Hockey Night in Canada (Ryan)

[Greg Mackenzie]

Ever since the Vancouver Canucks failed to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs this season – stupid move trading both their superstar goalies, Greg always said – the telepath hadn’t been really keeping up with the games. It was weird, considering how the playoffs had completely took over his life the past few years – he was at ground zero when the Great Vancouver Riot of 2011 happened, something his mom almost could not forgive his dad for – but he couldn’t complain; as a newly-manifested mutantmeta-human, at least he can put all that free time into training now.

Not that he realized how he’d been using his time Stanley Cup playoffs-free at the beginning. He only had that realization a good three or so days after he learned that the Montreal Canadiens won the Bruins. And were the only Canadian team who got in the playoffs this season. And they’re actually doing great. Ish.

Long story short, hearing about the Canadiens had reinvigorated the brunette and he began investing his time in watching the games. He’d already made an agreement with his roommates that during game times the TV was his but Dylan’s a little bitch – always had been – and hogged the screen today. Just when the Canadiens will stage their comeback against the Rangers on Game2. (Or at least in Greg’s mind, they should).

Too tired to argue with the annoying telekinetic, Greg grabbed his Team Canada mittens – being an athlete made him quite the superstitious prick with whatever sports event there was, and since he didn’t have Montreal Canadien gear, the mittens would have to do; it worked during the Olympics this year, so it should be good – and went to the shared dorm lounge. Lucky for him, no one was actually watching anything. (It was just on Food Network. No one watches Food Network on purpose right?).

Settling on one corner of the couch, bowl of popcorn on his lap and a huge water jug by his side, he grabbed the remote and promptly turned it to ESPN. “I miss Don Cherry,” he grumbled under his breath as the show began, shoving a good handful of popcorn to his mouth at the same time.

[Ryan McCarthy]

Ryan thanked the woman in the housing office before leaving, doing his best to hide his irritation as he did so. Somebody in the dorm above his had begun running water for a bath, and fell asleep while waiting for it to fill. As luck would have it, none of his roommates dealt with water dripping from their ceiling like Ryan had. The common area was fine, too. It would seem as though the only one dealing with his idiot neighbor's actions was him. How somebody had enough time to doze off before their bath had filled was beyond him. Weren't tubs supposed to have emergency drains, anyways? Ryan decided it was best not to think of it. In the end, both his belongings and room were fine.

He wasn't going back to his room soon, though. Water droplets were still falling from the ceiling into buckets he'd haphazardly placed around his room. Additionally, towels were strewn about to take care of what the buckets hadn't. It was uncomfortably humid, too. At the very least, his plants would be happy. For now, he'd have to find something else to do. He didn't feel like going out, though; it was too late to do much with the time he had before curfew. He wasn't about to do something productive like studying, either – no way! Maybe there was something good on in the common area? It was worth looking, considering how close he was.

With a sheepish shrug, he made his way into the common area. Great. He thought. Somebody was watching hockey. Ryan hadn't ever been a boy who particularly enjoyed sports, and thought watching them was even more a drag them having to play them. It was only because his father had religiously watched it that he recognized the Montreal Canadiens playing. A quick glance at the sole spectator comfortably sitting on the couch piqued his interest, though. It looked like the boy on the couch was Greg; Ryan had once had a class with them, though never really spoke to the boy. His Team Canada mittens were what really caught Ryan's attention, though. He'd never known they were Canadian!

A sigh escaped Ryan's lips as he made his way to the couch's side and sat down. He was hardly one for sparking conversation, but it was the first interesting thing he could think of to keep him preoccupied. "Canadian, eh?" He asked, learning forward towards the television so his crossed arms rested casually on his knees. "Where from?"

Okay, so conversation wasn't his specialty. It still beat getting rained on by bathwater.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg had always compared his attention span to a goldfish’s – after eight seconds, he’s done. Telepathy giving him some sort of hyperawareness – picking up stray thoughts was as natural as breathing now – only made things worse, as almost always accidentally knowing that his lab partner’s twin sister hooked up with her best friend’s boyfriend in her sister’s room during that rowdy dorm party two nights ago was way more interesting than listening to his History teacher tell them about how the Medicis rose to power during the fourteenth century.

There were a few exceptions to his short attention span though: noteworthy TV shows (Scandal, Teen Wolf, Shameless, to name a few), cute boys (Jonathan Yen from Calculus, for example), and pizza. And of course, games of teams of which he’s emotionally invested on.

Which basically translated to Ryan’s presence being practically ignored during the first few seconds. Didn’t help that he came during that crazy twenty seconds of the first period when the Canadiens managed to score the first goal – Greg shouted “Fuck yeah!”, stood up and fist-bumped, spitting a few half-chewed popcorn pieces as he did – and the Rangers answered with an impressive goal of their own.

“What the fuck just happened.” The boy slumped back on the couch, hand over his head and sighed. The Canadiens’ coached called a time out, which signalled the start of the commercial break. It was only then did he notice that he was joined by a familiar face on the couch.

“Oh hey there. Robin right?” He hasn’t exactly talked to the boy, but he’s definitely seen him around. That red poofy hair was hard to forget. “Yeah. I’m guessing you are too?” His smile got wider at that question. He hasn’t met a lot of Canadians in Hammel yet; he swore he’s met more Brits than Canucks over the four months he’s been on campus. “I came from Banff, Alberta. You?” He offered his half-empty bowl of popcorn over to the boy. “Crazy game eh? Hating how Lundqvist’s Montreal curse isn’t happening at this moment.”

[Ryan McCarthy]

Ryan was doubtful at first that Greg had heard him; the latter's attention was totally absorbed by the television. After realizing this, it shouldn't have seemed so surprising when the boy stood up and shouted after the Canadiens managed to score a goal. Ryan himself also jumped, though hardly as high; he was more alarmed than excited by his peer's outburst.

The beginning of the commercial break brought Greg back to his senses, and Ryan back to his. The latter had almost regained his composure when Greg tried to identify Ryan's name. Robin? That was a new one! He'd gotten Rob, Raymond, Roy, Rick, and once even Romeo, but never Robin. “Close.” Ryan stifled back a chuckle as he grinned sheepishly. “Name's Ryan. You're Greg, right?” Ryan knew their name, of course, but realized it might be off-putting if he began addressing the other Canadian by their name prior to asking for it.

“Yup. From Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's a small city north of Lake Superior. You're not missing much if you haven't been there.” Ryan confirmed Greg's suspicions. His answer might have sounded pessimistic, but it was true. There primary attractions seemed to be a mall filled with bored teenagers, a half-complete waterfront, and a man-made lake unsafe for swimming because of the high E. Coli levels caused by excessive amounts of geese. “My parents always talked about a trip to Banff. Never happened, though.” He added.

Ryan turned back to the television and raised a brow. “Is it? I can't tell.” He was slightly apprehensive to admit it. Some Canadian he was! In his defense, he'd only just sat down. Lundqvist’s Montreal curse? He'd never heard of it. “I should have picked it up when I was a kid, though.” He began. “God knows winter would've been a hell of a lot less boring.”

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg felt a tiny bit embarrassed when he called the boy a different name. He swore ‘Robin’ sounded like the right one in his head; heck, Ryan didn’t even cross his mind for a second. Hopefully the boy wasn’t a telepath; he didn’t want to offend him more than he already did. Never mind that Ryan seemed the be taking the confusion in stride. “Whoops. Sorry dude.” He flashed the kid the widest smile he could muster, then held his hand out for a handshake. “Yup, though I also answer to ‘Hey!’ and ‘You there with the face!’” Some good old fashioned humour should destroy the ice built by remembering Ryan’s name wrong, even if he seemed to be the only one feeling awkward about it.

“Thunder Bay huh. Is it close to Oakville? I have a few cousins who live there.” Geography wasn’t exactly Greg’s strongest suit, so aside from a few cities around Banff, in Alberta and in BC, he didn’t really know where everything was. “You should! It’s pretty, especially during the summer.” Or right about now, since the weather’s clearing up, judging by the photos of his friends enjoying the mountainous views and wondrous sunshine that had been flooding his Facebook wall the past few weeks. “Gets a little tiring after a while though. I like Vancouver more.” The boy used to live in Vancouver, until his parents divorced when he was eight and his mom moved them to Banff. Not exactly something you say to someone within seconds of meeting them, so Greg fortunately decided to keep the little nugget of information to himself.

He stared at Ryan a little weirdly at first, given the other boy’s answer, but decided not to comment on it. Not yet anyway. “Say what now?” he asked, grabbing change from his wallet as he walked to the vending machine not far from the couch. “You play hockey too?”

[Ryan McCarthy]

Ryan took the hand and gave it a firm shake. “No worries.” He could hardly care less. Though, had he actually been upset, the smile flashed after Greg's apology would have made staying mad difficult.

Greg was off about three-hundred miles when he asked if Oakville was close, but Ryan wasn't going to fuss. They'd been the closest to guessing of everyone at Hammel who'd asked so far. Regardless, Ryan wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to poke a little fun at the boy. They might not have been great with names or geography, but their personality sure made conversation easy! “If you don't mind swimming across the Great Lakes.” Ryan flashed his own smile. “Is it? I should add it to my bucket list, then.” If it was nice enough, maybe he'd consider moving there after graduation! He liked Thunder Bay's weather, but there was hardly anything to do, and it wasn't much to look at.

“Vancouver? I dunno. I think I'd rather go back to Iceland.” He'd gone when he was eleven in June, and he'd always been eager to go again; the land had barely been touched by man, and it looked spectacular. “Peru's a close second. I wish I'd seen Machu Picchu when I was there.”

Ryan bit his lip as Greg asked if he played hockey. Crap! The conversation was going so well, too! While holding his breath, he contemplated his answer. Was there ever a way to say he didn't like sports without sounding like a total loser? “Ah, well...” Ryan chuckled as he gazed at lap, feeling slightly anxious. “No, not really. I never got into hockey.” He admitted while fidgeting his fingers. Thankfully, they were getting something to drink and couldn't see him getting anxious. “Or any sports, really.” He said this last part quietly, half hoping Greg might not hear. Had Ryan known Greg could read his thoughts on a whim, his cheeks would be blazing.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg let out a laugh when Ryan told him how far Oakville was from Thunder Bay. “Unfortunately I am no merman, so I’d have to pass,” he said, shaking his head, “Though I’ve always wished I was. Too much Little Mermaid back when I was a kid, among other things.” While he wouldn’t trade his telepathy for anything else (not when he’s starting to get the hang of it), Greg still caught himself wondering how different – and awesome – it’d be to ‘get’ another power. Telekinesis, for one, would be great when the remote’s out of his reach. Precognition for exams and pop quizzes. Super speed when he’s running late for an appointment (and he almost always was). “I mean, how cool would it be to have a scaly tail and a talking crab for a butler?”

The telepath’s jaw dropped slightly when Ryan began name-dropping the places he’d been. Greg was fortunate enough to do a little travelling with his dad since his new work brought him places, but they’ve mostly been concentrated in the States. The furthest he’s gone was Cancun a year ago. “Wait the Machu Picchu’s in Peru? I thought that was in Mexico?” To say that the brunette was a geography god was an understatement.

Ryan had nothing to worry about because Greg actually found his discomfort rather endearing. Not that he liked seeing people in much social anxiety, but more along the lines of it reminded him of how his little sister would react when asked a question she’d rather not answer. He really needed to Skype with them soon. “I knew it!” laughed the boy as he sat back down, opening his can of Vanilla Coke and playfully pointing a finger at Ryan, “Don’t feel too bad. My ex wasn’t into hockey either. Or sports in general.” He settled back in his corner, crossed his feet on the couch and cradled the popcorn bowl like his life depended on it. “I mean, he did track, but other than that, he’s pretty much meh with everything else. He told me he wouldn’t have even gone to my games if my teammates weren’t hot.” Oh how Richard loved telling him Tyler Grant’s bum looked great in their uniform or how Brent Lee’s filling his up nicely.

“At least you know we’re cheering for the guys in red, right?” Greg teased as the commercial break ended.