~Clarington Toros (Ontario Minor Hockey Association – OMHA)~
Thirteen years ago, you and your brother were inseparable. They say the bond between twins is stronger that any other bond between siblings and you two were a living proof for it. You loved watching him play as a seven-year-old against players, who were about a year older and he loved watching you play volleyball whenever he had any spare time. Sometimes, you even joined him for the pick up games...but that didn't mean no one was annoyed by that...
Mitch helps you put on your gear and makes sure everything is done correctly, so you won't get hurt. Then he kneels and ties up your skates: "Are you ready?"
"I guess... thank you, Mitchy," you smile and giggle as he pouts: "Just don't throw me off the team."
It is something normal and usual for the both of you – two seven-year-olds, both brunettes and with shared love for team sports. Team means second family to both of you, even at your early age. You already have big dreams, which you hope will come true one day. Get a scholarship and an offer from either Stanford University or Penn's State. Or maybe University of Michigan.
He pulls your hair gently: "You should cut your hair. And join us."
"No, I like volleyball. And my hair. Girls have long hair, you know? So we can wear ponytails and braids."
To that he doesn't find the answer. Maybe also because it's time to hit the ice. On your way out, one of the older guys from Mitch's team stops you: "You don't belong here."
"I do more than you do," you don't let him intimidate you. He squints his eyes, but that doesn't scare you...that much. You know guys on Mitch's team, despite being only eight years old, can hit pretty hard. Still, you don't let some guy, who is not nearly as good as Mitch scare you before the game.
~London Knights (Ontario Hockey League – OHL)
In 2013 Mitch joins OHL's London Knights. You are happy for him, sure, but now he is going to live his life two hours away from you. Not that far away, but far enough for sixteen-year-olds, who were used to living under the same roof and have had a bond anyone could be jealous of. Yet you still go to his games and sometimes your parents even let you stay with him in his apartment over the weekend. Under one condition, of course. Actually, two. You have to promise them you will behave and listen to him and all the schoolwork has to be done.
During one of your stays, he introduces you to his teammates. It surprises you two of his teammates are twins – Ryan and Matt Rupert, nineteen-year-old forwards who have been playing for Knights for 3 seasons already, since 2010. As you spend more and more time together, you find yourself catching feelings for Ryan despite knowing he is a hotheaded forwards, who has had 120 penalty minutes during his second season with the Knights. But somehow, his tough-guy persona attracts you. not only that, you fall for his wittiness and sense of humor, how he takes everything like some kind of a joke. Not to mention what a gentleman he can be, but only when no one is around. However, things can turn really ugly when you argue. Well, after all, there is a three-year difference between the two of you and you can both be pretty stubborn.
One day, during one of the weekends you stay with Mitch in London, you decide to switch environment and spend some time with Ryan at the twins' apartment. When you arrive, Matt's already heading out. When he sees you, he smiles a bit : "Look at who is here...No Mitch?"
"Nah, I don't need him on my back 24/7. Especially not when I am with Ry."
"He really doesn't have to see everything you two do..."
You blush a bit: "You made it sound like it's wrong being in a relationship..."
He only chuckles before waving goodbye and heading out, leaving you alone in their apartment.
"Ry! I am here!"
He comes from the kitchen, wearing white apron, which has colorful stains on it. Closing the space between the two of you in a few quick steps, he pulls you into a tight hug and presses a rough kiss on your lips: "I missed you."
"I missed you too...I see you are cooking?"
"Yeah, I thought I would prepare dinner for us."
"You can cook?"
"Honey, I can do more things than just play hockey," he winks and squeezes your hips, earning a quiet mewl in response.
"If you just let me show you..."
"Ryan, no. I don't feel ready yet and I am only sixteen."
"I know girls your age who don't seem to have problems with that."
Hearing he considers you as just one of the girls he, as a hockey player knows, breaks your heart a bit. You know what kind of girls young hockey players usually seek, but you are determined not to be one of them.
"Maybe, but I love you for who you are, not for being a hockey player," you say slowly and caress his cheek. For a second his eyes flicker to your lips and his eyes darken. He leans down again, roughly kissing you, his arms wrapping tight around your waist.
"Ryan, stop it!" you struggle against him, but he overpowers you. You feel his fingers roughly dig into your flesh and you realize bruises are unavoidable.
"Ryan, please, you are hurting me!"
Your plead is finally heard and the grip on your waist softens. His eyes flicker to yours: "Come on, it wasn't rough."
"Maybe you don't think it was, but it hurt me."
"I am sorry," he coos and leans down to kiss you. Still distressed from his roughness, you turn your face away and mumble: "I need a bit of air, please."
"Why are you so scared of me? I am still the same person..."
"No, you are not, you are scaring me..."
He lets go off you and heads back to kitchen without further words. Well, the only thing he says is: "Food will be ready soon."
"Ryan..."
"I need to watch over food. Unless you want to eat burnt meal."
When he brings you your plate, the air surrounding the two of you is electrifying and full of unpleasant tension. Usually, when you sit down together, he rests his hand on your knee, but this time, he sits on the other side of the couch.
"This is really good..."
"Mhm."
"Ryan, please, talk to me."
He looks at you, barely, and leans his head to the side. You continue: "I am sorry for pushing you away, I am just not ready yet and we have not been together for a long time and..."
"What, want to wait until wedding? Because in this case, find some other idiot to stick with you."
"I am sorry for being in love with you," you half shout and punch his arm in anger. He looks at you and puts the plate on a coffee table.
"You are pathetic, no wonder no one wanted you."
"What is wrong with you?"
"You are frigid, that's what's wrong. Me being with a frigid chick and not with some hot girl who is not being an ice princess just because her twin is some outstanding player."
"This has nothing to do with Mitchy."
"Mitchy?"
"He is my brother, I don't see why I shouldn't be calling him Mitchy?"
"Because it sounds dumb. And childish. Now when I look at it, you are a child. A whining, pathetic child."
His words hurt you. No, not just words. The way he says it. There is nothing but poison in his words and he speaks every one of them with an intention to verbally abuse you. To cause you pain.
"What happened to you, you have never been like this," you look away from him, tears tickling you in your eyes. Not seeing him, you can't see where is he or what is he doing, so it surprises you, in a negative way, when he roughly grabs your wrists and pins you back, putting his entire body weight on top of you.
"Let me go!"
"Not this time!"
"Get off me!" you struggle against him, but his grip on his wrists is too strong and he is too heavy to fight him off. Your struggling pisses him off and next thing you know is a loud slap on your cheek and a stinging pain afterwards. He actually slapped you. Not in a playful manner like when you were pretending to fight, but actually slapped you. A guy who told your brother he would never hurt you if Mitch let him date you. A tiny flash of anger and determination you won't be that girl who has been forced into unwanted sexual intercourse, you somehow jolt up your knee, hitting him where it hurts the most. To make sure he will let you go, you bite his neck, burying your teeth deep into his flesh. That gives you just enough of maneuver space to escape him. Without turning back, you grab your purse and run out of his apartment to Mitch's home.
The next day on practice, Mitch enters the locker room with determination to get everyone to know not to mess with his sister. Wordlessly, he drops his bag on the floor in front of his stall and sits down when he realizes the Rupert twins are not there yet.
"Are the Ruperts coming today?"
"Yeah, I think they do. Spoke to Matt this morning and said they'd be late a bit."
"Why do you need to know that, Mitch? It's not the first time they are late."
"I need to have a word with Ryan."
"That doesn't sound good. What happened? You want to be involved in your sister's relationship with him?"
"Listen, yesterday my sister came home, crying her eyes out. Her wrists are bruised and it's pretty obvious he was holding her. And she was too distressed to tell me everything, but I caught the main point. Verbal abuse and something she didn't even want to mention."
"Ryan? He fights on the ice, he would never hurt a girl and he told you that."
"Well, he broke his promise. And now I will break him."
"Mitch, he is three years older and he fights a lot. You stand no chance."
"Who stands no chance against who?" Ryan's voice echoes through the locker room when him and Matt enter the room. Everyone looks at him and then at Mitch, who looks at his sister's molester.
"How was a date with Y/N yesterday?"
"We had lunch at my place. Nothing special."
"Oh, yeah? I heard a different story. Do you know what she told me?"
"No idea."
"She said you called her names. That you called her 'frigid'. My sister, who is not frigid, but decent."
"It was all a joke, she is so touchy."
"Don't talk like that about her. You promised me you'd treat her well. And when she comes crying home, that's not treating her well in my book."
"You are both too soft."
Mitch, who usually never fights, approaches his teammate and shoves him back: "I am warning you, don't talk like that about her."
"What are you going to do, huh? Let's not forget who a fighter is."
Mitch punches him in a face without a second thought: "And let's not forget who is a pissed off brother. Being fighter doesn't help you in this case."
It ends with both of them having bloody nose, but the fighter also gets a split chin as a souvenir and a reminder to keep a given promise. Especially if the promise is given to a brother. Or in this case, twin.