2minsforslashing | Slashing Penalty Chapter 1-4 (Reply)

Title: Slashing Penalty (chapters 1-4)
Author: Mark
Characters: Ryan Miller/Paul Gaustad
Rating:G, PG-13, NC-17, R(It depends on the chapter so to just warn you)
Disclaimer: These stories are works of FICTION and DO NOT in any way reflect the real lives, sexual preferences, or personalities of the characters. They do not at any point infer that any of the persons mention is Gay.

Chapter 1

It was a couple of weeks before the NHL season was to start and everyone was anxious to see how well their teams would perform. This anticipation had long ago settled in the city of Buffalo, Home of the Buffalo Sabres.

In the last season they didn’t even make the playoffs, so all of their fans had high expectations for them this year. This made the players all the more determined to win; even the event of losing didn’t upset them as much as letting their fans down. Although they had lost in the preseason games more than they won, their fans still stuck by them resolutely. The team couldn’t have been more grateful for their support.

The practices weren’t all that great what with Gaustad out for surgery, caused by his and Miller’s short stay in Europe in which the poor man tore something in his thumb. “This is going to be so different with Paul out,” remarked a redhead, well his hair was more reddish brown then red in a low voice as they did their laps around the rink. He was dressed in the gear of a forward, fitting his lean and muscled body. As the heights of the players on the team varied, he would count himself of average height.

“Cheer up, Vanek, we’ll be just fine.” This time, it was a brown-haired man who glanced at his teammate with a crooked smile. Instead of being dressed in the gear of forwards and defensemen, he wore his bulky shoulder pads and leg padding like armor. His gloves further detailed his front as a goalie. Underneath the heavy padding, he was thin and lanky, but as he was one of the tallest goaltenders in the league, his height definitely made up for his lack of muscles.

“That’s easy for you to say, Miller!” replied Vanek, and playfully punched the cocky Miller. “Come on now. We don’t want to set a bad example for our new teammates!” interrupted another brown-haired man, wearing the same gear as Vanek. Though he was a little shorter than the redhead, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with both on and off the ice.

“Kaleta’s right, let’s get on with this,” Miller said, grinning good-naturedly. Deep down, though, he felt bad that his friendship with Vanek wasn’t as strong as it was before his trip to Europe. Upon his return, things simply weren’t the same between them. It was a subtle difference, though. Miller suspected none but himself could tell Vanek was acting strangely.

The redhead in question shrugged and went off to talk to Pominville. “What’s wrong with Vanek?” Kaleta asked, staring intently at Miller, who shrugged uncomfortably and skated ahead to talk to Lalime.

Lalime frowned at the younger goaltender as he approached. “What am I doing wrong this time?” he asked right as Miller stopped. Taken aback, he blinked at Lalime owlishly. “Who said I was going to criticize you?” Miller asked, now skating next to him.

“You usually do,” Lalime muttered. Miller brushed the comment aside and tried to think of something to say. “Can’t we just talk? You know, like friends?” asked Miller, casually, to no response. Nostrils flaring, Miller headed over to Kaleta and their new captain, Rivet.

Nodding his head to Rivet, he softly murmured something to Kaleta before Ruff called everyone over. “What was that about?” Rivet asked the enforcer.

“Oh, nothing.”

-x-x-x-x-x-Scene Break-x-x-x-x-x-

“Well, that was a good practice. I think we’re ready to beat the Habs!” exclaimed Ruff, proudly glancing around at his players. “Who’s going to be starting in net?” a voice asked. Miller turned to look at Macarthur.

“Miller will start in net for the first game.”

As the players headed to the locker room, conversation once again settled around when Gaustad would be back in play. Miller knew that Paul wouldn’t be back until well after their first game, and it saddened him to see his best friend hurt so badly.

He managed to hide it well, the electric feelings between him and Paul. As they were both secretive people, their feelings for each other went undiscovered for the longest time. As time went on, however, Miller found it hard [i]not[/i] to notice the way Paul was acting around him- in the locker room, on the ice, even when they just hung out around town when they had nothing better to do. It was subtle, yes, but apparent.

During those moments, Miller asked himself what was going on though, really, he should have already known. He had friends like that when he was in high school. It was just that Miller never expected Paul to be like them.

Miller’s older cousin Kevin would always tell him to ‘expect the unexpected.’ But even Kevin would never have been prepared for this! With a barely audible sigh, he grabbed his coat after shedding his hockey gear and slowly headed out toward his car. As he stepped out, he overheard his teammates talking about him and told himself to keep walking. He had promised to visit Paul to tell him how the team was handling his absence, amongst other things.

The guy seemed to worry a lot about how the team would perform without him backing them. He worried about everyone; it was a refreshing quality, Miller easily admitted. He especially loved how Paul seemed to worry about him the most.

In the beginning, he couldn’t even believe it was true; in his mind, the entire thing was a trick set up by his teammates. The “why” was hard to explain. He played along for a bit and when he finally got sick of it, he told Paul to cut the act. Miller had never regretted his actions as much. Paul had looked so hurt and betrayed… feelings like that couldn’t be false. From then on, Miller never doubted that Paul was gay.

The goaltender stopped talking to Paul for a short time after that. He was angry at himself for feeling so guilty over saying something that seemed right at the time. His puzzled emotions were what really held him back, though: he was surely not gay and falling for his close friend. But after steadily ignoring Paul for weeks and noticing how badly it affected the poor guy, he could have kicked himself for being so stupid. After a long talk, Miller and Paul decided to start a relationship together.

“Ry?” called someone from behind him, startling him from his musing. He glanced casually over his shoulder. His brown eyes held a strange gleam in them that made Miller uncomfortable. “What’s up, Pat?” Miller asked, digging in his pocket for his keys. “You going to see Paul?” Kaleta questioned, ignoring the familiar greeting.

Miller unlocked his car door before facing Kaleta. “Why do you care?” he asked tensely with a defensive glare. “Just wondering is all,” Kaleta replied, shrugging his shoulders with a loose grin and walking away without another word.

-x-x-x-x-x-Scene Break-x-x-x-x-x-

The run in with Kaleta made Miller nervous, to say the least. The way he spoke implied he knew something he probably shouldn’t have known, and it got under Miller’s skin more than he cared to admit. He thought of Paul. What if Kaleta knew of their relationship somehow? Dread crept through his veins. It was his personal business. They had no right to know.

He finally opened his car door and tossed his bag carelessly over to the passenger seat. The strap caught on the shift. He muttered a curse under his breath and slowly climbed in, sore from the continuous practices his team had been holding. He didn’t mind the almost daily practices, but even Miller had to admit it was starting to get very tiring.

While the burn in his muscles made him feel a little accomplished, Miller always felt so guilty when he would fall asleep at Paul’s bedside. The damn man never had the heart to wake him up! And he liked spending time with Paul… to have his time with his lover cut in half by such a mundane thing as sleep was somewhat of an insult. Paul had also expressed his concern about Miller falling asleep at the wheel on his way home from the hospital after visiting hours were over. It had never happened before, but Miller decided to be extra careful for Paul’s sake.

Yawning, he started the car and let out a low, happy sigh.

It was time to go home.

Chapter 2

It wasn’t too far away from practice, but it would be foolish to speed while in the state he was in. He groaned in resignation and shut the radio off when he took the exit. He needed something with caffeine in it if he didn’t want to pass out (again) on Paul. He spotted a Wegmans he was familiar with and pulled into the parking lot. He usually shopped there when he was running low on supplies and needed a quick fix. Pulling messily into a parking spot, he pulled on his hat to make his appearance less recognizable. He would only be there for a short time, and it was already very late, but he thought it best not to take any chances.

Miller shut off the engine and tucked the keys safely in his pocket before climbing out, stifling a yawn that threatened to escape. His short walk through the parking lot to the doors gained him a few strange stares (probably because of the hat), but it was nothing to worry about. Skipping the aisles, he went straight to the coolers where the drinks were kept. He didn’t feel like walking out with bitter coffee; the small milk machine for it had a sign hastily taped to it that read “Out of Order.” He carefully browsed through the energy drinks before giving up and walking to the sodas. Grabbing a familiar brand he knew would do the trick for the time being, Miller headed over to the front counter.

He must have appeared vaguely familiar to a few people as he got a couple more stares. ‘What? Have they never seen a hockey player act like a normal person before?’ he asked himself, rolling his eyes and handing over two crumpled dollar bills. Being famous could be so difficult sometimes.

-x-X-x-X-x-

Pulling into the parking lot just off to the side of the hospital, he quickly found an empty parking space and pulled into it. The fizzy soda had managed to keep him awake, to his relief. His muscles felt a little stiff, though. As he turned off the engine once more, he stretched and grabbed the partly filled bottle of soda.

Miller quickly walked down the now familiar hallways to his destination, a set of rooms for recently operated on patients. He decided against taking the elevator this time; the brisk walk up the stairs would wake him up like nothing else. He took a sip of his lukewarm soda halfway up, frowning at the taste. He nodded to the only late-night nurse at that station and couldn’t help but hear her soft sigh of longing. ‘Only in her dreams,’ Miller thought happily.

Luckily, the trip to the room was pitifully short compared to the 5-minute climb up the stairs. He knocked once on door 612 and invited himself in.

He chuckled when he noticed Paul’s sleeping form. As he pulled the chair in the corner to the side of the bed, a wicked grin crossed his face. Leaning over Paul, he pressed his lips to the man’s forehead, slowly leaving a trail of kisses down his cheek and slowly inching toward Paul’s unblemished neck.

The warmth of his lover’s breath on his skin caused Paul to slowly awaken. “Wha’ was tha’ for?” he mumbled, cracking open his eyes and blinking at Miller’s smiling face. Paul’s hair was the same color as the other man’s, albeit lighter and shorter in length. His eyes were like pools of dark chocolate, and he was stockier and more physically built than his lover.

“Well, you were asleep and I thought I should wake you up.” Miller explained smartly in a low voice, still hovering over Paul’s face. Paul shook his head and chuckled before taking in Miller’s appearance. “Is Ruff overworking you all again?” Paul asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

Miller shifted uncomfortably and changed the subject. Hadn’t Paul gotten a checkup that day? “So… when are you getting out of here?” Miller asked, ignoring the chair to sit on the edge of the bed.

Paul’s face brightened. “Tomorrow,” he replied cheerfully. “Why?” Paul wondered if Miller was planning something (hopefully semi-romantic) for his return. “Just wondering is all.” He ran his hand through Paul’s hair and smiled gently. “I’ll pick you up and take you home, ‘kay?” Paul hummed and nodded, enjoying the feather light touch of Miller’s fingers stroking his scalp. If only humans could purr, he mused. He closed his eyes and turned his head into Miller’s hand. “You’re falling asleep again,” Miller said with a small laugh. “Should I stop?” Paul opened one eye to glare up at him. “Why don’t we both sleep? It looks like you need it more than me anyway.”

Miller rolled his eyes and didn’t deny it. He had tried to hide his fatigue as best as he could, but Paul managed to see right through him, as usual. He reluctantly moved to the chair and scooted closer to the bed. He laid his head in his arms and slowly drifted off the sound of Paul’s light, even breathing.

As he slowly drove down the highway, Miller could feel his eyelids drooping in his fatigue. He turned on the radio, cranked the volume, and even resorted to clenching the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands. He would end up with a migraine by the end of the night, but it was okay as long as he arrived to the hospital, to Paul, safely.

Chapter3

For the first time in a week, Miller felt well-rested. He lay content in the warmth, and would have drifted back to sleep if it wasn’t for the sound of a low chuckle coming from somewhere in front of him. Blinking his eyes open, he suddenly realized where he was. ‘Oh, shit!’ he thought worriedly. The thin man snapped up into a proper sitting position.

“Someone’s finally awake.” Paul said, a sparkle in his eye as he sat up in the bed. He simply stared at Paul, not even thinking to roll his eyes at the sarcastic tone of voice he used. “What’s wrong Ry-Ry?” Paul asked, concerned. He turned to face Miller completely.

Miller was glad to see that Paul was wearing normal clothing (a clean pair of blue jeans and black t-shirt), in the place of the stupid hospital gowns he was unfortunately used to seeing his boy in. “What time is it?” Miller asked, noticing the bright sunlight shining through the window. He felt a bit more refreshed than how he had felt walking into the hospital the night before, though the soda had left a bad taste in his mouth. “It’s about eight.” Paul said, reaching over to smooth down Miller’s tussled hair.

Miller glared at him, but noticeably didn’t bat aside the hand. His team didn’t have practice that day, thankfully, which meant he could drive Paul home virtually whenever he wanted. He wished Paul would have woken him up earlier... he felt a little disorientat- his mind turned to mush. “Please don’t be mad at me for letting you sleep in,” Paul murmured into Miller’s ear, grazing his teeth lightly across the cartilage.

Miller shivered in pleasure, and he caved immediately. It was hard for him to stay angry at Paul, especially when he did things like that. Knowing exactly what he was thinking, Paul smirked in amusement. “Seems you enjoy that…” he whispered breathily, letting a hand lightly stroke Miller’s chest. The goaltender felt his nipples harden and he stifled a moan, arching into the skillful fingers. He tried to look stern at his lover “P-Paulie, not here...” Miller said with a slight whine in his voice.

A small pout came to Paul’s face as he moved away and crossed his arms. “Fine,” he relented, the pout widening to a small smile. “The doctor told me last night that you could take me home when you woke up.” Sliding off the bed, he stretched out his uninjured hand to help Miller up.

“Alright, alright, get your bag then.” Miller ordered, letting go of the strong hand and stretching. He smirked in satisfaction when both his back and neck popped. His muscles were still stiff and he still felt like he needed more rest. As he waited for Paul to get his bag, he took a step out of the room and casually looked down the halls.

He wondered what he would do when he got home. He knew he should probably get more sleep, but he wanted to stay up and spend more time with Paul. Since their relationship began, Miller could never get enough of him. A hand lightly tapped his shoulder and he turned his head to look over his shoulder, smiling warmly at the excited grin on Paul’s face. “Hey, are you going to stand there with your head in the clouds all day?” he asked, slinging an arm around Miller’s shoulder.

Miller quickly leaned across Paul to grab his bag, to the man’s protest. “I’ll take your bag. Don’t want you to get into trouble.” Miller explained with a wink. Paul frowned at the bag. “I could have carried it on my own…” The other man took a quick glance around before kissing Paul’s cheek. “I know, love, I know. I just really don’t want us to stay here longer than we have to. ‘Kay?” Paul melted at the sight of those soft brown eyes directed only at him. A sudden burst of emotion burst through him; joy and contentment, he knew.

Right then, he felt like he was the luckiest man alive.

~x-X-x-X-x~

“Are you gonna stand there all day or what?” Miller asked with a wicked glint in his eyes as he strode over to the elevator. He didn’t have the heart to force Paul down the stairs, although it would probably be good for him considering all of the required bed rest. Miller yawned as they silently waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor.

As expected, Paul glanced at him in concern. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” Paul’s lips pursed and he looked ready to march him right back into room 612. To Miller’s great relief, a ding sounded and the elevator doors opened. He sped in and pushed the ‘Lobby’ button smugly.

Paul rolled his eyes at his lover’s antics and followed him into the empty elevator, still a little worried. Judging by Miller’s figure slumped against the carpeted wall, he was more than “just a bit tired.”

As he held open the main doors to the hospital for Paul, he exclaimed, “Elvis has left the building!” Paul snorted and playfully slapped his shoulder. “Good going, smartass. You’d better hope no one recognizes you.” Miller laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I can already see the fangirls teaming up for my autograph!” He gestured to the silent and empty parking lot. “There’s no one here, man. It’s a Saturday. People are sleeping. Well, the normal ones, at any rate.” Paul rolled his eyes and linked arms with his lover, enjoying the happy moment.

As they got to the black SUV, Miller stepped forward to unlock it and throw Paul’s bag in the back. He quickly hopped into the driver’s seat and did the same with his hockey bag, which was lying forgotten on the passenger’s seat, before leaning over to unlock the other door manually. “So, my place or yours?” Miller asked casually, putting his keys into the ignition. “Hm... why not mine? I miss it after being away for a week. Plus, it’s closer to the arena.” Paul stated suggestively, leaning over to give Miller a quick kiss on his cheek.

Miller could feel his cheeks redden as Paul kissed him. This prompted a delighted laugh from Paul; he could always count on Miller to blush like a schoolgirl when he touched him. It was cute and one of the many things he loved about the guy.

“If you don’t stop that, we’ll never get you home.” Ryan commented after he managed to force down the embarrassing blush. He started the car and revved it up warningly to stop what he knew would be a smart comment from Paul. The man in question paled and clutched the seat. Miller could be a scary driver sometimes…

-x-X-x-X-x-

Paul proved to be a distraction the entire ride to his house, nevertheless. He wasn’t even doing anything! Just his sitting there was enough of a distraction to Miller. The SUV finally pulled into the driveway unscathed and Miller left the engine running while Paul got his bag. “Stay with me?” Paul pleaded, and that was that. Miller followed Paul into the house and sat on the leather couch in the spacious living room, sinking into it gratefully. Paul sat closely beside him, and his body warmth drove Miller crazy with want.

He suggested watching a movie and was treated the pleasing view of Paul’s round and well-formed ass swaying as he bent low to find a good title on the small wire rack positioned next to the big screen television. He licked his dry lips and felt his groin twitch in desire. It would be so easy to… no, no, no, they were going to sit there and watch a movie. Nothing else! He could hold out, he really could.

So Paul plugged in a new action flick and sat down in his spot next to Miller, his hand “accidentally” brushing his lover’s clothed thigh. Miller shuddered and could feel his restraint cracking. Five minutes into the film, which had been ignored up until then anyway, Paul was straddling Miller’s lap and making love to his neck. His tongue slid in slow, lazy circles down the expanse of skin, occasionally pressing his mouth to it and sucking lightly. Clean, white teeth bit down on the reddened areas, only to be apologized for with an open-mouthed kiss.

Miller’s head was tilted to the side, his mouth open in a small “o.” His shaking hands trailed down Paul’s back and back up as he absorbed the wonderful sensation of Paul pressed so tightly against him…

It’s good to be in love with a man that knows how to use his tongue.

Chapter 4

Paul restarted the movie after their needs were satisfied. It didn’t take long for his lover to fall asleep with his head lying comfortably on Paul’s lap. The brunette half-watched the movie while threading a hand through Ryan’s hair. They hadn’t been able to get up to much when Paul was in the hospital; needless to say, both men were pleased at the turn of events. There were to be no more long nights of silently praying for Ryan to arrive at the hospital safely. He always insisted it was a stupid idea to make the trip when the man was practically asleep on his feet.

Even though it was incredibly sweet of him…

A small smile grew on his face as he glanced down at his sleeping teammate. He had muted the volume on the television a while ago, distracted from the action-packed scenes by Ryan’s soft, even breathing. Paul closed his eyes and opened his ears; he took the time once more to reflect on how things had changed between them.

When they had first met, they weren’t necessarily on good terms. They were on opposing teams at the time, fiercely competitive on and off the ice. The teams traded barbed remarks, verbally trying their best to trip each other up. This went the same for Ryan and Gaustad.

Paul had unofficially met him during one of Ryan’s runs. Paul was quick to think he was a forward with his speed and agility. He had been so shocked to see Ryan decked out in heavy goaltender gear that night on the ice. His immediate thought was, ‘That man definitely has a unique way of doing things.’ Of course, this didn’t just apply to hockey as he would soon realize.

He remembered it vividly…

~x-x.Flashback.x-x~

Paul walked down the halls of the school aimlessly, mentally preparing his mind for the night ahead. As he turned another corner, he came across an amazing sight. There was a man leaning against the wall with one foot propped up against the stone. His head was tilted a bit in Paul’s direction, but his stunning brown eyes were unfocused. The man had a thin, wiry built- a built that Paul recognize as one that contained surprising strength and agility. He had never seen that shade of brown before, and there was a curious, steely glint in them that Paul felt instantly drawn to… more so than his handsome facial features. His own eyes intently drank in the sight, not knowing if he would ever see it again.

“Hey, Ryan!” Paul stiffened and felt a mortified blush creep to his cheeks. ‘What am I doing? I’m not a stalker, I’m not!’ he mentally badgered himself. ‘But… he looks so cool. I wonder what his name is? And why is his jersey so familiar…? Ah, damn it! I am not admiring him, I’m really not!’ The man blinked when he was called out of his musings, and he was now staring, puzzled, at Paul. “Did you…?” he trailed off, staring over Paul’s shoulder in realization. He turned slightly to look at an approaching guy wearing the jersey of a Spartan hockey player. ‘So… his name is Ryan? But why did that Spartan say his name? Wait… no, he can’t be…’

“Ryan, get your ass back to the locker rooms. The coach wants to talk to the seniors.” The man glared at the couple when they didn’t react. “Kyle, can you give us a second?” Ryan asked, his eyes brightening a little in anger.

“I think-”

“He’ll be in a bad mood if we don’t go now,” Kyle said with a frown, then swiftly turned on his heel to walk away. Ryan rolled his eyes and muttered an obscenity under his breath as he pushed off the wall to join Kyle. He glanced back at Paul curiously before he turned the corner to head to the locker rooms, and was surprised to see Paul also staring at him intently… so intently…

~x-x.End_Flashback.x-x~

He was brought back out of his musing by Ryan shifting in his sleep, burrowing deeper into Paul’s lap. He gave a small murmur of contentment as he did so. Paul chuckled, gently mussing the hair on his lover’s head. The movie ended very soon after that with Ryan still sleeping soundly, so Paul used the remote to shut off the television, turned his head into a more comfortable position, and drifted off to sleep with a hand resting on Ryan’s neck.

The clock chimed twelve times at noon, startling Paul awake. He could feel a slight kink in his neck, and his thighs were numb from the weight of Ryan, but he couldn’t have been happier. He smiled fondly down at the lump snoozing on the couch and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Ryan,” he called softly. “Time to wake up.” No reaction. With a smirk playing on his face, he lightly rubbed the cartilage of the man’s ear for a few seconds before leaning down to lick it.

With a shudder, one of Ryan’s eyes opened hazily. “‘M up, I’m up,” he grumbled, turning onto his back with his head still on Paul’s lap. He stretched languidly, arching up off the couch a little. He then stared expectantly up at Paul, blinking a few times. Paul replied to his unasked question, “It’s noon. I know you don’t like to sleep late, and we can’t have you out of it tonight, can we?” Ryan yawned, rubbing the rest of the sleep out of his eyes. He rose into a sitting position and leaned against Paul’s shoulder. “Your lap was pretty comfortable, you know. Better than a pillow,” remarked Ryan, glancing at Paul out of the corner of his eye. As expected, his face flushed at the compliment.

“You’re so-” Paul was cut off by Ryan’s lips moving expertly against his own. In seconds, the man had smoothly straddled his hips, arms thrown around his neck. Paul’s mind was wiped blank as Ryan slowly grinded their hips together. Ryan’s tongue darted out to lick his lower lip, and Paul complied immediately, opening his mouth with a quiet moan. Their hips rocked with every subtle push of Ryan’s tongue; the desire for more climbed steadily.

Yet deep in his mind, Paul wondered what had brought it on, what triggered the sudden action. It was welcomed, yes, but there was something to it. His love, for whatever reason, was desperate-- and all he could do was comply and clutch possessively at Ryan’s shirt.

Ryan eventually pulled away enough to give them both room to breathe. Paul blinked a few times, trying to regain his bearings. Ryan noticed and smiled slightly; it was nice knowing that only he could make his lover’s mind turn to mush like that. “What… what are your plans for today?” Paul asked haltingly.

“I have to go talk to Ruff about a few things,” Ryan said with a frown as he slid off Paul’s lap and straightened his shirt. ‘I need a shower and change of clothes before I do anything…’ he thought. He’d fallen asleep in the clothes he had worn the day before, and it was rude to meet with people dressed like that. Plus, he just liked being clean.

Paul frowned at Ryan. He always seemed on edge whenever he went to talk to the coach… but strangely, he always came back looking a bit happier than what he left. “Okay,” Paul sighed, shifting to cross his legs. Ryan stood and looked down at Paul searchingly for a few seconds. “Hey, I won’t be gone long,” Ryan said, leaning down to gently kiss Paul’s lips. He turned to leave, and tossed over his shoulder an: “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Sighing, Paul leaned his head back to stare blankly at the ceiling, dimply recognizing the sound of Ryan’s SUV growling to a start. He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “He could’ve at least stayed for breakfast…” He stretched out his legs and stood up to walk to his bedroom. Unlike Ryan, he enjoyed sleeping in late, especially after long nights.

He dreamed a dream he’d dreamt before…

~x.x.Flashback//Dream Sequence.x.x~

Paul watched him walk away, only knowing two facts: that his last name was Miller, and that he was a Spartan hockey player. His eyebrows furrowed as he remembered those strong, handsome features, the interesting glint in the man’s eyes. Paul wanted to meet the guy again, that was for sure. And if he really was a Spartan hockey player, that meeting would happen sooner rather than later. ‘With that build, he’s probably a forward…’ A hand clapped on his shoulder, and he turned to mumble a greeting at his teammate.

“What are you staring at?” Shawn asked, noticing the lingering far away look in Paul’s eyes. ‘If he’s a forward, we’ll probably meet face to face soon…’ Paul slowly blinked, but didn’t react otherwise. ‘But he’s a Spartan… the enemy…’ Shawn waved a hand in front of Paul’s face. “Hello? Earth to Paul! Come in, Paul,” he called, peering into Paul’s unfocused eyes. “Oh…” Paul said, blinking a few times to see Shawn standing in front of him. “Sorry… I was lost in my thoughts for a minute.” Shawn snorted, and his eyes twinkled with barely suppressed amusement. “Tell me about it. Are you okay now?” Paul nodded, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “Um… yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted.

“If you say so,” Shawn shrugged. “We only have one day before the championship game. I hope whatever you were thinking about so much just now won’t distract you on the ice.” He grabbed Paul’s arm and started to pull him down the hall stubbornly. “And we have practice now, so if you value your ears we should get back to the lockers.” Placing his thoughts of the man named Miller aside, Paul pulled his arm out of Shawn’s loose grip and moved to walk at his side.

‘I can’t let that guy distract me from my… no, our goal. We’ve worked so hard for this! We have to win the championship.’

~x.x.Scene Break.x.x~

He eagerly took in the game being played out before him. Both teams were performing top notch, and Paul wouldn’t be surprised if either of them won: the scored was tied 1-1 in the second period. He reached for a towel to wipe off the considerable amount of sweat shining on his face, and took a few sips of his cool water.

Much to his pleasure, he did get to see Miller again… just not on the terms he had wanted. Water bottle still raised to his lips, his eyes sought out the opposing goaltender, drinking in his every movement. He looked surprisingly perfect in his gear, as if the position was made just for him. Paul’s gaze was finally interrupted by his coach yelling over the din of the audience for him and a few others to get on the ice.

Hopping over the bench, he felt his skates hit the ice. Before he had time to move to the center of the ice, the puck was passed in his direction. Rolling his eyes, he swiftly moved towards the blue line with the puck. He shot it to a teammate headed into the Spartan zone, and took his place in front of the goaltender. Paul felt himself being shoved to the side a little; he looked down to see the thick goaltender glove still resting on his hip. Miller was looking intently at the punk racing toward him. Paul had been blocking his line of vision.

His eyes narrowed as he took back his position. The puck flew en route for him, so he quickly turned to put it behind Ryan. In that moment of weakness, someone shoved him right into the goaltender knocking both of them into the net. There was a collective gasp, and Paul blinked a few times, disoriented.

Before he could get up, someone else shoved him out of the net. “Kolin, that was not funny!” said Miller, climbing to his feet in a huff. He was glaring from behind his mask at what Paul presumed to be his teammates. Out of the line of fire, Paul shook the cobwebs out of his head and got to his feet. The goalie took off his helmet to argue with the suddenly sheepish defensemen, and Paul felt his breath catch in his throat.

Paul would be the first to admit he didn’t know much about Miller, however… he now knew that the scowl he was sporting looked strange on his handsome face. His eyes narrowed in on the goaltender’s moving lips. No sound came from them. Suddenly, the rink seemed very silent, then a loud, continual beeping came from somewhere above the stadium.

Beep… beep… beep…

~x.x.End of Flashback.x.x~

BEEP!

Paul jerked awake with a hoarse yell, and rolled out of bed with a painful thud. “Huh?” he asked, confused. “Beep…ing? Why?” He heard suppressed chuckles, and looked up. “Ry…an?” Ryan nodded, his lips pursed to keep the laughter in his mouth. He crouched down for a closer look at Paul. “Why are you on the floor?” he asked innocently.

Paul sat up and rubbed his forehead with squinted eyes. “You made me fall, you jerk…” he whined with a frown that closely resembled a pout. Ryan cooed and softly chuckled, reaching over to muss Paul’s hair. Paul blushed and looked away, his lips twitching into an involuntary smile.

Ryan’s hand moved to Paul’s chin, and he moved it so that he could stare directly into his lover’s eyes. Paul’s blush died at the intensity he found in those beautiful brown eyes. “Don’t… don’t get yourself hurt, okay?” Ryan asked in a murmur. “Not again… I don’t know what I would do… if you got hurt again.” Ryan’s eyes abruptly became guarded, but before Paul could puzzle over it Ryan’s hand retreated and he stood up. “Go take a shower. I’ll cook us up some food.”

‘Ryan…’ Paul thought to himself, still sitting on the ground like a fool. ‘You’re the only one who can make me feel like this, so… if there’s something you’re not telling me, I’d like to know before anyone else.’