Mighty ducks imagine/ preference

Scared (D. Portman)

You walk into Dean Portman's dorm room with a heavy heart, ready to confront him about the argument you had earlier that day. You and Dean are dating, and normally he's sweet and caring to you, but in front of your teammates, he puts on a tough guy act that you just can't stand. You've tried to talk to him about it before, but today it all came to a head.

"Dean, we need to talk," you say as you take a seat on his bed. He's sitting at his desk, typing away on his laptop, but he glances up at you when you speak.

"What's up?" he asks, his tone cool and indifferent.

"We need to talk about the way you act around the guys," you say, trying to keep your voice steady. "It's not okay. You don't have to put on this tough guy act all the time. It's not who you really are."

Dean rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. "Oh, come on. You know that's just how I am with the guys. It's all part of the game."

"It's not a game, Dean. This is our team. We're supposed to be a family," you say, feeling your frustration rising. "I just wish you could be yourself around them, instead of trying to impress them all the time."

Dean's expression hardens, and you can tell that he's getting defensive. "I am being myself," he says, his voice getting louder. "I'm just sick of everyone thinking I'm some kind of softie just because I'm dating you."

That's when things start to go downhill. The argument escalates, and before you know it, Dean is standing up and getting in your face. You try to back away, but he's cornered you against the wall, his voice booming in your ears.

"You think I'm not tough enough?" he sneers. "You think you're better than me?"

That's when you start to feel scared. This isn't the Dean you know and love. This is a different person entirely, someone you don't recognize. You try to push past him and make a run for it, but he grabs your arm and pulls you back.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he says, his voice softening when he realizes how scared you are. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just... I don't know what came over me."

But you're too upset to listen. You pull your arm away from him and run out of the room, tears streaming down your face. You don't know where to go, so you head to your brother Charlie's dorm room. He's not there, but your best friend Adam Banks is, and he's furious when he hears what happened.

"I'm gonna go kick Dean's ass," he says, clenching his fists.

"No, Adam, please don't," you plead. "It was just a stupid argument. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Adam grumbles, but he eventually agrees to let it go. You spend the night in their dorm room, trying to calm down and figure out what to do next.

The next day, you have to face Dean again at practice. You're dreading it, but you know you can't avoid him forever. When you arrive at the rink, he's waiting for you outside the locker room.

"Hey," he says softly, looking at you with remorse in his eyes. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. I don't know what got into me. Can we talk?"

You take a deep breath and nod. "Yeah, let's talk."

You both sit down on a bench outside the rink and have a long, honest conversation. You tell him how scared you were, and he apologizes profusely. He explains that he's been feeling insecure lately, and he's been taking it out on you and the rest of the team.

"I'll try to be better, I promise," he says, taking your hand in his. "I don't want to lose you."

You look into his eyes and see the sincerity there. You know that he means it. You forgive him, and you both hug it out.

The rest of practice goes smoothly, and you're grateful to be back to normal with Dean. You both lace up your skates and hit the ice, ready to play for Team USA in the Junior Goodwill Games. It's not always easy, but you know that you can work through anything as long as you have each other.