Hughes Brothers Imagines

worth it (l.h)

Shortly after I became a certified sports trainer, I was hired by the New Jersey Devils. Their original trainer was out on paternity leave, so I didn't have to work too hard.

My first day on the job I had to deal with quite a few fighting-related injuries, so every day after that was a breeze.

I had grown fond of a certain Devil. Luke Hughes. He was exactly my type and an extremely good person. I swear if 'perfect' were a human, it would be him. I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or upset that he didn't get hurt as often. Until he did.

He had been checked from behind due to an extremely delayed icing call. He slowly skated over to the bench, favoring his abdomen.

"Can you tell me exactly where it hurts?" I asked, offering him an arm as we walked down the tunnel to the medic room.

Helping him onto the bed, I started pressing gently on torso. When I got to the center, he let out a loud groan.

"Right there." He said through gritted teeth.

I lifted his jersey and then his compression shirt to be met with a huge bruise covering a good bit of his midsection. Considering how he had collided with the boards, there was no question as to why it was that big this fast.

"We'll put some ice on it to prevent more redness and swelling. If it doesn't help in the next 15 minutes, you'll be going to the hospital to get it checked out." I explained, handing him a bag of ice.

He let out a small laugh, "Feels like I'm back in school. Are you gonna give me a mint too?"

I laughed, "I can't really do much with injuries like this. Since I can't look for any internal injuries, this is the best you're getting." I reached into a cabinet, "And if you want a mint, here you go."

An amused look appeared on his face as he unwrapped the small candy and popped it in his mouth.

After 15 minutes, I took the ice pack off. The color and size of the bruise had reduced a lot, leaving behind a soft shade of purple.

"How do you feel?" I questioned, helping him sit up.

"Better. It doesn't hurt too bad."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Almost every player I'd seen with injuries like this claims they're fine just so they can play again.

"Are you just saying that so you can play or do you actually feel better?"

He hopped up and leaned down to touch his toes. Then he stood up straight and started twisting side to side. I guess he did feel better.

I chuckled, "Alright then. I'll let Lindy know you're okay to play. But make sure you go get it checked out if anything feels off."

"Thanks. Could I get another mint before we go?" He asked.

I handed him another mint. But instead of eating it, he placed it in his pocket. Before I could question it, he opened the door, gesturing for me to walk out first.

Thanking him, we walked back through the tunnel. He sat down next to his older brother while I walked over to Lindy.

After I explained that Luke was good to play, he nodded and thanked me. A few minutes passed before Luke was called to get on the ice. Everything was going well. He was skating fine.

~~~

This game was heading into overtime. One of the best perks of this job was the view we got from being so close to the ice. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I didn't even get the chance to blink before Jack and Luke were skating towards the other goal. Jack made the perfect pass, allowing Luke to get a shot and score. The entire stadium erupted in cheers and clapping.

Luke took a bow before being trampled by his teammates. That ice really did work wonders.

A sea of Devils headed down the tunnel, their celebrations being anything but humble.

I let out a laugh before I headed to the medic room and started packing up my bag. I didn't get very far until a familiar brunette came through the door.

"Hey. You alright?" I asked, concerned.

He shook his head, "Yeah. I just wanted to say thank you."

"Of course. Just doing my job."

An awkward silence filled the air. I could tell he was nervous about something but I didn't know what.

Eventually, he cleared his throat and started talking.

"Um. I was just wondering if you'd like to get food or something."

There's no way that Luke Hughes was actually asking me out on a date.

The surprised look on my face caused him to start rocking back and forth on his skates, a red color rising on his cheeks.

"I'd like that." I smiled.

A look of relief washed onto his face, "Sweet. I'll meet you in the lobby." He gave me a small wave before leaving the room.

It's never a good thing when athletes get hurt. But in this case, I'm glad it happened.

this story changed like 7 different times bc i didn't know what write and i spent a whole hour trying to think of a title

writers block scares me but it's coming for me

but I hope you enjoyed this one!

<3, J