Work Text:
Radko looked over at Ivan with the same cautiousness that he’d had when Ivan had first joined the team. “Are you okay?” Claude asked, “you’re looking a little pale.”
Ivan waved off his concern, “I’m fine.” He’d waited long enough, too long, to be fed and the game was taking it’s toll on him.
“Go get checked out after the game,” Claude said. It wasn’t a question, but Ivan knew that the trainers wouldn’t find anything wrong with him, at least not medically. He’d probably sneak in a blood bag though after the game if he was left alone.
“Alright,” Ivan rolled his eyes. Claude didn’t know that he’d postponed feeding for too long, but if he did, Claude would probably yell at him. He knew better, he knew that it could be dangerous not only for himself but for others if he went unfed for too long.
His stomach churned throughout the third period as he could barely focus on playing hockey as he was preoccupied with the hunger that gnawed at him. They were losing anyways and the next fifteen minutes were a struggle for the entire team.
Ivan sighed when he skated off the rink. The only thing he was happy about was being able to eat. He stripped out of his jersey, sensing the shared embarrassment of his teammates and strolled around in training gear.
Ivan nodded to the one trainer who knew about his special “needs” and followed him into the back room while everyone was still busy answering media questions. They had a few blood bags on hand in case anyone needed an immediate transfusion. It had become protocol after the Sabres incident several years before, but it was something that the other vampires in the league exploited. If a blood bag went missing every now and then it could easily be attributed to being lost in the hectic travel schedule.
“I have a B+, two O-s, and an A-,” the trainer said giving Ivan a choice like he was ordering at a deli.
“The O is fine,” Ivan said. He sniffed once at the blood and ripped off a corner with his teeth.
“Enjoy,” the trainer said and the minute he left, Ivan’s fangs descended. The trainer was one of the more tolerant ones, having grown up with a vampire aunt, but there were limits to even the most tolerant of people and usually they didn’t like watching vampires eat, even if they weren’t eating humans.
Ivan sucked on the bag, finally feeling a little bit sated, and made sure to get every last drop that he possibly could. He wiped his mouth afterwards and wrapped the bag in paper towels before chucking it in the garbage. When he returned to the locker room, Radko recoiled almost immediately. He knew the werewolf would smell the blood on him even after he cleaned up. They had never talked about it, rarely sharing the same space if possible, but Radko knew about Ivan and Ivan had sensed Radko was a werewolf almost immediately.
Contrary to popular belief, vampires and werewolves weren’t sworn enemies. It was more the scent of blood that kept werewolves away than an inherent dislike for vampires. Of course, vampire-werewolf relations had suffered after the New Hampshire incident of 2013, but in general, as long as they respected the others’ space and rituals, they got along fine.
The closest thing that Radko had done to acknowledge their differences was a hushed conversation a few weeks after Ivan had arrived. “We’re not going to have a problem are we?” Radko asked.
“Not at all,” Ivan had replied and that was that. They had a good working relationship, but Ivan was still acutely aware of how close Radko kept his daughter when she’d come for a visit. He never let her come close to Ivan and Ivan knew why. Even though he and Radko worked together, Radko didn’t trust him. If Ivan was in his position he wouldn’t trust him either, so even though it hurt, Ivan understood. They were dangerous creatures, no amount of practiced control would change that.
“Did you read Deadspin?” Manning asked in the bus.
“I go out of my way not to read Deadspin,” Ghost said.
“Okay, yeah, yeah, they’re shit, but they wrote an article saying that most of the #1 draft picks are probably not-human. Like Connor McDavid is a siren, and Sidney Crosby is an elf, they said that Matthews is a fairy.”
Ivan nearly rolled his eyes. If he had to guess, Auston would probably be a werewolf. They were more common in North America, anyways, even if most of them didn’t disclose their identities. The league was mostly populated with werewolves and vampires anyways, there were a few elves, and even fewer sirens.
“You don’t believe that shit, do you?” G asked. “Crosby is an elf, really?”
“I don’t know.”
Ivan didn’t know anything about McDavid or Crosby being mythical. Jagr was probably the most visible vampire, Toews was a dryad, and almost every team had at least one werewolf. Vampires were the most stigmatized still, but werewolves had it the hardest, having to fight changing if they were on a road trip or even worse on a plane during the moon.
“It’s true,” Travis added.
“Hey, Patrick’s going to go first, is he a Mythical?”
Ivan almost laughed. Nolan wasn’t a Mythical by any stretch of the imagination. “No, but even if he was I wouldn’t tell you.”
“It’d be cool to be on a team with one, though, wouldn’t it?” Schenn asked.
“Maybe like a pixie or a fairy, but it’d freak me out if there was a werewolf or a vampire on my team, no thanks,” Manning said.
“Why?”
“I agree, I mean, I’d be worried about being attacked you know, you can’t be too careful. Pixies and fairies can’t do much harm, but werewolves and vampires, they can get out of control,” Travis said. Ivan’s stomach dropped. Hearing it from Manning had made Ivan uncomfortable, but hearing it from Travis, his best friend on the team, almost made him sick. Travis wasn’t wrong, not exactly, Ivan knew that vampires could lose control, he’d almost lost control once, when he was first turned, but most took great lengths to take all preventative measures. The conversation continued, there were a few open-minded players on the team, but Ivan put on his headphones and drowned him out. It was because of people like them that some many Mythicals didn’t disclose their status. If it bothered Radko, Ivan couldn’t tell, but Radko clapped a hand on Ivan’s shoulder as the got off the bus, which Ivan could only interpret as a sign of solidarity.
This time he nearly went four weeks without eating. He knew it was because of the team’s discussion a few weeks earlier. He was testing himself, proving just how much control he had. Human food tasted even worse now that he was staving off blood and in team dinners he forced himself to eat just so not to have inquiring looks. It was easiest when they went to a steakhouse, he’d get his blue, just barely seared so that there was still some blood. It wasn’t nearly as filling as human blood, but it was still more appetizing than most other food. He ignored the grossed out looks his teammates gave him when he’d cut into the meat and the bloody juices would spill out onto the plate, but Ivan could finally eat, even if he was never really full.
Radko kept looking at him carefully. He knew that Ivan wasn’t eating, but he didn’t pressure him and he didn’t try to make Ivan open up, so Ivan considered it a win. It was all fine, even though Ivan was more tired than usual, until Travis and Tkachuk got into it on the ice. In the midst of the scrum, Tkachuk had gotten hit in the nose and it’d started to bleed. He was still clinging to Brodie, holding him back from the scrum, but Ivan felt his fangs drop involuntarily. All he could smell was blood, he needed to eat, he needed to eat now. He just had enough restraint to skate off the ice and head straight for the locker room. Ivan barely recognized the looks of confusion from his teammates since nobody saw him get hit.
He waved off the trainers who tried to follow him, he needed to be away from people and stumbled into the room, prying open the cooler in search of some blood bags. He drank the first two in big gulps, and then opened the third and drank it slower. He let this go on too long. The worst part is that this felt so good, he kept drinking from the pint, knowing in the back of his mind that if a teammate walked in they’d be disgusted by him.
“Are you okay?” Travis asked with concern etched all over his face when the period ended and they all joined Ivan in the locker room.
“Just felt dizzy all of a sudden,” Ivan said.
“Were you hit?” Travis asked.
“No, just a little dehydrated. I’m good now,” Ivan said.
They were all piled in G’s room watching the nighttime news as they waited for The Tonight Show to come on. A reporter was stationed outside of a local hospital covering a break in. “The only thing that was stolen was several liters of blood from some refrigerators on the second and third floor, though police have not named any suspects, they did reveal that they believe a vampire was responsible for the robbery.”
“Jesus Christ, they’re stealing from sick people too, now?” Manning wondered aloud. “What the fuck is wrong with them?”
“It’s better than the alternative, isn’t it?” Ivan said surprising even himself.
“What do you mean?” Jake asked.
“Well, they pretty much have two choices, right, either drink from people or get blood a different way. It’s not really hurting people, at least.”
“Or they could just, you know, not drink blood,” Manning retorted.
Ivan knew that this was a losing battle and he didn’t reply. Besides, coming out too strongly about the issue would cause people to start wondering why he cared and that would inevitably lead to assumptions that he was a vampire.
Travis just looked at him from across the room, he didn’t have the same disgust that Manning did, but he looked concerned. Ivan didn’t stay in the room much longer, but long enough that people wouldn’t think that he left because of the change in conversation.
He quietly excused himself and headed back to his and Shayne’s room. “Hey, wait,” Travis called out from behind.
“Hm…?” Ivan murmured.
“Is everything okay?” Travis asked.
“Yeah,” Ivan said.
“I mean, are we okay?” Travis asked.
“We’re fine,” Ivan said. “I’m just tired.”
“Alright,” Travis said, though he didn’t seem reassured, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah,” Ivan said.
They flew to St. Louis the next day for a game against the Blues. When Ivan lined up for the national anthems, he sniffed and smelled another vampire. If he could sense it, he was certain that Radko knew, too. He scanned the bench full of players until he saw who the scent matched up with: Colton Parayko.
“You too?” Colton asked as he hit Ivan against the glass. It wasn’t accusatory or cruel but surprised, after all, not too many vampires were on NHL teams. Colton got the puck back and passed towards a forward waiting towards the edge of the blue line.
When they were both on the bench, Ivan couldn’t help but look over and glance at Colton who was staring back at him. Making eye contact, Colton smiled and winked, pressing a single finger to his lips in the universal ‘shhhhh’ sign.
“What was that about?” Travis asked as he observed the exchange.
“Nothing,” Ivan said.
“Is he giving you a hard time?” Travis asked concerned.
“Mind your own business,” Ivan snapped. He saw Travis recoil hurt, but he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t going to say anything about Colton, knowing how Travis felt about people like them.
“Want to grab a drink later?” Colton asked.
“Uh,” Ivan paused, a little stunned.
“I know a place that you might like,” Colton said.
“Yeah? Okay, then.”
“Alright, wait for me after press and all that stuff,” Colton said.
The Flyers lost, again. That seemed to be a recurring pattern throughout the season, but Ivan found himself oddly excited to meet up with another vampire. He knew of a few in the league, but most were veterans and veterans rarely hung out with rookies unless they were their rookies.
“I’ll be back at the hotel a little later, okay?” Ivan told G. He didn’t need to know the details and though it was discouraged to go out and have fun after a loss, Ivan didn’t usually hang out with people in other cities so G couldn’t really complain.
As promised, Colton was waiting for him outside the Flyers locker room.
“Um, I’m still underage here,” Ivan said.
Colton just laughed, “We’re not going to that kind of bar.”
He guided Ivan a couple of blocks away from the arena, deftly navigating his way through the city until they reached a small cluster of buildings all sandwiched next to each other. Colton went towards a small door that Ivan would have walked right past if he wasn’t following someone. The bouncer inside the club sniffed once towards them, but let them through.
“Is this a ‘blood bar’?” Ivan asked as he looked around. Some people were in booths feeding somewhat discretely while others were unabashedly feeding on the dance floor. Of course some were just dancing and drinking, but those who weren’t didn’t even get a second look. Ivan couldn’t help but stare, he’d never been to one, and on the rare times he’d fed off of someone, it had been done at home.
“Yeah, They aren’t all vampires, some are feeders and some are just sympathizers, but it’s safe here,” Colton said. Ivan noticed that the other man had let his fangs drop, not in a threatening way, but just in their natural state.
Colton ordered a drink at the bar and when he got it, Ivan was pretty sure that it had some blood in it based on the smell.
“It’s good here, everyone’s willing, plus other people are always watching out, nobody gets out of control.”
Ivan just watched at the flurry of activity. “It’s okay,” Colton reassured.
It wasn’t long before a young woman walked up to Colton and flirted with him. She wasn’t a vampire herself, but from the healing bruises on her neck, she was most likely a feeder. It was stigmatized in Russia, being a feeder. Of course, some people did it more than others. Parents often volunteered for children if they were born vampires, spouses often allowed their husbands or wives to drink if they had changed later in life. It had never been a sexual or romantic thing for Ivan. He supposed it could be if he found a sympathetic partner, but between him being gay and a vampire, he didn’t have many options.
Ivan stared as Colton kissed her, first on the lips and then trailed his way down to her neck before gently biting in. The woman let out a small gasp at first, the only sign that she was in pain but then grabbed the back of Colton’s hair and pulled him closer. Ivan felt himself relax just enough to let his own fangs descend. A woman came up to him and started to flirt, but Ivan politely and quickly shut her down.
“What? She wasn’t your type?” Colton asked after he temporarily detached from the woman he was with.
“ She isn’t really my type,” Ivan replied. It took a second for Colton to catch on, but his eyes widened.
“There are plenty of others,” Colton said. He waved his hand and urged Ivan to mingle in the throng of people.
“Uh, hi,” he said towards a guy on the dancefloor. The guy was handsome but not in a classical way and he smiled when he turned towards Ivan.
“Hi,” he said. He reached hand behind Ivan’s neck and pushed their bodies closer together. “I’m Caleb.”
“Ivan,” Ivan yelled over the blaring music.
“Is this your first time?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah,” Ivan said.
“It’s okay,” Caleb said as if he could sense then uncertainty and hesitation that bubbled up in Ivan. “Come on, we can go somewhere more private.”
He led Ivan out of the crowd of people and towards the edge of the club. “It’s okay,” Caleb said as he pulled down his shirt collar to reveal his neck. Ivan paused, before he gently started sucking on the area right above his vein. “Go ahead,” Caleb said and Ivan slowly pressed his fangs in. It wasn’t like drinking from a blood bag. The blood was too sanitary and too processed that way, this, this was different. Caleb tasted vaguely of alcohol as Ivan drank. He paused in case Caleb was in any pain, but he murmured softly for Ivan to keep going. Ivan didn’t take too much. He’d drank for a couple of minutes but made sure that Caleb would have more than enough. When he finally pulled away, he licked his lips and wiped the remaining blood off of his mouth.
“Why did you trust me?” Ivan asked as Caleb gently readjusted his collar.
“You know, from what I’ve seen, vampires are harshest on themselves. Of all the ones that I know they’d rather die than hurt their partner or a stranger. I know there are accidents, but that’s usually with the babies who don’t know limits yet. You aren’t newly turned.”
“No,” Ivan responded.
“See, everything’s fine. You needed to eat, that felt great to me, it’s a win-win situation. But just as a tip, it hurts less when you bite quickly.”
“Sorry,” Ivan said, slightly embarrassed about his poor technique.
“Don’t apologize, it was good, it’ll just be better for the next person,” Caleb said.
“Thanks, for this,” Ivan waved his hand generically, but Caleb smiled and knew what he meant.
Colton was waiting for him at the bar with another drink but the woman was gone by now. “Was it good?” Colton asked.
“Really good,” Ivan said. He looked down at his sleeve and noticed a small blood stain from where he had wiped off the residual blood, “Shit.”
“Cold water does the trick,” Colton said, “Come on let’s get you back before curfew.”
With the same decisiveness that he’d had when they headed to the club, Colton led Ivan back to the hotel.
“Does your team know?” Colton asked.
Ivan just shook his head, “They aren’t super friendly towards people like us.”
“I’m sorry,” Colton said, “I’m lucky I guess, then.”
“They’d rather have a pixie or an elf or something, I guess, ‘less dangerous’,” Ivan said. He didn’t know why exactly he was telling Colton this. They weren’t friends and even after tonight, they still wouldn’t be friends, but there was a common understanding and shared experience that most vampires and even most Mythicals have.
Colton rolled his eyes, “I’m assuming they don’t remember what happened in Kansas last year with pixies?”
Ivan shrugged, “They get better press than vampires.”
Colton stopped outside of the Hilton the team was staying at, “Well, I hope it gets better.”
Ivan offered him a wan smile, “Thanks.”
“And I fully expect you to take me to a blood bar in Philly when we beat you next month.”
Ivan rolled his eyes, “Sure.”
Much to Ivan’s surprise, when he entered his hotel room, Travis was waiting for him on his bed. Ivan felt the anger that he’d forgotten towards his friend resurrect itself.
“Hey,” Travis said.
Ivan took off his jacket and hung it over the chair, “Where’s Ghost?” he asked.
“I asked to switch, I hope it was okay,” Travis said.
Ivan shrugged.
“I know you said that we were okay, and I didn’t want to second guess it, but it just doesn’t seem like we’re okay,” Travis pressed.
“We’re fine,” Ivan said trying to end this discussion. Shayne should have at least texted him if he had agreed to switch with Travis.
“Um, I didn’t know that you and Colton were friends,” Travis said.
“Yeah, I guess,” Ivan said.
“Do you know?” Travis asked quietly.
“Know what?” Ivan sighed.
“I mean, what people say about him?” Travis asked. Ivan could tell he was hinting at the fact that Colton was a Mythical.
“What are people saying about him?” Ivan asked, for the first time looking at Travis point blank.
“He’s, well, I’ve heard that he’s a vampire,” Travis said.
“So?” Ivan challenged.
“Well, I just didn’t know if you’d want to hang out with people like him,” Travis said.
“That’s a really shitty thing to say,” Ivan said.
“I don’t know him that well, all I’m saying is you don’t know what he might do,” Travis said.
“Somehow he’s managed not to attack anyone on the ice,” Ivan said vehemently defending Colton. “You know, I’d expect this out of Brandon, or other idiots like that, but I wouldn’t expect that out of you.”
Ivan stripped out of his clothes and put on his sweatpants before curling up under the covers and turning his back to Travis.
“I didn’t mean it, look I’m sorry if I overstepped. If you trust him that’s good enough for me, I just, I was just trying to look out for you, as a friend.”
“Well, maybe don’t,” Ivan said. He waited for Travis to do something else, though Ivan didn’t know quite what he wanted him to do, but instead Travis just sighed and turned off the lights.
“I really am sorry,” Travis said.
In the darkness, long after he heard Travis’s breathing even out, tears slowly slid down his face. He’d worked so hard to get to a point where he could accept himself, that he could feel okay with being a vampire. It had been easier for a while since he’d moved to the United States, there was still stigma, but it was less so. But hearing it from Travis brought back all his insecurities. He didn’t want to drink blood, he didn’t want people to feel threatened by him, but he couldn’t help it. Worse yet, was the way that he knew Travis would look at him if he ever found out.
He and Travis dressed in silence the next morning. Ivan didn’t want to talk and Travis just didn’t know what to talk about. Thankfully they were going to return to Philly soon and Ivan wouldn’t have to be in such close proximity to Travis. He would have time to cool off and get over his hurt or at least past it enough to work together. Travis kept shooting him sad looks as he hung out with the other defenders and Ivan just tried to ignore it as best as possible. The others just seemed confused but didn’t intervene in whatever was going on between the two of them.
The trip to the blood bar lasted Ivan a while, he was still hungry, but the blood bags didn’t have the same appeal that they once had. Fresh blood was always better. He’d dared to look for one in Philly once they’d returned. There were a handful across the city, some were a little more concealed than others, but he hadn’t gathered the courage to go back. It was different in St. Louis where he was almost anonymous, but here in Philly, he wasn’t sure that he would have the same security in going. He wasn’t in a rush, though, he wouldn’t need to eat in a while.
It was fine until the Ducks came to Philly. They knew the Ducks had a habit of being a dirty team, but there Ivan was on the blue line watching as Travis got sandwiched between Ducks and battled for the puck. It was almost in slow motion as Ivan helplessly watched a Duck lift his skate up too high and clip Travis. The stench of blood filled Ivan’s nose and a small dribble of blood dotted the ice as Travis clamped his hand over the cut. The Flyers either rushed to check on him once they figured out what had happened or they were in the process of grabbing a Duck, but Ivan just watched as Travis skated off the ice to get checked on. The cut wasn’t too deep, he wasn’t gushing blood and Ivan knew he wouldn’t need a transfusion, but he just… he just smelled so good. Ivan’s stomach dropped and as soon as he could, he walked towards the locker room. He passed the area where Travis was being treated, the hallway reeked of blood in that area. Instead Ivan stalked into an empty supply closet and locked the room behind him.
Calm down. You have to calm down. Ivan tried to take deep breaths, willing the smell to go away. He had forgotten how good Travis smelled to him. It was a mix of instinct and attraction that Ivan knew made Travis different. If only he could stop liking Travis, it would be easier, it would be different. Even when other teammates were hurt or drew blood, Ivan didn’t freak out like this. Calm down, Ivan .
He slowly unlocked the door but continued to pace in the room, until a knock at the door surprised him. “Ivan, hey, are you okay?” It was Travis.
“Yeah,” Ivan said. He wished that he’d kept the door locked when he saw the doorknob turn and Travis entered without asking.
“Shouldn’t you be with the trainer?” Ivan choked out.
“I was, they got me all stitched up, I just wanted to see if you were okay,” Travis said.
“I’m fine,” Ivan replied.
“Just, uh Coots said that you kind of freaked out after I got hurt, and the way he described it sounded almost like a panic attack. I had one when Lawson got hurt a few years ago, I just completely freaked out. It sucks when someone you like- well, care about gets hurt,” Travis said.
Ivan wasn’t quite sure how to respond so he didn’t say anything.
“I know things are kind of weird and we need to talk, but, uh, tell me if I read this wrong,” Travis said. Ivan knew what was going to happen, but he didn’t have the willpower to push Travis away. Travis gently kissed him, tilting his head slowly, tentatively as if asking a question. If things were different, if he was human, if he wasn’t himself he would have been so happy. But he couldn’t be with Travis only for him to one day find out what Ivan was and Ivan knew he couldn’t be with Travis and not tell him. He was exactly what Travis hated, or at the very least feared and he wouldn’t be able to stomach the day that Travis’s love turned to fear.
“Stop,” Ivan said as he pulled back. Travis’s eyes darkened and his normally cheerful face soured. “I’m glad you’re okay, but we won’t ever be together.”
Travis laughed dryly, “Right, yeah. Of course not.” He turned around and left and the only thing Ivan could do was punch the wall.
Ivan gave Travis distance, he knew that his rejection had stung, but he needed to make sure that Travis understood, they couldn’t be together. There were some couples who made it work, his parents were one of them where one person was human and the other was a Mythical, but most couples broke up eventually.
“Rookie reeks of sadness,” Radko said in passing one day, as if that just added to Ivan’s guilt. Even though he was hurt by what Travis had said, he didn't want to hurt his friend, or former friend, whatever they were now.
“You made Travis sad,” G said after one practice.
Ivan rolled his eyes, “He’ll get over it.”
“You know I’m the You Can Play ambassador, right?” Claude asked and Ivan suddenly realized that Claude thought it was because Travis liked men. “I’m not fucking homophobic,” Ivan snapped.
“Then why were you so cruel to him?” Claude asked. “You could have rejected him without being mean.”
“I had to make sure he knew that it was never going to happen,” Ivan said, “I had to make sure that I knew it was never going to happen.” Ivan added quietly.
Claude’s eyes widened, “We wouldn’t care, you know.”
Ivan almost laughed, “What you think it’s just because I’m gay? You think this team is so tolerant and for some things they are, but not everything.”
Claude’s face scrunched up in concentration, “Are you…?” Claude trailed off.
Ivan shrugged, pretending to be disaffected, “Doesn’t really matter anyways, wouldn’t have worked out in the end.”
Later that week, Claude announced to the team that they were partnering with Mythical Friends, a local non-profit that was dedicated to reducing prejudices between humans and Mythicals. Radko just looked over at Ivan assuming that he had something to do with it. There was some groaning among the players, but it was a lot easier to get along with Mythical children than it was with adults. They were relatively harmless and had close supervision so there were few recorded incidents.
“Do we have to?” Brandon asked.
“Yes, we’re all doing it,” Claude said. “We’ve done a decent job getting rid of racism and homophobia on our team, but we still have to work on prejudices against Mythicals and that starts with us.”
“I’m not against this, but I’ve never met one before, I don’t even know how to act around them,” Schenn said.
“Well, that’s why we’re doing this, to get to know them better, we’ll be in pairs and we’ll have a brief training session beforehand to answer any questions.”
Claude read off the list of pairings. Ivan hoped that he was with Radko, or at least Claude who seemed to have realized that Ivan was a Mythical.
“Can I be with anyone else?” Travis asked after his and Ivan’s names were called as a pairing.
“No. Pairs are final,” Claude said using his captainly authority.
Travis sulked but didn’t argue back.
After practice the next week, they headed to the headquarters of Mythicals and Friends and met with a variety of kids. Radko got paired with a little selkie who immediately recognized as him as one of their own and started playing with his beard. Ivan and Travis were paired with Sam, who was a born vampire, unlike Ivan. Sam didn’t seem to care much for hockey, but seemed to like Travis well enough. In fact, Travis seemed more at ease than Ivan who was just waiting for one of the kids to accidentally say that he was a Mythical.
When Travis was diverted talking to a teammate, Sam turned towards him and showed off his fangs. “Can I see yours?” He asked.
Ivan did a quick survey of the room and when he thought that nobody’s eyes were on him he quickly flashed his fangs.
“Cool!” Sam whispered. Ivan rolled his eyes and quietly gestured for Sam not to say anything.
“I hope you had fun,” Claude said after they all wrapped up. The day had gone without incident even from some of the more narrow-minded players.
“Yeah, they’re fine when they’re cute, but then they grow up to be monsters,” Brandon said.
“Don’t say that,” Claude snapped and the rest of the team seemed surprised at the venom in Claude’s voice. He’d never seemed opinionated on the topic of Mythicals before, but Ivan couldn’t help but think it was in part because of their talk.
“I would have had more fun if I wasn’t paired with the homophobe,” Travis said under his breath.
“Stop telling saying that I’m homophobic,” Ivan said when he cornered Travis on the bus ride back.
“Well, you are aren’t you?” Travis said.
“No,” Ivan said, “I’m gay, too.”
“So…”
“It just wouldn’t have worked out between us, Travis,” Ivan said, gentler this time. It was one thing to get along with a Mythical child, but it was another thing entirely to be dating one.
“Why would you say that without trying, though?” Travis asked.
Ivan rolled his eyes, “It’s a no, Travis.”
“I got that much,” Travis snapped.
Ivan just shrugged. He wished it was different, but he knew that one day with the kids wouldn’t change Travis’s opinion.
It was bordering on three weeks before he needed another blood bag after practice. Ivan was sitting in the training room, legs hanging off the examination table as he slowly sipped the blood. It wasn’t as satisfying as the blood bar, it was like a downgrade from gourmet cuisine to airplane food, but it was easier and less effort on Ivan’s part.
“Hey, I just wanted to get something looked at-” Travis said as he opened the door. He froze when he saw Ivan drinking the blood. Ivan hadn’t had the time to hide it and he watched as Travis put two and two together. His eyes widened in surprise and Ivan noticed him swallow. “Are you- you…”
Ivan stumbled backwards until he hit the wall, “I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to find out.”
“You’re a… vampire?” Travis asked. Ivan unmistakably recognized the hesitation and fear in Travis’s voice.
“Yeah,” Ivan said, he couldn’t bear looking at Travis and seeing the disgust and fear on his face.
“Um…” Travis paused, “I don’t know what to say.”
Ivan shrugged sadly, “I know.”
“Do you-” Travis started but stopped and Ivan was glad because he didn’t want to know what he was going to ask.
“You don’t have to worry about ‘being attacked’,” Ivan said thickly. “We have enough control to know better.” It was hard for him to vocalize what Travis had said before, but he noticed Travis flinch when he heard Ivan repeat them, so Ivan just brushed past him and left for home wondering what the atmosphere in the locker room would be when he returned to the rink the next day.
“You know, you’re more likely to die in a plane crash than by a vampire,” Travis said as he entered the locker room.
“Thanks Travis, I’ll remember that the next time we fly on a road trip,” Jake said.
“The point I was making is that vampires are pretty harmless,” Travis said, “And werewolves are good for ecological reasons, they help keep deer populations under control.”
“I don’t eat deer,” Radko mumbled under his breath.
“Okay…” Claude said unsure why Travis had come into the locker room like that.
“Well, after the charity thing, I started to do some research and a lot of Mythicals are stigmatized because of old folklore or because of the random attacks,” Travis said. He pulled out a packet of stapled papers that looked like research articles and things from Wikipedia. “I actually learned a lot yesterday.” He looked up at Ivan guiltily and Ivan knew that Travis had done it for him.
“Huh,” Claude said as he flipped through Travis’s pages.
“Yeah, they actually seem pretty cool,” Travis said, “I mean, the kid I was paired up with was pretty cool.”
“Damn you sound like an anthropology professor,” Simms said jokingly. “Come on, let’s do what we actually know.”
“I don’t eat deer,” Radko said to Travis as he headed out for the ice.
“Oh, uh, good to know,” Travis said.
Ivan lingered in the room, until it was just the two of them left there.
“I’m sorry,” Travis said, “I said some really shitty things before and frankly I wouldn’t want to date me either.”
“Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it doesn’t mean that you’re aren’t scared of me.”
“I’m not,” Travis said quickly, “I mean I was a little, I guess I was more surprised, but I know you.”
Ivan squeezed his eyes shut, “Look, it’s taken me years to get here, but I’m okay with what I am now, but you need to be, too.”
Travis slowly, but unflinchingly reached out his hand to cup Ivan’s cheek, “I am, or at least I’m getting there. You know I realized you never said you didn’t like me.”
“Hm?” Ivan blinked.
“When I first kissed you and then on the bus, you never said that you didn’t like me,” Travis said, “You just said it wouldn’t work out.”
“Being okay with vampires and dating one is different,” Ivan said, “You weren’t wrong we can be dangerous.”
“But you’re not,” Travis said with a certainty that almost melted Ivan’s heart. “You’d rather die than hurt me. I know you, Ivan. I might not know everything about you, but I know you. You avoid fights on the ice if at all possible, you were great with Sam at the charity thing, you’ve been my best friend since I joined the team, or at least you were. I’m just sorry that I said what I did, I’m trying to be better, but it must have hurt you.”
Ivan nodded and even though Travis knew he’d hurt Ivan’s feelings he hadn’t realized the extent.
“I might not always say or do the right thing, but I want to try and I want to give us a chance if you’re willing.”
Ivan smiled, “okay.”
“Okay?” Travis asked with a smile growing on his face.
“Okay, let’s try it,” Ivan said.
“Hey assholes, you’re going to be late for practice,” Jake yelled from outside.
Travis was making an effort to be better and be a better ally and Ivan appreciated it. He mostly used Wikipedia as a reference, though Ivan laughed at some of the information that Travis thought was true. Travis had banned all garlic from the cooking and after the third bland meal, Ivan had to stop and ask why.
“Vampires can’t be around garlic,” Travis said slowly.
“Not true,” Ivan said. “There’s a ton of garlic in Russian food.”
“I thought that was to ward off vampires,” Travis said.
Ivan just laughed, “No. It’s true that some vampires don’t like it but it’s a personal preference. I love the stuff. We also don’t get affected by holy water,” Ivan added. He blinked when he saw Travis pull out a small notepad from his pocket and jot down some notes.
“Are you actually keeping a notebook?” Ivan asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Travis said sheepishly. “Just so I know the dos and don’ts.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s important to you, and you’re important to me,” Travis said. Ivan blushed and looked down feeling the hint of a smile grow on his face. That was absolutely adorable.
“Thank you,” Ivan said he leaned across the table and kissed Travis slowly.
“What was that for?” Travis asked when they finally broke apart.
“Trying,” Ivan said, “I know this is new for you, but I see the effort you’re making and I do appreciate it.”
“I want this to work,” Travis said.
Ivan sighed, he knew that there would be more difficult conversations down the line. He knew that time and age worked against them and he dreaded if the day should come that Travis might wonder if Ivan would change him, but for now they had time. “I want us to work, too,” Ivan replied and held out his hand to Travis. He couldn’t promise him forever, but he could promise him now and for now it was enough.