Greg WyshynskiMar 12, 2026, 05:15 PM ET
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Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
Multiple Authors
For a crucial World Baseball Classic match against Canada, who better to invigorate the U.S. squad than Olympian ice hockey champion Jack Hughes?
The team’s skipper, Mark DeRosa, declared on Thursday that the prominent player for the New Jersey Devils “relayed a stirring message of…
On this occasion, it was Hilary Knight’s moment to spark considerable mirth — aided by the “Saturday Night Live” writers — subsequent to a protracted disagreement concerning the United States women’s and men’s Olympic champion ice hockey squads.
Knight, the skipper of the U.S. female contingent, accompanied by fellow player Megan Keller and men’s team brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes, made an…
Knight & The Hughes Bros. Launch Hilarious SNL Counterattack
i don’t mean to come off rude either, but she did make a statement and backed up the boys. she might like post against trump, but when it comes to making a statement against him on the news, she backs out, and to me that reads as compliance which sucks. either way congrats to the WOMENS hockey team for winning gold, and i hope you have a great day anon :)
Editor’s Note: In 2019, we asked a group of rising athletes to imagine their futures and write letters to themselves from the day they retired. Two of those athletes — Jack Hughes and Alysa Liu — stood atop the Olympic podium as gold medalists at the 2026 Winter Games. As they celebrate the biggest moment of their careers thus far, we’re revisiting the words they once wrote about the futures they…
Revisiting Jack Hughes’ and Alysa Liu’s 2019 letters after Olympic gold
Hockey has made quite the headlines over the past few months. When the 2026 Winter Olympics ended in a major victory for Team USA, Jack Hughes was one of the biggest names to emerge from the win. And with the newfound attention on the New Jersey Devils center, fans are speculating about his personal life, especially after he’s been spotted out and about with “Greedy” hitmaker Tate McRae. Tate,…
Are Jack Hughes & Tate McRae Dating? What We Know About the Rumors
Lk the only reason were seeing so much content of team usa tonguing trumps holes is BC theyre at the olympics. The NHL would likely never let this much political commentary be shown to its viewers. Blessing in disguise ig
Jack Hughes helped Team USA clinch the gold medal against Team Canada in the final game of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The NHL star scored the winning goal of the game despite having his front teeth knocked out. With blood still visible from his top gums, Jack proved to the world what dedication really means to him. So, how exactly did he lose a tooth — or more — in the final game?
Here’s a…
Did Jack Hughes Lose a Tooth in the Olympics? How He Lost His Front Teeth
“Les Trésors de Chypre (Saison 2)” documentaire présenté par Bettany Hughes (2023) de la série de documentaires “Les Merveilles du Monde Antique”, février 2026.
Feb 18, 2026, 05:54 PM ET
MILAN — The American male contingent is advancing to the Olympic semifinals, having required an additional period of play to overcome their quarterfinal opponents on Wednesday.
Quinn Hughes netted the decisive goal in the extra period, propelling the United States beyond Sweden with a 2-1 victory. This triumph came after the Americans had conceded the equalizer to Mika…
Quinn Hughes’ OT Gold Rush Blasts USA into Olympic Semifinals
I loved my friend.
He went away from me.
There’s nothing more to say.
The poem ends,
Soft as it began,—
I loved my friend.
Langston Hughes
Number of Sims
Families- 5
Davis
Robinson
Walker
Hughes
Clark
Sims Born-0
Sims Moved in though Marriage or being asked- 1- Lori married into the walker family
Deaths-0
Total- 26
Net Worth
Davis- 28,106
Robinson- 25,599
Walker- 88,605 plus business – 71,935
Hughes- 29,491 plus business- 31,786
Clark- 26,119
Neighborhood net worth- 301, 641
Fires-0
Sim Shrink Visits-0
Social…
Number of Sims
Families- 5
Davis
Robinson
Walker
Hughes
Clark
Sims Born-0
Sims Moved in though Marriage or being asked- 1- Lori married into the walker family
Deaths-0
Total- 26
Net Worth
Davis- 28,106
Robinson- 25,599
Walker- 88,605 plus business – 71,935
Hughes- 29,491 plus business- 31,786
Clark- 26,119
Neighborhood net worth- 301, 641
Fires-0
Sim Shrink Visits-0
Social…
Tommy is a little guy with a big textured brain (that had gotten his melon cracked open very recently) so I get it his strategy is always to bide his time and plot and never let anyone see him crash out in the mean time but I do think he should have ripped Hughes throat out with his teeth when Hughes showed up at Grace’s charity event and stood in front of Grace’s memorial photo and started yapping. They were all alone in that hallway he could have done it before anyone saw.
I THINK THEY KNOW! ✶ W2
pairings. will smith x hughes!reader
synopsis. as a sister of the infamous hughes, they were extremely protective over you— common brothers! they hated the idea of you dating a hockey player… they knew how they worked. luckily for them, you were never interested in them, until will came around. he swept you off your feet and soon you were dating him. you kept it a secret for a while… until luke goes snooping.
notes. reader is luke’s twin! reader also does all star cheer— idk much ab that so don’t mind any incorrect things but it’s not mentioned a lot. fluff, brothers being overprotective like always, mack appears ofc. maybe some angst… 2 year age gap but they don’t meet until wills on the sharks!
Sometimes you wondered how you were ever related to the brothers you were, even as a young child as you sat on the curb after too many games of road hockey and gave up, watching them as they continued playing without breaking a sweat like they were built for it— which they really were with your parents being into hockey. But they never pressured you into anything hockey, of course you played with your brothers because they always dragged you into the game to even a team between them… and you always did because you were tired of watching from the sidelines.
Your mom wanted you to be into sports, so as a child she looked into other things for you to do. Especially when you ran into the house crying your sweet eyes out because the boys were leaving you out, it wasn’t on purpose but it still always happened. That was the day she decided you needed something for yourself like the boys had for them.
You tried ballet but cried in the backseat of the car because it was too hard and the teacher was mean. She made you finish out the year saying, “Give it a year and than we’ll come back.”
[[MORE]]Tears of relief came out of your eyes when you ran into her arms after your last recital. A summer went by of the boys playing hockey and you playing in the yard, watching with a frown wishing to be apart of that. Ellen came to you one day, sweat beading down your forehead in the heat but refusing to leave your brothers, Luke looking at you, with a flyer of a new cheer place opening in the town. She never imagined that’s what would be your thing, but it was. Cheer stuck with you throughout elementary school, even as you tried soccer with your best friend— you did that until the last year of middle school. Ultimately giving soccer up so you could focus on cheer in high school, and you were pretty damn good at it.
It was hard for the family though, hockey games between the three boys and practice’s with you that lasted hours, plus the games you performed at, then the big competitions. And it was really hard on you, when your brothers weren’t there in the stands, nor was your mom. It was usually your father when the family couldn’t be there, but his cheers were loud enough for them.
Your brother have always been protective, you knew that. In elementary school, Quinn and Jack both got in trouble for punching a boy at lunch because somebody yelled that he was your boyfriend.
“They punched him, mom! He was bleeding!” You cried in the back seat of the car, Quinn was sitting in the front with a glare as Luke sat between you and Jack with wide eyes after just witnessing you jump over to wack Jack in the head repeatedly.
Ellen sighed loudly from the driver seat, she looked in the mirror to see you— eyes blood shot red and a permanent frown on your face. She looked at Quinn quickly, his fist were still clenched in his lap as he looked out the window.
“Yeah, he deserves it.” Jack grumbled from his seat, Ellen was ready to pull over and yank you off of your brother but instead of throwing punches you yelled.. something that never really left the four of your guys mouth during arguments. The two Hughes parents had seen a lot of fights between the boys and you, arguing though… never happened often, just opting to use your fists, legs, and teeth sometimes.
A sob tore through your mouth, Luke was watching your carefully. A hand on your leg, trying to calm you down but nothing seemed to help.
“I hate you!”
Ellen gasped so loudly, she coughed. Quinn unclenched his fist in shock, Luke’s jaw dropped watching as you sucked in a deep shaky breath as your mom pulled into the driveway, you hiccuped through your sobs and yanked your leg away from Luke, he frowned. Jack’s lip parted and snapped his head towards the back of his mom’s seat.
She yelled your name, you sobbed louder trying to unbuckle yourself but couldn’t see through the tears, Luke noticed and put his hand between the two of you and pressed his finger down and unbuckled you. Not bothering to grab your book bag, you threw your door open and slid out with another sob and ran into the house.
That was the first time, more followed, especially when you grew older. Your mother worried when you grew into your beauty, how overprotective the boys came when you entered high school… then the first boyfriend— the break up was worse. You didn’t show up to school for a week.
They were all protective in their own ways, you loved them for it but sometimes truly hated it. Quinn was protective in a way with words, a threatening sentence towards somebody and they froze… wondering if it was true or he was giving out wordless threats. Jack was protective in a physical way, he always had been. Sometimes it scared you: the way he easily got himself into trouble for you.
Luke though was different, being your twin. He was a mix between the both of them but usually it was never with the other person— it was with you. While Quinn was glaring at the person and speaking lowly to them or Jack was throwing them against a wall or throwing punches, Luke was standing beside you, making sure you were okay, protecting your feelings.
So when hockey came around and more boys came into your life because of them, one night they all came into your room. Well, Jack and Quinn did— Luke was already lying on your bed, in his pajamas under your comforter as you sat at your desk trying to study. Key word, try. Luke barged into your room an hour before, freaking out about some girl from school.
The trying to study went out the window when the other two barged in and got comfortable by their brother, you tried to focus on the paper you had been staring at for the past ten minutes but their eyes were burning a hole into you.
“What?” You spat, slamming your pencil down and turning to look at them, Jack raised his eyebrows at you as Quinn shook his head. Luke was scrolling on his phone, you assumed he stopped being a pussy and was texting the girl.
Jack raised his shoulders, “Just wanted to come hang with our favorite sister, is that such a problem?”
“I’m your only sister… and you never wanna hang out with me.”
Quinn frowned for a second, Jack’s eyebrows raised at the sudden bluntness in your words. And Luke’s fingers paused on his screen, side eyeing you.
You stared at them, noticing their facial expressions. “Not like that! Just you guys are so busy with hockey—“
“You’re busy with cheer.” Jack cut you off, sitting up a bit. You saw the panic on his face, god, he was so dramatic sometimes.
“I know.” You gritted out, leaning back into your chair, “I’m just saying— it doesn’t matter—“
“Yes it does.” Quinn jumped in, you glanced at him. “Why haven’t you said anything?”
“Oh my god. Because I didn’t mean it like that! What do you want?” You sighed out, throwing your arms out in front of you. Quinn looked at his brothers quickly, you bit your inner lip watching as it seemed like they were communicating with their eyes— right in front of you.
You love them, so much. More than you could ever put into words but sometimes it felt like you were on the outside looking in, Luke always tried to include you but sometimes it was so hard. They spent so much time together, while you were out at practice for hours after they got home from theirs, them sitting on the back porch together. You were too tired to bother saying hi to them, going straight to the shower and then your bed. They had a different bond, as boys and brothers, and players— something you’d never be apart of.
They were your brothers but it was different.
Swallowing roughly as Jack nodded sharply to his older brother, you straightened in your seat. They all looked at you, eyes softening just a bit.
“We just wanted to say… you know, us joining teams and all soon— our hockey friends are… y’know…”
You furrowed your eyebrows, shaking your head with a shrug. “No, I don’t know. Use your words.”
Jack grabbed a pillow from behind him and chucked it at you, grunting quietly as you stopped it from smacking you in the head.
“You know… off limits.”
“Ew. I don’t want your hockey friends.”
That night, you and your brothers ended up in the kitchen arguing back and forth as your parents watched… attempting to soften it.
But you were right, you never batted an eye at them. Not when you walked in from practice and said hey to your brothers, nodding your head politely at their friends sitting in the living room, watching as you went into the kitchen where your mom stood in front of the stove cooking dinner, you grabbed a water and went up to your bathroom. Not when they attempted to flirt with you, ignoring your brother’s warnings to not do that.
Before you knew it, Quinn and Jack were in the NHL— something they’d always dreamed of. Quinn was in Vancouver, something that broke your heart.. him being so far away from home and his family. But nothing beat watching him score his friend goal of his NHL career, nor did it with watching Jack’s.
It was the year Luke got drafted, it was the year you parted away from your home, under the same roof as your twin brother and parents to leave to join California all stars. Of course, you came home for his draft! How could you not?
You could never miss the moment when the announcer said his name, Luke Hughes for the New Jersey Devils— the same one as Jack. How Jack practically leaped over you throwing himself around your brother with excitement, tears filled your eyes as you were squeezed between the three of them.
The four of you were all away from home and it was really hard sometimes, you guys were so close but couldn’t be more proud of each other. You texted the group chat every morning and night, especially when you knew you day would be busy, just to say something to them. It was harder with Luke, you and him had never been separated since your mom gave birth to the two of you, it took a long time where you or him didn’t burst into a tantrum when you were separated for more than a few hours… sleepovers rarely happened because by bed time you or him were running to your friends parents crying for each other.
Luke called every day, knowing your schedule after the first week of you and him being separated. You and him tried your best to talk as much as you did before but you weren’t used to him being so busy in the NHL and he wasn’t so used to you being miles away from him and different time zones. Plus, the training the two of you went through and barely had the energy to pick up your phone once you walked through your front door.
The first year was the hardest.
But eventually, you and your brothers were used to the difference. It didn’t make it any harder but it worked. They constantly bugged you about any boys, especially when one time some random boy answered your phone. Sitting in your living room. His face popped up on the group face time where your brothers stared at him in shock for a few moments.. questioning if they accidentally added somebody else but it was the siblings group chat.
It was a friend from cheer.
You honestly hadn’t truly dated somebody since high school, before the world only knew you as the Hughes sister. You attempted to go out on a date from somebody you met at the grocery store, seeing it as somewhat of a normal interaction. Not meeting them at an event or on social media. They didn’t recognize you as a Hughes or being related to the famous hockey brothers.
And then….
“I’m a huge fan of your brothers work.”
You were a bit dramatic about it, sighing loudly but nodded and apparently that gave him a signal to keep talking about them— he even asked if you could call them! The rest of the date until you cut him off as the waiter began approaching the table, quickly turning around when she heard the sharpness in your voice and stood up, walking away.
He yelled for the whole restaurant to hear about the check!
You rolled your eyes as you pulled open the doors with tears in your eyes, opting to call Luke but knew he would just run into Jack’s room so you kept your phone in your purse as you walked through the streets of California.
After that night, you declined anybody who asked to take you out. Just imagining yourself sitting in the middle of a restaurant of somebody asking something about them.
You never went on a date again after and never told your brothers. They pushed you that night when you never called after the date, you decline the first call as you laid in your bed, curled into yourself watching your comfort movie, tear stained cheeks. They immediately blew up your phone and told you to answer right now.
Sending a quick text and told them you were about to take a shower, which you did so you could look a little less crazy and the crying wasn’t noticeable. You made up some lie that all he did was talk about himself, your phone set on the counter of your bathroom as you lazily did your nighttime routine. And for some odd reason, they believed you when you lied to them. You never were a good liar and they always knew your twitch when you did lie, but apparently they couldn’t see when your face was in and out of the camera.
It was one night, your roommate who you cheered with wanted to go to a hockey game. She didn’t know anything about the game until she met you, sitting with you as you watched your brothers play and answered her questions or explained what was happening. She soon learned most of it and enjoyed for when she would hear your yell from the living room that the game was starting.
“There’s a game here! It’s like an hour away, we should go.”
That’s how you found yourself at a San Jose Sharks game, your brothers couldn’t believe you were going to be cheering another team on but you just rolled your eyes and told them the Canucks and Devils would always be the team you cheered for the most. It was a good game, your friend in her element as she could watch the game and actually understand… only a couple times did she lean over and ask you to explain something.
Then… you and her were at every Sharks game, as long as you were both free. She literally cancelled a date one night when she learned there was a game, you convinced her to just invite him and you would stay home.
“No way, girl. This is our thing.”
You ended up buying a third ticket the morning of the game and gave it to her, she kissed your cheek with a bright smile. You kind of regretted it when he arrived at the rink and the two were snuggled into each and you sat by yourself, arms crossed around your chest trying to warm yourself— usually, she was snuggled into your side, shivering about the coldness she was not used to. You guessed you’d just gotten used to her warmth.
After the game, you stood behind them as they talked, “I don’t wanna go home.” He smiled at her, intertwining their hands, you rolled your eyes as she said that for the hundredth time of the night.
Digging in your purse, you grabbed your car keys and chucked them at her back. She stopped and turned around sharply, squinting her eyes at you, looking down at your keys at her feet, she slowly picked them up with furrowed eyebrows.
“Take my car and go enjoy the rest of the night.” You smiled softly at her, her smile somehow grew larger.
The guy beside her furrowed his eyebrows, “What about you?”
“I’ll just call an uber.”
Which was the stupidest thing you could’ve offered, they left you quickly after that which was an hour ago. You were still sitting outside of the rink, of course no Ubers were available, they were all picking everybody else up from the arena. A pout formed on your lips when the first one cancelled, then when the second one did— tears formed in your eyes.
Sitting on the curb, curled into yourself as you leaned your chin against your knees watching as players drove out of the arena! You could’ve cried again but you didn’t, just watched as people walked by without blinking at you. You checked your friend’s location, you could tell she was still out with the boy so you kept the messages quiet.
You were watching as people cheered across the street, all dressed in Sharks gear. Smiling softly as somebody jumped onto another person’s back with a loud ‘whoop!’
Gravel crunched beside you, you snapped your head up and saw two boys staring down at you, they looked your age. You squinted your eyes at them as they blinked at you, like you were some animal that was standing in the middle of a road.
“Yes?” You questioned slowly, one of them straightened their back when you spoke.
“Are you okay?” The other asked, hands shoved into his pockets. Their hair was damp, they were dressed nice. You moved your head so the light wasn’t blocking their faces anymore and recognized them as two players on the Sharks.
Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini.
“Oh, yeah. I’m just waiting for the Ubers to start picking people up again.” You shrugged with a tight smile, Macklin nodded softly as Will ran his hand through his damp hair, the light shining on the side of his face, he looked like an angel… you clamped your parted lips shut as you stared at him.
Macklin stepped beside the other boy, “Do you need a ride? Ubers usually take a long time to start getting people after a game.”
You sighed and looked down at your phone, you were usually in bed by now and your phone was at ten percent.
“I don’t live around here and I can’t ask for you to drive an hour after playing a hockey game.” You said softly, looking up at them again. They both shrugged, Will jerked his head and offered his hand.
“We don’t mind, c’mon.” You looked at his outstretched hand carefully before taking it with your soft hands, he squeezed yours before pulling you up, you squeezed his back before slowly pulling away. Smiling as you looked between them as they watched you tug your jacket closer to you,
“Uh, you guys have a car right?” You asked after a few moments of you three standing there, Macklin’s eyebrows shot up before he nodded.
You thought that would be the first and last time you ever saw the two, besides at the games. But that night, when Will walked you to your door, you did your nighttime routine scrolling through his social media. Something you’d never done. And it was noticeable, when your finger accidentally double tapped a picture from too long ago. You screamed as your tooth brush stopped it’s movement in your mouth as you quickly took the like back and spit your toothpaste out, running int your roommates room, ignoring the guy sitting on her bean bag.
The next morning, as you scrolled through your notifications on your balcony, a smile graced your face. He followed you.
That was just the beginning, soon after a couple dms back and forth… Will seeked you out after the game with no Macklin by his side which surprised you.
“Wanna go get some celebratory food?” He asked softly, with that boyish grin that made your stomach flip. Your friend squealed from the other side of the car, you and Will laughed at her as she muttered an apology.
You leaned closer to him, tugging on the bottom of his jacket. “I’d love too… but I do have a friend that needs a ride home.”
“She can drive, I’ll take you home.” Will shot back with a smirk, you shook your head biting back a smile and called out your friends name who rounded the car with a wide smile, Will stepped back as you threw you keys at her.
“Have fun!” She sung with a giggle, watching as the two of you walked away, fingers brushing against each other before he flexed his hand and grabbed onto yours, she squealed again before shutting your door and driving off as Will lead you to his car.
It was sudden, the change between you and him. Before, you knew it was never about being just friends but there was also no rush to be anything more. It had been a few months since the first time you and Will went out, now he was coming over and spending the nights accidentally, the two of you falling asleep watching a movie or staying up late trying to finish putting together the legos you and him bought that day when he went shopping with you, sleep was written all over his face and you told him he could stay.
Macklin came over a lot, you and him became really close too. Your roommate got along with both of them, the four of you playing uno after dinner that you and Will made in your kitchen earlier. You soon realized how competitive Mack was, almost as competitive as your friend. You and Will would watch the two of the bicker about the cards they just put down, you just leaned into Will’s touch and waited for them to finish— sometimes you and him would have to intervene.
You met the rest of the team at a barbecue he invited you to, that was the night he took you to his home and kissed you.
You felt bad. Not telling your family about him but god you loved having him without anyone knowing, but now Mack and your friend knew… and the whole Sharks team. Now you just felt like the worst sister ever. But not even did your parents know, until your mom walked into your apartment with your dad shuffling in behind her tiredly, it was supposed to be a surprise, you had a cheer event coming up and they wanted to be there.
Your father jumped when your mother screamed, you jumped up in your bed hearing the yell.
Will stood shirtless, only in his pajama pants, in your kitchen in front of your stove as he attempted to make the two of you breakfast. You threw off the comforter, running out into the living to see your parents standing in the entryway in shock as Will stared back at the.
Your mom turned towards you when you gasped, standing in his t-shirt and your pajama shorts.
“Oh my God.” You heard your friend say, assuming she came out because of the murder like scream from your mom.
The breakfast was awkward. You ended up ordering from somewhere so Will didn’t have to make more food for everybody, he attempted to leave but your mother forced him to sit at the table. It was halfway through the silent eating, the only sound being your friend’s loud gulps of her drinking. You and her kept glancing at each other every few minutes, your dad was staring at Will as he sat beside you.
“So…”
Your mom broke the silence, “How’d you two meet?”
You and Will smiled softly, turning towards each other and that’s when your parents softened up. Especially, when your whole body softened up when you looked at the boy beside you, of course they already knew who he was before that day but after that morning, they knew him personally and loved him. They were happy it was him.
You made your parents promise not to tell your brothers, they understood but told you to tell them soon… You wanted to, but you didn’t even know how to bring it up anymore— you and Will had been together for a while. Neither of you had posted anything about each other, obsessed with having nobody having their eyes on you as a couple. Nobody had seen you guys together when you went out, luckily. But you knew your luck would run out soon.
Now the hockey season was over and the family immediately made the plans to go to the lake house.
You were standing in the kitchen beside your mom cutting up vegetables for dinner, music was playing softly throughout the house as the boys sat at the table playing a card game. You and your mom would laugh when one of them would groan loudly. It was a perfect day, everyone went out on the boat together, the five of you stayed out there almost all day.. eventually you took your parents back but you and your brothers went back out. Once you came back, your mom was starting to prep for dinner, you and your brothers took showers before joining your parents in the kitchen area.
It was perfect.
Until Luke opened his mouth, “Who’s pretty boy?“
You stopped your movements, everyone paused for a moment to look at him confused. Glancing over your shoulder, Luke’s hand was wrapped around your phone, bringing the phone closer to his face.
You slammed the knife down on the cutting board and darted towards him, snatching the phone from his hands. Now everybody was watching, cards down on the table and Ellen stepped to stand behind you.
“Y’know, Luke it was cute when we were 12 and you snooped through my shit but it’s not anymore.” You gritted out, gripping onto your phone by your side.
“Language!” Both your parents sighed out, eyes snapping between their twins, Luke’s jaw dropped at your words and the scowl on your face. Jack and Quinn looked between the two of you with caution, wondering what the hell was going on. They both just assumed it was some twin fight.
Luke looked over your shoulder, your mom shrugged. “Luke, you know it’s not nice to go through your sisters phone.” She said softly, putting her hand on your elbow and pulled you back, closer to her. She practically felt the anger coming off of you, Luke’s eyebrows furrowed.
“But who’s pretty boy? He said ‘I love you’!” Luke exclaimed, you felt both of your parents look at you with soft eyes.
This is not how you wanted your brothers to find out.
Jack shot up in his seat, bee lining for your phone in your hand. He reached over your body, not expecting a hand to his face and pushing him into the table. Ellen gasped from behind you, gritting out your name.
“No, mom. I’m tired of them thinking they have to know everything!” You cried out, she softly rubbed the back of your arm with a knowing look, the three brothers froze at your words.
Jack grunted as he fell back into his seat, “So there is something to know?” Quinn kicked him under the table when you rubbed your forehead in annoyance, he was always the one to soften to argument or fight between the four of you.. not always, mostly. Only when the four of you were older, when you were kids it was all of you throwing punches and legs.
“No.”
“Yes.”
You snapped your head to your mom, “Mom!”
She gave you a look.
“Oh my god.” You muttered and sat down as she ushered you towards the chair at the head of the able, across from your father and between Jack and Luke. She looked back at the kitchen before taking a spot beside her husband who reached out and grabbed her hand.
You put your phone under your thigh, ignoring the buzz against your leg. Your brothers stared at you, Luke had hurt in his eyes knowing there was something hidden between the two of you. You couldn’t even act like there ever had been, you kept plenty of secrets between your brothers— never Luke though.
Quinn waited patiently, watching you carefully as you picked at your nails. Jack wasn’t looking at you.
“I have a boyfriend…”
Chaos erupted around the table, you dropped your head into your hands with sigh as their voice overlapped with each other and your parents voiced trying to calm the boys down.
“Who is it?” Jack turned towards you, seemingly remembering what this was about. “Who’s pretty boy?” He mocked, lowering his voice and you wanted to smack him. You almost did but your mom said you name softly, she warned how no matter what or who.. this would be the outcome of keeping this from them. Now it was time to find out how they would react about who.
You bit your bottom lip, “Will Smith.”
“Will Smith?! Men and black Will Smith?!” Jack yelled, sitting up, almost out of his chair. You slowly looked at him with a confused face. “He’s like fifty! This is illegal! Oh my god!”
You kicked his leg, “Ow!”
“Will Smith? San Jose Sharks?” You spelt it out for him, gesturing with your hands, the room went silent. Deadly silent. You couldn’t even bother to look at any of them, the dramatics of them having betrayal written across their face. You stared at the scratch on the table from the first summer at the house.
Then chaos erupted around the table, Quinn and Jack snapped their heads towards each other— eyebrows flying up so fast you bit back a chuckle, Luke’s eyes were on you though.. eyebrows raised and parted lips.
“This is absurd!” Jack yelled turning towards you finally remembering who this was about. “Since when?” His voice softened a little, eyebrows pinched together like it was all coming to him, why his little brother was much quieter.
You swallowed glancing between all of them, “A while.”
It went oddly quiet. A quiet you’ve never been used to, not with them or your home in California. You and your roommate were loud together, and growing up it was always chaos. You heard Luke swallow roughly as he clenched his fist in front of him as he looked away from your face, Quinn just stared blankly at you.
Jack broke the silence with a scoff, “You know how hockey guys are?”
You laughed bitterly, “What? Just because you three hoe around doesn’t mean he does.”
Your parents yelled your name, you rolled your eyes as your brothers looked at you with shock.
“He’s nice to me and we love each other.” You fought even though they had pretty much been silent, “I’m sorry for not telling you but this is exactly why.”
“You know we’d support you about anything… even if it was a hockey player— you know that was just a joke.”
“Bullshit.”
Ellen gritted your name out, Jim giving up on correcting you a long time ago.
“Listen, when we told you that.. yes we were being for real but not actually! Not so for real that you can’t come to us for months.” Jack said, leaning forward with a brotherly look but also anger.
Luke stayed silent.
You swallowed, “Luke?”
“I don’t— I can’t believe you kept something from me for this long.”
The room went silent again, everyone’s eyes on Luke as he looked at you. You swallowed roughly, your throat tightening. “I’m sorry.”
There was nothing else you could say, your brothers said nothing either. What else could they say? The family separated, well more of you leaving the table to go to your room and call Will while your family still sat at the table, as soon as your door shut you heard the hushed voices of your brothers and your parents trying to calm them down.
It was another hour until you appeared from the stairs, your brothers gone onto the back porch while your parents continued the paused dinner. Ellen looked up from the stove at the sound of your soft footsteps, smiling softly she gestured for you to go outside.
Holding back an eye roll you walked towards the back door and opened it gaining the attention of your older brothers, stopping their conversation. You felt small under their gaze, hand still on the handle like you might run back into the house. Quinn noticed and scooted to the side on the small couch on the porch and jerked his head, you smiled softly and sat beside him, the oldest dropped his hand onto your shoulder and squeezed it.
“So,” Jack quickly said, smacking his hand onto his thigh and looked at you with a look you’ve seen one too many times. “When do we get to meet him?” He tapped his fingers against the table, they all looked towards you, waiting.
You messed with the strings of your devils hoodie, “I don’t know, didn’t really plan on seeing him until I went back to California.”
“You can invite him to the house, Sissy.”
It was a nickname they’d call you when you were younger, it kind of drifted when you grew up, it lingered with your parents but they’d call you anything but that— unless they were feeling nice.
“I don’t know… he probably has a bunch of plans.”
“Well, ask him anyway. Just for a weekend or something.”
Two weeks later, Will was flying into Michigan and you had never been more nervous as he texted you he landed, you were sitting in the pick up line, constantly messing with something in your car or looking at yourself in the mirror or camera on your phone. You were currently looking in your console, it was messy and you cringed but couldn’t think of that when a soft knock interrupted your thoughts.
You flinched, snapping your head up and Will stood at your window with a large smile on his face— you smiled widely back. He glanced down at the handle and your eyebrows raised as you blindly reached for the handle to unlock the door.
Will slid into the seat smoothly, tossing his duffel bag into the back seat while also leaning over the middle console to pull you closer and you melted into his touch, awkwardly pulling him into a hug but it fit. He kissed your hair, than your neck, and pulled away, hand on your neck and pressed his lips against yours.
You made a small noise of relief in the back of your throat, he smiled on your lips. “Missed you so much, baby.”
You kissed him one more time before you fell back into your seat and turned your car back on, he buckled into his seat and immediately reached for your hand, your intertwined hands rested on the console the whole ride— music playing from your phone connected to the Bluetooth.
Will and you caught up on the past two busy weeks, he was spending time with family and so were you, plus a lot of the boys friends were in town like usual— luckily only Trevor and Cole were around for the weekend Will would be. You could deal with them.
You’d known the two as much as you know you’re brothers, they treated you like a sister and they were just more brothers.
“You nervous?” You asked, pulling into the familiar area of your Michigan home, glancing towards him.
Will shook his head, only humming in response. “You’re squeezing my hand pretty hard.”
He immediately loosed his grip, you chuckled bringing your joined hands to your lips and kissed them softly, Will responded by rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand, you kept his hand rested against your lips, Will felt his shoulders relax even as you pulled into a neighborhood and he knew it was yours.
“I think I’m gonna pass out.”
You shook your head, suppressing a smile as you drove down your street seeing the large house your brothers bought together all those years ago.
“It’s gonna be fine, they’ll barely talk to us.”
Will shook his head, leaning back into his seat with tense muscles. “No, like seriously, why am I doing this?”
“Because you love me?”
“Yes, very much. But—“
You pulled into the driveway, “Listen, they seriously—“
“Baby, I’m not scared of them.”
You stopped, “Then… what is it?”
“No, I am terrified of them actually… but like I’ve— I’ve played against them and looked up to them— fuck, not like— I don’t want you to think I’m dating you for them— I swear…. Oh my god. Take me back to the airport— I—“ Will rambled, you covered your mouth trying to hide your smile and he thought you were crying.
“Oh my god— oh my god. Baby, I’m—“
A laugh cut through his panicking, he stopped. “Will, you have to chill or they will make fun of you and they’re sitting on the front porch, you assumed they’d been waiting since you left after they begged to come with.
He actually slid down into the seat, you laughed loudly. “I’m making fun of you. Will, get up.” You grabbed his shoulder, he groaned as he straightened. “C’mon, scaredy cat.”
“Don’t call me that.” He grunted as you both opened the door, he reached bag and pulled his bag from the backseat.
Your three brothers just sat on the porch, watching as you and Will walked up the steps, his hand intertwined with yours— they didn’t feel or sense the death grip he had on you. Smiling softly, you tugged him to your side as he attempted to stand behind you.
You knew it wasn’t because he was nervous, that’s where he always stood with you. Pressed against behind you and arms wrapped around you, sometimes around your waist but usually wrapped around your shoulders and your hands held onto his wrists, every few minutes pressing your lips to his forearms.
“Brothers.”
“Sister.”
You chuckled, “You guys all know each other…. So I don’t need to do introductions.”
They all said their hello’s, you squeezed Will’s hand three times and he quickly mimicked. “So, I’m gonna show him the room and then we’ll do dinner?”
“Okay, we’re grilling.” Jack said, tipping his beer to the two of you as you stepped back with a wide smile. The three of them couldn’t deny the way their chests warmed at the sight.
But Quinn paused as your hand went on the door handle and turned, “Wait…” And you did, hand frozen against the handle and both of you slowly looked at your oldest brother. “What’s his room?”
“Mine?” You stated but it sounded more like a question, all of their eyebrows shot up and their backs straightened.
“Your room?” Luke choked out.
You rolled your eyes and opened the door, “Ugh, yes! Its only for a weekend and he always sleeps in my bed back in California—“
“We don’t need to know that.” Quinn cut you off, eyes squeezed like he was trying to forget that. “Just… no foolishness.”
You laughed, “Yes, dad.”
After showing Will your room and laying down for a few minutes, body on top of his to calm him down, the two of you stepped out onto the back porch where all the boys were, and your parents sat on the couch together, listening to something Trevor was saying.
But they all stopped when you shut the sliding glass door, Will immediately grabbed onto your hand. “Hey.”
Trevor and Cole lit up at the sight of you, Cole reached out and pulled you onto the couch next to him, your hand yanked away from Will’s, he could’ve sworn his heart was about to stop as he made eye contact with all three of your brothers and you fell into a conversation with Cole.
“C’mon.” Jack clapped a hand against the younger boy’s shoulder, Will joined them by the grill, hands in his pockets awkwardly and shy. Will could admit he’d never been shy or this awkward before, not even when he met your pants— and that was awkward.
But after they talked for just a few minutes, Will’s hands were out of his pockets and his laughter was his usual one that you loved, a small smile gracing your face even though your back was faced towards him— Trevor and Cole needing your full attention like usual.
By the time dinner was finished, Will was back by your side at the table, his focus was on something Trevor was saying from across the table, hands thrown around in the air as all the boys pitched stuff into the conversation— something about hockey, that’s all you knew before you drew yourself out of the conversation, turning to your parents. But Will’s hand rested on your thigh, your hand on top of his, he occasionally squeezed.
Soon, your mom yawned and your dad took her to bed, leaving you and the boys, you leaned back into your seat and brought your leg up.
“So…”
Cole said, leaning forward to see you, you rested your head against your hand, just observing their conversation until he did that and now everyone was looking at you.
“What?”
“How’d you two meet?” He asked, a smirk on his face, the question gained a lot of commotion, Trevor giggled. Your brothers leaned back into their seats, eyes on the two of you.
“Uh—“
“Well—“
Will smiled, “Go ahead.”
And you simply told them, how he found you on the side of the street, curled into yourself like a homeless person. Trevor laughed as he imagined the sight, you kicked him from beneath the table, and how he found you after every game until one time he finally asked you out.
“Still can’t believe you kept it from us for so long.”
You swallowed, Will squeezed your thigh. “Yeah, well it was easier being so far away.”
Jack smiled, a breathy laugh leaving his lips.
“Well, we like you, Smith.”
Will chuckled, “Thanks.”
The weekend with Will went smooth, a day spent on the water, skin burnt and limbs tired as everyone walked back into the house. You and Will fell asleep on the couch together, his head pressed against your stomach and arm draped across your waist, Quinn found you two when he went to find y’all for dinner, he smiled softly before waking you up. The next day, it was calm, games played throughout the day, movie night before you brought Will up to your room as the boys went out on the lake for a late night swim. You were glad they left, you felt wrong doing anything with them in the house— too scared they would walk in.
But Will couldn’t leave without feeling himself inside of you.
The next day, you went on the lake for a short time and spent the day in the yard with your brothers and Will, they welcomed him the open arms… by the time he left— there were inside jokes between the boys and numbers exchanged.
You were glad you had those times they didn’t know but you were more than happy they knew now and Will was apart of your family.
Updated Hughes’ design for my Oreca Battle Mystical Fate AU! 🐰
Initially a lop bunny, I decided to make his bunny ears give off the calm yet observant type of concept 🪴
Mainly changing the fact that one of his bunny ears is up while the other one is down, just like real bunnies whenever they’re curious or alert 🫧
Also changed up the design of Hughes’ cape, mainly with the colors in order to differentiate it with the rest of his outfit ⚔️
Even changing the outlines of his gemstone and ribbon hair tie to a lighter shade of cyan, so that it doesn’t clash with his collar 🎀
At this point, this particular version of Hughes is an OC-fied version of his original video game/manga counterpart 🎀
🎀 Art Vector 🎀
Greg WyshynskiDec 21, 2025, 12:50 PM ET
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Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, out since Nov. 12 with a “freak” hand injury, will return to the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Hughes, 24, injured his hand at a team dinner in Chicago on Nov. 13, underwent surgery on his finger and was given a recovery window of eight weeks. He has been…
Devils’ Jack Hughes returns to lineup after 'freak’ hand injury
