NHL Imagines

Artemi Panarin (Chicago Blackhawks)

I pressed my fingers to my temple, attempting to rub away the forming headache. My hand shook as I ran the highlighter across the page, trying my best to keep my eyes open. Most of my book was already covered in yellow marks and I had just gotten passed the halfway point.

I rubbed my eyes under my glasses and let out a grunt of annoyance, sitting up and pulling my hair back into a bun. My phone vibrated against the bed and I looked to it with my eyes narrowed. I clicked the button on the side and turned it off. Just another distraction.

My eyes found where I left off in the textbook. I continued reading for a couple more minutes until the doorbell rang. My brows furrowed and I squeezed my eyes shut, trudging to the front door.

"Artemi, look, I love you and I'd love to spend time with you, but I really, really need to study. I'm fine with it if you want to stay here, but I can't promise I'll pay any attention to you,"

His mouth gaped open. "You wear glasses,"

"Yeah... I've had them since the third grade,"

"Never seen you wear them," he smiled "very cute,"

"They make me look like a geek. There's nothing cute about them. They just help me see better," I laughed.

He pouted. "You look adorable. I think they just add to beauty,"

I snorted and tucked a loose strand of hair back into my bun, trying to hide the fact that I was blushing. He just shook his head and walked inside, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. 

"Do you want anything? Food? Drink?" I called from the kitchen. 

It was quiet for awhile, so I searched around my apartment to find where he was. When I did find him, he was sitting on my bed with my textbook in his hands. His lips moved as he read and he scratched the back of his neck, looking up at me with wide eyes.

"I don't understand any of this," he spoke, followed by a string of Russian curse words. 

I laughed. "Then it's a good thing you're an amazing hockey player," 

He threw the book to the side and fell back on my pillows, opening his arms. I shook my head vigorously.

"No Artemi. I'm sorry, but I really have to finish this stuff. I'll screw myself over if I stop now," I groaned, flopping onto my stomach next to the book and papers. 

He whined childishly and turned over next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and nuzzling my neck. "Please take a break. I want cuddles,"

I sighed, leaning into his touch and finally breaking from my study time. He smiled and pulled me on top of him, kissing my nose and looking into my eyes.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

I dropped my head onto his shoulder, laughing lightly. "Thank you,"

We laid like that for awhile, him tracing shapes and words onto my back and hips, me playing with his unruly curls. It was nice to relax for awhile, not having a single thought on my mind and just sitting in silence with the love of my life. 

"Do you remember how we first met?" he asked me out of the blue.

I nodded. "I got hit in the face with a puck and you gave me season tickets. It's a little hard to not remember when I have to look at the scar cutting through my eyebrow everyday in the mirror," 

"I like it. It makes you look badass," he joked.

I let out a loud laugh and sat up on my elbows, looking down lovingly at him. "I love you,"

"I love you, too," he grinned, connecting our lips. 

When we pulled away, he still had a smile on his face. I chuckled. "What are you smiling about, mister?"

"I'm just so lucky to have you. I don't know what I would do without you," he spoke shyly, his cheeks tinting pink.

"You're such a romantic," I teased, feeling my heart swell "can you believe we've been together for four years? I'm surprised you've dealt with me for this long. I consider myself to be a very problematic person," 

"You're worth it. You always will be,"

Requested by HurricanesBaby11 :)