Chapter Text
Josh drops his duffle with a thump onto the familiar rubberized floor. The locker room area is a little outdated, much like the rest of the place, but for the first time since the move, he finally feels at ease. Ice rinks have always relaxed him, though. He’s been skating for almost 15 years and fell in love with hockey when he was only 10.
He breathes in the chilled air and feels a flutter of excitement in his belly. It’s been too long. It’s off-season for the minor league, so they don’t have real practices, and he hadn’t been able to skate at all during the weeks of moving into his new apartment. Josh drops onto one of the benches that line the wall and pulls out his skates, lacing them up quickly. He wants to get out there and be on the ice for as long as he can.
Josh stuffs his duffel bag into one of the mini lockers and grabs a couple bright orange discs to put out in case he feels like running drills. He pats down his hoodie to make sure he put his keys and wallet away before shutting the door. He grabs his stick and makes his way towards the rink, thumbing the lucky yellow tape around the handle absent-mindedly.
The whole place has an old-school feel to it, all wood beams and paneling with some dingy bleachers and well-worn flooring. The rink itself is well kept up and modern, though, and that’s all Josh really cares about. He was lucky to find this place anyways. Only twenty minutes from his new apartment and not overly crowded with people? It’s perfect as far as he’s concerned.
Josh steps onto the ice with a smile. He takes a few laps around the rink, weaving in-between the sparse smattering of couples and families that were there for open skate, before he settles in the middle. He lays out some of his orange drill markers and gets to work. He skates up center ice as fast as he can before he turns sharply, spraying ice up as he makes his way back. He snakes his way through the markers and makes a loop near where the net would be before repeating the whole process. He’s so focused that he loses track of time, focusing on the wind rushing past his face and the sound of his blades on the ice, until a voice brings him back to reality.
“Hey! Hey, Crosby !” A young man calls sarcastically from behind the rink’s barrier. Josh bristles and blinks at him, frowning a little, before he points to himself.
“Yeah, you,” The guy says and Josh skates over to him, panting slightly and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Upon getting closer, he can see that the guy is seriously cute. Dark hair and big, dark eyes with pouty lips. Before he can get too distracted, he also spots a nametag on the guy’s shirt. Tyler: Management.
Josh clears his throat. “What’s up?” He says, a bit breathless. Tyler gives him a quick once-over.
“You can’t practice during open skate,” He says cooly.
“I- What?” Josh asks and the man shrugs.
“It’s policy. Open skate is for free skating only. No hockey. No figure skating.” Tyler informs him and Josh looks around. There are only about a dozen people there, including himself. Tyler turns to walk away and Josh grips the ledge, leaning over it slightly.
“Wait, wait, wait. Are you- are you serious ?” He asks incredulously, eyebrows furrowing. Tyler turns to him again, tilting his head.
“Yes,” He says, matter-of-factly, “Find somewhere else to practice.”
Josh gapes at him. The pretty ones are always assholes. “This is the only rink within an hour’s drive,” Josh says and it’s true. Skating is his life- or most of it anyway- he needs a rink that’s close by.
Tyler sighs. “Listen, I can’t let you practice during open skate-” He starts and Josh cuts him off.
“Okay, okay!” Josh holds up his hands in surrender, “But you’ve gotta have rentals right? I can pay for solo ice time,” He says.
Tyler hums. “I don’t know. Our schedule is always changing depending on the season. We have figure skating classes, little league hockey games, competitions-” He trails off and Josh can feel his perfect new set up slipping through his fingers.
“What about after hours?” He asks, desperately, and Tyler blinks at him. “I can pay double what you charge for rental and you won’t ever have to worry about me interfering with your schedule.” He offers. It’s not like he worries about money, between his part-time job and minor league pay, he’s comfortable. But he won’t survive if he doesn’t have access to a rink. It had only been a couple weeks and he was already climbing the walls of his apartment, itching to get back.
Tyler bites his lip, looking deep in thought, before he sighs. “Okay, Crosby , you can rent ice time after hours,” He says and Josh feels so relieved he almost wants to hug the man. He sticks a hand out instead. Tyler shakes it, wrinkling his nose at how sweaty it is.
“My name is Josh, by the way,” Josh says, amusedly, as Tyler wipes his palm on his jeans with a look of disgust.
“Sure, whatever,” Tyler says flippantly, “Just- come by my office so we can figure a schedule out.” He says. The man doesn’t even wait for Josh to respond before he turns and walks away. Josh shakes his head, hating himself a little for checking Tyler out as he walks toward the hall. At least it’s fitting that such an uptight guy has an ass to match.
Even though Josh wants to keep practicing, he doesn’t think he should press his luck. He gathers up his gear and steps off the ice. He pauses to get off his skates and shove his gear in his locker before he wanders out into the hallway. Tyler conveniently failed to mention where exactly his office is, so Josh meanders through the building. Memorabilia from the 70’ and 80’s line the walls and all the little plaques from different little league teams and figure skaters who placed are intermixed with weathered, yellowing newspaper clippings. It all calls back to a time long past and the rink has definitely seen better days.
Around the corner of the lobby is a tiny, cluttered office. There’s a place for a nameplate on the door that is decidedly empty and inside there are stacks of mail, files, and paperwork covering just about every surface. A door on the opposite wall is open slightly and Josh can see behind the counter of the front kiosk. He spies a few cans of Redbull scattered on Tyler’s desk and shelves as well.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you- I don’t care! I’m not interested and neither would-” There’s also a Tyler inside the office. He talking angrily into a phone, which seems to be his default at this point, so Josh hovers by the door unnoticed.
“ I’ll call you . How about that?” Tyler snaps, slamming the phone back into the receiver. He lets out a huge sigh, putting his head in his hands. Josh hesitates before he reaches out and knocks on the door. Tyler’s head whips up and he straightens in his seat. Josh just gives him a smile.
“Oh, right. Hockey.” Tyler says under his breath and gestures for Josh to come in. Josh steps forward. He would sit in the chair across from the desk if it wasn’t covered in paperwork, so he settles for standing. He watches, amusedly, Tyler grumble under his breath and shift around the files on his desk. The man really is unbelievably pretty, even with dark circles under his eyes and agitation in his throat.
Tyler finally pulls out a notebook with a hum of triumph. “Okay,” He says, dragging his finger across the page, “Right, you can rent four nights a week, maybe five depending on the season,” Tyler says, glancing up at him. He blinks at the tall figure and glances at the chair, before looking back down. “It’s usually $150 an hour,” Tyler says and Josh tries not to let the surprise show on his face. He’s rented ice time before and he’s never seen it that cheap.
Tyler clears his throat. “So, because it’s after hours and we’ll have to keep the lights and everything on for you, it’ll be $300 an hour,” Tyler says pointedly. Josh nods.
“Sounds good, man. Where do I sign?” He tries to lighten the mood, but Tyler is already looking away again, reaching for a piece of paper. Josh straightens up a bit and shifts on his feet. He’s usually good with people, but Tyler- Tyler is intriguing. Within the short time Josh has known the guy, it’s almost like he’s been issued a challenge. And Josh loves a challenge.