MIRACLE
_______________
I'D COMPLETELY LOST HIM.
We were in a department store that was open 24 hours for the holidays and I'd lost Jack. There was a song playing over the PA system that sounded a lot like It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year, but as I searched through every aisle, looking for Jack, my apparent date, it felt less than wonderful.
I doubted it entirely, but I checked the toy aisle just incase he'd decided to be a child and play with the kids toys. Pausing, I pulled out my phone, opting for just calling him.
I didn't even get the chance to press dial before strong arms wrapped their way around my waist, Jack calling out "raaah" as he picked me up, running down the aisle a few steps. I squealed, the exact sound he wanted to hear, before a string of giggles erupted from my stomach and left my mouth before I could stop them.
"Jack!" I whined playfully as he placed my shoes back on the ground, turning me in his arms. The second I laid eyes on him I burst out laughing. Not the shy kind, that I'd been doing all night, either, but a full out laugh. "What the hell are you wearing?"
He was fully glad in a princess dress he'd found from who even knows where, a tiara on his head and a pair of fairy wings. He had a string of silver tinsel thrown around his neck like a scarf and a huge smile on his face.
I searched everywhere, desperately trying to make sure no one was around to see famous NHL star Jack Hughes prance around in a princess costume. He didn't seem to mind, giggling like an absolute idiot as he continued to hold my waist.
"What?" He asked, blinking. "What's wrong? You don't like my outfit?"
I tipped my head back, not being able to stop laughing at him. "Where did you even get that? Is that what you've been doing all this time?"
"I found you one too, bub," he chuckled. My heart stopped. He'd been calling me bub since I was a child, as if him being a few years older made me a baby, but he only ever said it when he wanted to be endearing. "Except I couldn't find another princess, so you have to be a dinosaur, hope that's okay."
I giggled for the millionth time, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "Take it off dingus!"
He tossed the tinsel around my neck as I looked up at him with a dramatic pout. "Wow, you are a model," he mocked, standing back to look at me in the tinsel.
"Jack, please," I begged, trying to conceal another all-out grin.
He gave me a dry look. "Fine."
He was halfway between taking off the dress when I started giggling again, and earning a heavenly smile from Jack, himself. He looked up at me as he tossed the pink princess dress to the side, not a care in the world.
"Jack," I whined. "The Tiara."
"What tiara?" He asked, feigning innocence. He took two steps toward me, immediately catching my waist in his grip again. I leaned away from him, but he followed me, making me feel like maybe he was taking the fake girlfriend for the night thing a little bit seriously. I wasn't expecting him to actually do anything aside from tease me, but the moment his teeth bit down on my shoulder, my cheeks flushed the hottest, most raging pink they'd ever been.
It was a playful bite, not hard enough to leave any marks, but it still had my insides bubbling and my stomach flipping like I'd just been at the top of a roller coaster and we'd just done the first drop.
"Did you just bite me?" I squeak, despite myself and how I felt.
"Yeah," he shrugs, as if it wasn't the strangest thing in the world to do. "I'm claiming my ownership over you like they do in those weird werewolf fiction books on Wattpad."
I coughed, hard, choking on my own saliva. "I'm sorry did you just say Wattpad?"
He chuckles, his cheeks tinging pink to match my own. "Hey, sometimes I get bored on road trips, gotta pass the time somehow."
"So you read fanfiction?" I gawk, eyes wide open as he continues to shrug it off casually.
"Only if it's about me."
In pure disbelief, I gasp. "Who are you?"
He laughs, dropping my waist and beginning to walk out of the store, tossing the tiara in a random toy aisle. We're quiet for a moment, me trying to figure out how I never knew Jack had read fanficiton about himself. I wondered what else I didn't know.
"What's your favourite trope?" I ask before I can stop myself, immediately regretting it. Jack stares at me like he's just discovered hockey for the first time. I look away, blush so intense it reaches my ears.
"You've read Jack Hughes fanfiction, haven't you, Miracle?"
I giggle, not being able to hold back the inner child as I pretend like I definitely haven't spent all night lying in bed reading about Jack. It wasn't my fault people had written books about him, who was I to ignore that?
"I've read Quinn fanfiction," I tell him, squinting through a glare.
He scrunches his nose. "I'm hurt, read about me instead, loser."
We're quiet again as I mull over his words, contemplating them. He wanted me to read about him? It's like he can tell I'm thinking about it, because he's suddenly smiling again, leaning out to grab my hips and pull me to him. He throws an arm around my shoulders, using his hand to ruffle my hair playfully before pulling me close again.
"What's your favourite trope?" He asks, eyebrows raised as he looks down at me, expression unreadable.
I consider giving him another sarcastic comment, but ultimately decide against it. This was Jack, it was all in good fun and we were laughing, I hadn't laughed with Jack in a long long time.
"Forced proximity," I tell him, sighing, and waiting for the insult that may follow.
He paused, stopping us both in the quiet aisle that I've now discovered is the Christmas section. Fantastic. Cocking his head, he seems to come to an internal decision and suddenly I'm being pushed against the nearest wall. His arms are either side of my face, his palms flat against the wall as his chest presses firmly to my own. I can feel every inch of his torso, his chest, his—my body is on fire.
"Like this?" He whispers, eyes hooded as his head dips to meet mine.
I look up at him, determined to prove that I wasn't complete putty in his hands. He was smirking, amused, as my lashes fluttered up so I could look at him.
Sucking in a breath, I realise our lips are inches apart. "Yes."
He laughs, it's low and sweet and music to my ears. His fingers are suddenly grazing the skin of my cheek, pushing the stray hairs on my face back behind my ear. "You wanna know mine?"
My heart does a hiccup, we're still whispering. "Yes."
Jack's lips pull to the left ever so slightly, his lips are dangerously near mine, and my heart feels like it could beat out of my chest. "Brothers best friend."
I gasp without meaning to, a tiny sound. "You are my brothers best friend.
"I know," he breathes. "Are you are mine, pretty girl."
"Um, excuse me?" A voice asks, breaking the tension between Jack and I immediately as we both jump apart, not prepared to be caught. It felt like we were kids again, sneaking around together just to spend a few minutes alone. I turn to the voice, it's an employee, she looks horrified. "My manager says if you guys aren't going to buy anything you have to leave."
Jack is the first to break the silence with a snort. We were being kicked out.
By the time we got to the street outside, I was freezing cold and ready for bed. Jack noticed, feeling a little guilty for keeping me out so late.
"You tired?" He asked, his hands shoved into his pockets.
I nod in response, not having much energy for anything else at this hour. I spotted his car in the distance, physically sighing with relief at the knowledge that sleep was near. Although, a part of me didn't want this night to ever end. It had been a long time since I'd spent time alone with Jack, and never did I think I'd get to be spoiled by him like I had tonight.
Between ice skating and Jack being a princess, we'd gotten popcorn to share, tried—but failed—at winning stuffed Pokémon on a claw machine, and taken photos wearing various Christmas hats before we'd be kicked out. It was the typical, romantic first date, but it was perfect, because it was us.
Jack opens the door for me, waiting until I'm buckled in and curled up before he closes the passenger side door with a gentle smile.
He's in the car beside me in moments, tossing a hoodie from the backseat over his head and pulling another one out to lay over my legs.
"The heater will warm up soon," he tells me. "But for now you can use this as a blanket."
It smells like him. I want to keep this hoodie forever. I curl up, snuggling further into his sweater as he pulls out onto the road, passing me his phone.
"Pick some music for us, pretty girl," he instructs. I grab his phone reluctantly, staring at him with slight dread written on my face. Jack knew the kid of music I listened to wasn't exactly the girliest of genres, and not exactly for everyone. Im also pretty sure he liked rap. "You want me to pick?"
"Yes, please," I whisper, still awkwardly holding his phone.
"Okay," he grins, thinking for a moment. His eyes light up as he turns to me, leaning in. "Type in Alps by Novo Amor."
I do as I'm told, cocking my head when I press on the song and it's acoustic. I look up at him in confusion, he's only grinning.
"Didn't take you for the sad boy type," I tell him with a lazy smile.
He flashes me a shy smirk, placing his hand on my knee, which is pulled up under my chin so I can be as comfortable as possible. "Just when I'm trying to sleep, close your eyes Miracle."
I'm not about to argue with that logic, and so I do, falling asleep before the song even ends.
***
By the time I wake up again, the sun is rising behind the clouds and the snow on the ground is glistening in the morning light. Jack pulls into his drive way, leaning across to wake me, but seeing that my eyes are lazily already staring at him. His lips pull into a tired smile without him even having to try.
He notices the way I look right now, still curled up under his hoodie, the tip of my nose pink from the cold and my lashes blinking up at him innocently. He's never woken up beside me before, but he imagined it wouldn't be far from perfect.
Jack reads the time on his watch, it's six in the morning, meaning everyone would probably be already up or at least waking up. There was no way we could avoid running into our families, meaning we'd have to explain why we were coming home together, a day after we'd left.
It was going to look strange beyond belief. I'd left yesterday with Jake, being picked up for a date, and I was coming home with Jack, after—well, we don't need to mention that I'd been on two dates in one night, one considerably better than the other.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Jack breathes, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I blush, and I'm way too tired to try and hide it, so I just let it happen, still gazing up at him through tired eyes. "Are you gonna go in and sleep some more?"
I nod, siting up and trying to stretch. "Are you?"
"Yeah," he chuckles, scratching his cheek. "I'm wrecked."
I'm about to turn to him, to remind him that it was his idea to stay out all night, when I spot Trevor on our porch a coffee in his hands, in my favourite mug, what the hell is with these boys and my mug? He's staring at Jack's car, squinting, as if trying to decipher who Jack's got in his passenger seat at this hour.
I knew he'd give me hell, but right now I didn't have the energy to care.
Jack notices that I'm tense. His fingers scraping the skin of my wrist. "I'll deal with Z."
"Okay," I nod, dragging myself out of his car and into my house, ignoring Trevor's glare on my way in. Quinn and Luke are here already, eating our food, makes sense, they're all awake early in the season. "Morning boys."
"Where have you been?" Luke asks, taking a bite of toast. "Haven't been able to find you or Jack all morning."
"That's because they were together," Quinn smirks, turning away from me to hide the smug look on his face.
"It wasn't like that," I try to reason, but it pointless, because Quinn's mind is made up.
"That isn't what Cole told the group chat," he sings.
There's a group chat? I turn to my phone, it's been turned off since I was with Jake. Turning it back on, I notice two things, the first: I have a billion missed calls from Jake, the second: I've been invited into the group chat.
Boats & Hoezzz
Jemma Smith added Mira Zegras to the chat
Jem:
You're welcome Jack
Rowdy:
Now you've done it
Moose:
Oh hi Mira
Huggy:
Here we go
Z:
What the fuck
How
How do you know Mira
Z changed your name to Grinch
Cole:
Ur sister is cooler than u z
She was at the sports bar with us before
Pretty sure she just went home with Jack
Rowdy:
Goodbye I have died
Quinn:
It's been three hours and no one is home
Z:
Where tf are they
Hughes if you screwed my sister
You're dead
Jem:
Neither have responded in a while
Jack is especially quiet
Cole:
I think we'd started a war
Quinn:
Ok guys they just got home
It's fkn 6am
Z:
I don't wanna think about it
Rowdy:
Chill guys
We just hung out
Cole:
all night?
Grinch:
Wtf is this
Why am I here
Z:
Yeah leave
Grinch:
Staying to spite you
Jem:
How was ur date with Jack
Grinch:
Wasn't a date
Just hung out
Rowdy:
It was good
We got kicked out of target
Z:
Ok I'm going to barf
Both of you suck
Cya
Grinch:
Why is the chat named boats and hoes
Z:
Michigan lake house dick face
Go away
Grinch:
You wet the bed until you were 14
How about that
Quinn:
Here is a video of Z chasing Miracle for your enjoyment
I think she's dead
Rowdy:
Leave my baby alone
Grinch:
Omg stop