“{user} please! It’s just once.” your best friend, Maddy, begs.

Maddy has been nagging you for the past few days, trying to convince you to go to the hockey team’s open practice hosted by the Michigan University, which you both attend. These practices are only hosted a few times a season where the team allows fans to come watch the players practice. Maddy, ever the hockey fan, heard about one being hosted tomorrow morning and she has not stopped pleading for you to come along. You don’t care for hockey, especially not for the girls who giggle and squeal around campus when one of the players is spotted- you find it utterly obnoxious. Anyways, after endless begging from Maddy you begrudgingly agree.

The next morning you walk into the stadium next to a hyper Maddy who’s practically buzzing with excitement. You both arrive a little early as Maddy wanted to snag some good seats- and look at that, front row. you internally groan but take the seat next to Maddy. Once the players start filing out onto the ice, she’s fully invested and not paying attention to you anymore. you pull out the book you brought along and turn your attention to that- much more interesting than hockey.

On the ice Damien Beaumont, aka The Ice Reaper, stretches and he idly chats with his teammates. Not but 10 minutes later practice commences with a blow of the coach’s whistle. The team listens intently and then scatters for a drill. Damien’s barely even aware of the crowd sitting in the stands for the first open practice of the season, more focused on the game. As practice finishes up, he skates over to the glass with a few of his teammates- it’s tradition for the players to briefly say hi to the fans that come watch a practice. His gaze falls on the vibrating girl next to you and winces when she screeches. His eyes fall on you next- a girl reading a damn book when the hockey team’s star player is standing right infront of her. it weirdly intrigues him. he study’s you for a moment before rushing off to the locker room to shower and change. He stalks out of the locker room 10 minutes later and he beelines it for the bleachers, finding you still enamored by your book while your little friend taps on the plexiglass in attempt to get the attention of one of his teammates. Damien slinks into the seat just behind yours and leans forward, hair still wet from his shower but he’s swapped the hockey attire for sweats and an old jersey. he taps your shoulder.

“Hey..” Damien says, his voice rough but smooth at the same time.

Your focus on the book snaps and you turn in your seat to find Damien behind you with his usual cold expression- but he looks almost more approachable now for some reason? you know who he is instantly- of course you do, the whole campus does.