Page 21 of Speak in Fever
"See you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow."
Percy watches as Rath gets into his car and drives away, taillights disappearing into the night. Standing alone in the parking lot, Percy realizes that somewhere between this morning's practice and tonight's awkward conversation,something fundamental has shifted. He's not just attracted to Rath's skill on the ice anymore—he's invested in the person underneath the jersey.
Chapter 6
Rath is toweling off his hair in just a pair of sweats when his phone buzzes on the bathroom counter. Percy's name on the screen makes him pause—they don't really do phone calls. Texts about practice times, maybe, but actual conversations? That's new territory.
"What's up, Cap?" he answers, trying to keep his voice casual even as his stomach does something complicated.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Nah, just got out of the shower." Rath pads into his bedroom and flops onto his back onto his bed, phone pressed to his ear. He can practically hear the gears turning in Percy's head. "Let me guess—you want to run drills tomorrow before practice."
There's a pause. "How did you—"
"Because you've got that tone. The 'we need to work harder' captain tone." Rath can't help but smile a little, even though Percy can't see it. He knows Percy's moods by now, can readthem in the way he holds his stick or the set of his shoulders during team meetings. "What time?"
"Seven-thirty?"
Rath feels something twist in his chest. There it is—that careful tone Percy uses when he's trying not to hurt feelings. Like Rath is some delicate flower who can't handle honest feedback. "Cap." He sits down hard on his bed, suddenly tired. "If you think I need the extra work, then I need the extra work. I'm not gonna argue with you about getting better."
"That's not... Rath, that's not why I'm asking."
The defensiveness rises up before Rath can stop it. "Yeah? Then why?"
"Because when we're out there together, it works. The timing, the chemistry—it's good. Really good. But I think it could be even better."
The words hang in the air, and Rath finds himself holding his breath. He wants to believe it, but wanting something doesn't make it true. He's spent most of his life being told he's too small, too mouthy, too much of a risk. Old habits die hard.
"I just..." The words come out before he can stop them, vulnerability bleeding through despite his best efforts. "I know I'm not where you probably want me to be yet. As a linemate, I mean. I know I've still got shit to prove to you."
"What are you talking about?"
Rath laughs, but it comes out hollow. "Come on, man. I see how you look at me sometimes. Like you're trying to figure out if I'm gonna fuck up your perfect plays."
"That's not—" Percy starts, then stops. The pause makes Rath's stomach drop because maybe he's right, maybe Percy really does see him as a liability. "Rath, listen to me."
"I'm listening." Rath closes his eyes, bracing himself for whatever careful letdown is coming.
"When I watch you play, I'm not looking for mistakes. I'm watching because I can't look away. You're fast, yeah, but it's more than that. You see things before they happen. You make plays I don't even think of until you're already making them."
Rath's eyes snap open. That isn't what he'd expected to hear. At all.
"And the way you battle for pucks..." Percy continues, his voice gaining strength. "I've seen guys twice your size give up fights that you'd die before losing. Your compete level is off the charts, and that's not something you can teach. You either have it or you don't."
He opens his mouth to respond, then closes it again. What the hell is he supposed to say to that?
"You're just…" Percy trails off for a second and he sounds frustrated, like he hates to admit it but he's going to anyway. "Fuck, Rath, you're just sogood."
The words are like velvet in his ear, smooth and silky and warm, and Rath feels like there are fingers raking down his spine with every syllable. It's nothing, it's just–
It's just Percy. His voice, and those words, and Rath can't help the breathless gasp that echoes across the line between them, escaping from his own mouth before he can stop it. It's the smallest of sounds but it sounds so incriminatingly loud in the silence of Percy's praise and Rath knows he's fucked.
There's a pregnant pause after, and Rath can almost hear the shock across the line, and he's flushing to the tips of his ears he's so fucking embarrassed. He should hang up, right? Just hang up and pretend it's a bad connection. Hang up and pretend this never happened and he'll still be able to look his captain in the eye during practice tomorrow.
He can't. He can't leave it. They've been doing so good together lately and things have been so much better than last year. Hecan't just go back to that. He has to say something to make things okay between them.
