NHL/AHL Imagines/One-Shots

#7~ Joe Pavelski (San José Sharks)

Request for Batmananddemon

"What are you interested in? I like to watch people play sports." You smiled at the woman, watching her hands intently as she signed. You thought for a moment, then replied,
"I like to watch sports too. Hockey and football are fun to watch because they are rough."She nodded.
"Maybe we could go to a game together."
"That would be so much fun!" You clapped excitedly, and she looked like she was laughing.
"I'll try to get tickets for a Sharks game okay?" She asked, and you nodded vigorously.
"Of course! That would be amazing!" You hugged your aunt as she stood up, waving goodbye to you and your brother as you sat in the living room. He turned to you and signed,
"Can I come too?" You let out a silent giggle and nodded, thinking about how much you would enjoy seeing hockey live!
"I wonder when the game is...I will tell mom and dad too."
"She is doing that right now. I can hear it." Of course. Your brother could hear normally, like everyone else, while you had gone deaf as a young child due to a serious double ear infection. Everyone in your family had to learn sign language as a result, and you weren't as fortunate as other kids to go to gatherings like these. This was your first time going to any kind of sporting event that wasn't for your school.

***Time Skip~ Game Time***
"I can't wait for it to start! When will they come?" You asked, signing very fast. (y/b) shrugged and pointed at the big JumboTron in the middle of the arena.
"I think it tells you there. See? 2 minutes!" He answered, and you clapped and wiggled in your seat excitedly. Your aunt had gotten first row tickets behind the San José bench, which was more than you could've imagined possible. You could actually see the players face-to-face!
"Which player is your favorite?" (a/n) asked, watching the screen intently.
"Oh, it has to be number 8." Joe Pavelski was always your all-time favorite.
"I like Vlasic because he has a cool name. Everyone calls him Pickles." (y/b) entered his opinion, and you smiled, replying,
"Yeah I like Pickles too...the food and the guy." Both of you laughed, and suddenly the arena went dim. There was apparently an announcer talking into a loud speaker, so your brother signed everything it was saying.
"And now I present to you, in the SAP Center, the ones who own this building. Please welcome...your San José Sharks!" The arena started to vibrate, and (y/b) said, "Everyone's cheering now. You can too if you want." You grinned and obliged, trying to scream as loud as possible.
"Oh my gosh look, there he is! Number 8!" You signed frantically after poking (y/b) a few times to get his attention.
"And it's Pickles!" You nodded, grinning wider than you ever have before as you pressed your nose to the cold glass that separated you from the players bench. You looked over to your brother, who was doing the same.
"I can't believe I'm here, (y/b), (a/n), this is the best moment of my life! This is so amazing!" You tightly hugged your aunt, and she smiled, signing back,
"It truly is amazing, (y/n), I'm so glad we all have the opportunity to do this. It wasn't cheap, but it's well worth it."
"Indeed it is." As the fans settled down and a red carpet was rolled out onto the ice, you took off your cap and prepared for the anthem. You knew the words because there was captions on your tv at home, but you had no idea how the tune went. After all, it had been around 20 years since you had last heard anything at all. You, along with the 17,561 other fans, either mouthed or sang the lyrics with the singer.
"What does the anthem sound like, (y/b)?" You asked when it was done. He frowned and thought for a moment, finally answering,
"It's kind of hard to explain, but I'll try to tell you in intermission." You nodded as the referee dropped the puck for the two center-men, one for San José and the other from LA. You watched with all your concentration, thinking you'd probably never get a chance at this again. A couple times you banged on the glass, but it was only when there were 3 minutes left in the 1st when you got an response from the players on the bench.
None other than Pavelski turned around to tell you off or something, probably mad that his team was down 1-0, but his expression softened when he saw you. You waved excitedly, blowing him a kiss and laughing. He blushed and tipped his helmet to you, turning back around and getting a few nudges from his fellow teammates around him. Joe gritted his teeth and flipped them off, clearly mouthing "F*ck you!" You smiled as he looked back to you and winked. Your brother laughed and poked you, saying,
"I think he likes you." You blushed and shook your head, but (y/b) disagreed firmly. "No, I'm not kidding, I heard the guys teasing him and calling him a love-sick puppy." You looked down at your lap embarrassedly, not looking up until the period ended. You saw Joe staring at you, and when your gaze met his he grinned and waved. You felt your face and neck heating up as you returned the gesture and (y/b) nudged you.
"No, stop," you signed frustratedly, trying to hide your red face. "He probably does that every game to every girl he sees." Your brother shook his head, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"He likes you, (y/n)..."
"Shut up."
"That's not nice!"
"Since when have I been the nicest person ever?"
"Since you were born!" You sighed and rolled your eyes, realizing that he was probably right.
"Right, sorry. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course! There's the angel who transformed into my beautiful sister." You blushed, happy that your sibling was kind and loving, always encouraging you and defending you, even when you felt it wasn't necessary. Although at the moment, you were feeling pretty flustered and annoyed by his persistence.
The rest of the second involved mostly just watching the game, and you making cute comments about Pavelski. (y/b) rolled his eyes so many times you weren't sure how they didn't get stuck that way. Through the third he teased you about your obsession of number 8, which you firmly denied before going into a whole long rant about how he was amazing.
You had noticed several of the players pointing and looking at you amusedly, knocking Joe in the shoulder every time. He continually swore at them, flipping them off more times than you could count. However, whenever they weren't looking he either blew you a kiss or winked slyly.
After the game, you, (b/n), and (a/n) decided to walk around the SAP Arena and take a good look. You felt a tap on your shoulder, and as you spun around to tell off (b/n) you noticed it was a security guard. He said something, but you just stared at him blankly.
(b/n) came over and explained that you were deaf, and signed to you what the guard had said. He wants to escort you to the locker room immediately. Your presence is requested there by multiple individuals. Your eyes widened as the guard turned to go, and the three of you followed. The man suddenly stopped, and as he spoke again your brother frowned disapprovingly.
"What is it?" You asked worriedly.
"He said that only you should go down. I'm gonna tell him no, I at least have to be with you."
"No, just leave it be," you answered. Truthfully, you were excited to be going to the locker room-alone was even better! You had depended on people your entire life, and were so happy to break free. But then (b/n) pointed out something unavoidable.
"Uh, you won't be able to tell what they're saying, and vice versa. I told the guy that too and he said I can go but (a/n) can't." You sighed and nodded, realizing the obvious.
"Whatever, that's cool too," you responded, and (a/n) waved goodbye to you and (b/n) as she headed back to her car. The three of you had taken two cars; you and (b/n) traveled together while your aunt went alone.
"Alright, (y/n), this idiot is getting impatient, we better go," your brother signed, obviously ticked off, and you giggled.
"Another good thing about being able to understand sign language..." He laughed and nodded as the two of you headed down to the locker room, where your presence was apparently requested. You continuously poked (b/n) in excitement, not really wanting to talk but just needing something to do.
"What?!" He finally turned around, a grumpy look on his face, and you giggled.
"Sorry, I'm just freaking out right now! I can't believe this is happening!" He sighed, smiling and replying,
"I'm glad they let me come with you." The three of you arrived at the door to the locker room, and the guard knocked, and you were confused why no one came to the door. (y/b) began to laugh, telling you, "The coach inside is making sure all the guys have clothes on. Wouldn't wanna walk in on that, would ya?" You shrugged, and his jaw dropped.
"I'm just kidding!" You smirked as the door opened, and the Sharks locker room was revealed to the three of you. You gaped at the players, who were either shirtless or wearing tight Under Armor shirts.
"Look, it's your boyfriend!" (b/n) nudged you and pointed, and you shoved him into a wall as the security guard left. All the guys laughed at you two, and you blushed and looked at the ground. "I'm gonna tell them about how you're deaf, okay?" Your brother told you, and you nodded slightly, watching him closely.
"What exactly did you say, (b/n)?" You asked when he finished.
"I said, 'This is my younger sister (y/n), and because she's deaf I'm gonna be the translator, that's the only reason I'm here,'" b/n) explained as all the guys watching your interaction intently. "I said that you are in no way hampered in your thoughts...or sarcasm." You snickered and nodded in approval.
"Tell them I--"
"I'm gonna say who your favorite player is, okay?" Your eyes bulged and you slapped a hand over his mouth, vigorously shaking your head. You looked around the room, and although some of the guys had continued to get dressed, a few were still watching with amusement. "Well, it's pretty funny I said that, cause guess who just asked who your favorite player is? Mr Number 8, you guessed it!" You turned red and grudgingly agreed,
"Fine tell him."
"We've been practicing reading lips, wanna try it out on Joe?0 Your blush spread to your ears and neck as you shrugged.
"Um, okay." You turned to the hockey player as (b/n) asked him something, and Joe flushed the same color as you. 'Um, yeah, I do think she's cute,' you discerned, and turned to (b/n) to tell him. He nodded and smirked.
" I'm gonna ask him if we can get tickets to another game, and that you can sort of understand him." You nodded, facing Pavelski once more. 'Anything for the beautiful girl! You are smart aren't you?' You shrugged and looked down for a quick second, afraid you might miss something. 'Of course you are...you're very special these days. Most are either pretty and stupid or...yeah you get my point, but wow, girl, you got it all!'
"Thank you so much, Joe," you signed, and (b/n) translated. You looked into each others eyes, not moving as the world continued its fast-paced lifestyle. You immediately felt a connection to him like never before, and stepped closer. The redness Joe's cheeks continued to deepen until you were right in front of him, just a few inches away. You looked up into his eyes and hugged him tightly.
He was obviously shocked, but soon wrapped his strong arms around you and smiled dreamily. When you pulled away Joe blew you a kiss, causing you to giggle. He handed you a small piece of paper before quickly hugging you again and walking away. You looked down at it and smiled widely. Here's my number, text me anytime. xxx-xxx-xxxx I'll have those tickets ready at every home game till the end of the season. Maybe we can get together a few times before then? <3 Joe #8