The Unknown 1
Title: The Unknown
Chapter: 1
Pairing: Ben Clymer / Chris Clark
Additional Characters: Matt Bradley, Brian Sutherby, Steve Eminger, Olie Kolzig, Jeff Halpern
Rating: PG?
Disclaimer: If I could own any two people it would be these two; sadly I can't and I don't, so the following is almost all fiction.
Setting: 2005-06 Preseason/Season, Washington
Notes: I feel the need to share the backstory and my inspiration here - Chris and Ben are really roommates; in fact last season they each were asked about their roommate experiences (what makes a good roommate and who is your roommate now) and these quotes were screaming out for a fic:
Clymer: "Number one, they can’t snore. That’s just no good. That’s key. Somebody has to have a similar routine to you as far as when they like to sleep in the afternoons and stuff like that. I’ve roomed with Chris Clark since I’ve been here. We’ve got it down pretty pat as far as when we get up, and when we take a nap in the afternoon. It works pretty good, we’re both pretty easygoing and we hardly ever argue over the remote."
Clark: “I’m rooming with Clymer right now and it has been great. What makes us the same is that we get up at the same time, we go to sleep at the same time, our pregame naps are at the same time. We have a pretty good schedule where we just happen to do everything at the same time. We got thrown together last year, but he has been one of the best I’ve had.
“Benny is a mature guy. He’s hockey-oriented, and he is thinking about the game and not doing other things - staying up late and those other things that can maybe take away from the game the next day. He has been great..."
...and so it was born. Enjoy!
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“Clarkie...Clymes...room 415.”
I looked up at the sound of my name then glanced around, catching Chris’s eye in the crowd. He gave me a shy smile and I reciprocated as we both moved forward to collect our keys, stepping off to the side as the rest of the room assignments were handed out.
“So...” he said, that shy smile crossing his face once again.
“So...” I repeated. “Guess we’ll be rooming together. Um...you don’t snore, do you?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Well, not loudly. I’m sure my wife would have mentioned it at some point.” He waved his arm in the direction of the elevators as he spoke and I nodded, following him and our other teammates over and stepping on as the doors slid open. The tiny elevator was filled with the sounds of laughter and talking as guys chattered excitedly, happy to be back even for just a preseason game after a long season of lockout-induced silence.
As we stepped out onto our floor we moved aside to let some of the others run by, shouting as they raced to their rooms. I shook my head and shared a grin with Chris as he unlocked the door to our room.
“Home sweet home,” he said. “Which bed do you want?”
“I actually like the one by the door if that’s okay,” I admitted.
“That’s perfect - window is better for me anyways.”
I nodded. That was easy, I thought. We tossed our bags on our beds and I stretched my arms, rubbing my shoulder with a grimace as I sat down on the edge of the mattress.
“You okay?” he asked, genuine concern in his voice.
“Just an old shoulder injury,” I responded. “It acts up when I have to carry stuff on it - usually a good rub gets the kinks out.”
He nodded knowingly and began to unpack. I watched him for a minute as he moved smoothly from his suitcase to the closet, glancing into his bag while he unpacked. His clothes were folded perfectly, his toiletries all in individual cloth bags, and everything was placed at neat ninety degree angles. When he hung his suit in the closet it was lined up perfectly with the wall and his shoes joined it a moment later, also perfectly aligned. I didn’t realize I was staring until he stared back, an amused look on his face.
“Sorry,” I said, flushing slightly. “It’s just...I’ve never seen anyone’s suitcase look like that before.”
He laughed. “It’s okay. I know, it’s strange. I need things a certain way.” I must have looked nervous because he laughed again. “Not the room, necessarily - just my luggage. You can put things wherever you want, it won’t bother me.” He patted me on the shoulder and grinned and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I quickly unpacked my own suitcase, kicked off my shoes, and flopped down on the bed. After a few minutes Chris did the same.
“Did you want to watch TV?” I asked, my eyes falling on the remote that lay between our beds.
“If you want to, sure.”
I switched on the TV and turned to the news, the voices of the newscasters the only sounds breaking the silence until I heard soft snoring coming from my right. Glancing over, I smiled at the sight of Chris fast asleep, one arm behind his head and the other draped casually across his chest. My eyes traveled over his body, taking in his homegrown boy next door looks, his deceptively muscular build and his peaceful expression.
He wasn’t bad looking, now that I thought of it. Infinitely more attractive than Nolan, my roommate in Tampa. As I continued to scan his sleeping form my eye caught a flash of gold on his left hand. I sighed, pausing in my perusal as I remembered his earlier comment about a wife, and leaned my head back against my arm. Too bad.
Not that I would have done anything anyways, of course. I had always been extremely shy about making the first move, preferring to have absolute confirmation that someone I liked also liked me before doing anything about it. I could stare longingly at them, even attempt mild flirtation, but going full speed ahead in relationships had never been my strong suit.
It was harder when I barely knew the guy, which was the case with Clarkie. I knew of him from the Finals when we had beaten the Flames, and I was sure we had shaken hands after game 7. We hadn’t really met until a few weeks ago, though, and since then we had only had limited contact outside of training camp. Still, the impression I had gotten from him was a positive one; he was a nice guy, humble, funny, and extremely modest. I had liked him right away and now as I watched him sleep I wanted to know him better, even if our contact was to be limited to friendship only as it seemed destined to be.
I pushed further thoughts of Chris to the back of my mind and yawned, closing my eyes as the fatigue of travel combined with the impending game later that night lulled me to sleep.
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“Okay, that guy at the bar...”
“Oh, hell no.”
“Come on, Clymes! He’s hot!”
I shook my head with a grin and raised my beer to my lips. “And you’re blind. Not in a million years, Sutsy.”
“I’d do him,” Brian responded with a sly grin on his face.
“Sutsy, you’d do a lamppost if it was in your way,” Matt piped up.
Brian shrugged. “Hey, if the lamppost gives good head, I say bring it on.”
I groaned and took another sip of my beer, looking around at my new teammates as they continued to mock one another. I knew now that coming to DC was the best thing I could have done, surrounded by great teammates, lots of young, good-looking single guys who loved to have fun. It was two weeks into the season and already if seemed like we’d been playing together for years.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that tonight we were all in good moods, celebrating our first win in our first shootout as well as the fact that we had four nights off before our next game. I was particularly giddy as the win had come in our first meeting of the season with my former team, the Lightning. Sending them home with a loss had eased all my fears about playing against the same people I had celebrated a championship with just a little over a year ago.
“Okay, what about that one?” Brian continued, indicating another bar patron with his half-empty bottle.
“Bri, I don’t think he’s interested,” Steve said.
“How can you tell?”
“He’s making out with that chick, for starters.”
Matt snorted into his beer and choked a little, laughing as he coughed helplessly.
Brian glared at him. “Yeah, I hope that hurt,” he said.
“Totally worth it,” came Matt’s reply.
“You boys behaving yourselves?” Olie appeared next to the table, Chris and Jeff joining him with amused looks on their faces. I felt my stomach flip at the sight of Chris, his post-game apparel perfectly complimenting the body I knew was underneath. Even his hair, usually messy and a little geeky but adorably so, was damp and combed back.
“Sure!”
“Absolutely.”
“Total angels, Olie.”
He glanced around with a smirk. “That’s what I figured. See you guys at practice tomorrow, we’re heading out.”
“All of you?” I said suddenly, my eyes falling on Chris for a moment before flickering away.
“Yeah, I have to get back to the wife,” Chris said. He smiled at me and I returned the gesture meekly, feeling a flush rising on my cheeks.
“Oh, the old married men have to get back,” Brian said teasingly, raising his beer in mock salute. “Enjoy the ball and chain, fellas.”
“Hey, who are you calling old and married?” Jeff said, looking offended. “No one’s tied me down yet.”
“True,” said Matt thoughtfully, glancing over his shoulder at Jeff. “You’re just old.” Jeff smacked the back of his head and the rest of the group cracked up but I sat there silently, ignoring the conversation around me and trying not to stare at Chris. I continued to gaze intently at the side of my beer for a little longer as Olie, Jeff and Chris walked away, not noticing that everyone was now staring at me. An elbow to my side brought me back to life and I glanced around.
“What?” I asked, the three of them exchanging knowing looks and smirking at each other. “What?” I asked again impatiently.
“Oh, Benny,” Brian said, shaking his head and chuckling. “Benny, Benny, Benny.”
“What?”
“Could you have been more obvious?” Steve asked with a smile.
“You want him!” added Matt.
“Who?” I asked innocently.
“Who? Please. Who do you think? Clarkie, of course.” Brian gave me a knowing look and tipped his head back, draining his beer before continuing. “You were practically dry-humping him with your eyes.”
I flushed and looked away. “Was not,” I muttered.
“Clymes, come on. We all saw you,” said Matt.
“It’s nothing, guys. Really!” I shrugged. “We’re just friends.”
“Maybe he’s just friends with you,” Steve said pointedly. “You definitely want more.”
“Can we change the subject please?” I was getting annoyed with all their winks and smirks and I slammed my empty bottle down on the table.
“Ooh, testy!” Brian said, grinning. “But seriously, Clymes - your roommate? And a married one at that. Such a bad idea.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I snapped. “I’m not an idiot. I won’t jump him or anything. It’s just a...a crush. It’s nothing. Let’s just drop it.”
“Okay, okay,” Brian said, his hands lifted in surrender. “We’ll talk about something else.”
“How about...” Matt started, pondering, “...Benny wanting to bang his straight roommate!”
“Fuck you, Matt.”
The others started laughing again and the subject eventually returned to nearby eye candy as I continued to sit there silently, wondering if Chris had noticed what the others had picked up on. I doubted it but felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach at the prospect. I didn’t want to scare him off, especially not so early in the season when neither of us needed the hassle of roommate drama. I told myself I just wasn’t going to act on whatever this was...I was pretty sure I could control my feelings around him. Still, I found myself feeling suddenly jealous that he was going home to another person’s arms. I quickly ordered another drink in the hopes that it would numb the new emotions that filled my head.