Chapter Text
By the time Luca stepped out of the practice facility a little under two hours later, he was tired, sweaty, and had glitter in places he was surprised glitter could be.
He also had twelve missed texts, two missed calls, and a missed FaceTime request; the timestamps ranging from when he first turned his phone off to right before he turned it back on. All from the same person:
His teammate.
Roommate.
Best friend.
Crush.
Montgomery James LaPointe.
Pointy 🫵
yo Luca
did you go run without me?
why did you let me sleep in?
[1 missed call from Pointy 🫵]
Ignoring my texts are we?
Tsk tsk
Can you pick up food while you’re out?
i want Arby’s
Two beef and cheddars and fries
oh and a chocolate milkshake pls
Yo Luc did you see this?
[2 missed calls from Pointy 🫵]
Buddy…
Are we okay??
[1 missed FaceTime request from Pointy 🫵]
“Fuck,” Luca breathed as he clicked the missed FaceTime request.
“Luca Maxim Haas,” Jamie scolded when he picked up after the first ring.
Luca responded in kind. “Montgomery James LaPointe.”
“Ew. I never want to hear my first name out of your mouth again, man.”
“Yeah, that was weird,” Luca nodded. “Never doing that again.”
They stared at each other through the phone in an awkward silence, which was completely unlike them.
Luca studied the face of his best friend. His brown hair, normally slicked back, was wild and fluffy, as if he had been running his hands through it constantly for hours. He didn’t seem angry, though. Instead, Jamie’s eyes were filled with what Luca could only say was worry.
Jamie looked away from the screen first, rubbing at his eyes.
“Man, don’t do that to me,” he said.
“Do… what?” Luca asked, thoroughly confused. Sure, he was away from his phone for a while, but he didn’t expect Jamie to go all “concerned boyfriend” on him in a span of a couple of hours.
“You always answer your phone. Or tell me when you can’t,” Jamie waved his hand not holding his phone around like it was obvious. “What happened?”
And oh.
He was right.
Luca never told him where he was going that morning. He had hoped to talk to him about it… later.
He just didn’t think later would come so soon.
“Do you still want Arby’s?” Luca deflected. “I can go pick up your sandwiches before I get back.”
Jamie narrowed his eyes as his gaze drifted past Luca. “Wait. Are you at—”
“I’ll see you at home in half an hour,” Luca interrupted, feeling guilty. “Love you. Bye.”
And he hung up before his friend could say anything more.
If Luca wasn’t standing in the middle of the parking lot, he would be screaming into the void. Not only did he lie to his crush best friend, he hung up on him after saying I love you.
He felt like a loser.
”You look like you fought a war against God and lost,” Luca heard from behind him.
Troy and Harris were walking across the parking lot, holding hands with their arms swinging like childhood schoolmates. Harris’ head rested on Troy’s shoulder as they walked. Luca couldn’t decide if he admired or envied Harris’ joy and whimsy.
Probably both.
“Feels like it,” Luca replied.
“What happened?” Harris asked. “If you need to scream, just let it out.”
Luca sighed. “I didn’t tell Jamie where I was this morning and he blew up my phone. I feel bad that I worried him.”
“You know,” Troy mused. “I’m surprised that he lets you call him that.”
“Jamie?”
“Yeah. He barely even lets us call him MJ. And Young had a bruise the size of Russia after he called him Monty. How do you get away with it?”
The truth was, when they first met, Jamie had stuck out his hand and said, “Call me Jamie.” Luca didn’t think much of it. He called him Jamie and Jamie called Luca Luc.
“Best friend privileges?” he tried.
“Sure,” Troy rolled his eyes. “Best friend privileges my ass. That’s like, next level shit.”
Luca froze. Was his crush that obvious? He didn’t think it was, but hockey players were either super dumb or crazy perceptive.
Harris lifted his head from Troy’s shoulder which caused him to pout. Serves him right, Luca thought.
“What did you say when you called him back?” Harris asked. “You did call him back, right?”
“I called him back,” Luca affirmed, and Harris nodded. “And hung up when he figured out where I was.”
“Cold, Luca.”
Harris studied Luca, which made him start to sweat. “Is that all?” Harris asked.
“What— what do you mean?”
Troy agreed. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Luca shook his head vigorously, a blush forming on his cheeks.
Harris furrowed his eyebrows. “If you say so.”
Luca folded like a cheap lawn chair. He was a master manipulator with those eyes.
“Isaidiloveyou.”
Troy groaned. “Haasy!”
Luca raised his hands in defense. “I didn’t want to have this conversation in the parking lot! I’m getting us some food and heading back to the apartment. Where we’ll talk.”
“Including that ‘I love you?’” Harris teased lightly.
“I was panicking!”
Troy patted him on the shoulder. “You sure were, buddy.”
Luca tried to give him his best side eye. “Do you have anything else to say, or can I leave before I’m declared a missing person by my roommate?”
“Just say hello to Jamie for us,” Harris sing-songed, as Luca turned away.
“He’s your coworker too!” He huffed. “Text him yourself.”
~~~
There was no reason for the Arby’s drive-thru to be as busy as it was. Luca almost abandoned the line three times before he reminded himself that even though Jamie asked for it, it was still “apology Beef ‘n Cheddar,” and that he had to stick it out.
When he finally received the food, he sent a picture of the bag on the passenger seat to Jamie
🫵 Haasy
[arbysbag.img]
Omw! Harris and Troy wouldn’t let me leave and then everyone wanted Arby’s
But I have it now and I should be home soon
Pointy 🫵
milkshake?
🫵 Haasy
[milkshake.img]
Pointy 🫵
thx
His final message through Luca for a loop. It was more… detached than Jamie’s “normal” texting style. Luca couldn’t tell what Jamie was feeling, and he hated that more than when he could.
He added an extra heart to the thread.
🫵 Haasy
❤️
Luca let out a relieved sigh when Jamie replied only a moment later.
Pointy 🫵
💙
Whatever was on his mind, it wasn’t as bad as what Luca first thought. With that out of the way, he pulled up the playlist he was currently listening to so he wasn’t alone with his thoughts.
“… I’ve spent all of the love I’ve saved / We were always a losing game …”
Skip.
“When I told you ‘I’m fine,’ you were lied to…”
Skip.
“Nobody said it was easy…”
After the third skip in a row, Luca slammed the off button on the dash. This was not the mindset he wanted to go into the conversation with.
So alone with his thoughts it was.
It wasn’t long before he pulled into his reserved parking space at their complex. Collecting his things, along with Jamie’s food, Luca checked the car with his hip to close it.
However, trying to open the apartment door was deemed a struggle. It took some finagling, but he was able to free a few fingers to achieve his goal.
Luca unceremoniously dropped his bag in the entryway, electing to move it after he talked to Jamie.
Wherever he was.
Luca was surprised that he wasn’t waiting for him in the kitchen, or on the couch in the living room.
“Jamie?” He called out. “I’m back?”
No response.
He went back into the kitchen to grab a plate for his own meal. There’s a quiet shuffle behind him, and when Luca turned around, there he was.
Him and Luca were around the same size, with Jamie ever-so-slightly taller. However, in the doorway, he was slouched, making himself as small as can be. His eyes were wide, and a bit wild, as if had been panicking for hours.
He probably was.
“Hey,” Luca said quietly, like Jamie was a wild dog. “I brought your food.”
Jamie nodded rigidly and before Luca knew it, he was slammed by 190 pounds of hockey player.
“You scared me,” Jamie mumbled into his neck. “You didn’t tell me where you were.”
“I know,” Luca replied, pretending it was all normal. He tried to readjust himself against the counter, but Jamie hanging off him made it a bit difficult.
“If you let me go, we can go to the couch and I’ll explain.”
Jamie nodded again and Luca grabbed the two plates of food while Jamie followed with his milkshake.
The pair sat wordlessly on the couch, unwrapping their sandwiches in tandem. Jamie was halfway through his second one before he spoke.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Luca looked up from his chicken sandwich.
“For what?”
“You don’t always have to tell me when you leave. I know that. It’s just—”
“We always do,” Luca supplied.
“Yeah. And mixed with the fact you weren’t answering your phone?” Jamie looked Luca directly in the eyes. “You fucking scared me dude.”
“I was freaking out this morning too.”
It was now or never.
“Huh?”
Luca took a steadying breath. “I told Harris I would do the photoshoot today.”
Jamie squinted in confusion. “The Pride Tape one? Why would that make you nervous?”
“They’re helping me come out. After playoffs.”
Luca could see the gears turning in Jamie’s head. “You mean…”
“I’m gay,” Luca said. “Queer. Something. Just…”
“Not straight.”
“Not straight,” he agreed.
The first smile Luca had seen from Jamie that day crept onto his face.
“That’s fucking awesome, dude,” he said, before dropping their plates onto the coffee table and tackling Luca into the couch.
Luca was shocked. He knew, realistically, that Jamie would be fine with it (or else he would have been traded a year ago), but the idea of him being this chill?
“Oof,” he grunted when he hit the side of the couch. “What was that for?”
It finally sunk in for Luca what positions they were in. He was on his back, head just above the armrest. Jamie was parallel above him, with one hand bracing himself next to Luca’s head. The other, well— the other was laying soft on Luca’s hip, a thumb creeping up under his shirt. Jamie’s knee was strategically placed between his thighs.
The current situation was not what Luca was expecting when he thought about coming out to Jamie.
Luca felt a faint warmth rise through his neck (and dip below his waistline).
He needed to get out of the situation before something unspeakable occurred.
“Do you want to uh… let me up?” Luca stuttered.
Jamie, to his credit, seemed completely unfazed by the position he had put the two of themselves in. In one fluid motion, he pushed himself up off of Luca and returned to eating like nothing had happened.
Luca wished he could feel the same.
Instead, he grabbed a pillow that had fallen from the couch and used it as a table, ignoring the slight erection he definitely wasn’t hiding.
Embarrassing.
“Yo, could you hand me the remote?” Jamie asked, holding out an open palm.
Too stunned to speak, Luca did.
Navigating their plethora of streaming services, Jamie picked some random action movie that Luca ended up only semi-watching.
He didn’t know how Jamie could do it. A smile, a soft touch, just existing in each other’s quiet company. Each moment made Luca want to scream. Or kiss him. Or both.
Definitely both.
As the movie progressed, Jamie had slowly migrated into Luca’s space. It started with a rogue foot, bumping against his ankle.
Luca changed positions, folding his legs inwards on the couch.
Jamie’s fingers brushed his.
Luca hugged the pillow into his chest.
Then Jamie shifted his weight toward Luca, their knees thudding together.
Luca let it be. Jamie was offering, and Luca was only a man.
A hand snaked out.
Luca took it.
The silence still remained, the TV reduced to a background that Luca only vaguely registered. Each point of contact was a spark, from their feet to their knees to their hands.
And then—
“Are you gonna kiss me, or are we just gonna play chicken all night?”
He bluescreened.
“What? Uh.. I— how?”
Jamie snorted. “What, you didn’t think I noticed your… visitor?”
Luca smothered his face with the pillow. “Do not call it that, Jamie. It was an accident.”
“So… you don’t want to kiss?” There was a hint of sadness in his tone.
“I… um— I never said that,” Luca said shyly.
Luca removed his face from its fluffy sanctuary to look at Jamie. He had never seen a smile so bright before. There were honest-to-God sparkles in Jamie’s eyes like a fucking cartoon.
“Yeah?”
It was the first kiss of his dreams. They say that when you kiss, it feels like fireworks. But not to Luca. It was like a bonfire on a cool summer night. It was warm and easy, like they were always meant to do that.
“Wow,” he breathed.
Jamie, with his hands still on Luca’s face, looked incredibly proud of himself. “Yeah?”
“How did you know?”
“That I wanted to kiss you? Or the other way around?”
“The other way.”
Jamie’s grasp moved from Luca’s face to his hands.
“Pure fucking luck.”
Luca went in for another peck. “I think it was more than luck, don’t you?”
Jamie shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. What I want,” he moved their arms to above Luca’s head, locking him in place. “— is to do it again. For quality control, of course.”
A shiver ran down Luca’s spine. “Definitely.”