In Love with a Lunatic (joshler)

1. Slut

Saturday
October 12

The Toothless Lunatics are a respected local hockey team out of Columbus, Ohio. Josh Dun, a current team member, doesn't understand why. They're a great team with great stats, but as far as the members themselves go, he doesn't think they deserve the respect thrown at them. Most of them, at least. With 19 other members on his team, he can only stand to be around two of them: Dallon Weekes and Cody Carson. Two of his closest friends he's had since joining the team.

Josh, #21, has been playing hockey since he was young with his father and grandfather both being retired professional hockey players. His grandfather played most of his career for the Detroit Red Wings, his father for the Boston Bruins. Josh has grown up knowing everything there is to know about the sport and has been on team after team for the past 18 years. The Lunatics are the first team he's been a part of since his grandfather passed away. His grandfather had been telling him for years to try out, but Josh had never been interested. After he died, Josh regretted not letting him see him on the team. He hopes he's making his granddad proud.

You're probably wondering about the name itself. Well, to put it simply, they're toothless lunatics. At least half of them are missing one or more teeth from years of playing their favorite sport with and without proper safety gear. The lunatic part, well...there's a reason they're missing teeth.

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Josh stands frozen, waiting in anticipation. His heart thumps loudly in his ears, sweat dripping down his face and spine. He glances at the opposing team's player in front of him before shifting his eyes downward, their sticks hovering the ice in between their skates. His mind acts quick as the black puck lands on the ground. Josh races down the ice and shoots it to Dallon before being shoved into the barrier between himself and the crowd. Quickly recovering, he sees Dallon slap the puck to another team member only for the opposing team to capture it and skate down the rink to the other side. Josh scowls lightly before taking off down the ice.

Gliding along the edge of the rink, Josh huffs suddenly as he's once again shoved against the glass and dropped to the ground. Quickly standing up, he reaches for his stick but fails to grab it as he sees gloves fall to the ground. The front of his jersey is grabbed before he could think and a fist collides with his face. Grabbing the opposing player's jersey in retaliation, he punches the man before being pulled into a headlock. He pushes the guy's leg out from under him causing both players to fall to the ground. Escaping the headlock, Josh grabs his stick and skates to the penalty box and sits on the bench as the referee blows his whistle. Josh is rarely one to ever commence a fight--getting an incisor knocked out in high school changes some people--but if one is initiated, there's no way he's backing down. This game causes more pent up frustration than some people understand.

Scanning the crowd, he watches the fans boo the opposing team as they score a goal. The score is now 2-1 with the Lunatics still in the lead. There's only six minutes left of the third period, and as much as Josh loves this sport, he can't wait to shower. Counting down the minutes of his penalty, he stands up and jumps over the barricade, skates cutting into the ice as he chases after the puck once again.

The game's intensity is palpable, and Josh feels his heart racing as he watches the other Lunatics do their utmost to hold onto their lead. With only seconds left, Josh can barely contain his excitement as his team gains possession of the puck yet again, scoring the winning goal right before the buzzer. The crowd erupts in delight, the thrilling sensation sending goosebumps over Josh's body, his mind slowing down as he watches the audience's reactions. He loves this feeling. Hockey has always been a family to him and getting to share his team's achievements with other hockey lovers just made it all that more exhilarating.