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#Roman Ahcan
6thomas · 7 months
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“omg mark estapa is such a menace”. . . do you KNOW who roman ahcan is? YOU CANT OUTDO THE DOEEEER
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wdwbabes · 2 years
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zach’s mustache 😭😭
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mitchbeck · 1 month
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WOLF PACK FALL 4-3 TO MONSTERS IN SHOOTOUT
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By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf PackHARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack rallied back from a three-goal deficit on Thursday night at the XL Center to earn a point against the Cleveland Monsters. Despite their best efforts, however, the rally came up just short as Hunter McKown scored the winner in the bottom half of the fifth round to give the Monsters a 4-3 shootout victory.McKown waited out Wolf Pack goaltender Louis Domingue before tucking in the deciding tally. Trey Fix-Wolansky also scored in the shootout, while Brett Berard had Hartford’s lone marker in the skills competition.The Monsters needed only 16 seconds on their second powerplay attempt to open the scoring on this night. Brendan Gaunce tipped a point shot from Marcus Björk past Domingue to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead at 4:37 of the opening frame. The goal was Cleveland’s third powerplay marker against the Wolf Pack this season.The Wolf Pack went on the kill for a third time at 8:10, giving the Monsters a chance to extend their lead. The Monsters’ leading scorer among defensemen, Jake Christiansen, buried a shot from the high slot to make it 2-0 just 33 seconds into the advantage. Christiansen’s initial bid rang off the post before finding its way back to his stick, where he made his second try count at 8:43.The Pack brought good energy following the Christiansen tally, testing Jet Greaves on numerous occasions to try and cut into the deficit heading into the intermission. Greaves, however, made eight saves in the opening frame to keep it 2-0 for the visitors.Monsters forward Jake Gaudet went off for boarding 4:41 into the middle stanza, giving the Wolf Pack their first crack at the man advantage.During a desperation play to keep the puck in the zone, Roman Ahcan snuck behind the Wolf Pack defense and was sprung in on a shorthanded breakaway by Tyler Angle. Ahcan waited out Domingue and tucked the puck by his pad to make it 3-0 Monsters at 5:21.The Wolf Pack responded swiftly, connecting on the powerplay as Jake Leschyshyn fed Tyler Pitlick in the slot. Pitlick roofed his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack to make it 3-1 at 6:05. Berard notched an assist on the powerplay tally as well, which came 44 seconds after Ahcan’s shorthanded marker.Midway through the third period, the Wolf Pack found themselves shorthanded yet again at 8:39. This time around, it was Hartford returning the favor with a shorthanded goal of their own.Berard broke free on a breakaway after the Monsters failed to keep the puck in the zone, busting down the right wall before beating Greaves short-side to make it a 3-2 game. Berard’s tally was his team-leading 17th and his second shorthanded.Samuel Knazko went off for delay of game late in the third period, giving the Wolf Pack a chance at some late-game heroics. With the goalie pulled, Nikolas Brouillard hit an open Ryder Korczak with a cross-ice pass. Korczak ripped home his sixth goal of the season to tie the game 3-3 at 17:48. Pitlick notched his second point of the night (1 g, 1 a) on the play.A back-and-forth overtime saw numerous chances to win it from both ends, but 65 minutes would not be enough. For just the third time this season, the Wolf Pack were pushed to a shootout.Despite Berard opening the shootout with a goal, Fix-Wolansky would tie it in the bottom half of the first round before McKown provided the winner in the bottom half of the fifth round. Greaves denied the final four Wolf Pack shooters to claim his first victory against Hartford.Despite the loss, the Wolf Pack finished the season series with six of a possible eight points against the Monsters (2-0-1-1).The Pack finishes off their six-game-in-eight-day stretch tomorrow night when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, February 28th, at 7:00 p.m. when the Charlotte Checkers come to town.Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client-partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client-partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety and more.ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOWLINGS Read the full article
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goalhofer · 2 months
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2023-24 Colorado Eagles Famous Relations
#74 Alex Beaucage: Son of former Jonquière Marquis C Marc Beaucage. #82 Ivan Ivan: Son of H.K. Vlci Český Těšín assistant coach Marek Ivan & brother of H.K. Vlci Český Těšín C Filip Ivan. #65 Cédric Paré: Brother of Nottingham Panthers RW Félix Paré. #11 Ryan Sandelin: Son of University Of Minnesota, Duluth men's hockey head coach Scott Sandelin. #36 Matt Stienburg: Son of Seattle Kraken scout Trevor Stienburg. #22 Josh Wesley: Son of St. Louis Blues player development coach Glen Wesley & nephew of former Portland Winterhawks assistant coach Trevor Wesley. #18 Jack Ahcan: Brother of Cleveland Monsters LW Roman Ahcan. #93 Jean-Luc Foudy: Son of former York University football head coach Sean Foudy and former olympic runner France Foudy & brother of Milwaukee Admirals C Liam Foudy. #67 Keaton Middleton: Brother of Minnesota Wild D Jake Middleton.
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quinnwho · 3 years
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goodbye summer
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penaltbox · 3 years
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tell me what you want - jack ahcan/roman ahcan
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i really hope you guy like this!! thank you to my anon for this amazing idea. if you like it let me know! i’m really interested to see what people favorite parts are. let me know what you think!
word count: ~11k
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You swallow hard and look over your shoulder again, feet dangling above the water over Prior Lake. You grip the edge of the dock as you mumble just loud enough for your best friend to hear you, “he’s doing it again.”
Claire’s head whips around as she practically drops her sandwich into the water, food muffling her fiery response, “I’ll rip his dick off, I swear. Just give me the word.”
You laugh at her crude phrase but she knows you’d never give her the go ahead. She knew about the ups and downs though that your relationship had been through in the short time you two had been together. Roman had a hard time adjusting to the dating life whereas you went in full force. Opposite ends of the spectrum for very opposite people. 
“We’re not beating anyone up today. Plus, I don’t think Brock would appreciate you seriously maiming someone on his property. Not the way to get a date with him, I’m guessing.”
Claire’s cheeks redden despite the slight sunburn they had and she knows she’s caught, “who said I wanted a date with Boeser? He’s gone half the year anyways.”
You smirk as you nudge her immediately, “you’re such a liar! You cry about how much you love him every time you get drunk and any time we’re here late at night you sit right by him. You two drunkenly flirt more than my boyfriend and I flirt period.”
“Yeah, well maybe if you’d dated the right Ahcan brother then we’d both be happily taken by now.”
Your jaw drops but your argument gets stuck in your throat. She gives you a look that dares you to tell her she’s wrong but you can’t. Jack was taken when you started dating Roman though so the opportunity wasn’t even there. Nowadays though… you let yourself look over at the aforementioned boy and watch as he laughs easily with Brock and a couple of their other friends. 
Your own cheeks burn hot when he glances over and catches you staring, but he only offers a smirk in return. He looks for a second longer than he probably should, but eventually turns back to his own conversation. The little uptick in his smile let’s you know he’s aware you’re embarrassed and he loved every second of it. 
“What the hell was that?” Claire asks, flicking your shoulder, “I was just kidding when I said it, but what the hell was that?”
“I… I have no clue. That’s never happened before,” you whisper, voice too stuck to say it any louder. 
You turn around again and face the lake. You needed to brush it off. He was your boyfriend’s brother and that was a serious no fly zone. Even if he was more mature and nicer than the one you called your own.
“Why are you mad now?” You ask, rubbing your hand on your face. 
You’re aware of how defensive your stance is but you really don’t care. You’re leaned back against the counters in Brock’s house, arms crossed over your chest, and staring down the boy standing across the island from you. You had no idea why he had an attitude and you really weren’t in the mood. He’d been difficult all day and you just wanted to relax. 
“Why am I mad? You’re kidding, right? You don’t pay attention at all. I’m glad you live in such a daydream while I’m out here trying to be social and explain to people why my girlfriend doesn’t even hang out with me at my own brother’s house,” he explains, or so he thinks. 
You scoff and look away from him, trying to keep your patience, “you’re mad because I didn’t follow you around like a puppy today? Is that seriously what this is about? And I’d be willing to bet no one asked you why I’m not hanging off you at every minute of the day.”
He jaw clenches as he realizes you’ve caught the embellishment in his story, “you hardly said a word to me.”
“The street goes both ways, Roman.”
He knows he has no upper hand and shakes his head, coming around island suddenly. You’re not sure what he’s going to do, but he moves toward you and opens the fridge to grab another drink. He looks like he’s about to say something as he closes the door but opts for a kiss to the side of your head before making his way to the backyard again. It was always a whirlwind with him. 
You sigh, closing your eyes and letting your head drop forward. You were pretty sure dating wasn’t supposed to be this tiring, but you didn’t really have much reference either other than a high school boyfriend who broke up with you because you were “too much smarter than him”. 
The sliding door opens again and you look up quickly, trying to pull yourself together. No one needed to know how often you and Ro fought. Jack happens to be stepping in and he gives you a soft smile, taking in your demeanor immediately. 
“You okay? You look a little upset.”
He realized it far sooner than his brother ever could and something about that makes your heart stutter for a second. You shrug though, trying to play things off. 
“Yeah, I’m okay. Maybe a little too much sun today but I’ll be alright,” you smile, watching as he makes his way to the fridge like his brother had just done. 
“Did you need another drink? Water, white claw?” He pops his head back out, noticing you didn’t have anything in hand. Of course he was nice enough to offer and think of someone other than just himself. 
“I’d love a white claw,” you nod, pushing off the counter and dropping the black cloud Roman had left over your head. Lake days were short enough and you weren’t spending any more of this one moping around because of what he’d said. 
Jack hands you a drink, grabbing his own and squeezing by you. Except there was plenty of room and he easily could have gone around the island the way he’d come from. He lets his hand brush your hip with a whispered “excuse me” as he retraces his steps towards the door. He slides it back open but looks over at you again. 
“I’m guessing my brother’s the reason you’re all holed up in here. I know he’s an ass, but try and shake it off. We all know you’re a good girl who tries hard in that relationship. Now, you coming along? We just got the fire going.”
You shiver a little at the phrase he calls you but you pray he didn’t notice it. You do note that he always seemed to have endless patience and you wonder if he took it all when he was born and left none for his younger brother. 
You smile as you sneak by him but he politely keeps his hands to himself this time. You find yourself wishing he wouldn’t though and mentally scold yourself. The bonfire is double what it had been and you stop two steps out onto the deck. 
Jack’s hand finds the small of your back as he leans down near your ear, “come on, if he’s a dick then you can just hang out with me.”
You look at him skeptically, not sure why he wanted to hang out with you so much suddenly, so the bold part of you questions it, “are you sure? I don’t want you to have to worry about me all night.” 
He smiles and holds up his pinky, “yes, I’ll even pinky promise. Just shoot me a look and you’re all mine for the rest of the night.”
“Okay, I can do that. Thanks, Jack,” you smile back at him finally and head towards the bonfire, spotting your boyfriend. 
He has a slightly sour look on his face as he stares at the fire from where he’s standing. His words from earlier bounce in your head so you make your way over, wrapping your arm around his waist and taking the spot next to him. 
“Sorry for blowing up in there,” he mumbles, wrapping an arm tight around your shoulders. 
You lean your head against him and stare at the fire, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time, “it’s okay.”
But was it? You find yourself thinking it over, tossing the words he'd said and the past fights he’d picked around until it all jumbled together. He shifts after a couple minutes and you’re brought back to reality, only to find yourself locking eyes across the flames with Jack. 
He raises his eyebrows, a question for you, but you give him a soft smile in return. You were good… for now. It doesn’t stop him from constantly glancing over and checking in the rest of the night though. You were glad someone was at least. 
You luckily never needed that pinky promise rescue from Jack and Roman seemed to mellow out after that for a couple weeks. 
It was deep in the heart of summer now and the days were as long as you could possibly stretch them. Your tan was darker, your hair lighter, and you didn’t want anything dragging you down. Going to the bar for the night seemed like a great idea so you’d agreed easily. 
Getting ready was easy. Meeting Roman at his house and talking with his mom for so long that you were almost late getting to Brock and Jack’s place to all leave at the same time was easy. It all seemed like the night would go by easily and you’d have plenty of fun. 
You just didn’t expect to have such an easy and fun night with the person you ended up with. 
You’re glad you didn’t have to drive and you take a deep breath before the group of you enter the bar. Roman had seemed to shift into party mode in the car and you know that means he’ll be out all night. You see an opportunity right before you though. 
“Jack!” You call him, watching as he turns around with a smile. 
“Yes?”
You try to bite back your smile as you hold your hand out in front of you, pinky first. He laughs and wraps his finger around yours, turning and pulling you along the sidewalk behind him. You giggle a little and fall into step next to him, letting go first. 
“Yeah, I got you. Just give me the look,” he reminds you, reaching forward and holding the door open, “ladies first.”
“Thank you,” you say, blushing a bit for reasons you’re completely unaware of as you duck into the bar. 
It’s not a bad night by any means. Everyone is in a good mood and getting along, but you manage to get tired quickly. Your stomach rumbling is the final straw and you turn to your boyfriend, lacing your fingers in his to get his attention. 
“Yeah, baby?” He asks, leaning closer so he can hear whatever you’re about to say. 
“I’m hungry. Can we leave?” You pout a little, hoping it’ll win him over easily. 
He groans, giving you a glimpse at the attitude he’d dropped the last couple weeks, “I really wasn’t ready yet. We haven’t been here that long.”
“They don’t have food though…”
“So why didn’t you eat before we left then? You knew we were going out tonight,” he says, looking at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 
You’re about to plead your case again when you look across the group and catch Jack’s attention. The lightbulb seems to go off then and your eyes go wide. You nod slightly towards his brother and he moves quickly, heading your way. 
“Never mind, I’ll make Jack take me.”
Roman laughs but it’s cut short when his brother steps in front of him, giving a quick punch to his shoulder. 
“You two behaving over here?” Jack asks, having no clue what you’d just said to Roman. 
“I’m hungry,” you blurt out, “and someone isn’t ready to leave.” 
“I can take you. I’m not really feeling it tonight anyways,” Jack shrugs, looking to his younger brother for permission. 
Roman’s eyebrows furrow a bit but sending you with someone he trusted probably wasn’t the worst idea, “yeah whatever. We’re staying at your place tonight anyways so we’ll end up in the same spot.”
“Have fun, okay?” You turn Roman towards you, leaning up to kiss him quickly. 
Jack looks away as you do, not wanting to see it for some reason that night. He finishes the last sip of his water you had no clue he had and sets the cup on the high top table next to him. Roman hands you off to his brother but not before giving you a quick slap on the ass. 
“Not in public,” Jack corrects him, pushing Roman square in the chest gently. 
The younger boy lets out a laugh and swats his brother’s hand away, “she doesn’t mind it.”
You bite your tongue over how wrong he is and push Jack’s arm until he starts moving towards the door, looking back at Roman as you do, “I’ll see you later. Try and behave please.”
He throws a wink your way and let’s you go without even thinking twice. You’re glad you thought to make that deal with Jack before walking in and you’re equally thankful that he could tell you needed help when you did. 
“Where to? What are you hungry for?” He asks, grabbing his keys from his pocket, but opening your door for you. 
You’re happily surprised by his action but you slip into the front seat regardless. He makes his way around and takes the driver's seat, giving you an expectant look. 
“I have no clue, Jack. Just pick somewhere,” you giggle, buckling up and settling into the seat. 
“Taco Bell it is,” he smiles as he puts the car into drive. 
You gasp a little, excited that he picked there of all places. You take advantage of being the front passenger and lean forward, turning the radio on to a low volume. The music floats through the space and makes you feel more calm than you have been in a while. 
You glance over at Jack, “can we all go skating this summer? I know it’s a weird time to go but I haven’t skated with you guys since we were kids.”
Jack smiles over at you, his heart thumping from the innocent question, “yeah of course we can. Brock has some extra ice time at one of the rinks by my parent’s place.”
You sit back, happy and a little buzzed, feeling on top of the world. Jack drives smoothly and you try not to watch his arm flex as he turns the wheel with one hand. 
The night is almost too easy after you leave the bar. Jack doesn’t force conversation and you’re surprisingly happy to just hang out with him whether you’re talking or not. He refuses to let you pay for your food and when he parks the car, the two of you end up talking for hours after. 
You both end up having to sneak back into Brock’s house, but luckily for you Roman never wakes up when you slip into bed that night. 
You kick yourself the next morning, wondering why you were wide awake at 8am. You’d only gotten five hours of sleep, if you were lucky, but somehow your body decided that was enough. You sigh and slip out from under the covers, tossing your hair in a bun before heading for the kitchen. You were well versed in where Brock kept the coffee. 
You quietly make your way to the kitchen but you’re greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and your boyfriend's brother in nothing but shorts and a sleepy smile. You suck in a breath and offer a smile back, heading right for the coffee pot he was standing near. 
“Good morning,” Jack mumbles, his voice sounding as sleepy as he looked. He runs a hand through his hair quickly but it does him no good. 
You laugh quietly, pulling a mug out of the cupboard and filling it up, “morning, sleepy head. You sure you’re ready to be up?”
He lets out a little giggle that makes you turn and look at him. It was so unguarded and cute that you don’t even stop yourself from trying to block it out of your memory. You want to remember that one. 
“I’m not sure why I’m up so early but if I am then coffee and dock fishing it is.”
You nod, not the least bit surprised at his plans, but you can appreciate the simplicity of them in the early morning hours. The fridge holds the coffee creamer you loved and you wonder if Brock even realized it when he bought it now or if it was just habit. Regardless you put some in your cup, knowing Jack was watching your every move. 
“Jack,” you say suddenly, a little smirk dancing across your lips as he looks at you with raised eyebrows, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this. I heard Roman used to always beat you in skating races. Is that true?”
He’s just about to take a sip from his mug when you ask but he hesitates, shooting you a wicked grin, “he’s a liar. He didn’t always beat me.”
“Oh, not always?” You tease, not sure where the tone even comes from, but you like it. 
He matches the energy easily though, quipping back, “I’m older though so I’m better… at everything.”
Your brain blanks for a second but the way he looks at you pulls a thousand thoughts forward at once. You blush instantly, turning your attention to your coffee mug that suddenly had the most interesting design on it. 
“Can dish it but can’t take it, huh? I see how it goes,” he nods, finishing his drink before you’d even taken a sip of yours. His comment strikes the competitive side in you quickly. 
“Oh I can take it,” you say, blushing all over again as you hear the phrase come tumbling out of your mouth, “Uhm, I mean… just stop giving me that look! You know what I meant!” 
He shrugs, trying to bite back the smile that was on his face, “hey, you started this. I just came through to finish it.”
Your jaw drops a little, ready to argue, but you’re not in time. He rinses his mug and sets it to the side. He keeps his eye on you as he heads for the back door, giving you one last big smirk before leaving you alone to watch him through the window as he heads for the dock. 
You realize it sounds like a stupid scene out of a movie. You’re standing there, sipping coffee, watching a cute boy through the window, and having thoughts that you probably shouldn’t about him. A creak on the stairs brings you back to earth as your boyfriend’s arms wrap around you. 
“Hi, beautiful. How’s your morning?” 
You couldn’t lie and say you’d been on your game since that morning in the kitchen with Jack. He’d shook you up somehow after that but what was worse is that he seemed to be keeping to himself any time you were around. You couldn’t help but wonder if you’d done something wrong but Roman was making up for it at least. 
A knock on your apartment door gets your attention a week after the “kitchen talk” as you’d dubbed it to your friends. Claire had all but lost her mind over the story and you had to reel her back in, begging her not to say a word to Brock. 
Opening the door gives you a happy surprise when you find Roman on the other side with flowers and a coffee. You can’t help but smile at him and lean in to kiss him quickly. 
“What’s all this for?” You ask, taking both things and heading for your kitchen. 
He follows along, looking incredibly proud of himself, “you just have seemed off so I was hoping it might boost your mood a little.”
It’s a sweet gesture and you’re thankful that he still notices how you’re feeling even though the two of you had some bumps along the way lately. You set everything down without even bothering to grab a vase, opting to turn around and give him a big hug, wrapping your arms right around his neck. 
He squeezes back, rubbing a hand up and down your back. You let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding and lay your head on his shoulder. 
“I did need this. Thank you,” you say quietly as he sways the two of you back and forth. 
He kisses your shoulder and keeps you close, “how was food with my brother the other night? I thought I heard you two in the kitchen the next morning.”
You’re glad you aren’t looking at him because your eyes go wide at what he must have heard, “oh, it was good. We got Taco Bell so I was pretty happy after that. He was up in the morning though, yeah.”
“I’m glad you two get along. I know he’s still figuring out how to be single again so sorry if he’s been bugging you lately. I don’t blame him for wanting to hang with you.”
You press your forehead against his shoulder, rethinking a lot of the time you’d spent with Jack lately. He was just trying to replace the whole his ex left. He had no real interest in you and you needed to remember that. 
“He’s a cool guy. I don’t mind having him around,” you pull back, giving Roman a smile to let him know things were all good. 
“Why don’t we just hang out here today? My plans are clear for you today,” he suggests, leaning down to kiss you. 
You agree, knowing it was probably best to spend some time with your own boyfriend rather than his brother for once. 
“Oh, we’re going ice skating tomorrow night by the way. Jack said you suggested it or something.”
You freeze, realizing that you had indeed asked. You just hadn’t expected him to remember or deliver on that promise. And just like that, you know you’ll have to play it cool again around him. 
You had less than 24 hours to mentally prepare yourself to skate with the guys. You knew you couldn’t ignore Jack, and you really had no reason to, but you were nervous about seeing him again for some reason. You had been so distracted in fact that while you were cutting up chicken for your lunch earlier in the day you’d cut your finger bad enough to need a pretty decent sized bandaid right on your pointer finger. 
You realize what a pain in the ass that is as you’re sitting on the bench at the rink, trying to lace up your skates and struggling with it. Roman had slipped his skates on quickly and you usually had no problem doing the same. Your finger hurt though and the bandaid kept getting caught up with the laces, causing your patience to start wearing thin. You’re ready to give up on it all when a familiar body sits next to you and pats your knee. 
“Put it on my leg,” he says, seeing the struggle you were going through. 
You look over at him and duck your head out of embarrassment, “I can tie my own skates. I’m just having some trouble.”
Jack laughs a little, grabbing your pant leg and pulling your leg over his thigh, “I know you can tie your own skates but it’s okay to ask for help every now and then too.”
You can’t even argue with that, opting to watch his hands quickly work your laces into place. You bite your lip, trying to pull your mind out of the gutter, but it doesn’t work very well. He finishes one skate and has the second one done sooner than you’d have liked it. 
“You ready to get out there? I haven’t seen you skate in years,” he smiles as he stands, grabbing his gloves and stick from the bench. 
“I’ve still got it,” you smile, picking up your own equipment and following him out onto the clean ice. 
Not two strides out there and Roman stops hard in front of you, hitting you with enough of a snow shower to coat part of your pants. You look up, ready to smack him, but his brother beats you to it. 
“Are you five years old again?” Jack reprimands, “give the girl a second to get her feet beneath her before you start acting like a jerk.”
You can’t help but laugh, covering your mouth and looking away. You’d never heard Jack talk to him like that and even Roman has a shocked look on his face. 
“Don't agree with him!” Roman pouts at you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and giving you a fake headlock. 
You giggle, pushing him off and jokingly hiding behind Jack, “no way! At this rate you’re going to end up checking me into the end boards.”
Roman shakes his head as Jack lets out the same laugh you’d heard in the kitchen that may or may not be on a small loop in your head some days. You peak around Jack, knowing Roman wouldn’t do anything. You’re met with his smirk and his next words make your heart skip a little. 
“Yeah, yeah, I know you like Jack better than me so you’re just using him as your defense. Don’t be mad if I score on you guys later though,” he shrugs and turns to skate off. 
Jack turns to look at you and you just know your face tells the little scare you’d just had. He gives you a matching look and shakes his head a little. 
“He’s just kidding. We’re good,” he tries to reassure you but it does the complete opposite. 
He skates off then and you’re left standing at the blue line wondering what the hell he meant when he said you two were good. Good about what? You two hadn’t done anything wrong technically. You take a deep breath and start to skate, knowing you had to play it off. Things were fine. 
“My team sucked, it’s not my fault!” Roman complains as he tosses his stuff in the trunk of Brock’s car. 
You put your own stuff in after, reaching for his hand when yours are free, “it’s okay, Ro, we can’t all be winners.”
He turns and meets your grin with a tiny one of his own, “oh you’re all full of trouble today aren’t you?” 
You nod and lean up to kiss him quickly. The little skate had turned into a competitive pick up game that had you all exhausted afterwards. Brock invited everyone over after and you jumped on the opportunity. 
“You love it when I’m like this,” you mumble, leaning against him. 
“Hey, don’t be gross in the parking lot,” Brock calls, “get in the car, kids.”
You blush at getting caught and climb in the backseat quickly. Jack turns around from the front seat and gives you a look you can’t quite place, but it makes you squirm a little. Roman is quick to put a hand over on your thigh once he gets in and you lace your fingers with his to try and ground yourself again. 
The ride back feels like a blur but you suddenly remember what you’d packed in your bag. You tap the back of Roman’s hand and wait for him to turn his attention to you. 
“Can we do a face mask when we get back?” You ask, knowing he probably won’t but it was worth a shot. 
He makes a face, “do I have to? They feel weird.”
You’d maybe scarred him last time when you’d used a not so great charcoal mask and it had stuck to the end of his eyebrow pretty bad. You get his hesitation on it. 
“It’s a different kind this time! It won’t hurt.”
He curls his lip up a little, still not believing you. You’re about to plead your case one more time when Jack turns around. 
“I’ll do it.”
“Oh thank god,” Roman sighs, giving you a bashful smile. 
“Deal. I just don’t want to do it alone,” you smile at him, thinking it would be just fine. 
And it is. Until Brock suggests a late night fishing venture and Roman jumps all over it. Jack is two seconds from agreeing when you stop in your tracks halfway up the front steps, realizing they’d be leaving you instead of joining your impromptu spa night. 
“You guys are fishing?” You ask quietly. 
They all turn towards you and the three of them deflate when they see how sad you look. Immediately they all start talking at once, apologizing, suggesting that you do it a different night, and more that you can’t even make out as they all try and talk at once. 
“I’ll stay,” Jack says, his phrase breaking through the most. Brock and Roman stop and look over at him. 
“Are you sure, dude? We can just hang back tomorrow night and do that,” Roman reasons with him, knowing he loved fishing more than anything. 
Jack nods, seeming sure of his decision, “yeah that’s okay. I said I would so I’ll stay back and do it.”
You can’t help but smile at the fact he’s willing to keep up his end of the deal. Brock turns and keeps heading into the house, still keeping his plan of fishing. Jack follows as well, but Roman holds back. He comes back down two steps until he’s even with you. 
“You sure you want to stay here with Jack and do that? I can do it tomorrow if you want to wait,” he offers, his hand grabbing your waist. His expression is soft, letting you know he actually would if you wanted to the next day but you’re just in the mood for it. 
“I’d rather do it tonight, if you don’t mind. Especially after getting all sweaty from skating,” you shrug a little, hoping he’s okay with it. 
He nods and kisses your forehead, “if it makes you happy then go for it. If he complains that he didn’t get to fish enough once summer is over though we’re blaming you.”
You laugh, knowing Jack would end up saying that even if he went every single day. You’d accept that blame for one night of staying in and decompressing. 
With that, Roman heads into the house, making his way to Brock’s side as a small cooler gets packed for the two of them. You toss a couple waters in when they’re not paying attention, knowing they’ll want them eventually. 
A quick kiss and a ‘be careful’ leaves you alone with Jack one more time. The kitchen was quickly becoming the spot you two had the most alone time and something about that feels too homey. 
“You ready for this?” You ask, turning and looking at him. 
He smiles and nods, “ready as I’ll ever be. I haven’t done one before.”
“Oh even better then! Come on.”
You make your way up the stairs, Jack following closely behind you and grabbing your bathroom bag from the spare room. Like a puppy, he follows you through the rooms and halls, leaning against the door frame when you finally put your stuff on the bathroom counter. He watches carefully as you pull out the masks, eyeing it up. 
“Do you want to watch me do it first?” You meet his eyes through the mirror, suddenly very aware at how closely he was watching your every move. 
He nods, taking a couple steps closer and looking over your shoulder as you open the container up. He frowns when he sees the color of it, making you laugh right away. 
“Don’t make that face already. You haven’t even felt it,” you gently elbow his side and he moves out of the way, standing behind you instead. 
You look up and catch his smile in the mirror. He looks too cute as he stands closer than you thought and you feel yourself blush suddenly. You pull some of the face mask from the jar and apply it evenly on your own face. You finish it in no time and Jack makes an unsure noise behind you. 
“What if I mess it up?” He asks, his face pinched with confusion, “you were so fast with it.”
You laugh and turn around towards him, “it’s not hard. You just have to get it even.”
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“Do you want me to do it for you?”
He nods quickly and you shake your head. Maybe he and his brother weren’t so different. You motion towards the toilet, knowing it would be easier to apply if he sat. 
“Okay, no fidgeting,” you tell him quietly, pulling the jar over with you and putting some on your fingers. 
He gives you a nervous look as you step between his legs to put it on him. He blinks hard and starts leaning back immediately, making you start to laugh. You move quickly, putting some across his cheek, but it doesn’t go as planned. He jerks back, yelling about it being cold, and you reach for him immediately. 
“Why is it cold?” He bellows, only stopping after you’d smeared some of the mask in his hair. 
“Jack, don’t! Just sit still! Now you got it in your hair.”
“Get it out! No wonder Roman didn’t want to do this,” he whines. 
You put your clean hand on the back of his neck and pull him back closer, “just trust me okay. It won’t hurt you.”
He takes a deep breath and looks up at you, leaning forward. You leave your hand on the back of his neck just in case he decides to flinch again. He seems to relax after a second as he lets his eyes close. He seems to subconsciously lean back into your hand, but not to pull away. You realize you’re standing much closer than you’d expected to and you’re suddenly grateful that you’re in an empty house together. 
“You’re all set,” you whisper, “well except the stuff in your hair.”
“Will you get it out?” He mumbles, eyes fluttering open as he looks up at you. 
Your breath catches in your throat, a nod the only answer you can give him. You step away to grab a washcloth and find yourself looking back at him right away. His eyes follow your moves again, but the silence is comfortable. You wet the cloth, making sure the water was warm, and step back over to him. 
“Why does it feel tight?” He asks, frowning a little. 
“Don't frown. You’ll make it crack,” you put a finger under his chin and tip his face up towards you. 
You start to wipe the spot near his temple that had gotten the mask on it and it cleans off easily. You almost step away from him but you hesitate for some reason and turn your attention to him then. He’s staring back and it makes your stomach flip a couple times. 
“Jack…” you whisper, the air starting to feel heavy. You couldn’t do this. You knew your feelings were fading fast for his brother but you couldn’t just jump over the way you wished you could. 
“I know.” 
It’s the only explanation he offers but it sets your mood at ease. He gives you a tiny smile and pushes you back a step, hands on your hips, and stands up. 
“Now how long does this stay on? It feels like cement,” he jokes, turning to face the mirror. He leans in and starts poking at his face, earning a smack on the shoulder from you. 
“Don’t pick at it.”
He turns and looks at the shoulder you’d just hit and then at you, “my goodness, you’re bossy today.”
He smiles immediately, ruining the mask and reaching up to scratch his cheek right away. You roll your eyes playfully, handing him the rag you’d already wet. 
“You can take it off, you big cry baby,” you tease, watching him start to clean his face. 
He gets it mostly cleaned and starts to rinse his hands off but he suddenly smirks at you as he catches your eye in the mirror. You frown for a second, confused about his sudden demeanor change. He turns suddenly and throws half a handful of water at you, splashing you right on the front of your shirt. 
You let out a surprised shriek, jumping from the shock. He starts to laugh hard and you realize he’s distracted enough for you to step in and throw water at him. It hits him and he realizes what you’ve done, reaching to do the same again but you grab his wrist and try to pull him back. 
“Don’t you dare!” You laugh, trying to push him away from the water. 
He’s bigger and stronger though so he uses his other hand to reach around you on the opposite side, this time only flinging a little up towards your face. You squeal and try to duck away but quickly realize he’s got you backed against his chest and you’re stuck. You’re both laughing so hard you can barely stand and when you look at him in the mirror you realize what the two of you were doing. 
You slowly loosen your grip around his wrist and clear your throat, “truce, okay? I need to clean my face off.”
He sees your mood shift and steps back with a nod, “I’m, uh, I’ll be downstairs if you want to hang out. It’s getting kind of late though so I might head to bed soon.”
“Okay,” you say quietly, letting his wrist go when he steps back.
You watch him hang his head as he leaves the bathroom and you grip the counter. You were being irresponsible around him and you couldn’t risk getting caught by Roman. You have to check yourself before you got yourself in trouble. 
You clean up in the bathroom, wiping the counter off from all the water you’d flung around and heading back to the room you’d share with Roman that night. You’re up all the way until he comes back, smiling when he crawls in next to you. He immediately curls up around you and you have to swallow hard. 
He wasn’t always a bad boyfriend and you’d been friends for a long time before you dated. You may not see eye to eye every day but you didn’t want to hurt him ever. Especially not when it was his brother who was involved. 
“Are you sure you want to go over to their place tonight?” You tease Roman as he lays on you, head resting on your stomach as you play with his hair. 
You hadn’t been back to Jack and Brock’s in two weeks and summer was quickly drawing to a close. You only had about a month left and it felt like you’d blinked and time disappeared. You wanted to go, but you were hesitant too. Especially after last time you’d been there. 
“Yes, my brother gave me shit for being holed up with you for the last couple weeks. He said I need to share,” he laughs, likely not thinking twice about the comment Jack had made. 
You nod to yourself, glad he wasn’t looking at you, “I’m okay with going if you want.”
He leans up then and gives you the same trouble maker smirk that made you fall for him in the first place, “you just want to see Brock’s dogs, huh?”
You laugh,your heart having skipped for a second at who he was going to say, “of course I do. They’re the cutest boys I know.”
He shakes his head and you hope he can’t tell how quickly you’d almost panicked over the possibility of him bringing his brother up again. He leans up and kisses you, surprising you with how gentle it was. He usually wasn’t much for romantics in the middle of the day but apparently this was an exception. 
“Let me grab a different shirt and we can go,” he kisses your cheek quickly and pushes himself off the bed. 
You’re almost mad at yourself for how quickly your brain gets scrambled at the thought of Jack. You get up and head to the bathroom to fix your hair while simultaneously hyping yourself up for the night ahead. 
You find yourself 3 drinks deep some odd hours later when a chill runs through your body. You shiver immediately, despite being in front of a bonfire, and the cold seeps in through the long sleeve shirt you’d worn. You didn’t think it was supposed to get cold but apparently the weather had other ideas. Go figure in Minnesota. 
“Ro?” You ask, gently grabbing his forearm to interrupt his conversation with Jack. 
“Hmm?”
“I’m cold and I forgot a coat,” you frown, crossing your arms and rubbing them for emphasis. 
He shrugs slowly, nodding his head towards the fire, “I don’t know what to tell you. Stand closer I guess.”
“You ass,” Jack smacks his shoulder, “You better be nicer or I’ll tell mom. Come on, we can go get you one.”
Roman scoffs, “you better not! It’s not even that cold out.”
You hesitantly start to follow Jack as he makes his way towards the house, shaking his head as he goes. He was obviously annoyed with Roman, that much you could tell. You weren’t sure if it was your best idea to go in alone with him after last time but you figured this was a tight timeline kind of situation. 
Jack is surprisingly quiet the entire way up to his room, but he opens the closet and steps in, motioning at the hangers, “whatever one you like. Most of them are from St. Cloud though.”
You smile and start to look through the row of sweatshirts, well aware his eyes were on you. You can feel the blush that starts to dust your cheeks and you can’t help but glance over at him. He smiles as soon as you do and finally looks away. 
“Do you have a preference on it? I don’t want to take one you really love.”
“No preference. I know how to get it back if I need to,” he smirks, making you take a deep breath and turn back to the fabric that was still in your hand. 
You tug the sleeve farther to get a view and realize it’s one from Providence this year. Something about it with his number on the chest stands out and you pull it out. 
“This is okay?”
“I think it’ll look great on you.”
You slip the black sweatshirt over your head and you’re immediately washed over with warmth. You dig your hands into the front pouch and smile at Jack, knowing it was probably two sizes too big on you. He can’t help but smile softly at you in his clothes. He had to look away to remember you still very much weren’t his. 
“Don't let Roman give you shit for it either. I’m still telling our mom what he said to you,” he elbows your gently as he walks by. He knows not to spend too much time there with you. He knew better but he was only human. 
You snort, “she’s gonna rip him a new one. She always does when he’s mean to me.”
“We all like you a lot,” he looks back at you, his words saying more than he initially spoke, but you hear it loud and clear. 
You nod, reaching forward silently right before he hits the top of the stairs. He glances down and sees, extending his hand and grabbing yours. He squeezes tight and makes his way down to the first floor. As he hits the last stairs he lets your hand go and you ball your hand into a fist instantly. It was over sooner than you wanted it to be. 
He opens the door for you as always and follows an extra half step behind you. You find Roman quickly and he looks guilty for a moment before he sees what you’re wearing. 
“I’m sorry about before. I’m definitely going to start bringing a sweatshirt though wherever we go. You don’t look good in his number,” he scowls, but reaches for your hand. 
You take his but quickly find yourself comparing it to the boy who’d just held it inside. You kick yourself and tuck in closer to Roman’s side. You couldn’t keep playing these games. You had to make your mind up soon. 
The bonfire was fun, both you and Roman ending up in a game of beer pong later that had you drinking more than you’d planned, so bed was a welcome sight the night before. You’d pulled your clothes off and stole the shirt he kept tucked in a drawer in the spare room you always stayed in, not thinking about it at all. 
You wake up far too early, as always, the next morning and immediately crave a cup of coffee. You were already thinking about taking the dogs down to the dock with you to enjoy it and you happily head downstairs, not even considering the fact you had no pants on. 
The sight you find in the kitchen makes you freeze, almost running right back up the stairs, but he looks up at you just in time. His eyes widen a little but respectfully looks up at you. You can’t even force a word from your mouth before he’s sliding a cup of coffee onto the island. 
“I made coffee. Here,” he smiles softly, watching as you make your way closer to him. 
You peak over the rim of the mug and see the color of it. A little creamer just the way you liked it. You give him a soft smile immediately. No one but your mom ever knew how you liked your coffee. Sure, Roman knew your Starbucks order, but the way you took it at home in the quiet morning hours meant way more to you than one store bought version ever would. 
“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” you pick up the warm mug and take a sip. It was perfect, possibly even better than when you did it, and you let out a sigh right after. 
Jack can’t help but watch. You look so content and happy, even with your hair a mess and a smudge of mascara under your eye from the night before. He wasn’t sure when he became so interested in you’d but it had hit him like a tidal wave the night before. Apparently seeing you in his clothes really got him thinking. He squints a little at the shirt you’re wearing and smirks when he realizes what one it is. 
You hardly notice, too lost in how good your coffee is, so you hop up onto the counter next to where he’s standing and squeeze his face gently, his smirk turning to pursed lips with the tiniest smile on them. 
“This coffee is amazing. Thank you,” you smile at him, finally a little taller than him for once. 
“You already said that,” he laughs, pulling back from your hand and stepping in front of you. 
You don’t know why you do it but you let him step between your legs, making room for him to get closer. He sets his own mug on the counter before taking yours from you and placing it next to his. You’re silently thankful because the last thing you needed was to drop hot coffee on the two of you. 
His hands come to rest on each side of your thighs, his right hand rotating in until his fingers are gently dancing up and down your bare skin. Goosebumps break out immediately and you bite your lip to stay quiet. 
“You know whose shirt that is right?” He asks, his voice so low you can barely hear him even with how close you two are. 
His hand stops as his thumb rubs deeper circles into your skin and you have to grab his shoulders for support. The air is so charged you feel like you could snap with one wrong movement. 
“It’s Roman’s,” you whisper, wondering why he was asking. 
He shakes his head just the slightest bit, “no, we both played for Cedar Rapids. That’s mine.”
You frown, not believing him. How would he know it’s his when there was no way to tell? He can tell you’re unsure so he makes the move on his own accord. His slips his hand from the spot it had been massaging on your thigh up your side and under your shirt. 
“Jack,” you gasp, hands quickly moving to squeeze his biceps. 
He lets out a low chuckle and grabs the tag inside the shirt. He flips the shirt up, exposing half your side and tugs the tag out to see. There, in black sharpie ink, is a little J. You stare at it hard, suddenly feeling like you’d done something very wrong. Technically you had been for the past month or so when you started letting him in your thoughts so much but now it was heavier, more real. 
“We can’t…” you mumble, looking at him again. 
His hand lets go of the tag and settles back on your bare side under the shirt, “I know, but answer this truthfully. Do you really like him? Does he treat you the way you want to be treated?”
“We’ve grown up together. I know him so well. I know your family so well. He and I were just easy to start.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Do you really like him? Because I know you’ve only been together three months but has it been worth it?”
The way he’s looking at you makes you feel oddly calm. You know no matter what you tell him he’ll respect your decision. He won’t ever push farther than you’re comfortable. You take a deep breath and answer him the right way. 
“I think I liked the excitement of having him at first, but I don’t think he and I are right for each other,” you admit, pulling your hands from him and tangling them on your lap. 
Jack nods, pulling his hands back and gripping the counter, “it’s up to you then what happens next. I’ll never be mad at you either way so don’t worry about me. Do what you have to.”
“Thank you,” you say for the thousandth time that morning, but you really did mean it. 
He leans forward and kisses your forehead, all the air seemingly leaving your lungs at once. It’s so gentle you barely feel it but it burns your skin at the same time. A good burn, you decide. You cup his cheek when he pulls back, running your thumb gently across his skin. 
“Are you hanging out here today? I think we’re having another bonfire,” he leans into your hand, the soft smile on his face seemingly permanent. 
You shake your head, “your brother comes first tonight. He wanted a movie night.”
The words seem to shock Jack for some reason and he stands up fully, taking a step back, “I gotcha. Hopefully you come back around soon then.”
You slide off the counter, shorter than him all over again, and reach for your coffee mug, “I’m going to refill this and take Coolie down to the dock with me.”
You glance towards the living room and see the pup lift his head from the plush bed he was laying on. Jack looks over too and laughs a little. 
“We know who the favorites are here, huh?” He calls the dog who quickly scurries over. 
You refill your cup while he pets Coolie, smiling when you glance over at them. You’re struck with an odd sense of comfort from it and you give yourself an extra moment to watch. You don’t hesitate too long though, tossing a goodbye over your shoulder and leaving Jack in the one place that always led to trouble between you two. 
Jack hardly has a moment to breathe before Roman comes pounding down the stairs, a grin on his face. He didn’t hear a thing luckily, Jack can tell that much. Roman looks out the window above the sink, seeing you heading across the yard. He smiles a little and turns to Jack. 
“Did you ever think we’d end up together?” He asks, genuinely wanting his brother’s input. 
Jack winces, shrugging a little, “not really. We’ve all known each other so long and you two are so opposite. 
Roman nods, looking back out at you again, “yeah that’s fair. I feel like she’s been off the last couple months though.”
“She seems fine to me,” Jack defends you, crossing his arms across his chest. 
“I’m sure you’d know all about that. You’ve been hanging off her side all summer. Listen, I know you haven’t been single in a while but you don’t have to hang out with my girlfriend all the time.”
“Maybe if you treated her better she’d hang out with you more than me,” Jack argues back, kicking himself as soon as the words slip out. 
Roman’s jaw tenses for a moment, “you don’t know anything about how I treat her or our relationship.”
“I know a hell of a lot more than you think.”
He’s surprisingly calm as he says it, so much so that Roman even hesitates to think about it. Jack had been the one in a long term relationship and Roman usually talked to girls for a bit and moved on. He files that away for a different time to ask you how you felt about it. 
“I don’t want to sound like a dick,” Jack mumbles, “I hope that doesn’t come across wrong. You know you're my brother and I’d do anything for you.”
Roman nods, knowing he’d only said it with everyone’s best interest in mind, “no, you’re right I think. As much as I hate to admit that.”
Jack smiles at him finally and pushes his shoulder. Roman shrugs it off but knows what he needs to do before your movie night later that day. 
You should feel cozy. You’ve got comfy clothes on, you’re under a blanket on your own couch, and there’s a movie queued up and ready to play. Except Roman can’t seem to sit down and he’s all keyed up. You feel the emotions rolling off him and finally you snap. 
“Would you sit down? Or at least tell me what’s got you all worked up?” You sit forward, reaching for his hand. 
He looks over at you, seeming shy suddenly, “do you think I treat you okay?”
“Uhm,” you stutter, instantly taken off guard by his question. You think for a moment, trying to get your thoughts in order before you follow up, “what makes you think you don’t?”
“I was just thinking about it earlier today. You’d call me out on it if I wasn’t, right?” 
You nod slowly, “I mean I think so? It’s kind of an awkward thing to bring up to someone but I’d let you know.”
“Okay, good. You deserve to be happy so I want you to be treated well.”
You smile, feeling a little at ease when he finally sits down next to you. You settle into his side for the movie but your brain is spinning in overdrive. You’d heard murmurs from Jack when Roman does something to you that he doesn’t fully agree with. He wouldn’t have said anything though, would he? A week ago you would have said no way, but after the kitchen incident that morning… you weren’t sure of anything now other than the way your heart had flipped from Jack’s touch. 
The movie night ran so long that you and Roman ended up sleeping on the couch. The only reason you get up that morning rather than staying nestled in his arms is the fact you need a bathroom break immediately after waking. You’re careful to untangle from him and before you go back, you start a pot of coffee. It was better when you woke up to someone having it ready for you, but you were independent. You could do this. 
You end up staring at the pot as it brews, jumping when Roman comes behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. 
“I’m sorry,” he laughs, kissing your shoulder. 
You don’t put your hands over his arms like usual, but you do pat them for a second, “sorry, I was zoned out.”
“I see that. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“Too much,” you laugh, trying to play it cool. 
“You want to darty with some of the boys today?” He asks, letting you go and reaching for a cup to get water. 
“Not really,” you answer honestly, “I wanted to get some groceries and clean up around here.”
He frowns immediately, “why are you such a buzzkill? Why can’t we ever have fun?”
“Why do we always have to party, Ro? Why can’t we relax for one day? I can’t keep up with you,” you shake your head, instantly aggravated by his mood shift. 
You take a deep breath, finally losing your cool, “we haven’t even dated for three months, Roman, and all we’ve done is fight. What are we even together for if we can’t get along?”
You were tired of it. You were so tired of always fighting over differing opinions. You and Jack barely disagreed but his brother could hardly make it a week without an argument with you. Roman doesn’t expect the bluntness but he’d been asking himself the same thing lately.
“We do fight a lot, huh?” He sets the still empty glass down on the counter. 
You feel guilty then, knowing you shouldn’t have blown up like that, but you couldn’t hold it in anymore, “I’m sorry.”
He steps back over to you and turns you towards him, “no I’m sorry. I think we tried too hard to make this a thing when we should have just stayed friends.”
You nod, laughing a little, “of course the time we agree so easily is when we’re calling things off.”
Roman laughs too, shaking his head, “yeah, go figure. Is that what you want then? You want to go back to just friends?”
“I think it might be for the best. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, too.”
He pulls you into a big hug and you swear you couldn’t hold him any tighter. It’s an odd finish but you don’t feel any hard feelings from either side. He kisses the side of your head as he pulls away, giving you a gentle smile. 
“You know if you ever need anything to just call me, okay? I’m still here for you.”
“Thanks, Ro. Same for you,” you nod. 
He grabs the few things he had sitting around and slips his shoes on. An awkward wave is all he leaves you with and suddenly you’re all alone in your apartment, but you don’t feel alone. You feel an odd sense of calm instead as you go about your morning. You had no worries now. Well, none except for a certain brother of someone you’d just let walk out your door. 
You spend two weeks doing your own thing. Whatever you want, whenever you want, with whoever you want. You saw friends more that week than you had all summer and you were out to eat at least half the days of the week. You were having fun and enjoying the last little bit of time before summer ended and the real world set back in. 
You felt amazing from the reset. It’s not that Roman had suppressed you by any means, but there was something about knowing you wouldn’t be fighting with anyone that made your chest feel lighter. 
You’re happily cleaning up after dinner, singing along to the song that played through your speakers, when your phone buzzes on the counter. Your heart always stops for a second before you check the name. Part of you may have hoped it was Jack, but in the two weeks since you’d had your moment that changed things in the kitchen you hadn’t heard anything. You figured things only changed for you and not him. You were silly to think you could go from one brother to the next. 
Your friend had texted you about brunch the next day and you quickly tap a reply before skipping the current song you had on. You finish loading the dishwasher and dry your hands on a towel, looking around to make sure your kitchen was all cleaned up. 
You’re about to pour another glass of wine when a knock on the door gets your attention. You pause your music and check the peephole, quickly opening the door when you see who it is. 
“Jack?” You're surprised, shocked even, but he smiles like there’s not a problem in his world. 
“Hi, stranger. Haven’t heard from you in a while,” he answers. 
“What are you doing here?” You question, not having expected him, but realizing you wouldn’t have wanted to see anyone else standing where he was. 
“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong? I heard what happened.”
His question has you reaching for him and pulling him inside quicker than you have time to think, “What could you possibly have done? If anything you got me to hang on longer than I thought I would.”
His worried expression doesn’t drop when you pull him in and he’s quick to shut the door behind him. 
“Hang on longer? To what?” He asks, a little confused but also trying not to get too excited about how quickly you’d reached for him.
“If it weren’t for you, I maybe would’ve given up the fight a little sooner than I did. But you always see the good in people and it made me want to see the good in my relationship, but then I realized maybe I was hanging on for the wrong reasons… for the wrong brother. I wanted to keep my ties with you as much as I did him.”
Jack is shocked by what you say but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to hear it, “the wrong brother? That’s a big statement right there. Are you sure?”
The thought was scary and you had no clue what the fallout might be from it, but you knew you liked him. You liked being around him, spending time with him, and keeping each other company.
“I definitely picked the wrong brother I think,” you laugh nervously. 
He had every right to shoot you down. You had just broken up with his little brother after all. When you really thought about it, which you had been doing a lot lately, he was the one that was always looking out for you, making sure you were comfortable and happy, always someone who could make you laugh despite whatever had led to making you feel like you could cry. Jack knew the situation could be messy considering who you had just broken up with but he couldn’t deny that the way you fit in his life wasn’t something he was willing to give up.
He can’t help the little smile that comes onto his face even though you look so nervous you could cry, “I always knew Grant would win one of these days.” 
It’s so ridiculous that you do let out a couple tears but you’re laughing so hard you almost double over. Jack matches it, but starts to move a little closer until his hands find your hips. 
You take a deep breath and grab onto his arms, “would your mom hate me? I really miss her already.”
“I’m probably 99% sure my mom loves you more than any of her actual sons,” he shakes his head, but it wasn’t a lie. She thought the world of you, “you know she pulled me aside the other day after Roman told her about you guys. She said I needed to look out for you still.”
Your face shows the shock you feel but there’s something else with it too. A sense of excitement that you hadn’t messed up a major part of your life by dating a childhood friend and having it go wrong. 
“Oh she did?” You finally ask, smirking up at him. 
“That’s a troublemaker’s look if I’ve ever seen one from you. What are you thinking?” 
You shrug, but quickly look down at his lips before looking back up, “I can think of a few things.”
“I leave soon though. Two more weeks and I’m back to Providence,” he warns but neither of you pay attention to that. 
“Make it worth it then.”
“Oh I plan on it. Now we can actually do this without sneaking around in kitchens,” he smirks. 
You laugh and pull him closer, wrapping your arms around his neck, “no one I’d rather sneak around with.”
You knew it wasn’t ideal and you’d have to be careful with how fast things went but you knew he’d treat you the way you deserved. He’d always treat you better than anyone else. 
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puckyess · 2 years
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College hockey’s legendary agitator joins the Blue Jackets organization
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slafkovskys · 3 years
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ooooof number 43 with roman 🥵
#43. a kiss on the stomach w/ roman
here’s the list! (today is the last day to send in your request!)
fiona sighs from her place next to you and you feel her shift. you lift your head to find her reaching for her drink, “are you okay?”
“i am sweating and i am bored,” she huffs. she wraps her lips around her straw, only to release an annoyed groan, “and i’m out of alcohol.”
“what a terrible life you lead,” kate sighs from your other side and you have to bury your head in the crook of your arm to muffle your giggles. kate’s elbow nudges your side and you swallow, “there are such bigger problems in the world, fi.”
“you two are no help,” fiona huffs. you hear her shuffle some more and you look up just in time to see her retreating towards the house. she lets the doors close behind her with a slam which causes you and kate to send each other a glance.
“why is she here?” she asks.
“the same reason that you and i are,” you sigh before resting your head on your arms and staring out over the lake, “we know a guy.”
“oh what fun,” she sighs. the two of you fall into a peaceful silence, the only noise being the birds swooping around over the water and the movement of the lake. that lasts for only a few minutes before the familiar sound of a boat causes both of you to pick up your heads and glance in the direction of the noise, “speaking of the guys.”
the boat pulls into the dock and they all begin to pile out. you spot roman almost instantly and turn your head away as he makes his way towards where the two of you were sitting. kate looks between the two of you and grins, “you’re still doing that little dance?”
“shut up-” you’re cut off by a sudden weight on your back and you don’t even have to look to know that he’s practically thrown himself on top of you. you gasp, “roman!”
“yes?” he asks innocently. kate shakes her head as she rolls over onto her back as jason makes his way over. he sinks beside her, normally, and presses their lips together.
“can you please let me tie my top back so all your friends don’t see my boobs?”
he huffs as though it was an inconvenience for him to move, but he does so anyway. you fix your bikini top and make sure that you’re covered before rolling over, only to be once again tackled, “seriously?”
he grins lazily as he presses a kiss to your lips before moving down and resting his head on your stomach, pressing a kiss to the bare skin there. you run a hand through his wet, knotted hair and sigh, “you’re pink, roman. did you even put on sunscreen?”
“he didn’t,” jason rats out roman before he can respond. he smirks when you tug a strand of roman’s hair, who is quick to defend himself,
“it’s not that bad.”
“not now. it will be tomorrow and i’m going to be the one that has to listen to you bitch about it,” you remove your hands from his hair and reach for your phone instead which causes him to make a noise of disapproval. “what?”
“you’re being mean,” he pouts.
you roll your eyes, “i was planning on being nice to you tonight, but since you think that i’m being mean, i guess i’ll go bunk with grant. i haven’t seen him in a bit.”
“let’s not get ahead of ourselves now-”
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rutgersmcgroarty · 3 years
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BRAYDEN COULD STEP ON ME AND I WOULD SAY THANK YOU
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bbteeks · 3 years
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posting this just for Milo
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6thomas · 7 months
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roman walked so mark could run. no but fr i think roman had over 200 penalty minutes
YES, NONNIE SO TRUE! and tbh... roman>mark
live laugh love the ahcan brothers (except grant he scares me)
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mitchbeck · 4 months
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goalhofer · 3 months
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2023-24 Cleveland Monsters Players By Nationality
American: 8 (Roman Ahcan, Josh Dunne, Stefan Matteau, Hunter McKown, Carson Meyer, Justin Pearson, Billy Sweezey & Alex Whelan) Canadian: 13 (Tyler Angle, Cameron Butler, Corson Ceulemans, Jake Christiansen, Cole Clayton, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Jake Gaudet, Cameron Gaunce, Jet Greaves, James Malatesta, Stefan Matteau & Owen Sillinger) Czech: 2 (Pavel Čajan & Stanislav Svozil III) Norwegian: 1 (Ole Bjørgvik-Holm) Swedish: 1 (Marcus Björk) Slovak: 1 (Samuel Kňažko) Finnish: 1 (Mikael Pyyhtiä)
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quinnwho · 2 years
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“are those glazed”
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penaltbox · 3 years
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two can play - roman ahcan
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this fic belongs to @puckyess​ just as much as it does to me, if not more! if you like it you have to make sure you tell her thank you just as much as you tell me, which we both really need you guys to tell us what you think because this one was an absolute gem to write and create for you guys. if you like it, reblog it, let us know. thank you!!
word count: 14k (uh holy shit lol)
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The bar is busy when you get there, but you manage to get in and get your drink. What you don’t understand is how you ended up flirting with this cute boy that’s all smiles and curls. He seems completely enamored with you and you even notice his friends checking on him every now and again. It’s one of those friends that catches your attention even more than the boy vying for your attention though.
You keep looking over at the other brunette, exchanging glances that feel like you’re getting away with something. It’s almost like a challenge to the other boy. He’s getting to look at you and exchange flirty smiles and smirks all while his friend has no idea it’s going on. It seems like a fun game to you and you let it continue the rest of your night. The friend you’d gotten to entertain in the meantime is plenty cute enough though so when the curly haired boy, Owen as you’d found out, had asked for your number you had no reason to tell him no. In fact, you gladly agreed. 
You exchange numbers, thinking you’ll probably never see the cute boy whose attention you managed to hold while never exchanging a word, but oh would you be wrong. You’d be so wrong and it would turn into a game that almost ruined things for you between multiple boys. The initial realization that things were trouble comes when Owen invites you over to his apartment a few days later to hang out.
Unbeknownst to you, Owen had been raving to his roommate about how interested in you he was. Roman knows Owen is oblivious to what happened that night and he has no reason to pop the younger boy’s bubble, so he lets him ramble on. Roman gets annoyed, wishing he’d talked to you even a little bit that night, but he hadn’t so now he had to sit and listen to his friend have the time of his life with you. He really thought he’d missed his chance at you, but oh would he be wrong. 
Roman had done the bare minimum that night and he kicked himself for it now as Owen showed him pictures on your Instagram. He’d honestly thought you’d maybe come talk to him after all the glances that had been exchanged that night but you were apparently just as stubborn as him. You’d also found him on Instagram through Owen and you’d be a liar if you said you hadn’t looked through his pictures a few times just to see that sly little smirk again. 
__
As you get to Owen’s apartment the last thing on your mind is the possibility of his cute teammate being there. Owen practically breaks an ankle getting to the door when he hears a knock and Roman is two seconds from chirping him when he catches sight of you. You lean in to hug Owen and Roman immediately smiles at the sight of you. When Owen steps out of the way you two make eye contact instantly and he sees how your eyes go wide, but you match his smirk once again. The energy picks back up right where you two had left it at the bar. Owen offers a polite introduction of the two of you before offering to grab you a drink.
He leads you over to the couch and pats it before heading off into the other room. You mind your own business, thinking Roman was in the other room with Owen, when two hands press into the couch on either side of your shoulders. Roman leans down, his lips hovering near your ear when he lowers his voice so only you can hear.
“So you like to play games, huh?”
Your jaw drops for a second, skin practically buzzing at how close he was to you. You can feel the heat radiating off him, but you quickly pick up your jaw, turning to look at him with a proud little smile, “I sure do and I absolutely hate losing.”
Your response makes his blood boil with the anticipation of a good challenge. He had expected you to back down. He doesn’t get the chance to shoot back though because Owen comes back into the room with impeccable timing.
“What’d I miss? Are you two playing nice in here?” he asks, completely oblivious, but his question couldn’t be more fitting. 
Roman laughs and it’s a sound you think you could drown in. He’d pulled away so fast you swore you felt a breeze and you can see him chewing on the inside of his cheek from across the room. Owen is all smiles as he sits next to you, handing you a bottle of water. Roman sticks around the entire time you hang out, continuing to steal looks and heated glances with you. He made no effort to hide when he’d check you out and something about it only fueled whatever it was the two of you had started. 
He behaves, more or less, the rest of the night otherwise and Owen seems none the wiser. He slips up slightly when Owen slips an arm around your shoulders and he lets out a cough, but he quickly covers it by claiming he needed a drink of his own. Owen gives you a confused look and mentions that he found it weird, but he doesn’t bring it up any further than that. By the time you’re set to leave you can’t even look at Roman for fear of breaking into a grin so he gives you a simple nod when you get up to go but you know he watches you on the way out. 
You’re left with a constant thread of thoughts that involve Roman once you leave rather than the boy who had initially invited you to hang out. You get home despite the daze you’re in and get ready for bed. When you crawl under your covers that night there’s a notification from Instagram and then suddenly another. You have a new follower notification, but more than that, you have a message waiting in your DMs.
‘Game on. I don’t play fair.’ 
You roll over and press your face into your pillow, letting out a little scream. You can’t wipe the smile off of your face from those five words and you know right then that Roman Ahcan really might be the death of you. He already knew the power he held over you so you leave him on read to send him a message that two can play this game.
It haunts Roman for the next three days that you leave him on read. He thinks about it constantly and the couple times he’s seen you are like an endless movie reel that plays in his brain. He’s pretty sure Owen has no idea, which he’s thankful for, because even at practice you manage to find a way to distract his thoughts. He was guilty of taking the frustration of trying to chase someone else’s interest out by checking his teammates a little too hard, but he had to do something to calm his mind down. He makes a note to himself after their last practice of the week to push the game along that weekend at the party. He knew you’d be coming but you, and Owen, had no clue what Roman had planned for the two of you.
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When you show up to their apartment again that Saturday you feel his eyes on you the moment you step inside. You find him in the sea of people first, eyes meeting as usual, and smirking at each other. It was almost routine at this point even with the party in full swing. You throw him a wink and move your attention elsewhere, needing to find the boy you’d actually shown up to see. It worries you a bit when you have to actively look for Owen after so easily finding Roman in the busy space.
You manage to find Owen eventually and you give him a big hug. He really was a sweet boy and you had a lot of fun whenever you were with him. You get introduced to his teammates that are around and he easily hooks an arm over your shoulders to pull you into his side. Roman tries to shake his thoughts off as he realizes he’d been watching the door most of the night until you got there. When did he get like this? 
He decides to try and distract himself by flirting hard with the first girl that comes up to him, but he finds himself looking over at you when he leans down to hear the girl talk. You’re already staring at him and you raise your eyebrows at his actions. You shake your head and quickly turn your attention back to the conversation you’d been in. He was bold, that was for sure. You were sitting on Owen’s lap, playing with his curls, and Roman still had the guts to try and get you worked up. Unfortunately, it worked too. Roman almost instantly lets the girl go once he loses your attention though, claiming he needs another drink despite his being half full. 
He catches you out of the corner of his eye as he pretends to dig through the fridge, watching as you head for the bathroom. He follows you, waiting until you’re opening the door to back you up and shut the door behind you two. You’re surprised, but you recognize what he’s doing right away. He knew he had to catch you off guard and honestly, you gave him credit. This gave you both a bit of privacy for a second without seeming suspicious. 
“Uh, personal space?” 
He smirks, of course, at your question and pins you against the counter. It’s instantly much closer than he’s ever been, but his only question is “so what are the rules for this game?”
“Rule #1 is you can look but you can’t touch,” you say glancing down to where his chest is practically touching yours. You take your finger and poke his chest, pushing him away from you and trying to move around him in the small place.
He pouts as you poke his chest but steps back. You don’t expect him to give in so easily and you smile, thinking you’d earned another leg up on him. That is until he leans back against the door, blocking you in once again.
“I don’t really like that rule,” he shrugs, “so good luck getting out of here with that one.”
You’d never backed down from a challenger before and you weren’t going to start now, even if you should so you cross your arms and say fine and sit yourself on the edge of the tub scrolling through your phone as if you weren’t completely bothered by his presence. He’s shocked when you just sit on the tub and act so nonchalant. He’s supposed to be making you more fired up so he can win. 
He frowns for a second but flips the lock on the door handle and walks over to you, “what if I break the rules? I don’t lose technically because one of us has to give up to lose, right?”
You’re lucky he has to turn his back to flip the lock on the door handle so that he doesn’t see you swallow hard when he does it. Just being in a small space like that with him had you on high alert but ready to give him back whatever attitude he was dealing out. It was an addicting feeling to have around him. He doesn’t hesitate to hover close to you after he asks the question and you pretend to think about it.
 That is, until he picks a spot on the floor that’s dangerously close to your thigh to stop, but finally you say, “Actually, I believe you’re the one who can look but not touch, but there’s no rule saying that I can’t touch, right Ro?” 
You stand despite the extreme lack of space between the two of you still and start to comb your fingers through his hair. You watch his jaw tense when you all but press against him and run your hand through his hair. As hard as it is to tear your eyes from the muscle twitching in his jaw, it’s totally worth it when you bring your eyes up to meet his and you see the fire that’s there. You have to play it cool because he looks so good when he does it, but you lose your composure when he grabs your wrist and tugs you the rest of the way against him. 
“Remember when you said you don’t play fair? I think I may have to take that line and borrow it. Your rule then is that you can’t kiss Owen in front of me.”
When he grabs your wrist, you’re thankful to have somewhere else to look for fear that you might lose it right there in that bathroom. He manages to leave you speechless and walks out the door like he didn’t just rock your world. You have half a mind to storm right after him but that would mean he was winning and you couldn’t have him thinking that. Instead you walk right back out there and announce to Owen that it was probably time for you to go. When you see Roman catch your eye, you add “back to my place” just loud enough for him to hear.
Roman’s glad he’s thrown you off enough and he can tell you’re flustered when you finally come make your announcement about leaving for the night. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy spending time with Owen and (most of) his friends, but you were all out of sorts after the bathroom incident and you needed to clear your head. Owen is surprised to hear you say that and when he falters for just a second Roman steps in. 
“I can walk you home and make sure you get back safe. I was just about to head out too” he smiles nicely and you feel like your eyes are about to pop out of your head. 
Owen happily, to your chagrin, obliges, “oh perfect! I was just about to start a game of fortnite here otherwise I’d take you so this works for everyone.” 
And yeah technically it did but now you and Roman were about to really be alone for once. Your thoughts are already racing as you look between these two boys. The options weren’t bad really, but could you survive this? Was it worth finding out who was better? Maybe you could see a relationship with Owen, he was sweet, funny, smart. Maybe you could see it if Roman and his big ego wasn’t in your way. You’re completely unsure at the moment, though you know there’s a little extra something when it comes to Roman, and you catch the eye of the older boy and his seemingly permanent smirk is turned on you.
Roman can tell he’s got you right where he wants you when you demand to leave. Admittedly, he thinks you’re inviting Owen back with you when you first say it and he starts to panic that he pushed you in the wrong direction so he’d stepped up with the offer to walk you, and only you, home. You have no reason to be mad at Owen, he has no idea what’s going on between you two, but your irritation with Roman shows in your tone when you snap a “fine” to Owen. 
Walking out the door without a goodbye leaves him confused, but he figures maybe something is wrong since you’re leaving so suddenly. Roman has to move quick to leave when you suddenly do but he’s hot on your heels. You barely glance over your shoulder to see where he’s at but when you have to wait for the elevator he stands next to you as close as possible. 
“You better behave,” you tell him, looking up at him. 
“Scout’s honor” Roman says holding up his hand, but with that smirk you know there is definitely no honor there.
When you step in the elevator you expect him to stand as close as he possibly can without touching you like he did in the bathroom, but instead he leans his back on the opposite wall, seemingly collected and cool while your blood runs hot. The stare down he gives you is intense and makes you wish that he actually was close enough to run your hand through his hair again. You hate how easily he can cloud your judgement after being around him so few times. You weren’t sure how the connection between you two was so strong, but it had a way of getting to you before you even realized it.
“Are you undressing me in your head?” He crudely questions you.
Before you can argue back Owen shoots you a ‘let me know you get home safe’ because of course he’s sweet like that. It throws you off for a second before you scoff at Roman’s question in the small space but you do let yourself look, “you’re awfully bold, you know that?” 
“That’s not a no,” he boasts, and almost on purpose you swear, runs a hand through his hair. He has no problem telling you, “but I definitely have undressed you in my head. I prefer to do it in front of your boy though.”
Owen’s text gets a second glance as you roll your eyes and try disregarding his comment. You figured Roman was done, but when he realizes he’s being ignored and seeing you smile at your phone, who he presumes to be Owen, that’s when Roman kicks it up a notch and puts the emphasis of his last sentence on “your boy”. You shrug, trying to not let him see how much it affected you, how much you wanted it… or him?
“Well I guess that does follow the rules....and here I thought you were a rule breaker, Ahcan.”
The elevator doors open for you to waltz out of, karma on your side for the moment. You can’t help but feel like you won that round despite him seeming to have it taken care of with his out of pocket comment. He’d noticed you let out a little laugh at the phrase he called Owen though and that lets him know you and Owen were definitely still getting to know each other and nothing close to official. 
“I break rules at the right times though,” he follows you closely, tucking right against your side as you walk, “when it helps me win.” 
You give him a confused look but head for your apartment. He breaks his one and only rule when you open the door to the complex and he lays his hand on the small of your back as he holds the door open with an arm over your head. His remark about winning has you starting to think about what exactly it would mean to “win” but don’t have much time to give it more thought because the feeling of his hand is burned into your back and the act of holding the door is also not lost on you. The touch gives you a little shiver that he doesn’t miss but he behaves the rest of the way to your apartment. When you put the key in the lock though he speaks up, “aren’t you going to invite me in?”
You’re not sure whether to laugh or cry at his question. You could either send him on his way with a ‘try again next time’ or you could go against your better judgement and let him in, surprising yourself and him. It would practically be a crime to shut the fun down after he walked you all the way back so a simple “if you swear you’ll behave” and a smirk as you walk into your place and leave the door open is what you give him.
He had hoped you’d say yes, but he hadn’t actually thought you’d agree so when you do he’s a little puppy scurrying beside you before you change your mind. You try to go about your business as if he wasn’t there, changing out of your party clothes into sweats and throwing your hair up. Padding into the kitchen, you grab a glass and turn around to see him standing in the middle of the room watching you. He looks totally out of his element now that he’s on your territory. He had just kind of tapped away on his phone as you went about what you were doing but you don’t miss the softer smile he gives you when he sees you come back to the kitchen in your comfy clothes. 
“Are you planning on staying a while or?” You ask motioning to him with another glass in your hand. 
“I think you already know the answer to that,” he says with a smirk. He’s slick though, so he grabs his glass and comes around the counter to stand much closer to you.
You snort a little at his response but pour the wine into his glass anyway and set it on the counter for him to retrieve it. You boost yourself up on the counter and watch as he leans his hand next to your thigh and decides that’s the best place to start a conversation. 
Your brain speaks for your heart though when you suddenly have an idea, “I have another rule. For both of us this time though. No one gets hurt. We can be all fun and games with this, but you don’t hurt me and I won’t hurt you. Deal?”
He tried to busy himself and figure out what the heck he was doing here. Yeah he wanted you, he had already made that clear but what was his end game and what was he going to do now that he had you all to himself tonight? His proximity is so close you don’t know how he’s not touching you and the weight of your request hangs heavily between you two. It feels both natural and charged to have him this close, but he knows if anything, he’ll make sure to keep you safe no matter what. When you state that rule, all of his cockiness from before dissolves and it’s a surprise to you. 
“I would never hurt you” he promises. 
You’re probably a fool to believe him but the way he looks at you, you do. He feels comfortable though so you trust him, and how close he is, even with the added alcohol. Things only get more flirty and before you realize it he’s standing between your legs to talk to you, free hand on your thigh as his thumbs rub circles. 
“So really, you would pick Owen over me? I mean he’s nice and all but I’m way more fun,” he says, and the smile he has is so genuine that you’re both starting to forget the game that was at stake.
You hadn’t exactly given in but you’d let him a whole lot closer than he was expecting to get already. You were both just tipsy enough to know exactly what you were doing and also not give a damn. His question, from what it’s asking, to the way he words it to the tone of his voice is intriguing. The smile is genuine, there’s no smirk. The way he chews his lip after he asks lets you know he’s a little nervous about what you might say. You said he couldn’t hurt you and he was pretty sure you wouldn’t hurt him but he didn’t want to be made a fool of either. It’s almost like he’s staying it as a fact, but there’s a slight waver to his voice, something in his tone that lends itself toward insecurity- truly wanting to know if you would pick Owen over him. 
Does he think about what your answer could lead to? No. Do you have to think, even a minute before you respond? No. 
“It doesn’t matter who I’d pick, the real question is would you pick me?”
You both knew there was an imaginary line drawn and both were working on seeing how far they could push that line. Roman has to take a minute to think of his response, but he’s sure of it. 
“I would pick you, but maybe not the same way Owen would.” 
You swallow hard realizing your request to not get hurt may be more difficult for him than you originally thought. In his mind, he stayed true to the rule of not hurting you by being as honest as he could in his answer. When he watches the way you swallow hard and sees the flicker of hope in your eyes vanish, replaced by a mischievous gleam he knows he’s in for it. You had to think quickly to defend your heart. He’s suddenly more defensive of his own heart than he thought when he sees the quickness of your shift in emotions. He swears it’s because he doesn’t want to lose, but there’s also a small part of him that could see you two together. He has to squash that down though or he’ll be in too deep, too fast. 
You know you have to protect yourself so you go on the offensive, “I guess I just really need to step it up then. After all, you’re the one with the no touching rule you can’t follow.” 
He frowns, wondering what you mean before you down the last of your wine and put the glass down. You turn your attention to him and slip your arms around his shoulders and start to play with the ends of his curls as you pull him closer. The fact that he has to chant “win the game” in his head to stay focused should be a good indicator that there’s more to it than that. You have to protect yourself because he had already warned you that he doesn’t play fair and his admission that his intentions were far from the warmth and safety that Owen provided was proof of that. 
The frown on his face shifts into a look of content as he leans into your touch. Your fingers continue their movements as you still pull him closer and closer, gauging his reaction. You can see his mind working overtime trying to figure out his next move. 
“What’re you doing?” He mumbles, not making any move to halt your actions. Instead of answering his question you lean in so close your lips are almost touching, his eyes fluttering closed. 
You give him credit for not closing the millimeter of distance, “do you think you could handle sleeping in the same bed without touching me, baby?”
You’re both in deep trouble and you’re well aware of it but there’s also no chance either of you give in yet. It’s nice to have the chase though, the attention so solely focused on you. You have to watch it when you start to think how easy it feels to be so wrapped up and close with him even if your stomach hasn’t stopped flipping since he stood between your legs. He immediately opens his eyes at the question and you realize how close you two are suddenly. It makes your cheeks burn hot and the smirk on his face doesn’t help. 
“Aw, do you need me to stay and make sure you’re safe? Or is this your way or getting me into bed with you on day one?”
You refused to lose and he shared that same mentality. You told yourself the contact was to get him worked up but was that really true when you felt your own heart race with every inch being closed between the two of you? Your cheeks were already flushed and you were 100% blaming it on the wine and not the devilish smirk he was giving you. 
“Funny, I don’t recall actually asking you into my bed? Just if you could handle it, but I guess we both know the answer to that one. Now, why don’t you see yourself out.” 
He raises an eyebrow at you, shocked at the move you’d managed to pull on him, “oh yeah?”
“I have a date with Owen in the morning” you smirk. Your eyes automatically flick to where, as you predicted, his jaw was clenched. 
“Well then”, he says pushing himself from you, “I’ll be sure to remind him of that when I get back to my place.” 
He wastes no time heading for the exit and he’s closing your door maybe a little harder than necessary without so much as a goodbye. Without him in your space you can finally breathe for what feels like the first time that night, but you suddenly feel lonely. You reach for your phone and finally respond to Owen’s text from when you first left and ask him if he wants to get brunch with you in the morning since now you had to make good on your lie. 
The whole way home Roman curses himself for not just taking you up on your offer of sleeping with you, even if he couldn’t touch you. Who knows when he would get that chance again? He never let his guard down like that and got walked over but you’d done it so easily. He considers going back to your door but he can’t. Not the first time anyways. He gets to breathe too when he’s not all wrapped up in you with your hands in his hair. 
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Owen almost too easily agrees to brunch and you find yourself missing the fight that Ro puts up. You try and talk yourself out of it but it’s pretty obvious who has your attention now. In your haste to get to bed to end the previous day you had left your’s and Roman’s wine glasses on the counter. Owen seems to find them almost immediately upon arriving before your impromptu brunch date. 
“Did you have someone over last night?” Owen asks you, his brows knit together. 
You were in your room still trying to make yourself not look like last night had ever happened when you heard his question from the kitchen. You pretend to not hear him and pray that he doesn’t repeat it. What were you supposed to say? ‘Yeah, I almost slept with your roommate? And then invited you to brunch because I wanted to make him mad’? You had made Roman promise to not hurt you but you begin to realize Owen could be a big piece of collateral damage and there needs to be another rule about keeping him safe, too.
Owen brushes the second glass off, thinking it’s probably your roommate who had it. As you walk to brunch, he takes your hand and smiles over at you, “Roman got you home safe then last night?” 
You keep your eyes on the ground as a little wave of panic runs over you but you manage a response somehow, “yeah he made sure I got here. Dropped me off at the elevator and headed out.” 
Owen buys it when you give him a little smile. He seems happy knowing his friend did what he assumed was a good thing. At hearing your response though he starts to think maybe he should take that next step and ask you to officially be his girlfriend. You seemed to fit in his life nicely and he liked you enough that he couldn’t imagine you being with someone else. You make a mental note of mentioning that new rule to Roman and you wonder why it even has to be a rule at all. Why can’t you just let Owen go, harm free why were you still holding onto him?  
__
Roman is so worked up that he manages to avoid you for the entire week but once again, there’s a party that next Saturday and you’re stuck locking eyes with him as soon as you walk through the door. The night is a shit show, to say the least. He’s got a girl trying to hold his attention and he gives it to her once he sees you. It makes your blood boil but you retreat to Owen’s side. It’s full of those loaded looks and his games are working, why couldn’t he pick less obnoxious girls at least? But he chose the ones with tiny waists and loud voices, ones that draped themselves all over him, their fake nails raking over his arms, gripping his thigh and running through the same head of hair that yours had been in last weekend. 
Well, two could play that game. You made sure to be sitting on Owen’s lap and twirling the ends of his hair again, like you had with Roman’s. You even went as far as pretending to be cold so that he’d offer his sweatshirt, the one with his number branded across the sleeve. While you could tell Roman noticed, his eyes hardly left you all night even though he pretended not to care, he still made no move. 
You wait for him to acknowledge you at all, or even talk to you, but it never comes. You’re one of the last people there when you make up your mind about your next move. 
“I should probably head home now.” 
You know he hears it and you leave it as an offer for him to repeat his actions from the last week, hoping he’ll step up again. When even your announcement to leave has no effect you take what’s left of your dignity and get up to go home. Owen pulls you back down for a kiss and as if on instinct you immediately turn your head to the side, his lips making contact with your cheek. ‘You can’t kiss Owen in front of me’ rang through your head. You feel bad as you stand up and see the hurt look on Owen’s face, his hands falling from your waist. 
“I’ll, uhm,” he clears his throat, “I’ll walk you home.” 
You don’t offer him any explanation for your behavior; you just nod, not catching Roman’s expression as you turn for the door. Your walk home is silent. O drops you off at your door, his hands hesitantly come up to brush the hair off your face from the wind. 
“I’m not sure if I did something to upset you tonight, but if I did I’m sorry,” he tells you with a frown. 
Your heart squeezes and you know how in the wrong you are. You shake your head, sighing. “you didn’t do anything, O. It’s me. I’m just having a night and I’m tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?” 
Of course he agrees because he’s Owen and you’re thankful that he’s so patient with you. He, again, is hesitant as he leans down to place a kiss on your forehead this time before he leaves. You give him a smile and he waits to hear you get inside and lock your door before heading back to his own apartment. You head right for your room and fall onto your bed, completely frustrated with everything when you hear a knock on your door.
You hesitate for a second at the noise, wondering if you were hearing things. There’s no way it was him. He doesn’t say anything when you first open the door either. Just leans against the frame and gives you that same small smile he’d given you the first night when you changed out of your party clothes. 
You almost debate not opening the door at all, knowing nothing good can from him being here this late, but you know him well enough to know that he’d wake your neighbors in his pursuit before he gave up that easily. Your annoyance with him that night disappears the second you see the expression on his face. He’s grateful you open the door and don't curse him out the second you see him, he deserved it. Your stomach gets butterflies just seeing him there and instead of saying anything either you hold your hand out and let him take it before pulling him inside. 
He grips your hand, well aware that it could be breaking rule #1, but he just doesn’t care. Right now he needed your touch and the fact that you were offering it after the way he acted tonight was reason enough for him to let go of the rules and give in. You lead him to the couch, not a word yet to be spoken between the two of you. You study him curiously, he’s chewing on his lip a sign that something was on his mind. You’re also aware of the way he takes you in as well. You were tired he could tell, but you also looked serene. Your body was facing his, your arm resting along the back of the couch like his, fingers tracing patterns on the back of his hand. He takes note of the fact that you’re still in Owen’s sweatshirt and makes a comment on it. 
“Ya know, 13 would look a hell of a lot better on you” he says and immediately your fingers stop tracing and you pull away. ‘Fuck,’ he thinks ‘why did he start with that.’ He sighs running a hand over his face. 
“You-” 
“I know, I know; that was uncalled for,” he says, cutting you off, “I didn’t come here to start anything.” 
You swallow the rest of your retort, not expecting an apology, “why are you here, Ro?”
You’re a liar if you said you’d rather wear the 18 on the sweatshirt you had on versus wearing Ro’s. You had a feeling it would just fit right like he seemed to on your couch with you. He’s so quiet when you ask that and it starts to make you nervous. Why ask that? There was no rhyme or reason to anything that was going on between the two of you. It was all based on feelings rather than any sort of logic. He turns to look at you then, wasn’t that the million dollar question? What was he doing here? His brain immediately goes to what he’d heard in practice earlier in the week and he remembers why he had to chase you down and get more time with you.
“I mean,” you start to ramble, “it’s so late. You could have just gone home. I know you were plenty busy tonight so there had to be someone who would have gone with you. Why end up here? Why are we even still doing this?” 
“Owen is about to ask you to be his.” 
Your heart sinks at his words and the pained look on his face is even worse. He can’t look at you when he says it and he’s back to chewing on his lip. 
“He’s what?” You whisper, but you both know exactly what he’d said. Your mind starts to race over it. You had no reason to tell Owen no. He was sweet, thoughtful, and always asked you to hang out. 
“You can say yes to him. We’ll have to call off the game but I don’t want to get in the way of you being happy,” Roman shrugs, though you can easily tell it’s hard for him to say as you watch his jaw clench immediately. It was a tell that you’d learned already about him that showed you easily that he was frustrated.
“I don’t know if I want Owen,” you tell him honestly.
-
Owen’s gut tells him not to wait apparently and he ends up bringing up that he wants to ask you to be his in the locker room one day. The words make Roman’s heart drop even though he doesn’t show it and it puts a panic into him. You two had just started the game. It couldn’t be over already. But he still didn’t know what it meant to win and neither did you, so should he really be interfering with you being happy? 
Owen doesn’t want to make you wait but he also wants to make it perfect so he thinks maybe after the road trip next weekend he’ll do it. Roman’s head snaps up from his skates, but luckily doesn’t draw the eyes of anyone. That means he had about a week to figure his shit out. His mind kept going back to the night that he had mentioned Owen as your boy and the little laugh you let out. You didn’t seem serious about it then, were you now? Were you happy with Owen? 
-
Maybe it was the fact that you’d thought the same thing about 13 looking much better on you, or maybe it was the fact that Owen’s sweatshirt just didn’t feel right suddenly you needed to take it off. Based on his demeanor toward you at the party this was the last place you expected him to be and his confession had you reeling. His words, the look on his face, the prospect of what Owen was offering, it was all too much. You went from tired to completely wired. 
“Well you can’t have us both, and he’s giving you no reason to not say yes” he says. His nice guy act was coming at the worst time. 
“I don't get you, ya know? One minute you’re doing everything you can to win my attention and steal me away from your friend and the second you actually have my attention and the opportunity you’re trying to push me into his arms again. This really is all a game to you isn’t it?”
Roman thought about whether you’d say yes to Owen more times during that week than he wanted to admit. He replays the night at your place even more often and he knows he’s fucked no matter what you choose.It seemed to consume him. How exactly had you managed to have a hold on him like this when he really only had one short lived weekend with you? He can hear how frustrated you’re getting with him and he hates it. He liked the flirty and playful way you two usually were, but he knew there wasn’t much time left for that with Owen making up his mind so fast. 
“It is a game, but it’s not. It started as one but now it’s real and it got real so fucking fast. I’m not pushing you back to him. That’s the last thing I want to see happen but I don’t know if I can be what you want either. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a boyfriend or something,” he defends himself. You scoff because of course this was how it was going. 
“You just come along and mess with my feelings then run away, huh? Must be nice to get out of this so easily without getting hurt,” you say, suddenly feeling too close to him. 
You stand up quickly and head towards the kitchen just to try and get some distance between him and all the thoughts swimming in your head. Roman is damned if you say yes, he barely handles seeing you with Owen as it is, but he’s damned if you say no too because what would that mean for the two of you then without Owen in the way? 
He shoots up after you knowing this was just the beginning of the conversation that so desperately needed to happen in that moment.
“Now wait just one fucking minute. You think this is easy for me huh? Always watching you with one of my friends?” he questions, moving closer and closer despite you trying to keep space between you both, “What about you coming along and messing with my feelings? and then going on dates with someone else? I haven’t had anyone else this whole time, but you, how do you think it makes me feel knowing you’re in the room next door kissing my best friend? Or showing up in my apartment unannounced, knowing you’re there for someone else? Or knowing I only get your attention when it’s part of a game? If you think I’m getting out of this easily and I’m not hurting well you’re wrong.”
You feel your confidence waver as he backs you against the counters but still keeps a few steps of space. You’re not sure if you’d rather have him completely in your face or across the room but something in you wants to pull him closer. 
“Roman, I-“ you mumble, trying to figure out how to digest it all at once. You really thought it was all a game to him but the tone of his voice tells you he’s serious. 
“You what? You get it now? You see what it’s like from my side?” He says, his voice dropping lower than it had been. 
“What am I supposed to do now? If I drop him then what? Are you going to seriously go for me or are you done once the game is?” You ask, looking him up and down. 
He sighs and moves closer, leaning his hands on the counter on either side of you. “Who do you want?” He whispers.
It makes your head spin and your stomach flip with the way he’s boxing you in but still giving you an out. You most definitely wanted to pull him closer and show with your lips the words that you couldn't get your brain to form. The thought of losing him if you picked Owen hurt you more than you wanted to admit, but the idea of looking like an idiot by following your heart and taking the chance on Roman just for him to decide it wasn’t as fun as the chase was warring in your head. 
“I want-“ you hesitate, and it’s a moment too long because he cuts you off before you have a chance to say his name. 
“Well,” he says, again pushing himself off the counter like he had last weekend “if you have to think about it, then there’s my answer”. 
You feel defeated as you whisper his name but he’d already retreated into himself. 
“No, it’s fine,” he says, stepping back. He blinks like he’s awoken from the stupor he was in yet he still looks lost, “I don't know what i’m doing here anyway” 
He shakes his head and you don't miss the frustration and wholehearted truth in his voice. Whether he was talking about physically being at your place or his lack of control of the situation, you weren’t really sure. 
“I’ll see ya around I guess”, he mumbles before he heads for the door.
Having Roman close felt right, that much you were sure of. You feel safe and excited and it feels the way you think it would with someone you trust, but he’s so quick to pull away sometimes and it stresses you out because you don’t want to be the one reaching but you want the comfort that having him close causes. You knew Owen wasn’t who you wanted. You’d pick Roman if you had to. Ro knows too but he won’t push you one way or another so when he walks away you freeze, but a little cry bubbles out when the door closes. You rush over and open it, looking for him. 
“Wait!” You call, thinking he’s farther but he’s smugly leaning against the wall next to your door. 
“Yes?” He asks, a little smirk on his face. He knew you’d come after him, or at least, he hoped.
Good Lord this boy was dangerous, but he also held some kind of home in him for you too. You knew you needed to swallow your pride and go after him, to save everyone the pain, but your confession disappears from your lips as soon as you see the smug look on his face. 
Nope, you shouldn't do this, you really shouldn't and yet the words tumble from your mouth “Tell Owen I said yes.”
The smirk falls from his face immediately and so does his heart when he hears you say those five words. You had to be bluffing.
“You think I believe that? You wouldn’t even kiss him tonight because I told you not to. You’re not fooling me, honey”, he sneers. 
You try not to grimace, remembering the exact reason you had dodged Owen’s lips tonight. By now he had pushed himself from his position on the wall, invading your space once again. 
He leans down and in a low voice that sends shivers down your spine he says, “you’re all mine.” 
It takes everything in you to not grab a hold of his shirt and shove him back against the wall. Instead you grab a fistful of his shirt and pull him down so that he’s face to face with you. 
“Try me” you challenge him, holding his gaze a second too long. 
Before he even realizes it, you shove him back, slamming the door in his stunned face. That would be one message he would not be delivering. Roman can’t help but laugh at the way you sent him off. He’s not even mad that you slammed a door in his face because the energy between you two was back and that gives him hope. He’s fired up, but in a good way this time. He felt like himself again, this was his element. 
You, on the other hand, were still trying to process what the hell just happened. Everything from how close you had been to just giving in, the tone of his voice, those three words would never leave your mind, you were sure of it. You had to lean on the door and get your bearings back though after the way everything had gone. Your emotions were a mess and your thoughts were even messier.
__ 
You see him only a few days later too when you’re over at Owen’s and he comes barging into the apartment. The smirk he throws you when he sees you is enough to get you worked up and he’s well aware of it. At this point he shouldn’t be surprised to see you, parked on his couch and his stomach shouldn’t be doing flips either. But he’s excited all the same. He tries to play things off as friendly when he comes and sits next to you on the couch, thigh right against yours, but he turns his attention to Owen. 
“What did you think of that last drill at practice?” He asks, looking across you to Owen and the slight turn of the corner of his lips lets you know he’s ignoring you on purpose.
“Oh you mean the drill where Coach said no contact and you cross checked me into Robbie? It was so much fun,” Owen says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 
You raise an accusatory eyebrow at Roman who just holds his hands up in defense. 
“Cole pushed me into you, and you could’ve, I don't know, been a little stronger in front of the net and stayed on your feet.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Now my back hurts,” Owen pouts. 
Roman just shrugs, examining his nails like he’s suddenly bored with the conversation. You, however, see the perfect opportunity in front of you. 
“Awh, O. Why don't you take off your sweatshirt? I’ll massage you and then we’ll get you the heating pad,” you offer with a sweet smile. 
Owen accepts easily, smiling as he slides off his sweatshirt and laying face down on the floor, “that would be amazing, you’re the best.” 
You smirk as you straddle his hips and lock eyes with Roman, “I know”. 
Roman just shakes his head at you, you knew exactly what you were doing. You frown as your eyes catch the long horizontal bruise that was already forming across Owen’s back. He wasn’t kidding when he said Roman roughed him up. You’re careful to press around the bruise, forgetting for a second about the man sitting feet away watching you as you felt Owen’s muscles flex beneath your touch. Roman on the other hand was completely focused on you and the way your hands were touching his teammate. When Owen lets out what’s pretty close to a moan along with an ‘oh my god’, you shift your gaze back to Roman with a smirk. 
“That feel good, baby?” you ask, staring at Roman. 
At this point he was chewing on his cheek so hard he was surprised he couldn’t taste blood. He was so fucked. 
“So fucking good,” Owen breathes out, oblivious to the exchange going on above him. 
Roman can’t take anymore of this show and he’s way too turned on. You swear you hear him growl when he pushes himself off the couch and storms past you. 
Apparently Owen hears it too because he lifts his head to ask, “what’s his problem?”
You just laugh and shake your head, “no clue.”
Your eyes follow him to his room, amused that your spur of the moment idea had worked so well. Later on as you’re in the kitchen, about to start doing dishes with Owen, Roman takes an opportunity to pounce when the younger boy mentions he needs to plug his phone in as it dies from playing music through the bluetooth speaker. You roll your eyes as you see him approach, popping the last bite of your dinner in your mouth before shuffling around the counter to put the plate in the sink. 
“You really came to play today, huh?” he smirks leaning on his elbows on the counter across from you. 
His question, well not so much the question itself but the way he says it and looks at you has you choking on your food. 
His smirk grows as he slinks around the counter to stand close behind you. “Ya know”, he breathes, his lips finding your ear, “that’s one of the few times I’ve made you speechless,” his arm snaking up your front until his hand is just hovering around your throat, “want to see if another way works just as well?”
He’s got you all worked up he knows it, forcing you to drop the news, “you better behave because I’m spending the night and he doesn’t need to find out.” 
“I’m not breaking any rules here, am I?” He challenges. 
You hate that he’s not, that you can feel him just barely touching you, but can’t actually feel his hand around your throat.
You can’t help but laugh a little, your senses working on overdrive with how close he is, “kinda wish you would but I don’t think O would appreciate that.”
He gives in, wrapping his hand around your neck and leaning as close as he can, “just remember whose you really are.” 
You gasp at the feeling of his hand on your throat and just as fast as he’d shown up, he’s gone. Your cheeks are bright red and Owen gives you a concerned look as he comes back into the room. 
“Are you okay? You look really warm. Maybe you should go sit down and I’ll finish cleaning up.” 
You nod, giving him a tight smile, and head for the couch. Luckily Roman stays in his own room for the rest of the night but you do bump into him as he’s leaving the bathroom and you’re heading in. He’s changed into some shorts for bed and nothing more, giving you plenty to look at. He leans against the doorframe, keeping you from going in and you make no effort to move him. 
“It’s rude to stare,” he smirks, “but you’re welcome for the show.” 
“Oh get over yourself,” you say, but the playful eye roll you give him makes him smile. You, maybe on purpose, bump into him as you walk past each other in opposite directions. You knew you’d be thinking about how good he looked later despite sharing a different bed in that apartment. 
You both lay there that night, thinking about each other without being any wiser of the other’s thoughts. 
You, of the feeling of his hand, the warmth of his body even as you just bumped into him and the little “show” he’d put on just for you. 
Him, of the sight of his hand around your throat and the way your eyes instantly fluttered closed at his grip, the way you took him in when he stopped you from entering the bathroom, and the playful eye roll that still brought a smile to his lips even was he lay in bed with you in the next room sleeping with his teammate.  
It’s the middle of the night when you swear you hear your name. Owen is sound asleep next to you but you hear it again and this time it’s accompanied with a “please don’t go” and it sounds so distressed. The tone of it makes you nervous and you pick your head up, trying desperately to hear it better. You thought you knew who it was but you swear you must be wrong.
You get up and figure out that it is, in fact, coming from Ro’s room next door. You open his door and are so taken aback by the glow of the stars being thrown across his ceiling from the light projector on his dresser. It catches you off guard, making you look all across the room. Something about it makes your heart tug in a way it hadn’t before with him.
You almost forget why you were in there until he whimpers again, the words “don’t leave me” and your name again tumbling from his lips. You make your way towards his bed to try and wake him from his nightmare, making sure to shut the door behind you. You didn’t need Owen stumbling in on whatever would happen next. 
“Ro, baby, wake up,” you whisper, trying to shake him awake without startling him. 
He finally comes to with a jolt, reaching out and gripping onto your arms for dear life. The wild, terrified look in his eyes shifts to relief when he sees that you’re really there with him unlike in his dream and he starts to relax. He swallows hard and focuses finally, looking up at you.
“You’re here,” he whispers and pulls you onto the bed with him. 
You instantly crawl into him, wanting nothing more than to comfort him. The same as it was on the couch other nights, he just fits his body with yours seamlessly. You end up holding him, your fingers brushing his hair off his forehead that was covered in a thin layer of sweat. His chest was still heaving up and down, breathless from whatever it was that had him so distressed. 
“Shhhh, it was just a nightmare, Ro. I’m here,” you whisper to him. 
He sighs into your chest and mumbles, “not for long.” 
You wonder if he can feel the way his words make your chest squeeze. 
“Do you want to talk about it?” You ask him gently. You feel him shake his head against your chest, still tucked in against you. 
“I just want you to stay with me” he says softly, peering up at you and who are you to say no to that? 
“Whatever you want, Ro”, you reassure him, and when you think he’s finally asleep from you rubbing his back you add “I’m all yours.” 
It’s easy for you to end up falling asleep and you’re completely alarmed when you wake up in his room. He’s not there next to you though and you hate that you automatically frown. Last night was well past the standard of how the game had been going and it had to break every rule you’d both set out. When you go into the kitchen though, there’s already coffee and a bagel waiting on the counter for you along with a very sheepish looking Roman. 
“I, uhm, figured you might want this since I kept you up last night,” he says rubbing the back of his neck. He looks slightly embarrassed and you have to admit it looks cute on him. 
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” you mutter under your breath, trying to bite back a grin, or at least you think you do. 
He chuckles and a smirk forms on his face, “and it won’t be the last.” 
He winks at you when you glance over at him, making you nearly choke on your bagel just as Owen emerges from his bedroom.He eyes the coffee and bagel suspiciously but Roman has a lie ready and waiting. 
“I got sick last night and she stayed up with me,” he explains, looking over at you with a soft smile. You can’t look at him or you know you’ll start blushing so you opt for a sip of your coffee. 
“Oh okay,” Owen says but you all know he doesn’t believe it. 
Your nerves start to kick in that he’s going to call you out but instead he kisses your cheek and asks if you want to hang out longer or go back to your place. The question seems loaded. If you go back to your place and Roman leaves for any reason then you’ll both seem guilty. If you stay then you’re still subject to being around him and with the way he was pushing boundaries with Owen only a room away was getting dangerous. 
You pretend to think about it for a second before deciding you probably needed some fresh air, “I’ll probably head out in a few minutes. I have some cleaning I need to do at home.” 
The answer seems to tide Owen over more than you expected and when he turns to grab a water from the fridge Ro shoots you a wicked grin. For once you credit Roman’s quick thinking, though since Owen doesn’t even bother asking how Roman’s feeling now, you can tell he doesn’t buy it. It’s the second time he’s ever had that gut feeling and both times it’s been associated with you, but you wouldn’t actually stand here in his kitchen and lie to him, so he brushes it off. You do the, obviously, mature thing and stick your tongue out at Ro and it’s so playful that he breaks out into a real smile, one that makes your heart skip a beat. Owen turns back to you and asks if you want him to walk you home to which you accept. 
“Yeah, I'd like that,” you say, hoping on the way he’ll charm you out of thinking about the boy whose smile has fallen behind him.
Roman wants to kick himself when you and Owen leave. He’s stuck watching someone else get you when he’s trying so hard to win you over. His mind keeps flashing back to you waking him up from the nightmare and he can’t shake how good it felt to have you there when he needed you. He swears he can still feel your fingers brushing the hair off his forehead and he hates that he couldn’t just pull you into his arms again that morning. 
You always left him in a whirlwind. One second he’d be throwing some flirty line at you for sake of the game and the next thing he knows he’s thinking about waking up in your arms while you walk out on him with someone else, just like in his dream. You had shown no judgement of him and it was like you already knew him so well when you didn’t push him to talk about it. You were so gentle with him, so comforting.He figures he has to give it one last effort. He hated losing and there was a lot more than usual on the line with this one. 
__
Owen holds your hand the whole way back to your apartment and even holds the doors open. You want it to have the same effect as when Roman did it, but it just didn’t. You let out a big sigh in the elevator, making Owen give you a worried look. 
“Everything okay? I’m sorry you didn’t get much sleep last night,” he says, an admittedly adorable smile crossing his face. 
You return the smile and shrug, “I’m okay, just tired. I think I’ll probably take a nap before I get going on some stuff.” 
“Did you need someone to stay and keep you company?” He asks, his smile turning to a smirk and really you had no reason to say no. 
Except this nagging voice in the back of your head that sounded exactly like a boy you’d just spent the night with. It sounded so similar to Roman asking ‘do you need me to stay and make sure you’re safe?’ except this time there was no ‘or is this your way or getting me into bed with you on day one’ attached to the end. He really had a hold on you. Maybe Owen had just what you needed to shake that, even though you doubted it. 
“You better behave,” you tell him, pulling him inside. 
You hate that that line is recycled too and it just doesn’t feel right when it’s directed at the wrong boy. When Owen doesn't return home from the 8 minute walk back from your place right away Roman starts to worry. That would mean he’s still with you, at your place. Had you just wanted to get away from him he wondered? No, you seemed just fine before you left. But he had crossed a line last night, had he gone too far? It was eating away at him. What if Owen chose to skip ahead in his plan and ask you to be his now instead of waiting until after the road trip this weekend instead of after? His heart was racing as he began to think of that possibility. 
Against his better judgement, he pulled up your contact and hit call. Your phone ringing has Owen pausing his pursuit of leaving marks all over your neck and you whine, pulling him back to you. 
“Just hit ignore” you groan and he agrees, reaching for your phone. 
He hovers over you again with a weird look on his face, “Uhm, why is Roman calling you?” 
You want to hide even though you don't know why he's calling, but you do know that Owen is close enough to hear whatever he’s about to say to you as you pick up the phone.
“Uhh, Ro?” you answer nervously. 
He sucks in a breath when you answer with his nickname. You also sound out of breath and he tries to make his mind dance away from whatever the possibility is for the reason behind that. 
“Hi,” he says and you swear you can see the smirk on his face. You have to stop yourself from smiling as Owen watches you closely. 
“What does he want?” Owen mouths to you, getting annoyed. 
“Did you need something?” you ask him. 
Shit. In his haste he hadn’t even thought about what he was going to say, but he bluffs enough to make something up, “yeah, uhm, I just wanted to know if Owen was with you?” 
You can tell that there was more to that question but you can't get into it with Owen right there so you hand the phone over. 
“Are you serious, dude? I'm kind of in the middle of something. Can you just check the schedule or call Ty or something?” he snaps and he hangs up. You curiously raise your eyebrows at him, you’d rarely seen him snippy like that. 
“He literally wanted to know what time we leave for Minny tomorrow. Like, I don’t know. We got the schedule last week, go check it. Why is he calling you of all people to ask about the schedule? He’s been acting so weird lately,” Owen huffs. 
But you had a feeling as to why he called. To let you know that time was just about up.
Your stomach sinks when you realize how close things were to you having to make a decision. Sure the game was still going but you still had a rule of not letting Owen get hurt and that was starting to seem harder and harder. You suddenly feel too overwhelmed by having him there and when he leans down to kiss you again you press your hands to his chest. 
He freezes and gives you a weird look, “one phone call and you’re not in the mood anymore?” 
“Owen...” you sigh, not wanting to argue. 
“No, it’s okay. I won’t make you, you know that,” he rolls off you and sits on the edge of the bed. His head hangs a little and you sit up next to him, rubbing his back gently. 
“Good luck in Minnesota, by the way. I know you guys can win those games,” you try and reassure him of at least one thing in his life. 
He looks over at you with a little smile, “thanks. If we sweep them I promise I’ll take you to a nice dinner. Or I’ll take you either way. How does that sound?” 
You know exactly what that dinner would be for and you have a feeling he wouldn’t be getting the answer he wanted to hear. 
You nod in agreement though, “that sounds really nice.” 
He leans over and presses a kiss to your lips before standing up, “okay I should go. I have to pack for tomorrow and you had stuff to do. I’ll see you later.” 
You walk him to the door and say your goodbyes, wishing him luck one more time. You lock your apartment after he leaves and go on a deep cleaning spree to keep your mind as busy as possible.
_
Owen was obviously frustrated as he left, but not with you. He never was and that, in some sick way, seemed to be your problem. His mood instantly picked up with your good luck wish, realizing how close he is to asking you to actually be his. He had the feeling now more than ever that he needed to be quick to officially lock you down. His head was swimming with thoughts as he made the short walk back to his place. That was weird for Roman to call you, right? Did he actually need to know what time the plane leaves? Then there was what he thinks was a lie from this morning. He was finally starting to put it all together. 
He walks in to find Roman flipping through channels on the tv and he eyes him suspiciously. “Did you figure it out?” he asks. 
Roman doesn't move his eyes from the screen, “figure what out?” 
“The plane, jeez. That conversation was all of 10 minutes ago,” Owen says rolling his eyes. 
“Yeah, uh, I did. Thanks,” Roman answers absentmindedly. 
“So what time do we have to be there?” Owen asks, taking a drink of his water and leaning against the counter. 
Roman struggles to come up with any kind of time to give him and Owen curses under his breath. He hated being right in that moment.
“She’s pretty great huh?” he says trying to be as nonchalant as possible. It works and Roman finally meets the eyes of his friend, “I knew you didn’t give a damn about the plane time. I don’t know what you think you’ve got going with her, Ahcan, but she’s mine.” 
Owen’s tone lets Roman know that it’s a threat and it catches him by surprise. Even though hearing those words terrifies him, Roman doesn't back down. 
“Right, right because which one of us did she spend last night with? And who did she send back home after one phone call? She may not be mine, but she’s definitely not yours.” 
Hearing the confirmation of his suspicions does shake his confidence a bit, but Owen sticks to the one thing he has on Roman, “she’s a good girl and she doesn’t need you fucking her up. So go ahead, play your games and have your fun, but when she’s mine, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
_
You keep rolling from one project to the next until your whole day has flown by somehow. With pajamas on and a glass of wine next to you, the couch gets your attention before bed. Or it did until a knock on your door startles you. Confused, you check the peephole and see Roman on the other side. 
You open the door and shake your head at him, “this can’t be good. It’s awfully late and you leave early tomorrow.” 
He has a serious look on his face though that levels you almost immediately. “I needed to see you before we left. I can’t get last night out of my head and I can’t get you out ever anymore. I don’t want to win the game if it means I lose you.”
You’re so shocked when Roman stands there in front of you, his confession still scrambling your thoughts. He carefully steps forward, taking in your blank stare. 
“Please say something,” he whispers, his gut twisting over the possibility he could be too late to tell you how he felt. 
“I, uh...” you stutter, feeling all thrown off. 
He knows he’s not good at any of this and when you’re silent he panics even more than he already was but he’s trying not to show it. What if Owen had somehow gotten to you before he had the chance to come over? What if he was too late and your mind was already made up. 
You need to ground yourself so you reach for him and he immediately grabs your hand. A little squeeze and a deep breath help you think straight again. Even in your overwhelmed state, you took note of the fact that you reached for Roman for comfort. It was kind of funny how you both went to each other when things got to be too much.
“The couch,” you say, “we should probably talk.” 
He nods, closing the door and following you back to where you had been starting to relax. That was thrown out the window now however. You let go of his hand as you sit down and he frowns at the loss of contact. When you turn towards him though, legs pulled up under you, and get in his space on the couch, he relaxes. It’s easy for him to reach over and rest a hand on your thigh, and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t calm you down a bit. 
“Owen knows I’m going after you,” he says, giving you yet another shock.
As soon as you feel his hand on your thigh you feel so much better. And then his confession sends you right back over the edge. 
“What- what do you mean he knows? You’re going after me?” 
Your head was spinning. Like you always seem to do, you pull a smile from Roman. 
“What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time? Of course I’m going after you.” 
“But do you really want me, Roman? Or do you just want to win?” You held your breath waiting for your world to come crashing down around you. 
“I want you.”
“Ro, you can’t lie to me right now. You realize that right? The rule is you don’t hurt me since you never have listened to that first one about no touching,” you laugh a little. 
You’re so worried he’ll break your heart but you know you’ll pick him over Owen. You just need him to be honest and get you to trust him. 
“I stopped caring about the game after last night. Sure it’s fun but... I don’t know how to explain it even. Something about you being there when I woke up just changed things,” he admits, feeling a little embarrassed about it. 
He’s pretty sure you feel the same so he just lets it out. You soften at his confession, realizing he really had been worked up when you woke him. 
“So does this mean we both win or what?” You ask, needing to turn the mood up. 
You could deal with Owen later. Knowing you and Roman were on the same page was priority number one at the moment. He laughs at your question, because of course you were worried about the game.
“I’ll lose if it means we don’t keep beating around the bush about what we want here,” he smiles, a blush taking over his cheeks. 
You shrug, not actually minding either, “I think we both win. It’s not like we’re actually losing anything here.”
“You have a point there. But what about Owen?”
“Well, I have until you guys get back to really make something happen,” you say, “especially if he already knows. He’s pretty smart so he’ll probably figure it out.”
Roman agrees, something he finds far too easy to do with you. He checks the time and realizes he came over much later than he thought. He sighs and gives you a rueful smile.
“I should probably go. I have to get stuff packed up still before tomorrow,” he stands slowly, reaching a hand out to pull you with him.
You easily follow him, not ready to let him go after the revelation you’d both come to. He stops at the door and turns around, pulling you close as he wrapped his arms around you. You feel your cheeks heat up as you hold on tight to his waist and smile up at him.
“You behave while I’m gone, okay?” he asks, a hint of a smile dancing on his lips.
“Mmm,” you pretend to think, tapping your chin, “I guess if you asked nicely.”
He laughs and grabs your chin, “If you please behave I’ll make you an offer you can’t resist when I get back.”
You’re ready to argue back somehow when he leans down, gently kissing your forehead. Your breath catches in your throat and you swear your heart begins to hammer twice as fast as it should. Roman offers the most polite goodbye you’ve ever heard from him before he lets you go, leaving you with a whole weekend to get your life back together from the mess he’d made in it.
__
It’s only a few hours into their road trip that you get a snap from Roman letting you know they’d landed safely in Minnesota. You don’t wipe the grin off your face for a few hours after as he keeps up a bit of conversation going. 
You get the contrary from Owen the next morning as he holds a wrist up in his snap to you, showing off a big bruise with the comment ‘tell your boy to stop being a dick during practice so I don’t get hurt so much’. Your jaw drops a little at the sight of the nasty purple and blue bump that had taken over on his skin. You know you should probably say something to Roman, but you leave it. There were some things they’d just have to sort out themselves. 
You’re practically falling asleep Saturday after watching their game when your phone lights up with a FaceTime call. You see Roman’s contact pop up and sit up quickly, answering as fast as you can manage. You hardly expected the call but you didn’t mind one bit.
“Hi,” he says, the smile on his face contagious as you match it.
“And to what do I owe this honor?” you ask, trying to play it cool. You knew him so when did you get so excited to talk to him? You try and take a deep breath to calm down, but it hardly works.
He shifts in his seat, angling the phone towards the wall of the airport they were waiting in, “just wanted to check in with you. Did you watch the game?”
“I did. Someone on the team had a pretty good weekend, too. Maybe he’ll still hang out with me after he gets back,” you tease, knowing he’d played really well during both games.
“Ah yeah, he might have some time. I don’t know. He could be busy,” he pretends to think about it, looking around the room before looking back at his screen, “I’m just kidding. I’ll be there as soon as you want me over.”
You soften up, “good because if you showed up right away I wouldn’t even mind.”
“Someone else definitely wants to talk to you first and I’m okay with that. We all know you’re all mine anyways,” he smirks, giving you a wink.
He has to hang up much sooner than you’d like but you’re left knowing he’s on his way back and there were things for the two of you to catch up on when he returned.
__
You nervously play with your fingers, pacing around your apartment. Owen had sent you a text asking if he could stop over and talk. You were pretty sure your stomach had wound around itself ten times over in the time it was taking him to get to your place. When he finally does knock you jump, scuttling over and pulling the door open with a bashful smile.He returns the smile and you know it’s not a full one. 
He doesn’t attempt to step in and instead starts off heavy, “you like him, huh?”
The words sit heavy on your chest as you try to figure out how to word things. Eventually you settle for a simple answer, “I do. I’m sorry.”
“I kind of figured,” he shrugs, “I can’t say I’m happy with it but I can’t really hold it against you either. Everyone deserves to be happy, right?”
“Owen, I’m really sorry. You deserve the whole world and then some,” you apologize, starting to feel guilty suddenly.
“Look at me,” he says, putting his hands on your shoulders, “does he make you happy?”
You nod, not able to meet his gaze, but he puts a finger under your chin to make you look at him. You give him a more certain nod and he hugs you suddenly. It’s warm and it’s tight, but it doesn’t feel like a goodbye. It’s more like a truce and you hug him back just as hard.
“Just make sure he treats you right otherwise I have no problem kicking his ass.”
You laugh, swearing he’ll be the first to know if Roman makes any such mistakes. He gives you a kiss on the head before letting you go and heading back the way he’d come from. You watch him all the way until he gets into the elevator, exchanging a little wave as the doors close. Your heart feels so much lighter and you go back to your couch with a whole new set of issues on your mind. Did Roman still want you? Did he know Owen was already there to see you? What if he’d changed his mind in the time it took them to get home and then through the day? You close your eyes and try to pull it all together when a loud knock on the door startles you.
You mumble under your breath about reprimanding everyone you knew for constantly scaring the shit out of you with the way they came over to your place but the anger dissipates when you see who’s waiting. You open the door and smile, about to ask what he’d been waiting for, when he interrupts by stepping in and shutting the door behind him right away.
“Remember when I said I break rules at the right times? When it helps me win?” He asks you.
You’re ready to claim some sort of win from the game, but right before you can, his hands come up on either side of your face as he smashes his lips against yours for the first time. It takes your breath away and you grab onto him like your life depends on it. He lifts you up, your legs wrapping around his waist as he heads for the kitchen. He sets you on the counter before finally pulling away as the two of you smile at each other like idiots.
When you finally manage to catch your breath all you can manage to say is, “all I remember is you saying you don’t play fair.”
“And I remember you telling me that two could play this game so as far as I’m concerned we’re even here. Time to make some new rules though because this is a whole different game now, and you and I are one game I don’t ever plan on losing.”
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puckyess · 3 years
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“The Brad Marchand of college hockey #rat” - Dom Mersch
2/20/21
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