One For The History Books

one for the history books

luke hughes x f!hockey player - social media au

this is so silly but i kind of like it

liked by _connorbedard, matthewknies and 45,186 others

tagged: ella_huber26, edwards.73, markestepa, dylanduke25

ynofficial: i was ok...until i got kidnapped from my own party 😞

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ella_huber26: THAT'S WHERE YOU WENT???

ynofficial: YES SEND HELP

dylanduke25: no don't she needs initiating first

matthewknies: what?? is this some lame michigan thing?

ynofficial: oh kniesy you don't know what you just did

matthewknies: did i just accidentally kill you?😬 worse things could happen

user9: how did this happen exactly

edwards.73: my gorgeous face across a crowded room

markestepa: don't be gross

ynofficial: ethan literally lured me into a corridor saying there was an emergency and mark and dylan threatened me I NEED TO BE BACK BY THE MORNING BECAUSE I HAVE A GAME YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY PANIC

abbeyy18murphyy: idk you kind of look like you're having fun 🧐

ynofficial: she is, we're treating her nicely👍

abbeyy18murphyy: i take it back IMMEDIATELY who is this?

ynofficial: god

mackie.samo: it's truscott

nolan_moyle: i just want to let the gophers (#respect✊) know that i do not condone this behaviour from the wolves, but i also can't tell you where she is at this moment in time

adamfantilli: is that because you don't know where she actually is or because you've been blackmailed and/or threatened by either mark, ethan, dylan or hughesy?

nolan_moyle: yes

adamfantilli: which one????

nolan_moyle: all of them

user10: bro why are umich kidnapping a gopher

user11: think it has something to do with rivalry? not sure

user12: do we need to report it or????

ynofficial: no

ynofficial: yes

ynofficial: jacob get out of my account

ynofficial: no

liked by luca.fantilli, nursey16 and 52,917 others

ynofficial: wisco is my g and my girls are incredible

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ynofficial: i just need to let everyone here know that yesterday i was kidnapped by approximately 3/4 of the umich wolverines to play an unofficial game of hockey AND I FUCKING WON just thought i'd let you guys know💪💪

rutgermcgroarty: ahem

adamfantilli: ahem x2

lhughes_06: ahem x3

ynofficial: *we

adamfantilli: i thought you were supposed to be a team player

ynofficial: not of umich ew

adamfantilli: you don't have to hide the fact that i'm your favourite wolverine, you know

ynofficial: you're not even my favourite #19

matthew_tkachuk: 😁

ynofficial: idk wtf you're doing, i'm talking about troy terry

matthew_tkachuk: no you're not

ynofficial: no i'm not

ynofficial: sewer rat

matthew_tkachuk: stop talking to brady he's a bad influence

marner_93: you created that, not brady

matthewknies: THAT'S HOW THE GOPHERS DO IT

ella_huber26: YUP

matthewknies: i was talking about beating the wolverines

ella_huber26: why are you like this

umichhockey: admin apologises for the kidnapping

markestepa: me too

ynofficial: that's only because you, duker, ethan and mackie lost

edwards.73: yeah 😞

ynofficial: do you think njd will sign me now

jackhughes: i mean...you clearly work well with luke

ynofficial: get out

nicohischier: jackhughes i'm calling a mclovin

jackhughes: fuck ynofficial i'm sorry

trevorzegras: wait what was that? what's a mclovin and why did jack just instantly apologise? what was he apologising for?

_quinnhughes: wouldn't you like to know, weatherboy

colecaufield: the girls are fighting!

mattboldy: holy shit you actually beat them???

ynofficial: THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING

user13: why are like 97% of the matts and matthews in the nhl in this comment section

liked by lhughes_06, abbeyy18murphyy and 52,185 others

ynofficial: i know the ncaa and frozen four journey for us is over, but i can't help feeling so insanely proud of the team. i'm so excited to see where next season takes us!

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ella_huber26:  💛 🧡 

matthewknies: proud of you girls!

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liked by matthew_tkachuk, mackie.samo and 61,266 others

ynofficial: BOO // HELLOOO I'M SHOUTING IN YOUR EAR // SJHGAJH9[QIGD [error404]

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ynofficial: mitch still doesn't know i was at his game even after he looked me dead in the eye

marner_93: YOU WERE WEARING A FAKE MOUSTACHE AND A MICHIGAN HAT WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO THINK????

ynofficial: IDK BUT OBVIOUSLY I HELD OUT TOO MUCH HOPE

matthew_tkachuk: i would have recognised you

ynofficial: liar

matthewknies: ew wtf is the last one????????????

ynofficial: don't ew me i've seen what you and ella send each other

matthewknies: i apologise pls don't leak anything

edwards.73: a michigan hat? where tf did you get that?

adam.fantilli: it's mine

rutgermcgroarty: it's mine

edwards.73: what

dylanduke25: IM SHOUTING IN YOUR EAR

ynofficial: AHHHHHHHHH

markestepa: wtf is going on

trevorzegras: i think we'd get along you know

ynofficial: idk about that

_quinnhughes: thanks for keeping him humble

ynofficial: it's my favourite thing to do

_connorbedard: how do you avoid the social media contracts for posting about games? i'm asking for a friend

ynofficial: bedsy, you just gotta fuck around and find out

_connorbedard: 😲

liked by adam.fantilli, jamie.drysdale and 61,197 others

ynofficial: gutted.

it's been a hectic couple of days, and despite being out for the final, i had so much fun playing with this amazing bunch of women. i can only hope to get the opportunity to do it again. team usa were incredible, and were exciting opponents - congratulations on the championship.

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nursey16: you broke records, it really was an honour playing with you ❤️ 

ynofficial: right back at you, nursey! ❤️ 

jamie.drysdale: if this is how you play now, you're going to be unstoppable in a few years

colecaufield: ^

_quinnhughes: ^

_connorbedard: ^

marner_93: ^

matthew_tkachuk: ^

nicohischier: ^

lucafantilli: ^

ella_huber26: ^

liked by rutgermcgroarty, jackhughes and 13,916 others

dylanduke25: oops. anyway, this guy made his nhl debut with the devs and scored his first nhl goal the other night. sorry it's late. i'm just so sorry

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mackie.samo: luke like🧍 

markestepa: i need to bleach my eyes

dylanduke25: it wasn't even that bad

rutgermcgroarty: he's just mad he doesn't have game

jackhughes: I FIND THIS OUT THROUGH DYLAN????

_quinnhughes: i found out through brady tkachuk who found out through matthew, i think i should be more annoyed

trevorzegras: LUKE HAS INSANE GAME?????? I HAD NO IDEA lhughes_06 teach me your ways

lhughes_06: no

edwards.73: boy does mackie owe me money

ynofficial: i'm not even mad

dylanduke25: well that's a relief

ynofficial: i actually prefer it this way it's kind of iconic. thanks, duker

dylanduke25: you're welcome?

ynofficial: that being said, i know where you live and you should sleep with one eye open 😄

matthewknies: i always knew there was something up with you ynofficial

ynofficial: dude i could literally make your life as a leaf a living hell

matthewknies: are you threatening me rn?

marner_93: yes

user23: why does everyone think luke is the one with game? what about y/n l/n?

nolan_moyle: i can confirm that this is true

adamfantilli: fr we can't let her hard work and luke's obliviousness go unrecognised 💪

mackie.samo: she worked tooth and nail honestly

trevorzegras: that explains a lot actually

lhughes_06: thanks

liked by bradytkachuk, colecaufield and 68,131 others

ynofficial: thank fuck i ditched matthewknies for nj when i did

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matthewknies: you stayed too long imo

ynofficial: you know you liked my company

matthewknies: you're stinky 🙄

jackhughes: hold on, you're in nj?

trevorzegras: she's sitting with me and jim tonight

jackhughes: nobody told me THE y/n l/n, my sister-in-law, is in nj

lhughes_06: we had to take you out of the gc

jackhughes: but you're living with me right now??????

lhughes_06: oops

ynofficial: i'm going to tell him

lhughes_06: don't you dare

jackhughes: tell me what

jackhughes: _quinnhughes help me

_quinnhughes: let me recover from my tonsils IN PEACE

marner_93: i hate you

matthew_tkachuk: you did us so dirty with those photos

ynofficial: had to bring you both down a couple of notches after that bitch fight

liked by zeepriv, heeshpriv and 44 others

jhuggerspriv: WAS NOBODY GONNA TELL ME SHE'S IN MY HOUSE

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_quinnhughes: oh dear

zeepriv: jack is hardcore fangirling

lhughes_06: wtf how did you get that close to us to take that photo without us realising

_quinnhughes: jack wtf dude

jhuggerspriv: i spoke and they ignored me

ynofficial: what did you say?

jhuggerspriv: i asked if you could sign me a puck and take a selfie with me

lhughes_06: dude oh my god

ynofficial: okay sure

lhughes_06: BE GENTLE SHE'S STILL CONCUSSED

jhuggerspriv: jeez lukey i'm not a caveman

liked by ynofficial, dylanduke25 and 183,173 others

lhughes_06: happy one year to my best friend

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_quinnhughes: whAt

jackhughes: A WHOLE YEAR???

markestepa: i feel violently sick to my stomach

dylanduke25: aww you guys 🥲

rutgermcgroarty: cute

matthewknies: istg hughes if you hurt her

lhughes_06: what is it with matthews threatening me lately? i have no fear of you, i literally got threatened by tkachuk the other day

ynofficial: aw matthewknies you like me really

matthewknies: you're not half bad

adamfantilli: POWER COUPLE ⚡️⚡️

jackhughes: i'm calling an apartment meeting rn

liked by _connorbedard, marner_93 and 68,194 others

ynofficial: happy one year to my favourite person

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marner_93: of all people you chose a hughes?

ynofficial: what's your beef?

marner_93: none. just seems like you're planning to have genetically enhanced hockey babies

ynofficial: MITCH WTF

matthew_tkachuk: i thought i was your favourite person

ynofficial: you're one of them, luke's just at #1

ella_huber26: omg you're adorable

ynofficial: no YOU'RE adorable

matthewknies: aw thanks

ynofficial: i was talking about ella but don't let me rain on your parade

matthewknies:  🙄 

edwards.73: SHE TOLD ME FIRST GUYS

dylanduke25: actually it was me, i walked into the toilets at the arena immediately after luke walked out and i legit thought she was gonna faint on the spot

lhughes_06: you need to do the math bc that was literally two months in

ynofficial: he told me he loved me and then walked out because i froze and he freaked out at me freaking out

_quinnhughes: ah, young love

ynofficial: also dylanduke25 edwards.73 i told matthewknies first, where did you get that idea from? 😭

matthewknies: we're actually besties 😏 shocker

edwards.73: WHAT!!!!!! YOU TOLD KNIESY????

ynofficial: i hadn't even met you wtf

dylanduke25: i think it's cute you told matthew first

jackhughes: i'm stalking your instagram and idk how i honestly didn't see you were dating luke

lhughes_06: that's because you're dumb as fuck

_quinnhughes: real

jackhughes: i prefer the term oblivious or maybe idk KEPT OUT OF THE KNOW

lhughes_06: what was i supposed to do?? you had a hockey skill crush on my gf how was i supposed to just drop that at dinner

jackhughes: like drop it

lhughes_06: you would have had a panic attack and collapsed out of a sudden increase in high blood pressure

mackie.samo: when did you get so smart?

lhughes_06: ynofficial is a secret genius

ynofficial: not true, he helps me with my flashcards

trevorzegras: see you at the lake house this summer

ynofficial: OMG I'M INVITED?????

trevorzegras: no lol i'm just fucking with you

jackhughes: she's coming

lhughes_06: definitely

_quinnhughes: trevorzegras is the last person that will ever get a say on who gets to come to the lake house and who doesn't

give her back her scarf jake 🧣🧣🧣

THIS REVIEW😭😭😭

this is so cute <3

robby asking you on a date and being a nervous wreck

LOOK HOW CUTE THIS BITCH IS AHAAHAHAHHHHHH

he had been off all day. he seemed fine around everyone else but it’s almost as if he was avoiding you. you didn’t look too much into it, thinking that it was probably nothing. but then once you got to the dojo, even his karate was off. he was missing kicks and losing spars. something was definitely up with him. you waited until he was changed after class to approach him. he was knelt down, putting his gi into his duffel bag.

“hey robby, hows it going?”

“good, it’s good.” you noticed that he didn’t make eye contact with you when he answered. and he didn’t ask you back, something he would normally do.

“are you sure? because you’ve just seemed really off today and you know you can talk to me about anything right? did something happen? was it johnny? or your mom? or-“ he stood, finally looking at you but only for a second.

“no, it’s nothing like that.”

“oh. ok, so what up?” he took a deep breath before finally, finally looking at you.

“can i ask you something?”

“robby, i just told you that you can tell me anything. that extends to asking anything as well.” you smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“uhm, well, i was just wondering, would you, uh, any chance that you would want to, and you can say no, of course,”

“robby, just ask me.”

“would you want to go on a date with me?” you were silent for a moment, processing what he just said.

“that’s it?”

“uh, yes?” he wasn’t sure how to respond to your reaction.

“of course i’ll go on a date with you. i don’t know why you were so nervous. as if i’d say no,” you teased and he playfully rolled his eyes.

“how’s tomorrow? we can go eat?”

“well, i’m actually pretty hungry right now, if you don’t have any other plans.”

“hmm,” he looked down at his wrist as if he was checking a watch that he wasn’t wearing, “now works.” you smiled widely at him.

“well then, what are we waiting for?”

OH MY GOD LANEY 😦

i think this is the best thing i’ve ever read with my own two eyes 🤭

knock, knock: the future comes calling | these michigan summers

series masterlist

a/n: IM SO NERVOUS TO POST THIS BUT folks, the moment we've all been waiting for *drumroll*

cw: some making out that came out a little steamier than i expected? also brief mention of jacklibby *shudders*

FALL '18

Libby wasn't even in need of sleep when she found herself in Quinn's bed. The sun had set hours ago, replaced by the moonbeams pooling into his room like a gentle greeting, a soft lullaby foretelling a night of peaceful slumber.

She'd been stuck with the closing shift at the quaint boutique downtown, and when Quinn had caught wind of just how late she'd be there, he wouldn't hear her arguments that it was only a thirty-minute drive home. In no way was it an excuse to see her.

The movie playing on his laptop had long been forgotten, though, moved aside as they lay beside each other, lost in a conversation they barely remembered starting.

"Fuck, I don't know what I wanna do after college," Libby confessed with a sigh, stuffing her face against the soft fabric of his pillow like it would provide some security from Quinn's stare—intense yet not in the way that had her running for the hills or shriveling up until she was nothing but a speck of dust. “Maybe run away and join the military like everyone else who doesn’t know what they wanna do in life.”

"Hey, you still have time to figure it out," Quinn assured her, coasting his hand into hers. "We're barely into our second year."

Libby could feel the words at the tip of her tongue, clawing and desperate to be said, the ones that wanted to invalidate what he was telling her. Quinn knew what he was going to be doing in the future, in the next year. He practically had it all lined up since he was a little kid, and though she was incredibly proud of him, the suffocating feeling of being stuck had her comparing herself to him, to his life, in a way she knew was incomparable.

She wasn't an athlete, not anymore. She couldn't rely on the talent she'd been refining since she was a kid to support herself like he could. Not that she'd been that good of an athlete, to begin with. Sure, she was offered an athletic scholarship, but there was no guarantee she would've made it into the professional leagues, the way it was for Quinn.

God, Libby felt like she was falling behind, tripping over herself, running in circles, doing unnecessary U-turns. She was struggling to keep up, to have a career lined up, all planned out.

It didn't seem to matter that, as Quinn said, she was barely into her second year. When the people around her seemed to have everything figured out, time moved differently, faster, with every breath ticking one second closer to uncertainty.

But Libby stopped herself before the thoughts could come tumbling past her lips. That wasn't who she was. Her pride for Quinn's accomplishments and what lay ahead for him far surpassed the belittling jealousy that crawled through her mind like parasites.

"I know," she found herself saying, squeezing his hand.

A beat of silence lapped between them, hesitancy seeping into the air. Quinn's eyebrows pulled together like he was deep in thought. "Have you—" He paused.

"Have I what?"

"Have you ever thought about getting back into soccer?" he asked genuinely, turning onto his side to look at her better. "Or cheer? I remember watching you practice tumbling out on the lawn sometimes."

Libby smiled as the memories resurfaced, but a moment later, her lips thinned with acceptance. "No, those days are over," she said, a bittersweetness clinging to her words. She remembered complaining to her mother most days about the sore muscles and infuriating drills, and she would do anything to experience it for one more day.

"Because of your ACL? Thought it hadn't been bothering you for a while."

"Kinda. I just—I don't know how you're balancing school and hockey." Libby blew some air out in disbelief. "I'm barely making it through the day as a regular student. Can't imagine what it would be like to do soccer or cheer too."

"You're also working a job that I think you should quit because your boss sounds like a Grade-A asshole."

Libby laughed at the apparent annoyance on his face. "He has a family to feed and take care of, Squish."

"And he can do that without being a dick towards his employees."

"Would it make you feel better if I got a new job next semester?" she asked, mostly joking. She could endure the passive-aggressive comments thrown her way or the overbearing behavior of her boss for a bit longer; it was nothing she hadn't experienced growing up.

"Yeah, it would, actually," Quinn responded seriously. "It'd make me feel better if you got a new one as soon as possible."

Libby said nothing for a moment before a smile broke through her face.

"What?"

"You're cute when you're frustrated, you know that?" she asked, eyes milking the planes of his face and how his stern expression faltered once she uttered those words.

Quinn blinked before shaking himself out of his stupor. "Hey, you can't do that." He detached their hands only to stick his pinky out in the space between them. "Promise you'll find a job with a nicer boss?"

Libby looped their pinkies together. "Next semester."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I know you will." Libby let her gaze trace over his features one more time before sucking in a breath. "I probably don't have to ask what you want to do, huh?"

Quinn chuckled, soft and raspy with the luring calls of sleep he was swinging his sword at, desperate to stay up and talk to her for just a little longer. "No, probably not."

"You're gonna kill it out there," she told him, sliding her hand back into his to rub her thumb against his calloused skin as though she could sense the anxiousness festering within him, the fears he kept locked away out of habit, out of a responsibility to always stand firm for his brothers, for himself.

"I hope so."

"You will."

Quinn's gaze danced across her face, glowing under the dim lighting of his room. Sincerity was laced in the blues of her eyes like it was weaved into her genes by the finest seamstress the universe had to offer—a permanent gleam that outshone the stars. He gulped as her jaw clenched with certitude, sharp and mighty against those who may try to contradict her.

Even though his ambition had been a crackling, growing ember within him long before he knew her, the way she was looking at him, so assured and proud, despite how he hadn't even made it to the NHL yet, made it so much clearer that he'd be successful just for her, to prove her right, to see that look all over again.

And fuck, he was so far gone.

"I guess that's something I want to do," he said. "Do well in the NHL."

Libby rolled her eyes—affectionate. "Didn't you hear me, Squish? You will."

"And win the Stanley Cup."

"Which you will."

"And have you by my side through it all."

Libby tightened her hold on his hand. "Which you will. I'll always be there for you."

Quinn shook his head. She wasn't getting it. "I know, but winning the Cup won't be as fulfilling if I can't hold you on the ice and kiss you the way I've wanted to for years."

The world seemed to slow in Libby's head as his words replayed in her head repeatedly like a mantra, whispered all around her like the air had been begging her to understand what he'd said, what he'd wanted to say for so long.

Her heart should've sped up, should've run laps around her chest like it was the last run of her life, but the blood pumped slowly in her veins, beating softly like the wings of a butterfly. It wasn't suspense of fear she felt; rather, it was much like relief.

Relief that she hadn't been the only one teeming with thoughts and dreams of what it would be like to have each other as more.

Libby hadn't realized she'd stayed quiet until his fingers brushed the side of her face, gentle and hesitant in a way that showed he hadn't thought this through—like he had been holding onto that piece of information for so long, he just couldn't keep it in anymore, combusting with a need for her to hear what he’d been keeping hidden under the guise of a years-long friendship.

He just needed her to hear it.

"Say something, please," he whispered, voice trembling as he tucked her hair behind her ear. The way she was scanning his face, eyes unreadable like he'd never seen before, had his throat closing up. It terrified him to realize he had no idea what she was thinking when she'd always been so easy to read.

"You don't have to wait until we're on the ice." Libby pushed forward and captured his lips in hers.

Caught in a state of shock, Quinn took a moment to return the kiss, and their mouths clashed together in a greedy culmination of every moment together, every mishap, every miscommunicated gesture, every 'what if?'

Libby found herself being lowered onto her back, pressed further against the mattress as Quinn slotted himself in the space between her legs. Her fingers tangled with his hair, and a groan escaped him, muffled against the sweet press of her lips that tasted like the pomegranate chapstick she'd applied earlier. The sound was much breathier and deeper than she'd imagined.

Quinn cursed under his breath when she moaned, his hips involuntarily rolling into hers. His wild heart thrashed in his chest, heaving clumsily against hers, and though his lungs screamed for air, he was under her allure, unable to pull away like he’d been enchanted by her touch alone, unwilling to have any space between them.

His hand slid under the hem of her—his—sweater, warm skin against warm skin, electric and blazing all at once. The newfound closeness forced Libby to break the kiss, her bottom lip trapped between his teeth. A desperate whimper rippled from her vocal cords, high-pitched and whiny in a way that had Quinn imagining what other sounds she'd make.

He released her lip, watched it bounce back into place, and the arm that kept him propped up collapsed beneath him. He gulped as he caught his breath, leaning his forehead against her shoulder, eyes closed. "Fuck."

Libby ran her hand through Quinn's hair, gently coaxing him to look at her. Her eyes switched between his, the blown-out pupils against the darkened green that seemed just as enchanting, watched as they flickered down to her swollen lips.

Quinn kissed her again, short and sweet, unlike the previous. "Let me be yours," he mumbled, begged, trailing his lips across her jaw and down her neck, reveling in the moans he could feel vibrating through her throat as she tilted her head for him. "I've wanted to be yours for so long."

Libby's heart skipped a beat. "Only if I'm yours."

A smile stretched wide across Quinn's face as he pulled away from her neck, infectious enough to draw one from Libby. All he did was nod before his lips were on her cheek. Fuck, it was like he couldn't stop—he wanted to kiss every part of her tenderly, sweetly, until she was sick of it.

"Wait—years?" Libby pulled away from Quinn after her mind finally caught up, processed what he’d said with clarity. "What d'you mean you've been wanting to kiss me for years?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed like it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Sunshine, I've had the biggest crush on you ever since you first knocked on our door."

"You have?"

"Yeah, baby," he said softly, watching her cheeks redden after the nickname slipped past his lips.

"Wait—but you dated—"

"I know." His calloused thumb swiped back and forth against her ribs. "Thought I talked myself out of that stupid little crush because, I mean, you were only there for the summers, but you still had my heart racing. Broke up with Ashley when I realized it wasn't fair to her, even if I thought you and Jack had something going on."

Libby's face twisted. "Don't remind me."

"Are you still mad at that?" Quinn asked, eyes heavy with guilt and shame.

"I was never mad at that," she said, gliding her hand onto his jaw, smiling when he leaned into her touch. "Appalled, maybe. A little hurt. Kinda upset—actually, very upset—"

Quinn frowned. "I'm sorry, Sunshine."

Libby shook her head. "Hey, we talked about this. It's okay. I forgive you. Forgave you ages ago."

He held her stare for a moment, searching for any sign of resentment, any flaw in her character that brought her one step closer to humanity and away from divinity. Instead, all he found were a gentle pair of eyes looking into his with nothing but candor. "I think you have the kindest heart this world will ever see."

A laugh rumbled through her chest. She ruffled her fingers through his hair, finding the slight crinkle of his nose far too endearing. "You're adorable."

"I mean it, Libby," Quinn said, finally letting his weight relax against her body. "And I don't wanna fuck up again, not when you're trusting me with your heart."

"Bless your heart, Quintin," she sighed, letting her thumb graze his browbone. "You really are adorable. And poetic."

He rolled his eyes at her cheeky smile.

"You wanna know what I think?" Libby asked.

"Always wanna know what you think."

"I think...I've always trusted you with my heart. And I don't think you realize just how kind yours is either—one of my favorite things about you."

Quinn's breath stuttered, his heart too. His eyes fluttered shut when her fingers traced the slope of his nose, then her thumb swept across his lips. And suddenly, the layers of clothes in between them seemed too overbearing. His hand caressed her skin under her sweater, gliding lower until he was nudging at the hem. "Can I? Just wanna feel you."

Libby swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as she let him remove the sweater, leaving her in just her sports bra. Her breath came out choppy when his eyes flicked across her body as though he'd never seen her in a bikini before; it was like he'd been ensorcelled, looking at her like she had been sculpted by Michelangelo himself.

"So fucking beautiful," he murmured, feeling her skin heat up at his words.

Libby bit her lip, masking the size of her smile. She tugged at his shirt, and he slipped it off his torso, tossing it somewhere in his room. Her hands skated over the ridges of hardened muscles and warm skin that she'd only ever used to be able to appreciate visually when he'd been working out or swimming in the pool back in Canton.

"C'mere." She pulled him in for another kiss, savoring the way his hand slid up her calf, holding her knee against his hip.

"Think I could kiss you all the time," he mumbled against her lips. "Don't know how I've gone this long without it."

"Look who the talkative one is now," Libby teased. A squeal erupted from her throat when Quinn squeezed her side, her body squirming at the ticklish feeling, and his laughs echoed into balmy air.

He nestled his face into the hollow of her neck, a sharp gasp cutting through her giggles as he drew a line of kisses down her chest, nudging her necklace out of the way with his nose and skipping the tight material of her sports bra, and across her stomach. He bit back a smirk when her skin pebbled under his lips, the muscles in her belly tightening, forcing a moan out of her throat.

Libby watched with bated breath as his fingers hooked onto the waistband of her shorts. He looked up at her, eyes shiny with wonder, silently asking if he could take them off. With her lips parted and eyes searing the image of him staring up at her like she was some deity deserving of reverence in her brain, she nodded.

Quinn tugged her shorts down her legs, haphazardly tossing them aside. His lips found her thighs, then her hips, and a deep rumble sounded from his chest when her fingers tangled into his hair, tugging at his scalp. He sucked on the supple skin of her hips, tongue lapping over the bruises and teeth marks hidden from everyone but them—a vestige of the night.

His name came out of Libby’s mouth as nothing but a breathy moan, a desperate cry for more. Quinn glanced up, letting his thumb soothe over her hip bone, and he felt the air in his chest get knocked out: Her hair was fanned out against his pillow like a halo, skin glowing like liquid gold, shimmery with desire, and Quinn swore she looked nothing short of perfection—an angel walking amongst mere mortals.

Libby pulled him back for another kiss, crushing and frantic, as she reached for his shorts. He was quick to kick them off, yet when she went for his boxers, his hand latched onto her wrist.

"Not tonight," he murmured before she could ask if he was okay, if she’d overstepped a boundary. Her touch was gentle against his face, contrasting the feverish grabbing along his body from a moment ago that had him burning all over, permanently scorched by her. "Tonight, I just wanna kiss my girl."

A dazed smile danced across Libby’s face as she sighed in pleasure, her eyes closing like she’d taken a hit of some drug. She felt his mouth, wet and slow, across her jawline, neck, chest, and shoulders—no part untouched.

"Just wanna appreciate you," Quinn mumbled against her skin.

Libby melted when his lips found hers again—felt like she could sink into the mattress. She hiked one leg around his waist, ready to push him onto his back, yet he didn't budge, fought every valiant attempt of hers. She broke their kiss, brushing her thumb over his pink and swollen lips. "Gonna let me appreciate you, too, big guy?"

"Tonight’s all about you, baby."

She pouted. "You're paintin' me out to be a selfish lover, Quintin."

He ran his broad hand up and down her thigh, groping at the skin. "You? Selfish?" He laughed, shoulders shaking and mouth smiling wide, teeth and all. "Could never be selfish."

Libby rolled her eyes, and Quinn shook his head lightheartedly. His body relaxed against hers like a weighted blanket, and with a final kiss on her lips, they understood that there was no need to go any further. All Quinn wanted was to lay in her arms, wrapped up in the actualization that he was hers, and she was his.

One of Libby’s hands rubbed his bare back, his muscles rippling under her touch, while the other twirled the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck. She pressed soft kisses over his forehead and temple and wherever she could reach, and she couldn't help but chuckle when a hum vibrated through his body as he hugged her waist like she would disappear.

Gradually, Quinn's breaths slowed, and soft snores reverberated against the quietude of the room.

Libby didn't fight against the fond tug of her mouth as she glanced down at his sleeping figure. She may not have known what she wanted to do after college, but she knew she wanted Quinn, and for now, that was enough.

————

A knock ricocheted into the room, breaking the calming stillness that was lulling Libby to sleep. Her voice was soft, heavy with exhaustion as she told the person to enter the room.

The door opened, and Josh stuck his head through the space. His eyebrows shot up when he took note of the pair on the bed—the positioning, the unrestrained affection, and the few pieces of clothing strewn across the floor. "Well, that's new."

Libby suddenly grew bashful under his mischievous eyes, the same ones that would glance at her whenever she and Quinn did anything because he'd been privy to her feelings, pieced it together over the summer when he'd visited Canton to hang out with them. At the sight of her nervous smile, Josh's jaw dropped.

"Oh, my God," he mumbled. "You guys finally fucked."

A choked sound lodged itself in Libby's throat at his statement, and she tried not to cough, tried to keep her movements to a minimum to not wake up Quinn. "What—no!"

"You guys finally admitted you liked each other?" Josh guessed with a tilt of his head, clearly entertained by how flustered she was.

Libby stuttered over a response, trying to come up with the right words to say, but it was like her brain had short-circuited, and any ability to speak the English language had been thrown out the window. Damn, maybe Tyler was right: she did get shy when talking about her feelings.

"You totally did!" Josh pumped his fist before leaning back into the corridor. "You all owe me money!"

Libby's eyes widened at his words, and panic broiled in her chest when Quinn stirred in her arms, a sigh fanning against the bare skin of her collarbone.

"What's going on?" he asked, lifting his head ever so slightly, eyes bleary as he tried to blink away his sleepiness.

"Nothing," she blurted, screaming with her eyes at Josh to cut it out when he quietly celebrated by the doorway. "Go back to sleep, Squish."

"Okay." He kissed her, briefly yet slowly all at once, before snuggling back against her neck, lips grazing the skin there one final time before he went back to sleep.

Josh wriggled his eyebrows, about to slip away when Libby spoke. "Wait, why'd you come knockin'?"

"Was gonna ask him something, but it looks like he has something more important to be doing." Josh winked suggestively.

"Oh, God." Libby scoffed.

"I don't think God wants to see what goes on between you."

Her nose scrunched. "You're disgusting."

Josh laughed.

"Before you leave, can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor."

"Turn the lamp off for me?" Libby smiled sheepishly.

"Are you decent?" he asked.

"Jesus Christ," she cursed. "Yes, I'm decent."

Josh then hummed, slipping into the room. "Just making sure. And I'm only doing this because I'm about to be a few hundred dollars richer."

Her face was marred with disbelief, eyes following him as he drew nearer. "You know, it's awfully rude to bet on your friends."

"I'll split with you."

"Deal."

Josh switched off the lamp, shrouding the room in darkness. He walked toward the door, tripping over Quinn's shirt that was tossed aside earlier, and his body crashed into the wardrobe by the door with a heavy thud. He told Libby to shut up when she snickered. The moment he closed the door behind him, Libby heard the dreaded nursery rhyme reverberating against the walls of the house.

"Libby and Quinn, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

She sighed when Josh's voice finally faded down the corridor: They were in for a ride tomorrow morning.

currently listen all to well 10 minute version crying in the club. blondie come in now

omg 😖 i was going back and forth between missouri and mississippi the whole time i was writing that 🫠

but here’s my (personal) country playlist for all your southern needs 🫶🏻

i was listen to country music, like the southern women in me does, and lainey wilson’s sing those boots cam on- you can’t tell me little libby’s life in missouri wasn’t like that 🥹

*mississippi hehe but yes absolutely!

also, from one southern woman to another, please give me country song recs because i’m tired of only hearing morgan wallen on the radio and my playlists are currently under renovation