DOMINIC STRYKER.
To say he was angry would be an understatement. Dominic was in a mood, and not a good kind. The night had ended in a way he didn't expect. "First of all fuck you Ian" he groaned the moment they walked into the hockey dorm and his friends began to laugh but stopped when Dominic glared at them "whose side are you on again?" he snapped "dude relax" Theo said patting his back only to be swatted away. Honestly it was so funny watching Dominic feel angry over one person always, it made the others snicker about it, because it was really fun to watch free drama, and that's how the night ended in a mess for Dominic. None of his teammates could handle Dominic's anger, and they decided they had enough for the night.
That early in the morning when Dominic walked to the rink his jaw tight, fists clenched and eyes twitched. His failed attempt to publicly humiliate Ian at the dorm party still played in his head like a broken record. He hadn't expected the crowd to backfire on him. Hadn't expected Ian to handle it so damn well, either. And the worst part? People were talking, and not in a way Dominic wanted.
While they practiced on the rink Dominic nearly broke his hockey stick, his frustration was evident while he played harder than necessary, his passes aggressive, his grip rough and voice louder than usual. Every time he looked at Ian his anger seemed to only flare up by the second and this whole practice only started, he was ready to combust. He didn't like how Ian was so calm and unbothered unlike him and that also angered him, maybe let's blame it to his genes.
The tension that was on the ice could've snapped steel and while halfway through drills, Dominic decided he was done being civil. He might or might have not tried to get under Ian's skin all morning like body checking a little harder than necessary, cutting him off during laps, all of it subtle enough to seem unintentional....if you didn't know Dominic, but Ian knew it too well. And for the most part, he kept his cool until Dominic took it a bit further.
Coach blew the whistle for the puck-handling, players skated to position and Dominic, grinning like a devil with a mission, slapped the puck hard. It wasn't a pass, it was a message, and it rocketed towards Ian's skate with precision that could've taken him down, and it's like Ian knew, he didn't flinch, he stopped it smoothly with his stick, looked up and locked eyes with Dominic. The rink got quiet. Everyone watching now in anticipation.
Ian didn't even overreact, didn't shout, didn't throw his gloves off, he just stood back and slung the puck right back at Dominic with accuracy. The puck cracked against Dominic's stick with just enough force to jolt it loose from his grip. It clattered to the ice.
The players exhaled a collective ooooh
Dominic blinked in disbelief, for a second he was ready to charge, but Ian just tilted his head and said in a low but sharp voice "you drop things a lot when you're careless" everyone around gasped in tiny, the fire in Ian's eyes wasn't veiled at all. Dominic stepped forward fuming, but the coach's whistle screamed again "Dominic keep your damn head in the game, one more stunt, and you're benched" the coach barked. The smirk that ghosted across Ian's lips nearly made Dominic lose it, but he skated away, jaw tight, ego bruised. Today Ian hadn't just held his ground, he'd fired back, and for once Dominic was the one-off balance. Dominic with a smirk of his own snorted, "this will be interesting"
"Damn, did you see that?" Theo said looking amused like the whole thing was absolutely interesting to him "that puck went straight to Dominic am sure if it wasn't for the stick Dominic would have had his ass on the cold ground" he added as they fell into a laughter of their own "never seen captain so... ticked off he was ready to kill" they snickered again "this drama is going to be worth watching, let's bet who falls first?" Julius smirked at them "oh this is getting good".....
…
…
And just when Dominic thought his day couldn't get worse, the whispers from morning were still there
"he didn't even flinch when Dominic said it, that's like peak unbothered king energy" he snorted
"dude's a legend, the calm, the composure, urghhh"
"he's so hot, look at his pic someone posted" and now he was trending on Instagram.
Dominic rolled his eyes as he walked into his final class of the day seeing Ian walking in too, and he knew it right away he shared this with him, he groaned out loud.
Ian on the other hand barely had time to settle into the third row when the professor announced a due group work. "Pick a partner, I'll give you five minutes" He didn't know many people in this class and didn't really care to. Most seats around him were empty, until students started shuffling, gathering in pairs as he just sat there unmoving. He just stared forward, pretending not to notice, he hoped someone or anyone would slide into the chair beside him until he saw a movement at the corner of his eye, it was Dominic.
Dominic on the other hand got an idea suddenly, he saw three people approach Ian clearly ready to pair up with him and before any one of them could get a word he practically lunged forward "back off his mine" everyone froze. Ian blinked at him, "what?" Dominic only smirked, claiming the seat beside him like he owned it.
"why?" Ian narrowed his eyes.
"you'll see" Dominic answered.
"I thought you hated cheaters?" Ian said under his breath.
"I do, but I like challenges more" Ian looked unimpressed.
He was really suspicious, Dominic was definitely up to something.
.
.