears to turn pink.
“I’m serious!” Nico blurts out, burrowing further into his cozy new hoodie. “You won’t be able to get rid of me now. I’m about to become your best customer, prepare to be sick of me,” he giggles. Jack just shakes his head and slides another customer’s drink across the tabletop. “Impossible. I owe you at least five more chais after I gave you a third-degree burn,” he chirps back. (And if Nico wants to go home and doodle hearts in his notebook like a lovesick teenager about it, well, sue him.)
Nico rolls his eyes with a snort, turning to face the wall of framed jerseys and signed photographs. “You guys are hockey fans?” Quinn’s face finally turns into something that resembles a smile, eagerly pointing out his favorite framed photos. “We grew up in Canada, our dad was a hockey coach. Me and Lukey played, but Jack, unfortunately has the grace of a water buffalo on ice skates.”
At that, Jack lets out an indignant squawk. “Quinn, I think Nico’s heard enough! Please, you can stop embarrassing me now!”
Something warm and pleasant spreads in Nico’s chest. Between Jack’s teasing tone and the way he looks ready to throttle Quinn, Nico can feel his hard edges start to soften. He wants to know what Jack’s favorite color is, his fondest memory, the name of his childhood dog.
By some miracle, he manages to learn all of these things within the next few hours. He hears about where Jack grew up and the crazy adventures his brothers dragged him on over the years, while Nico shares what it was like living in Switzerland for the first half of his life.
Somewhere along the way, Jack migrates to the other side of the counter, telling story after story with wild hand gestures as the rest of the customers slowly file out. Nico’s sides hurt from laughing, and Jack refilled his chai twice before Nico made him sit down and stop fussing.
When he finally checks the time, he curses under his breath and stands up. “Sorry guys, I have to head home and do some studying, but it was really nice talking to the three of you!” Nico grabs his bag and pulls out his wallet, but is immediately met with scoffs of protest from Jack. “None of that, put that away, mister, don’t try me,” Jack slaps Nico’s hands away with a huff.
Nico shakes his head fondly as he shoulders his backpack. “What if I came back again?” His mouth tips up in a hopeful smile, while Jack’s signature blush reappears. “I think I’d like that,” Jack hums softly. With that, Nico happily salutes the three brothers, and the bell above the door chimes as he begins the trek back to his apartment.
Later on, Jonas raises a brow at his roommate’s exceptionally good mood, but Nico just grabs a water bottle from the fridge and pouts. “Stop looking at me like that, Jo!” Jonas knocks his shoulder against Nico’s and barks out a laugh. “You met someone, didn’t you? Took you long enough, Hisch,” he snorts. Nico flips him off and heads to his room.
Sitting at his desk, it becomes increasingly harder to focus on the spread of textbooks in front of him. (Especially when the only thing his brain can focus on is snapshots of unruly brown curls and plush pink lips curving into a smile.)
—
Over the next few weeks, Nico spends way more time at Cozy Mug than what’s probably socially acceptable. It starts small, with to-go orders for him and Jonas, but Nico quickly realizes he’d much rather spend the majority of his free time basking in Jack’s presence. Then suddenly, it seems like Jack becomes a permanent fixture in Nico’s life, and it’s easier to just start introducing Jack as his best friend. (Except Nico desperately wants to find out if his best friend’s lips are as soft as they look.)
Nico tries his best to act normal, but he might as well be holding a flashing neon sign over his head that reads, “HOPELESSLY NURSING AN UNRECIPROCATED CRUSH!” Honestly, it’s Jack’s fault for being so damn charming all the time. Whether he’s forcing Nico to try a new cookie recipe, showing him cute dog videos on his phone, or tattling on his brothers, Nico feels himself falling harder and harder with every second he spends in Jack’s orbit.
—
Months later, on a random Tuesday in October, Nico pinpoints the exact moment where his feelings move from ‘harmless crush’ into ‘pathetic infatuation.’ He hunkers down onto his usual stool, wishing the contents of his textbook would magically stick in his brain. It was just the two of them in the shop, since Nico loved to spend his mornings with Jack’s complete undivided attention. To his right, Jack lets out a frustrated whine, breaking Nico out of his train of thought. Without even glancing over, Nico can already picture the adorable pout on his best friend’s lips.
“Neeks? Can you grab the coffee filters off the top shelf? Luke forgets that not everyone is the height of a giraffe,” Jack huffs from behind the counter.
He isn’t sure if Jack means for the pet name to slip out, but Nico isn’t surprised that Jack manages to turn his entire world upside down with just one syllable. A few things happen simultaneously: Nico chokes on the sip of chai he was thoroughly enjoying, a flush spreads from his cheeks to his throat, and Jack’s eyes go wide after realizing what he just said.
Once Nico regains his composure, he dives behind the counter to stand behind Jack, placing a gentle hand on Jack’s waist while he reaches up to grab the filters. Jack lets out a tiny gasp and shivers, subconsciously pressing back into Nico’s hold.
“Are you cold?” Nico murmurs, allowing his thumb to rub tiny circles into Jack’s hipbone. He reaches around and digs into his bag, straightening with a team hoodie clutched in his fist. Nico feels his heart pounding out of his chest, desperately trying not to let his face give away just how far gone he is for his best friend. “Arms up Schätzli,” he whispers. Jack bites his bottom lip and does as Nico asks. He slides the fabric over Jack’s head, reaching up to tuck an errant curl behind Jack’s ear. Nico can’t help the lovesick grin that spreads across his face when he sees the stitched ‘13’ emblazoned over Jack’s heart.
“What does that mean? What did you just call me?” Jack gulps, weakly clutching the older boy’s sleeve. Nico’s mouth falls open as his hand slides down, thumb pressing into the divot of Jack’s chin. “It’s…it’s stupid,” he sighs. “Jack I–” Nico is interrupted by Quinn and Luke barging through the front door. The bell chiming breaks the spell as they jump apart, Nico diving back to the safety of his stool. Quinn’s eyebrows nearly shoot up to his hairline as he clocks their compromising position, while Luke remains as clueless as ever.
“Hischier! What do you know about statistics?” Luke runs over and plops himself next to Nico, pencil eraser trapped between his teeth while he points to a math problem. “Because this makes zero fucking sense to me and Jacky was too busy baking you cookies to help me last night.” In response, Jack launches a plastic cup at his younger brother’s head. “That’s enough Moose, quit bothering Nico!” He hisses.
Nico just shakes his head fondly as he cranes his neck to see what Luke was talking about. “Here bud, let me see what we’re working with…Oh! I know how to do this, hand me your graphing calculator?” He patiently explains everything to Luke step-by-step, walking the youngest Hughes through a few problems before letting him try one alone. When Nico looks up and meets Jack’s eyes, he sees Jack staring at them open-mouthed. He leans across the counter and smacks Jack’s chin lightly.
“Stop looking so surprised, you think jocks can’t do statistics?” He huffs. Luke looks smug as he finishes up the last of his homework. “Yeah Jacky, close your mouth, that’s how you catch flies!”
This time, Luke ducks before Jack can throw something else at his head. Nico looks up again and inhales sharply when he notices how Jack’s eyes slide down to his mouth. Jack bites his lip and averts his eyes, knowing he’d been caught. Nico tries not to feel too manic about it, wanting nothing more than to reach out and lace their fingers together.
“Oh, by the way,” Nico scratches the back of his neck, suddenly anxious. “I have a couple extra tickets to Saturday night’s game, I was wondering if any of you guys wanted to go? I know it’s not your thing Jack, don’t feel obligated,” he smiles kindly. Jack lets out a hysterical sounding laugh, moving around the counter to stand between Nico’s legs. “Neeks, give me the tickets,” he hums as he winds his arms around Nico’s middle. “I wanna come see you in action, you’re gonna score a goal for me, right?” Nico nods earnestly and lets his head fall onto Jack’s shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do,” he mumbles, voice muffled by the hoodie Nico knows he won’t be getting back anytime soon.
—
By the time Saturday morning rolls around, Nico feels ready to crawl out of his skin. He paces down the block before finally finding his nerve and throwing open the door to the coffee shop. He sighs in relief when he sees only Jack behind the counter.
“Hey Jacky, got a minute?” He calls out. Nico can practically feel his heart expanding in his ribcage when he realizes Jack was still wearing his hoodie.
“For you? Always!” Jack smirks, already beginning to make Nico his usual chai. (Nico tries his best not to track his every movement with heart eyes, but it’s a losing battle.) “I actually brought you something, for the game tonight…I thought that maybe you’d like to wear a jersey?” Nico sets it down between them, running a shaky hand through his hair when Jack stays silent for a beat too long.
Jack lightly traces his fingertips over the ‘C’ on the front. “You want me to wear your jersey?” Nico gives a frenzied nod, resembling a bobblehead instead of remotely keeping his composure.
“I love it, thank you Nico. I’ll be wearing it front and center when you score my goal,” he winks. Nico scoffs and throws the jersey at Jack’s head.
“Can you be at the rink at seven? I want to introduce you to the guys.” As an afterthought, he adds, “And don’t listen to whatever Jonas tells you!” Jack just chuckles to himself while he doodles on Nico’s to-go cup.
As Nico walks back to his apartment, he nearly runs headfirst into a lamppost when he notices that Jack drew a series of hearts and smiley faces all over his cup. Jonas cackles when he sees it on their kitchen counter, no doubt already plotting how he’ll embarrass his roommate.
—
As soon as he gets to the rink, Nico realizes he made a grave mistake. Because when Jack runs up and throws his arms around Nico’s neck in a crushing bear hug, it takes every ounce of Nico’s willpower not to bend down and kiss Jack senseless.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Nico breathes in Jack’s scent and runs a hand up and down his best friend’s spine. Nico hears a throat clear behind him and groans when he sees Jonas observing them with a smirk.
“Jack! So nice to finally meet you!” Jonas shoots Jack a wicked grin, moving toward the two of them. “Nico has told me so much about you, I couldn’t wait to meet the guy that makes my roommate so happy.”
Jack shakes Jonas’s hand with a laugh, leaning back to rest his back against Nico’s chest. “You must be Jonas…I hope Nico’s had some good things to say,” Jack mutters, causing Nico to scoff and flick his forehead.
“Oh, he’s had quite a bit to say, mostly about how much he wants to–” Nico reaches over and smacks his hand over Jonas’s mouth before he can continue that train of thought.
Despite his initial embarrassment, he’s thrilled that the two most important people in his life are getting along so well. Before long, the two of them are head to head, sharing recipes and debating the best way to make blueberry muffins.
Nico smiles and lets his hand rest on Jack’s hip. The rest of the guys file past them to get to the locker room, making polite conversation as they go. A few do a double take seeing Nico’s last name plastered on Jack’s back, but smile as realization dawns on them.
Before Nico leaves to put on his gear, Jack pats his arm and smirks. “Go get ‘em captain,” he murmurs. Nico’s jaw drops against his will, feeling his face trying to morph into about ten different shades of red at once. (He also envisions getting on his knees if Jack calls him captain again, but unfortunately, he has a hockey game to go play.) He lets out a maniacal-sounding laugh that comes out more like a choke, practically sprinting away before he could blurt out something stupid.
When the game starts, Nico immediately checks a little harder, skates a little faster, and tries to score as soon as his skates touch the ice. He wanted nothing more than to sink the puck into the back of the net while his best friend (aka the guy he was hopelessly falling for) was watching. He kept looking out of the corner of his eye, practically skipping over to the bench whenever he spotted Jack beaming at him from afar.
He could also see Quinn and Luke on Jack’s either side, leaning close to point something out on the ice. Seeing Jack wearing his jersey felt like being on top of the world and a sucker punch all at once. Because it was far too easy to imagine Jack being the picture-perfect supportive boyfriend, spending every game in the stands, cheering him on and swimming in the fabric of a jersey that was at least two sizes too big.
After shaking himself out of his daydream, Nico scores the game-winning goal in overtime. Maybe he’s imagining things, but he swears he can hear Jack’s excited yells over the roar of the arena and his teammates’ congratulatory stick taps.
After a quick pit stop in the locker room to shuck off his gear and shower, Nico smooths down his wet hair and heads into the lobby to meet up with Jack and his brothers.
“Nico, you were amazing!” Jack launches himself at Nico, causing the older boy to drop his gear bag in surprise. “I knew you’d score, it’s because I was wearing your jersey!” Jack squeezes Nico tighter when he moves to pull away. “Q and Lukey explained what was going on so I wasn’t too lost, and I’m still not sure what offlines means, but I’m still really proud of you Neeks,” he beams. Nico buries his face in Jack’s hair, breathing in his comforting scent of vanilla and espresso. “For the record, it’s offsides, Schatz. But I’m glad you had fun.”
When Jack pulls away to smile up at Nico, he sees Quinn staring at the two of them over Jack’s shoulder. Nico blushes as the oldest Hughes brother shoots him a smirk, especially when Jack links his arm through Nico’s. “Can we grab dinner now? We have to celebrate your goal!” Nico grins as Jack reaches up to brush his hair back. The tender gesture makes Nico’s insides go warm and gooey, and he lets himself get swept up in the joy of being at the center of Jack’s affections.
—
Nico hums to himself while he studies Jack’s profile from his usual spot at the countertop, trying in vain not to let his eyes stray to Jack’s lips more than once every 30 seconds. Jack turns toward him and Nico quickly shifts his gaze toward the far wall, studying one of the signed jerseys hanging in the back of the shop. Jack leans across the counter, resting his chin on his fist while he gazes at Nico. “Here, try this,” he waits for Nico to open his mouth before feeding him a bite of cookie.
Nico groans and closes his eyes, then blushes and clears his throat. “Is it really that good, cap?” Jack chuckles as he places another cookie down and slides a plate in front of Nico. “It’s got chai icing, I thought you’d like it,” he murmurs. Nico’s face turns a brighter shade of red as he nods, grabbing Jack’s phone and putting on a random playlist.
Nico considers crawling under the counter and pretending to be invisible when he hears a love song start playing through the speakers, but continues munching on the cookie in his hand. Jack goes scarlet as he puts a fresh batch of cupcakes in a glass display case, while Nico moves to stand next to him.
Nico reaches up to grab a set of mugs from the top shelf before Jack can even ask for his help. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” Jack smirks up at him. Nico rolls his eyes and smacks Jack’s shoulder, pretending to be irritated.
He notices Jack staring into space a few minutes later, still singing along to a One Direction song playing in the background. The lyrics make something hot and syrupy spread through Nico’s chest, hearing Jack sing about how it feels to be loved and to be in love.
Nico feels the atmosphere shift when he reaches over to tug on Jack’s sleeve. “Jacky, have you ever been in love?” Immediately, Nico wishes he could take the question back when he sees Jack’s shoulders hike upwards. “Sorry, that was out of line, it’s none of my business,” Nico blurts out.
Jack turns to face Nico and gives him a sad smile. “Once, yeah,” he whispers. Nico’s smile falters but he tries his best to nod and keep his face neutral. “He must’ve been pretty special.” Nico leans back to run a hand through his hair. Jack tracks the movement with his eyes and hums. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Jack murmurs. “He means everything to me, but I’m terrified to tell him that.”
Nico clears his throat and nods as the words hit him like a slap to the face. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but the last thing he could’ve guessed was that Jack would confess to being in love. In a perfect world, Nico wouldn’t choose this moment to realize he was madly in love with his best friend, but in a perfect world, he’d be good enough for Jack to love him back. Instead, he’s left blinking rapidly to fight the tears clinging to his lashes, hearing Jack talk about being in love with someone else.
“Well, I hope one day he knows how much you care about him, because you’re incredible, Jack,” he chokes out. (Selfishly, he wishes that day never comes, so he could keep him close forever and keep pretending Jack was his.)
“Neeks, are you okay?” Jack reaches up and swipes his thumb over Nico’s bottom lip, and Nico belatedly realizes he’d drawn blood from how hard he was biting it. “I’m okay, don’t worry about me,” he mumbles. He tries to lighten the mood by turning off Jack’s romance playlist, but the ensuing silence only makes things more awkward.
“I’m gonna head home, Jonas and I need to look at some game tape so we can clean up our penalty kill,” Nico snorts at Jack’s confused expression. “Bold of you to assume I remember what a penalty kill is,” Jack huffs, sticking his tongue out for good measure.
Nico grins and leans down to mess up Jack’s hair, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders when things finally go back to normal. (When he hugs Jack goodbye that night, he clings just a little tighter, unable to stop thinking about the day he loses Jack to someone else, taking Nico’s wandering heart with him.)
—
“Jack, it’s okay, do you really think I’m gonna let you fall? I brought you out here so you could learn how to skate, Schatz!” Nico laughs and holds his hands out like he’s trying to calm a spooked animal. In a way, he is, considering Jack has been wobbling and clutching the wall for the last five minutes. “Just trust me Jacky, I promise you’re not gonna fall.” Jack reaches a hand out, clutching Nico’s arm in a vice grip. He lets out a startled yelp when Nico starts skating backwards, forcing him to let go of the rink’s edge.
“There you go, see it’s not so bad right?” Nico laces their fingers together with a broad grin. He fights the urge to lean down and kiss Jack’s nose, which was adorably bright pink from the cold air. “Yeah, this is kinda nice,” Jack murmurs, smoothing his thumb over Nico’s knuckles, causing Nico’s heartbeat to kick into overdrive. That familiar aching want pools in his gut, and Nico debates running to the locker room to hide.
Nico is startled out of his thoughts when Jack starts wriggling in his grasp. “Think you’ll put me on the bench next game, captain?” Nico makes a wounded noise at the nickname, taking a moment to pray for his sanity while Jack makes him discover new things about himself. (Nico thinks it’s less of a captaincy kink and more of a ‘finding everything Jack does unbearably attractive’ kink.)
“You do know the boys just call me Nico, right?” He lets out an exasperated huff while he continues to drag Jack along the ice. The mischievous glint that comes to life in Jack’s eyes sets off a chain reaction of butterflies in Nico’s stomach.
“Oh captain my captain,” Jack croons, reaching forward to cup the back of Nico’s neck. Nico shivers as Jack’s fingers slide over the short hairs at the nape of his neck.
“Jack–” Nico’s gasp is cut off by the sound of wolf whistles coming from the bench. “Hisch, I thought you were giving skating lessons! What’s going on over there, lovebirds?” Nico whips his head around to glare at Jonas while Jack chuckles to himself. “What are you laughing at?!” Nico makes his best attempt at a glare, but the most he can do is give Jack a half-assed pout.
Jack’s giggle quickly turns into a yelp when Nico lets go of his hands and glides away. “Nico, don’t you dare!” Jack’s arms flail while he tries in vain to regain his balance. Nico skates around his best friend in wide lazy circles, then leans in at the last second before Jack can fall on his ass.
He scoops the younger boy up and throws him over his shoulder like he weighs nothing. “Alright, that’s enough skating for today, Quinn will kill me if I don’t bring you back in one piece.” Jack’s eyes roll in exasperation, but he waves at Jonas as they walk by. “What’s up Siegs?” Jonas just snorts and mutters something under his breath before jumping onto the ice.
Nico sets Jack on the bench and kneels in front of him to untie Jack’s skates, movements careful and focused. “You’re too good to me Nico,” Jack hums and folds forward so he can run his fingers through Nico’s hair. Nico leans into the touch, bumping his head against Jack’s hand like an eager cat.
He pats Jack’s calf when he’s successfully taken off both skates. “Only the best for you,” Nico rolls his eyes when Jack hands over his hoodie, lifting his arms expectantly until Nico takes the hint and helps him put it on. (Technically, it was another one of Nico’s hoodies, but they looked way better on Jack and besides, he could never say no to his sad puppy dog eyes.)
“Want me to talk to Coach, ask him to save you a spot on the bench?” Nico jokes, tugging the hoodie strings taught until only Jack’s eyes and nose were visible. Jack squeaks and bats his hands away, scoffing in fake irritation. Nico tries not to notice how Jack snuggles into Nico’s hoodie with a content sigh. “As much as I would love to wow you with my stickhandling, I would much rather wear your jersey and look pretty in the stands,” Jack chirps as Nico packs up the rest of his things.
Nico throws his head back and laughs, dimples out in full force. He reaches down and smoothes a hand over Jack’s lower back, steering him out the door and into the parking lot. “How about we go back to my apartment and order a pizza?” Nico yawns as he pulls out his keys. Jack is quick to agree, eyes widening slightly when Nico opens the passenger door for him. After Nico hops into the driver’s side, he wordlessly hands the younger boy the aux. Jack’s eyes light up as he plugs in his phone and puts on one of his (many) playlists.
Even singing horrifically off-key, Nico can’t help the overwhelming fondness for Jack that lights up his insides. At every stoplight, he would sneak glances at his best friend, admiring his side profile lit up by passing street lamps. He loved seeing Jack so carefree and happy, head leaning on the window as he continued his impromptu karaoke session. By the time he pulled up to his apartment complex, Jack was in the middle of a romantic ballad that made Nico’s ears hurt, but he tugged Jack into his apartment nonetheless.
Jack makes himself at home on the couch while Nico orders their pizza, grabbing a fluffy blanket from the armchair. Nico brings plates, napkins, and drinks into the living room, humming a random pop song from Jack’s Spotify. Fifteen minutes later, he answers the door and retrieves their pizza, slamming the door just a little harder than necessary when he notices the delivery guy checking Jack out.
At Jack’s grabby hands, Nico passes him a slice, and makes sure Jack’s settled and cozy before grabbing his own. “I emailed you the tickets for the game tomorrow, but it’s not a big deal if you don’t want to go, I’m sure you’re probably busy.”
Jack leans over and stills Nico’s fidgeting hands. “Neeks, please stop doing that,” Jack sighs and cranes his head so Nico meets his eyes. “I want to come and support you, that’s what you do for the people you care about. You’re mesmerizing on the ice, you know that? I love watching you play, you wear your heart on your sleeve and you’re a good captain.”
Nico’s brain can’t seem to let go of the word ‘love.’ It bounces around in his head over and over, the way Jack’s mouth formed the syllable and how his cheeks flushed after he was done with his speech. Before Nico knows what he’s doing, his arms are around Jack’s waist and he buries his face in his neck. “You know how important you are to me, right Jacky?” Nico’s voice cracks at the end of his sentence, and sure enough, his best friend pulls away to make eye contact.
“Nico, I care about you so damn much,” Jack smiles and cups Nico’s face in his palms. “I just wish you could see yourself the way I do.” Nico blushes and turns away to grab the remote. “Oh my god, just pick a movie for us to watch you sap!” Nico hisses, hiding his face under the blanket so Jack couldn’t see his blush. Jack puts on the first romcom he sees and curls up next to Nico, resting his head on Nico’s shoulder.
Nico lets his head fall on top of Jack’s, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Between their proximity, the comfort of having his own personal furnace next to him, and the way Jack seemed content to use his shoulder as a pillow, Nico was the happiest he’d been in a long time. Without thinking, he reaches up and brushes Jack’s hair off his forehead, gently detangling his messy curls.
Jack practically purrs at the contact, eyes closing while Nico scratches his scalp with gentle fingers. “Feels good,” he slurs, sounding halfway to sleep already. Nico keeps up the featherlight touches until Jack starts snoring on his shoulder. He stares down at him and feels his face soften with adoration. Nico nuzzles his temple against Jack’s hair, leaning down to brush a kiss on the tip of Jack’s nose. “Love you,” he mumbles, knowing Jack couldn’t hear him but admitting it anyway.
Nico thought he knew what love felt like. He’d had his fair share of crushes over the years, dated a few guys who never seemed to stick around, but none of that could ever compare to how he feels about Jack. Loving Jack was the easiest thing Nico had ever done. Because Jack loved with his whole heart, and made the people that mattered most to him feel like the center of his universe.
“You make me feel safe,” Nico whispers. “Ever since I left Switzerland, the only thing I ever wanted was something that felt like home. And I finally found that, when I met you.” After his confession, Nico lets out the breath he was holding and drifts off alongside Jack.
—
Maybe seconds or hours later, Nico hears Jonas’s key in the door and blinks his eyes open. Nico puts a finger to his lips, pointing at Jack with his free hand. Jonas sighs and tucks another blanket around the two of them as he walks by. “Nico, you need to tell him how you feel.” Nico turns his sad doe eyes on his roommate and pouts. “I can’t lose him, Jo, his friendship means too much to me. And if he doesn’t feel the same, it would kill me.” He nestles his head back on top of Jack’s, smiling when his best friend sighs in his sleep and burrows closer to Nico.
Jonas levels him with an unimpressed eye roll as he grabs a granola bar from the cabinet. “Jack looks at you like you hung the stars in the sky, there’s no way he isn’t partially in love with you already.” Nico grunts and flips his roommate off. “Maybe one day you’ll get your shit together, but hopefully Jack gets his head out of his ass sooner or later.”
Soon after, Jack stirs from where he was halfway draped over Nico’s chest. “Oh, hey Neeks,” Jack stretches his limbs out with a yawn, reaching across Nico for his phone. He puts a hand on Nico’s chest to steady himself, sliding his thumb across Nico’s collarbone absentmindedly. Jonas makes a gagging noise and heads for his room. Jack pointedly ignores him and scrolls through his texts, showing Nico his screen. “Moosey’s gonna need help with his statistics homework again, and Quinn is coming with me to your game tomorrow. Is that okay?” Nico gulps and nods, too busy committing the way Jack bites his lip as he types out a response to memory.
Jack tugs Nico off the couch and pulls him into a hug, standing on his toes to wrap his arms around Nico’s neck. “Make sure you come in early tomorrow, I’m making blueberry muffins,” Jack murmurs while he clings to Nico like a koala.
“When have I ever not come to see you on game day?” Nico snorts. He is struck by the sudden thought of how right it seemed to have Jack in his apartment. It felt like second nature to cuddle with him on the couch, to watch Jack poke around in his kitchen or steal an extra blanket from the hall closet.
One of Jack’s playlists was still coming through his bluetooth speaker, and Nico couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to come home to him every night, simple domesticity at its finest. He almost wanted to ask Jack to spend the night, and the thought terrified him. (Of course, Nico couldn’t do half the things he wanted to with Jonas underneath the same roof, but that didn’t stop his imagination from running wild.)
Thankfully, he was brought out of his reverie by Jack patting his cheek and turning toward the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, captain,” Jack smirks before heading out the front door. Nico hears Jonas cackling gleefully from the hallway, so he chucks a pillow at his roommate and slams his bedroom door shut while his face turns bright red.
—
Someone was sitting in Nico’s seat. Which is fine, all things considered, plenty of customers aren’t familiar with the fact that Nico has a designated stool at the counter. It keeps him at the center of Jack’s vision so he can (not so) inconspicuously shoot heart eyes while his best friend’s back is turned. (It also gave Nico a fantastic view of Jack’s ass whenever he bent over to grab something from the oven, but that was between him and God.)
But it quickly became clear to Nico that this person was definitely not a normal customer. A normal customer wouldn’t reach over to ruffle Jack’s hair and make him blush. Nico’s eyes stray to Quinn and Luke, who were also laughing and joking right along with him.
He took note of his wavy brown hair and green eyes, which crinkled up in glee when Jack playfully shoved his shoulder. Nico hated him on sight. Envy, sharp and sour, settled at the bottom of his stomach, ruining his mood in an instant.
Nico internally scolds himself for thinking the worst. Despite his best efforts, it does nothing to tamp down his fight or flight instincts. He was by no means a jealous person, but the sight of someone else laughing and blatantly flirting with Jack made his jaw clench and his patience wear thin. When the stranger lets out a honking laugh and interlaces his fingers with Jack’s, the realization finally hits Nico like a punch to his solar plexus.
It felt like the air was completely knocked out of his lungs. This had to be the man Jack was in love with. Sweet, charming, hilarious, Jack, his Jack, was in love with someone who wasn’t Nico. In spite of his wildest dreams and fantasies, Jack’s heart already belonged to someone else. Nico’s breathing quickened, and his face went hot as panic started to set in. ‘He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.’ He feels sick to his stomach watching it all unfold.
And suddenly it all made perfect sense, the way Jack constantly brushes off Jonas’s comments about the two of them acting like a couple. How could Jack possibly ever feel the same about Nico? In the grand scheme of things, Jack was never his to begin with. It didn’t matter that Nico knew all of Jack’s favorite songs by heart, what time his shifts end, his class schedule, the name of his favorite stuffed animal, the way he loves someone playing with his hair right before he falls asleep.
The irrational part of his brain screams at him to march over and cling onto Jack, to finally admit once and for all that he was irrevocably in love with his best friend. But as he watches the mystery guy gaze adoringly at Jack, Nico’s heart nearly takes a swan dive out of his chest. At that moment, his best option seems to be going home and crying himself to sleep. Nico didn’t think being the odd man out would hurt this much, but now he sees how silly it was of him to stick around and intrude for so long.
Quinn looks up from his spot by the espresso machine and tries to wave him over, concern etched onto his features. “Hey Nico, get over here man!” Nico can only manage a small shake of his head before he takes a step backwards. Jack, at the sound of Nico’s name, glances up and straightens.
A slow, goofy grin overtakes Jack’s face, and all Nico can do is watch as his best friend’s eyes light up. “Neeks!” He calls out brightly, but his eyebrows furrow in confusion when he notices Nico’s stricken expression. Nico releases a shaky breath and looks away, feeling his walls going back up to protect what’s left of his heart and his dignity.
Jack slips out from behind the counter and Nico inches closer to the door. The stranger peers curiously over Jack’s shoulder, while Luke watches with a horrified expression. For once, the youngest Hughes understood exactly what was going on, and he shifted pleading eyes to Nico. “Trevor, this is Nico,” Luke stutters. Jack frowned and turned toward his brothers, but not before Trevor leaned up and wrapped an arm around Jack’s waist. “Nico! I’ve heard so much about you,” he grins, splaying his fingers over Jack’s hip in a territorial gesture.
That was the final blow, one that might very well crush Nico’s ego and shatter what’s left of his fragile heart. Trevor had Jack’s love, and Nico would spend an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out why he wasn’t good enough. Nico heard a pathetic, punched-out sound escape his throat, but he refused to meet Jack’s eyes. “I need to go,” he whispers.
He mentally pats himself on the back for at least trying to keep it together, especially with Trevor’s smug smirk burning itself into his brain. At Jack’s noise of protest, Nico hesitates for a second, then pushes the door open and hurries onto the sidewalk.
He hears Jack calling his name, but Nico pretends not to hear, practically jogging the entire way home. By the time he threw open the front door, he almost ran headfirst into Jonas. His roommate instantly knew something was wrong, resting his hands on Nico’s shoulders as concern clouded his gaze. “Hey, what’s going on? What happened?” Nico releases a shaky breath and hastily wipes his eyes before his tears of frustration could fall.
“It’s not me, Jo,” Nico hiccups, furiously scrubbing a hand over his face. Jonas wraps his arms around Nico and shushes him, running a soothing hand up and down his back. “It was never gonna be me, I was stupid for even thinking otherwise.” Nico buries his face in his roommate’s neck, a steady anchor to lean on while his world tilted on its axis.
Kindly, Jonas pretended not to hear his quiet sniffles. “I’m sorry Nico, I thought he really cared about you. I should’ve just stayed out of it,” he murmurs a little while later after they relocate to the couch.
Nico sighs as he pulls a blanket around his shoulders, curling further into Jonas. “It’s okay, maybe I’m just better off alone. M’ always sticking myself where I don’t belong.”
Jonas scoffs and wraps his arms around Nico. “Well, you belong here, with me. And you belong on the ice, because you’re a damn good captain. But you also deserve to be loved, because you’re a good guy. Jack is an idiot if he can’t see that.”
When Nico shoots him a weak smile, Jonas immediately goes into fix-it mode. (It wouldn’t be the first time Jonas has had to piece Nico’s broken heart back together again, but Nico prayed this one would be the last.)
“Let me make you some tea and we’ll order takeout, okay? How does that sound, Hisch?” Nico nods and falls back against the cushions, still letting out the occasional sniffle. He blinks hard to try and get rid of the image of Trevor with his hands all over Jack, but it’s no use. The only thing he can do is bury himself under a mound of blankets and let self-pity run its course.
He goes to put on a playlist, but feels more tears escape when he sees the candid picture of him and Jack on his lock screen. Nico was staring into the camera, but Jack was tucked under Nico’s arm, staring up at him mid-laugh.
Nico quickly stuffs his phone between the cushions and thanks Jonas when he places a steaming mug between his hands. “It could be worse, could be matcha,” Nico mutters. Jonas claps him on the back and snorts. “And he’s back.” He ruffles Nico’s hair with a grin.
Nico feels his mood lightening once Jonas pulls him into a much-needed cuddle. “Who needs a boyfriend anyway? By the time we win the Frozen Four, we’ll be able to look back on this and laugh,” Jonas says, knocking the remote out of Nico’s hand when he tries to put on a sad movie. “Stay right here, I have the perfect cure for you,” he grins and heads to the kitchen. He comes back with Nico’s favorite Swiss chocolate, presenting it to him with a flourish. “My hero,” Nico sighs as he takes a small bite.
Nico feels a surge of affection for his oldest friend, who was keeping him distracted enough that his heartbreak dulled to a (nearly) manageable ache. “M’ sorry you have to spend your Friday night with my pity party,” Nico mumbles. Jonas scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Contrary to what you may believe, some of us actually enjoy spending time with you,” he retorts, shoving Nico over so he could join him under the blankets.
“Why couldn’t he just love me back, Jo?” Nico whimpers a few minutes later. Jonas’s heart clenches, wanting nothing more than to shield Nico from the rest of the world. “Because he’s dumb…And besides, you can do so much better. He didn’t even know what offsides was.” His eyes soften when Nico chuckles, leaning his head on Jonas’s shoulder. When Nico starts dozing off a few minutes later, Jonas sighs in relief, taking note of the dark circles already forming under his friend’s bloodshot eyes.
—
A little while later, Jonas rubs his eyes and grumbles to himself at the incessant banging on their front door. He gently dislodges Nico from his shoulder and tucks the blankets under his roommate’s chin, careful not to disrupt his peaceful sleep. As soon as he sees Jack standing on the other side of the door, Jonas grunts. “Nope, not happening,” he hisses, immediately trying to shut the door in Jack’s face.
“Jonas, what the hell?! Let me in, I gotta talk to Nico!” Jack freezes at the harsh glare being sent his way. “You need to leave, I just got him to calm down,” Jonas crosses his arms and gives Jack a stern look.
“Please, Nico ran out and I just wanted to make sure he’s okay!” Jack’s eyes widened when he heard a sniffle on the other side of the door. “Is he crying?” He manages to shove past Jonas and spot Nico as he crosses the room, kneeling in front of his best friend’s hiding spot. Jack spots a pair of big brown tearful eyes peeking up at him from between a mountain of blankets, but they quickly disappear.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Look at me, please?” Jack whispers when Nico refuses to meet his eyes. Nico shrinks further into the couch and winces when Jack leans forward. “Neeks, can you look at me?” Nico eventually lifts his bloodshot eyes up to meet Jack’s, hand shooting out from under the blanket to hastily wipe his eyes. “Honey, I can’t fix what’s wrong if you don’t talk to me.” Jack reaches up and fixes Nico’s hair, frowning when his best friend’s eyes well up with fresh tears. “You’re scaring me Nico, please tell me what’s wrong.”
Nico feels his heart breaking into a thousand more tiny pieces at Jack’s earnest expression. He thinks about how unfair it is, that Jack came all this way just to let him down easy. His biggest priority would always be Jack’s happiness, but the thought of him being in love with someone else made Nico’s chest cave in on itself.
Deep down, Nico knew he was worthy of love, he just wished he could be worthy of Jack’s love. Because Nico loved Jack, deeply and truly, in a way that felt blinding and bright and all-consuming. And even if Jack didn’t feel the same, Nico owes it to himself to admit the truth.
He inhales shakily and glances over to where Jonas is standing behind the kitchen counter, ready to intervene at any second. “Jo, can you give us a minute?” Jonas gives a reluctant nod and heads for the door. “I’ll go to Dawson’s, call me if you need me, alright, Hisch?” At Nico’s nod, Jonas’s shoulders relax and he gently shuts the door behind him.
Nico stares into Jack’s eyes and takes a deep breath to steady himself. “I didn’t wanna get in your way,” he finally whispers. “Hearing you talk about what being in love felt like? It killed me…All I wanted was for it to be me, to have the chance to be the one you loved. Because I’m in love with you. But I know you don’t feel the same way about me.”
“What are you even talking about, Neeks?” Jack murmurs worriedly. Nico shakes his head when Jack moves to grab his hand. “I understand now, Jacky, and it’s okay, I’m really happy for you. Trevor is the one you’re in love with, but it was eating me alive not telling you how I felt.” Nico’s breathing hard, like he just hopped over the boards after a two minute shift.
Jack let out a strangled noise and recoils, hurt shining in his eyes. “Did someone tell you that? Because that’s not the truth, it’s the farthest thing from the truth, I–” he cuts himself off with a frustrated huff.
Nico continues, uninhibited and determined. “I just need you to know how much you mean to me. Getting to know you, seeing every side of you, I couldn’t help it. I fell in love with you. I love how much you care about your brothers, I love how you can’t control your hand gestures when you’re telling a story, I love when you’re sitting in the stands wearing my jersey. I love everything about you.” Nico finishes his speech with a pitiful hiccup.
After a moment of stunned silence, Jack scoots closer and thumbs away another tear before it can slide down Nico’s cheek. “Nico, sweetheart, I don’t know where you got all this from. I’m not in love with Trevor! I was talking about you!”
Nico feels his thoughts grind to a halt, and time seems to stop while his brain struggles to catch up. His heart races, jaw hanging open while he listens to Jack’s words that seemed too good to be true.
“You said…you said he means everything to you,” Nico whispers, puppy dog eyes laser-focused on his best friend. “Yes, and I meant every word of it, because it was about you!” Jack smacks his forehead and groans. “I’m gonna fucking kill Trevor, he was trying to make Jamie jealous, and instead he almost scared off the guy I’m in love with!” Jack’s eyes widen when he realizes what he just said, and Nico bolts upright, blankets falling to the floor in his haste to sit up.
“You’re in love with me,” Nico breathes, lips breaking out into a wide grin. “You’re in love with me?” Jack laughs in disbelief, resting his forehead on Nico’s knee. Nico leans forward to tangle a hand in Jack’s hair and uses it to tip Jack’s head back. When their eyes meet, Nico releases a shaky breath. “For the record, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me too, Schätzli,” he whispers.
With a quiet hum, Jack laces their fingers together. “Does that mean I can kiss you?” In response, Nico just scoffs and tugs Jack upwards until he’s practically lying on top of Nico. “Jack, I’ve literally wanted to kiss you since you dumped coffee down the front of my shirt.”
Jack gasps and slaps a hand over Nico’s mouth. “Shut up, I’m trying to woo you!” The corners of Nico’s eyes crinkle from the force of his smile and he licks Jack’s palm, causing the younger boy to squeal and jerk his hand back. “Just shut up and kiss me, liebling,” Nico mutters, expression conveying nothing but fondness.
Jack nods enthusiastically and giggles when he’s pulled into Nico’s lap, leaning forward until their foreheads nearly touch. Nico shakily reaches up and cradles Jack’s jaw, touch feather light and reverent. He closes the final few inches between them and presses their lips together. Nico is certain his soul leaves his body for a moment, fireworks lighting up behind his eyelids. He sighs happily and moves a hand to cup the back of Jack’s neck. “You have no idea how long I dreamed about doing that,” he mumbles, deepening the kiss while heat pools in his belly.
After a few minutes, he scrapes his teeth along the underside of Jack’s jaw, causing the younger boy to gasp. Nico’s fingers travel over Jack’s waist, thumbs tracing the groove of his hip bone. Jack whines when Nico leans up to press his tongue against the seam of his lips. With a desperate whine of, “Neeks, please,” he winds his fingers through Nico’s hair, eliciting a desperate groan when Jack tugs hard at the strands.
His fantasies don’t come close to how kissing Jack feels, the all-consuming need building as the world seems to narrow to just the two of them. Jack squirms in Nico’s lap, and the first bit of friction makes Nico’s jaw clench as he fights to maintain composure. Bottom lip caught between his teeth, Jack starts grinding his hips in earnest, head thrown back and eyelids fluttering shut as he seeks his own pleasure. “Jack, look at me sweetheart.” Nico tilts Jack’s chin up to recapture his lips.
Neither of them hears the door creak open, but Jonas’s shriek makes his presence in the apartment known. “Oh my god! What the fuck guys?!” He slaps a hand over his eyes and fumbles the other along the counter in search of his keys. “Jesus Christ, I was gonna ask if you guys made up and you’re literally about to have sex on the couch where we do movie night!”
Nico buries his face in Jack’s neck to hide his giggles, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. “I’m spending the night at Dawson’s, please take third base to the bedroom,” Jonas cringes, mumbling to himself as he slams their front door closed.
They break into a fit of giggles after he leaves, Jack clutching his sides from laughing so hard. Nico brushes Jack’s hair out of his eyes and places a gentle kiss on his forehead. It eases some of his nerves, knowing they’re still the same as before. The intimate ease of being comfortable around each other remains, but there’s also something else building, and Nico feels a tentative bubble of hope in his chest at the thought of exploring a brand-new chapter of their relationship.
“I think we just scarred him for life!” Nico throws his head back to laugh, but it quickly turns into a moan when Jack takes that as a cue to such a dark bruise on his neck. “Can we please continue where we left off, captain?” Jack looks up through his lashes after tracing the fresh hickey with his tongue. He looks incredibly pleased with himself when Nico’s hips buck upwards.
Jack cackles gleefully from his perch on Nico’s lap. “I knew it! I knew you had a captain kink,” he squawks, but his breath hitches when Nico takes Jack’s chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Don’t be a brat Jacky,” Nico warns. “Be good for me, yeah?”
As if a switch was flipped, Jack suddenly goes soft and docile, eyes glazing over while his face heats up. (Nico secretly wonders if Jack has a praise kink, and sends a silent prayer that he’ll be able to find out the answer to that question before he comes in his pants like a horny teenager.)
“Fuck, Schatz,” Nico grunts as he digs his fingers into the meat of Jack’s ass. He keens at Jack’s answering moan, tugging him impossibly closer by his hips. Now that he had Jack in his arms, he had zero intentions of letting him out of his sight. Nico abruptly stands up, palms warm under Jack’s thighs, lifting him like he weighed nothing. Jack gasps and wraps his legs around Nico’s waist, eyes lighting up when he realizes they were moving down the hallway toward Nico’s bedroom.
Their pace is slowed significantly, taking countless pit stops to kiss each other senseless against walls, bookshelves, doors, and closets. (Nico is pretty sure a picture frame gets knocked off the wall, but that’s a problem for later, isn’t it?) The apartment is filled with the sounds of hushed whimpers, rustling clothes, breathy moans, and clashing teeth, mixed in with Jack’s carefree giggles and Nico’s subdued laughter.
Nico nudges his bedroom door open and kicks it shut again with one foot, while Jack is busy kissing every inch of exposed skin. Jack yelps when Nico tosses him onto the bed, and Nico’s eyes stay trained on how Jack’s curls bounce with the movement. He stands at the end of the bed and blinks a few times, still in disbelief that Jack feels the same way and wants him like this.
“It’s okay babe, I don’t bite…Well okay maybe I did do that a little bit, you might need to wear a scarf for the next couple days,” Jack smirks, looking like the cat that ate the canary.
With an eye roll, Nico huffs and practically dives onto the bed. He crawls between Jack’s spread legs, palm settling on his upper thigh. “Can I suck you off, Jacky?” He murmurs, big brown eyes warm and hopeful. Jack tips his head back and curses under his breath, arm thrown over his eyes as he lets out a choked-off, “Yes please.”
“M’ a little out of practice, but I’ll try to make it good for you,” Nico hums. He traces the sliver of exposed skin between the hem of Jack’s shirt and his waistband, delighting in the trail of goosebumps it elicits. He takes Jack’s shirt off, looking his fill and trying to commit every feature, freckle, and expression to memory.
Jack clutches Nico’s collar, hot breath fanning across his skin. “Now you,” he grins and helps tug off Nico’s faded t-shirt. When he catches sight of the tattoo on the inside of Nico’s bicep, he sits up dramatically, eyes glued to the ink on his skin. “Oh my god, you’ve been holding out on me Neeks, that’s so fucking hot!” He presses a kiss to it as he undoes Nico’s belt buckle, leaving a cheeky bite before focusing on the task at hand.
Nico giggles and shakes his head fondly, then bends down to leave another hickey on Jack’s sternum. He takes Jack’s quiet whine as encouragement and brushes a fingertip against Jack’s nipple, wholly unprepared for how he would react. Smirking, Nico circles it with his thumb before pinching. Jack releases a drawn out moan and grips the sheets, thrashing against Nico’s hold. “Sensitive, huh baby?” He coos, then bends down to take Jack’s nipple into his mouth.
Jack throws his head back and gasps, thighs trembling where they’re locked in a vice grip around Nico’s waist. “Oh my god,” he mumbles, covering his face in embarrassment. Nico takes his time sucking and licking Jack’s chest, stomach flipping whenever he catches sight of Jack’s curls fanned out across his pillow. He fights back a giggle at Jack’s incessant babbling, but he manager to decipher bits and pieces of phrases, something along the lines of ‘Jesus Christ,’ ‘goddamn brown eyes,’ and ‘fucking biceps.’
Jack lifts his hips and shimmies out of his jeans, and Nico waits for his nod of approval before he pulls Jack’s boxers down. After one last deep kiss, Nico takes off the rest of his clothes, shimmies down the bed, and settles onto his stomach. He licks his lips as Jack’s cock springs free, red and hard and leaking already.
Jack bites his lip and his eyes roll back when Nico finally takes his dick in hand. “Neeks, please don’t stop,” he gasps, hips fucking upward into the circle of Nico’s fist. Nico continues to stroke Jack’s dick, finding a rhythm easily enough because of how responsive Jack is. He leans down and finally gets his mouth on him, leaving a few kitten licks before sucking on the head.
When he looks up, he sees how debauched Jack looks, face red and lips bitten raw, sweat already beading on his forehead (Nico thinks he looks like a Greek god, and he would be more than happy to spend the rest of his life between Jack’s legs. Would gladly die there, as a matter of fact.)
Nico flattens his tongue against a vein on the underside of Jack’s cock, then pays special attention to his slit, priding himself on the way Jack’s stomach muscles jump. Jack tugs Nico’s hair and lets out a strangled noise. “You feel so good Neeks,” he slurs, eyes rolling back when Nico hums around his dick. Nico’s insides go warm at the praise, and he grinds his hips against the bed to get some relief for his own aching cock.
If Nico thought Jack was loud and theatrical on a daily basis, nothing could’ve prepared him for what Jack would be like in bed. Nico would spend all day like this if he could, drawing groans and whines from the lips he spent months fantasizing about. Jack keeps one hand fisted in the sheets, the other tangled in Nico’s hair while he works over his cock, babbling mostly incoherent praises and pleas.
Nico pulls off with an obscene pop, leaving a gentle kiss on the head of Jack’s dick. “Being so good for me, fucking gorgeous,” he hums, then doubles down on his efforts to suck Jack off. Nico digs his fingers into the flesh of Jack’s thighs, pulling him closer so he can take Jack to the hilt. He relaxes his jaw and stares up at Jack, pretty brown eyes glassy while his nose rests against Jack’s happy trail. “Jesus fuck, Nico you’re gonna kill me,” Jack wheezes.
After a little while, Jack tries to bite his fist and stifle his noises, but Nico tolerates absolutely none of it. He pulls back to tug Jack’s hand away from his mouth, all while his free hand keeps stroking, collecting the precome pooling at the tip of his dick. “Uh uh, none of that, I wanna hear you. How else will I know what my pretty boy likes?” Nico coos. Jack’s answering moan makes him preen internally. “That’s better,” he hums, taking Jack’s cock back in his mouth once more.
Nico swirls his tongue and deepthroats Jack, causing the younger boy’s hips to jackknife off the bed. Nico’s eyes well up with tears as he chokes, but he doesn’t let up with his movements. He stays focused on Jack’s face, loving how Jack looks strung out and drunk on pleasure. After a few more minutes of teasing and sucking, Jack whines and yanks Nico into another bruising kiss by his hair. “You gotta stop baby, I’m not gonna last,” he hiccups.
Panting hard, Nico sits back and brushes Jack’s hair out of his eyes. “You’re in control here, okay Jacky? We can stop here baby, it’s up to you,” he breathes, rubbing his thumb in the crease of Jack’s hip. He wanted to take extra care to make sure that Jack felt comfortable and safe. (And if Jack changed his mind and he only got to do this once, he was going to make damn sure Jack felt cherished and respected in the way he deserved.)
“I trust you,” Jack smiles and knocks their foreheads together, eyes alight with mischief. “And besides, I needed your dick in me like yesterday. Please, Neeks?” he murmurs. Nico flicks Jack’s nose and groans at the smirk on the younger boy’s face. “You’re such a terror, you’re lucky I love you,” he huffs.
He leans over Jack to rifle through his bedside drawer, emerging with a condom and lube. When he notices Jack tensing, Nico sets everything down and hovers above Jack, forearms braced on either side of Jack’s head. “Hey, are you sure about this?” He murmurs quietly, face filled with concern and affection. Jack nods and tilts his head up to kiss Nico, then presses the lube bottle into his best friend’s hand. “Want you to do it,” Jack hums, looking more sure of himself by the second.
Nico leaves a trail of kisses along Jack’s cheekbones, nose, and forehead, scratching his nails against Jack’s scalp until he relaxes again. Satisfied, he grabs a pillow and pats Jack’s thigh. “Lift up for me sweetheart,” he croons, sliding it under Jack’s hips before kissing the tip of his nose.
Nico clicks open the lube cap and spreads some onto his fingers, warming it up before settling back onto his knees. He slides his finger in up to the first knuckle, searching Jack’s face for any sign of discomfort. Jack screws his eyes shut and bites his lip, nodding at Nico after a few minutes. Nico adds a second finger and curls them upwards, searching for the spot that would make Jack’s back arch off the bed.
He immediately knows when he’s found it, because Jack’s mouth falls open, a high pitched whine escaping while his thighs try to close involuntarily. Nico scissors his fingers and brushes over Jack’s prostate, insistently rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves. “Nico, please, I need it, need you inside of me,” Jack gasps and squirms under Nico’s ministrations.
Jack watches, mouth hanging open, while Nico splays a hand over Jack’s stomach and pins him to the bed. Nico presses his lips to Jack’s frantically, groaning when their cocks brush against one another. He stares in awe as Jack grabs the condom and tears the wrapper with his teeth, then cups Nico’s cheek. “Are you sure?” He murmurs quietly. “You’ve been so focused on me, I haven’t checked in with you. Talk to me cap,” Jack hums, smugness written all over his face.
Nico laughs breathlessly and kisses the corner of his mouth. “Little nervous but I’m doing great, thanks for asking,” he croaks, scratchy voice revealing exactly what he’d been up to within the last half hour. Jack slides the condom over his dick, stroking a few times for good measure, making Nico’s eyes roll back in his head.
When Jack thumbs the head, Nico smacks his hand away and sits up on his haunches. “I won’t last if you keep doing that,” he hisses. Jack giggles and kisses Nico’s palm, lacing their fingers together for good measure.
Nico releases a shaky breath when he finally pushes into Jack, jaw clenched as he feels wet heat surrounding his cock. He buries his face in Jack’s neck, panting and groaning against his sweaty skin. “Fuck Jacky, you’re so tight baby,” he whimpers.
Jack fumbles for Nico’s hand, squeezing hard while he adjusts to the stretch. He watches Jack’s Adam’s apple bob, cock jutting proudly in the air. Nico would do anything to stay frozen in this moment forever, feeling the rush of his blood while everything sharpens into Technicolor.
“I love you, like a lot,” Jack breathes as if he can read his mind, eyes locked firmly on Nico’s. He tries to shift his hips back to sink further onto Nico’s cock, but Nico stills him with a firm hand on his hip. “I’m not going anywhere, easy baby,” he says as he presses a kiss to Jack’s temple. Jack’s eyes flutter shut as Nico hikes one of his thighs up and out, sliding home in one slow, long thrust.
He whines when he feels Jack’s nails raking against his back, surely leaving red lines that would stay on his skin for the next few days.
Jack’s jaw drops when Nico’s next thrust hits his prostate dead on, movements slow and deep and dirty. “Fuck Nico! Right there, oh my fucking god,” Jack wheezes, eyes screwed shut, gripping Nico’s hand like a vice.
“Taking me so well honey,” Nico coos and cranes his neck down to steal a gentle kiss, so at odds with the way he’s fucking Jack like his life depends on it. “So fucking beautiful, what did I ever do to deserve you?”
Jack just whimpers and fumbles for his cock, crying out when Nico slaps his hand away. “Nico! I need–” Jack gasps.
“It’s okay, I know baby, I’ve got you,” Nico hums as he finally gets a hand on Jack’s dick again, stroking him in time with his thrusts. “Look at you, spread out so pretty for me, what a good boy.” Nico’s eyes light up at the way Jack’s back arches off the bed with a loud moan.
Nico watches in awe as his cock spears Jack open, seeing the younger boy writhe and whine underneath him. Jack is reduced to incoherent groans and whines after a short while, constant pleas and whimpers leaving his lips.
“I love you Nico,” Jack hiccups, and Nico speeds up his thrusts with a grunt. “I love you too Jacky,” he hums, holding Jack’s thighs open while Jack’s cock bobs between them, drooling all over his stomach. Nico could tell how close he was, if his high pitched mewls and trembling thighs were anything to go by.
“Let go for me, it’s okay sweetheart, I wanna see you come undone,” Nico gasps, gently thumbing Jack’s slit with his free hand. He drives his hips home time and time again, cock brushing against the spot inside of Jack that made him see stars.
“Yes Neeks, s’ good, gonna cum,” Jack wheezes, weakly meeting Nico’s thrusts with what little coherency he has left. With a final drawn-out whine, his release coats Nico’s fist and his own belly. Nico coos out an endless stream of praises, keeping up his movements until Jack sniffles from overstimulation.
“In me, in me, wanna feel you,” Jack whines when Nico tries to pull away, clenching down on his dick. “Wanted you for so long, please,” Jack babbles, head lolling back as Nico lets out a soft whine. Mumbling a string of curses in Swiss-German, Nico spills into the condom, panting into Jack’s neck.
Nico pulls out, careful and slow so as not to hurt Jack, then collapses beside him after tossing the condom in the trash. Jack pushes his hair off his forehead and stretches lazily, wincing only slightly. “That was…holy fuck,” he giggles, leaning over to mouth at a bright purple bruise he left earlier on Nico’s Adam’s apple.
With a happy sigh, Nico lets Jack cling onto him like a life raft, like Nico is the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. He lets his fingertips skate up and down Jack’s spine, content hums escaping his lips every once in a while. Nico watches the golden hour sunlight stream in, entranced by the way it highlights every freckle on Jack’s back. In turn, Jack shivers and snuggles closer to leave a gentle kiss on Nico’s stomach.
Jack leans up onto his elbows to press his lips against Nico’s. The urgency from earlier is long gone, replaced by a tender atmosphere that makes Nico’s heart clench. He can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of him when they pull apart, lost in the way Jack overwhelms all of his senses in the best way possible. (Secretly, he wishes the moment could last forever, wrapped up in his boyfriend’s embrace like a cozy blanket.)
Nico practically hears his brain come to a halt like a record scratch, thought process catching on the word ‘boyfriend.’ Is that what they are now? Would Jack even want that? What if–
“Uh uh, nope, stop overthinking, I can see that’s what’s happening in that pretty head of yours.” Jack places his hands on either side of Nico’s face, peppering kisses over his cheeks and nose. “In case you didn’t hear, I’m kind of in love with this guy…maybe you know him? Tall, gorgeous, captain of the Devils? He’s a regular at this one coffee shop, big brown eyes, and an ass that men would go to war for.” Nico rolls his eyes and fixes Jack’s hair with an unimpressed stare.
“He looked like he was about to ask me something important, I was gonna say yes, for the record,” Jack huffs as he shoots him a smug grin. Nico covers his face in embarrassment, but Jack just takes that as a cue to snuggle closer.
Finally, he takes a deep breath and looks up after Jack tugs his hands away. “Be my boyfriend, Jacky?” He tries to keep his voice even, but the slight waver gives away his nerves.
Nico’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion when Jack starts laughing. “Thought you’d never ask my love,” he grins as he smoothes a hand down Nico’s chest. He traces random patterns on Nico’s skin, looking flushed and content.
“You have to know how gone for you I am,” Jack murmurs, voice sounding small and wrecked. “You’re it for me, and I’ll be here for as long as you’ll have me. Oh, and Neeks?” Nico has to close his eyes for a second, willing himself not to get hard again as Jack’s hands travel south. “Yes liebling?” He whispers, carding a hand through his boyfriend’s messy hair. “Does this mean I get a wag jacket?” Jack’s eyes light up in excitement.
Nico shifts until Jack is seated in his lap, massaging Jack’s shoulders as he pretends to think about it. “If we make the playoffs–” Jack cuts him off with a fierce kiss that makes his toes curl. “When you make the playoffs,” Jack corrects after he nibbles on Nico’s bottom lip.
“Okay, when we make the playoffs,” Nico tries for an exasperated huff, but all that comes out is a breathy gasp. “When that happens, you’ll get your jacket, Schatz. You have my word.” Jack beams and pats Nico’s cheek, content with his newly made promises and his even newer boyfriend title.
—
A few short months later, the Devils made it all the way to the Frozen Four championship. Nico didn’t need to glance at the stands to know Jack was there, bundled up in a custom wag jacket made by his sister, who had flown in from Switzerland to watch the game.
Quinn and Luke were also in the benches, wearing Hischier jerseys and grinning broadly. (He thought Quinn would give him a shovel talk after he and Jack officially started dating, but instead it was Jonas who gave Jack a stern talking to…after he recovered from the horrors of walking in on them, of course.)
Nico was too high on adrenaline to feel the bone-deep exhaustion that had been wearing him down for the past few weeks. Everything came down to this one final game, he owed it to himself and his teammates to take them all the way. They were already down by one, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes and ruin their chance at a title. He shifted on the bench and caught sight of a familiar face, noted the grim concentration clouding his boyfriend’s features.
He looks up when Coach calls his name, mentally preparing as he waits to launch himself over the boards. He races across the ice, intercepting a pass and skating into the offensive zone. Without looking, he flicks the puck back to Jonas and nods at Mercer, who lines himself up in front of the goalie.
Nico takes a deep breath and visualizes the play, skate blades scraping frantically against the ice. Before he knows what’s happening, the puck is back on his stick and he fires it to Mercer, who sends it into the back of the net. His shoulders sag in relief, and he pulls his teammates into a group hug. “Alright boys, one more, let’s fucking go!”
He feels the back of his neck prickling as the clock winds down, bottom lip bitten red and raw with one minute left in the third. When Nico goes out for his next shift, he chases the puck after a blocked shot, speeding across the rink on a breakaway. He locks eyes with the goalie, heart pounding in his chest, before tipping it in over the goalie’s shoulder.
As the goal horn goes off, Nico throws his arms up as his teammates surround him. He whoops and lets himself be pulled in all different directions, while confetti rains down on home ice. After the commotion dies down a bit, he skates to the edge of the rink, brown eyes searching for his favorite person in the world.
Jack was already in the process of bounding down the steps, Quinn and Luke left in the dust, long forgotten. He jumps over the boards and flings himself into Nico’s arms, kissing him passionately after Nico catches him.
“You did it! I’m so proud of you Neeks, I told you!” Jack giggles and wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “My good luck charm,” Nico rumbles as he kisses Jack’s temple. “My incredibly talented and sexy captain,” Jack follows up by wiggling his eyebrows, causing Nico to flick his nose in retaliation.
Jack bounces on the balls of his feet after he pulls away, looking unsure of himself all of a sudden. “What’s got you all nervous?” Nico giggles with a hand on Jack’s waist. “Okay, so I have a surprise for you, close your eyes please…I think you’re gonna like it!”
Nico has to pull Jack in by his collar then, leaving them both panting after kissing his boyfriend senseless. (He definitely would’ve gotten carried away and stuck his tongue down Jack’s throat, if it weren’t for Jonas skating by and reminding him ‘There are children present’ in a singsong voice.)
He smiles as Nina, Quinn, and Luke come onto the ice, congratulating him with hugs and head pats. Jack tucks himself under Nico’s arm and shouts, “Surprise!” Nico’s brow furrows in confusion, but his jaw drops as his big brother emerges from behind them, engulfing Nico into a bear hug that lifts his feet off the ground.
“What are you doing here?!” Nico screeches in disbelief, as Luca laughs and ruffles Nico’s hair. “Your boyfriend helped set everything up, all I had to do was hop on a plane and watch my baby brother do his thing.” He leans over to punch Jack in the shoulder playfully. “Besides, we already went over what would happen if he breaks your heart, isn’t that right, Jack?”
Luckily, Jack is saved from responding when Nico is roped into taking pictures with the trophy and his teammates. Once he finishes, Nico waves over his siblings, Luca clinging tight to his baby brother while his eyes shine with pride.
Nico whips his head around and raises an eyebrow when Jack makes no move to come join them. “Get over here, what are you doing?” He skates over and grabs Jack’s hand. “You’re family now, c’mon liebling,” he grins. Nico helps guide Jack across the ice, one hand set on the small of his back to steady him. “Well don’t just stand there, I said family!” Nico laughs as he waves Luke and Quinn over.
The rest of the night is a blur, filled with celebrations, champagne showers, and laughing until Nico’s sides hurt. Through it all, Jack stays pressed against his side, grinning ear to ear.
Nico swallows the lump in his throat as he reaches for Jack’s hand and tugs him into a quiet corner. He kisses Jack’s knuckles then gently cups the back of his neck, running his fingers through the messy curls he’s come to love more than anything.
Jack pulls him by his hair into a sweet, slow kiss, giggling when Nico tugs him closer by his belt loops. “I love you, have I ever told you that?” Jack whispers in his ear, sending shivers racing down Nico’s spine.
“I mean, you’re kind of stuck with me at this point,” Nico gasps when Jack’s hands slide down and into the back pockets of his jeans. “Not a problem, I was planning on keeping you for a very long time. Preferably forever, if that’s alright with you,” Jack says, and the smug grin plastered on his face makes Nico’s heart race. (And if they spend a little more time by themselves, locked in their own little world, then so be it. They had forever, after all.)