Off The Ice | NHL Imagines

You Cling To Your Papers And Pens (Wait Until You Like Me Again)

I couldn't stay away (I couldn't fight it) (Prologue):

Leon should have put two and two together when he met the curly-haired girl, who was wearing the Flames jersey because now he has to figure out how to tolerate Matthew Tkachuk for an entire dinner since he's dating his sister. But, he'll do it, just for her, only for her.

"Are you sure you want to meet them? Matthew can be a lot sometimes, as you already know, but still," Aurora, Rory, Tkachuk said with a nervous look on her face. Leon looked down at her with soft eyes and an even softer smile.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm doing this because your family is important to you. If Matthew acts out, that's on him, not us," Leon tries his best to reassure Rory (and secretly himself). He grabs Rory's hand, holding it in his own to stop her from fidgeting as they walk into the restaurant. The first person to spot them is Brady. His eyes go wide and he taps Matthew on the shoulder to gain his attention and put it on the couple. Leon swore he heard Matthew gasp, but he ignored it. Both brothers get out of their chairs to hug their sister, who's been living in Edmonton with Leon.

"Taryn says hi. She's upset she couldn't make it," Chantel, Rory's mother, spoke softly as Rory hugged her brothers. Both of them sit down without acknowledging Leon. Leon shakes Keith's hand, introducing himself as calmly as possible. He takes his seat next to Rory rather quickly after, his hand finding her own again. Matthew doesn't speak, but his expression says enough.

"How'd you meet?" Chantel asked, trying to defuse the tension in the air. Leon smiles at the question and Rory squeezes his hand to let him know he can speak.

"At the last Battle of Alberta, Rory was looking for the visitor's locker room and went to the Oliers's locker room instead. I found her when I walked out and we talked for a while before I took her to the visitor's locker room. We played again the next day and when I walked out to do media she was there again, but this time on purpose," Leon smiled at the memory, his chest tightening from the love he feels for his girlfriend.

"Matthew, be nice," Leon and Rory hear Brady whisper-yell at Matthew. Leon feels Rory's grip on his hand tighten. He glances at her, the worry he knows she's feeling shown clearly on her face. Chantel and Keith keep them included and entertained the entire night, but Leon can't help for all of his attention is on the boy sitting across from him.

Matthew's eyes never left him even as he and Rory leave the restaurant, hand in hand. Matthew didn't say anything the entire night, leaving Leon speechless too (because when has THE Matthew Tkachuk ever stopped talking?). But, there wasn't just annoyance in his expression as Rory left with Leon, there was something else, the same expression as when Matthew got hurt. No, this is different. There's a sense of longing in Matthew's eyes that adds to the pain on his face.

"So, Matthew wasn't terrible," Rory laughs at her attempt to make conversation between them. Leon nods, his thoughts shifting from one Tkachuk to another.

"Yeah, I was surprised. It was a nice dinner, too. Your parents are really nice," Leon adds with a smile. He may have sweet-talked Chantel and Keith a couple of times, but they're still great people. He wonders why Matthew didn't get any of their traits.

A/N: a little sneak peak of the book I'm writing! this will be published on both AO3 (with separate chapters) and watty (as one short story in this book). I'm so excited for this one.