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“No fucking way,” Jack splutters. Quinn looks up from his phone, eyebrows furrowed. “Luke’s on his way. Not for us, though!” Jack looks up as he speaks, smirking wickedly. Quinn huffs out a breath of laughter.
“Let me guess – starts with Nico, ends with Hischier?” Quinn drawls. Jack cackles again and throws his phone over, the device bouncing off the bedsheets and clattering to the floor before Quinn can catch it. He peers over the end of the bed and grabs the device, lifting the far too bright screen to his face.
The messages don’t say much beyond Coming to Italy followed by Not for you losers, and then Jack’s sprawling, paragraph-long message in response, consisting only of laughing emojis. Quinn huffs fondly.
“You’re so mean to him sometimes, you know that?” Quinn says. Neither of them actually mean any of their teasing, their chirping, it’s just a part of how they are. You don’t grow up with multiple brothers – and grow up in the hockey world with multiple brothers at that – without developing a strong tolerance for familial chirping.
“He deserves it! Stealing my best friend from me,” Jack huffs playfully. Quinn rolls his eyes in response, which only prompts Jack to huff again. “I’m serious! Nico was my best friend, and then here comes Luke.”
“Should’ve told your best friend that your brothers were off limits then,” Quinn says. Jack fixes him with a glare that lasts all of two seconds before they’re laughing together, Quinn falling back against the sheets as Jack nearly tumbles from the desk chair.
“Maybe I should’ve.”
~
Luke’s half asleep, close to dropping into the dreamy void, as he waits around in the airport. He’d survived the flight – with an aching shoulder and a raging headache accompanying him the whole way – and now he’s just waiting to be picked up.
Telling his parents that he was coming to Italy for Nico and not their other sons had mostly been worth it. They’d chirped him incessantly at first before switching to discussing where he was staying, how he was getting around, all the other helpful shit that Luke had barely thoughts off. Hell, he isn’t exactly in the best condition to drive, after all.
Looking up, Luke spots his parents and he smiles sheepishly at them before he starts dragging his suitcase behind him. It tugs on his shoulder, the good one, and he has to hastily bury his mouth in his sleeve as a yawn rips through him.
“Tired there, bud?” His dad asks with a chuckle. Luke can only nod in response, watching as his father plucks his suitcase away from his hold. “Well, we’ll get you to the hotel and you can rest up before dinner tonight, okay?”
“Sure,” Luke responds. He follows his parents with tired ease, wincing when his shoulder smarts. It’s still achy, still tender to the touch, and all he wants right now is to curl up in his hotel bed with a sling on, sleepy and peaceful, and preferably in Nico’s arms.
“Nico’s coming tonight, by the way,” his mother says, and Luke’s head whips around, turning to face her with wide eyes. She laughs and Luke blushes, cursing himself for being so foolishly in love. “It makes sense, no? Tonight is a family dinner and, well, Nico is family.”
“Thanks to Jack,” Luke responds, and look. He’s never claimed to have a good grasp on his jealousy. Never claimed that thoughts of Nico leaving him for Jack haven’t maimed his thoughts on sleepless, winless nights. But he’s better about it now, better at tamping down the itchy feelings that wiggle around like unearthed worms in his gut.
Something still always slips through, though.
“Oh hush. He’s dating you, isn’t he?” His mother responds. Luke sighs, saying nothing further as he slips into the backseat of the rental car, his eyes already heavy with exhaustion. His mother smiles at him from the front seat, reassuring. “Rest up. We’ll wake you when we’re at the hotel.”
~
Nico knocks on the door gently, careful not to startle Luke in case he’s fast asleep. Practice that morning had been draining, and Nico’s half convinced he only survived it because he knew Luke was on a plane to Italy. Not for his own brothers, but for him.
It makes Nico feels dizzy with lovesickness.
Before he can sink into the marshmallow squishiness that is his feelings for Luke, the door opens and Nico is greeted by one of the best sights in the world. Luke’s rumpled, shirt risen to show off the slight pudge of his untoned stomach, shorts curled up at the hems and hair sticking out like broken springs.
“You’re so cute,” Nico says in greeting, all but bullying his way into the room. Luke huffs playfully in response before he’s draping himself all over Nico, sleep warm face meeting the cold planes of Nico’s neck. “How was the flight?”
“Long, tiring, and painful,” Luke responds. He curls Nico even tighter into his fold, grumbling softly when Nico tries to pull away. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be held by Luke, of course he does, it’s just that he can’t see Luke’s face like this and he kind of wants to.
It is his favourite face in the world, after all.
“Let me see you,” Nico says. Luke huffs and acquiesces, loosening his hold just enough for Nico to shuffle around. And really, Nico was right to fight for it. Luke’s eyes are puffy with sleep, creased pillow print on his cheek, and his lips are dry from the unfortunate case of mouth breathing he suffers with. Nico thinks he’s stunning. “Beautiful boy.”
“Mm… all you,” Luke responds sleepily. He nuzzles his way into Nico’s neck again, and Nico can’t help but chuckle fondly. Luke’s adorable like this, all soft and sleepy, totally trusting in Nico’s strength and ability to keep him upright. “Bed.”
“Yeah? You still tired?” Nico says. Luke hums, so Nico starts guiding them over, careful not to jostle Luke’s shoulder or cause him to stumble along the way. He falls to the sheets almost immediately when Nico gently prods him. “Want me to join you?”
“What kinda question is that?” Luke grumbles, half-asleep with neither of his eyes open. He lifts the covers invitingly, and Nico shrugs out of his jacket and toes off his sneakers before he’s slipping under the sheets, welcoming the warm embrace of Luke’s figure curling around his. “Make sure we don’t miss dinner.”
“I won’t.”
~
Jack’s fizzy with excitement and anticipation, so much so that Quinn’s already chastised him for kneeing the table and slicing his thumb open on the menu. A simple papercut, but Jack knew what Quinn was thinking of.
They definitely don’t need a repeat of that incident.
“When are they getting here?” Jack asks. He’s impatient with it all, the desire to tease Nico and Luke driving him antsy and skittish. He thinks other patrons are starting to glance over at them because of his jitters, but then again, he’s also an Olympic-level athlete. Maybe that’s why they’re staring.
“They’re just coming,” his mother says. “You should calm down before you knock something off the table.”
“I’m not that bad,” Jack says. He is definitely that bad.
Nico and Luke soon appear, guided to the table by a waiter. They’re talking animatedly, blonde hair curling around their eyes, and if Jack wasn’t so invested in the chirping he’s about to enact, he might’ve been interested in them.
“Luke, Nico, hey,” their father says, standing up to pull Luke into a hug, and shake hands with Nico. Jack watches the whole exchange with his lower lip trapped between his teeth. After all, this is the first time Nico’s been alone around the entire Hughes family since he got with Luke. The dynamics had to have changed.
“Surprised you two weren’t caught up doing,” Jack fakes a cough, “other things.”
“Oh, shut up,” Luke responds with an eyeroll as he slips into his seat. The jacket he’s wearing is a Team Switzerland one and Jack merely gestures at it so the rest of his family notice too. Quinn coughs out a laugh into his hand, and he can see his parents exchanging amused looks.
“It’s cold out. I was just being nice,” Nico says, and Jack knows it’s true, knows that Nico’s the sweetest captain the NHL has ever had, but he doesn’t buy it this time. Luke knew it was going to be cold, so surely, he packed his own jackets, no?
Luke coughs awkwardly, attempting to diffuse the teasing atmosphere of the table. He snatches up a menu, holding it so Nico can peer at it as well, and Jack has to swallow down another wave of laughter. It’s almost hilarious how obsessed they are with each other. Have to do everything together, or some shit.
“Let’s order, shall we?”
~
Nico feels bad for Luke, even when he knows he shouldn’t. The teasing hasn’t stopped all night and whilst some of it has been directed at Nico, Luke’s been the main topic of teasing, and Nico can tell he’s getting tired of it. Not upset, just tired, which is probably not helped by the mix of still-aching shoulders and rough jetlag he must be dealing with.
“You okay?” Nico whispers. Luke swallows his mouthful of drink as he peers up at Nico, lips shining wet under the faint restaurant lighting. He sighs and leans into Nico’s space. Nico doesn’t hesitate to curl an arm around Luke’s waist, encouraging him to sink further into Nico’s hold.
“Tired. My shoulder’s killing me. Not had any meds since before I got on the plane,” Luke says. Nico frowns, Luke mimicking the expression within a second. He can see why Jack’s spent the whole night chirping them about being ‘one and the same’ now, but he doesn’t voice those thoughts. “I know I should’ve taken something, but it’s just not really occurred to me. I’ve mostly been sleeping today, you know?”
“I get it. I’ll get you some when we leave, okay?” Nico says. Luke thanks him before nuzzling further into Nico’s hold. Luke’s food sits unfinished on his plate, and he gestures towards it. “You should eat some more.”
“In a minute. Tired,” Luke says, and when Nico looks down at him again, Luke’s eyes are closed. He hums in response and presses a gentle kiss to the crown of Luke’s head. It doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Ew, stop making out,” Jack chirps. Nico fixes him with a look of exasperation before his attention is stolen away by Luke moving. He sits up, taking his warmth with him, and Nico watches as Luke starts tiredly chewing at his food once more. The chirp doesn’t even seem to have reached him.
He must be well beyond exhausted.
“I can’t believe you came all the way to Italy to see your boyfriend and not your brothers,” Jack continues. Luke huffs fondly, easing some of the cautious anxiety in Nico’s gut. He’s a worrier, even more so when it comes to Luke. “So cruel.”
“Mm, yeah. I’m so mean,” Luke responds, dragging the ‘so’ out before eating another forkful of food. He flips Jack off before blushing at the playful look of admonishment on his mother’s face. With a mouthful of food, Luke addresses her. “He started it.”
“You sound like a child when you say that,” Quinn retorts. He tips his glass in Luke’s direction, smirking softly. “Is it still sneaking around if you fly out to Italy for your boyfriend but have dinner with your family at the same time?”
“Oh my god, imagine if he’d just shown up without telling us,” Jack says with a gleeful clap of his hands. He’s tipsy now, one too many violently coloured cocktails being swallowed down. Nico would be more concerned if he didn’t know that tomorrow was a day off for them all.
“I wish I had,” Luke grumbles. He finishes up his food and takes another quick sip of his drink before he’s leaning back into Nico’s embrace. “You fuckers are just jealous I’m dating the best person out there,” Luke drawls and oh. Oh, Nico’s face might be going hot.
“God, you two are so gross,” Jack says, wrinkling his nose. Luke blows him a cheeky kiss in response and Nico can’t help but laugh.
Whilst he’d been apprehensive about dating Luke at first, worried Jack would quite literally kill him for dating his younger brother, things had turned out more than smoothly enough. Jack was all too eager for Nico and Luke to get together, begging Nico to ask him out because “Luke won’t shut up otherwise. All he talks about is you.”
When the laughter around the table dies down, everyone chatting at they finish up the dregs of their drinks, Nico leans down and presses another kiss to the crown of Luke’s head. Luke entwines their fingers together and lifts their hands to his mouth, dotting a quick kiss on the back of Nico’s palm. He peers up at Nico with the softest smile Nico’s ever seen on his face.
“Thank you.”
~
Luke huddles further into the collar of his stolen jacket, Nico’s gloved hand warm in his own uncovered one. “What was tonight like for you? Hell? Annoying? A totally normal family dinner?” Nico questions. Luke giggles slightly and knocks his shoulder against Nico’s.
“Normal. Comfortable, actually. They chirped us like they normally would, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure my dad nearly called you his son at one point,” Luke says. He smiles at Nico, relishing in the dimpled one he gets back.
“Glad it wasn’t just me that thought that,” Nico responds. Luke laughs again, breath misting out of him foggy white, before he sighs and leans further into Nico’s side. They slow to a stop, the pause natural, and turn to each other. “I had fun tonight. Did you?”
“Yes. Despite how tired I feel… it was fun. Nice. I kinda feel bad for telling them that I was coming to Italy just for you, not matter how true that actually is,” Luke says. And it is the truth. He sees a lot of Jack on a daily basis, and sure, he sees Nico only marginally less, way more than he sees Quinn, but it’s not the same.
Luke’s had a whole childhood of Jack and Quinn, Quinn and Jack. He’d not had nearly enough time with Nico, so sue him for wanting all the scraps and spares he can get. He’s greedy like that, youngest child selfishness seeping through over the rarest of things.
Like Nico. He doesn’t get the most time on ice? Who cares? Only one assist when Nemo puts out three? Again, who cares? Nico spending time with someone else, or spending it alone? Luke starts to care, can feel the itchiness of it spreading under his skin. Wants to devour every spare hour in Nico’s day.
“Luke,” Nico says, pulling Luke from his thoughts. He blinks, startling when snow drifts from his lashes. He looks up, taking in the soft flakes falling from the sky. When had that started? “Can I… can I kiss you?” Nico whispers, snagging Luke’s attention once more.
Luke doesn’t deign to respond verbally, just loops his arms around Nico’s waist and tugs him in, their lips melding together in seconds. Warmth suffuses through Luke’s body and he hums delightedly, pressing further into Nico’s touch. “Could do this forever,” he breathes out. Nico hums into the kiss, pulling back the tiniest amount, just enough to speak before Luke’s stealing more kisses from his tongue.
“Then keep kissing me.”