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Collin isn't very well versed in languages, he’ll admit.
In school he never paid much attention in French class, the grammar had confused him to no end. English was easy, and enough to get him by. Simply put he just never felt the need to learn a new language.
But throughout his time playing hockey for the sharks he has picked up a few things, admittedly most of it is Russian swear words, but it’s a start.
The other thing he’s learned is how Swedish sounds, he had honestly never heard it spoken before. But now he hears it everywhere: at practice, in the locker room, even during his free time. It’s almost like the language is following him around, seeping into his daily life like it belongs there. The foreign words easily catch his attention now, and make him pull up google in the middle of the night to translate some stupid chirp that was sent in the team group chat.
Or well, maybe it’s not the language that’s occupying his thoughts, but rather, who is speaking it.
It’s his teammate, Eky, that has a habit of talking his ear off in a language he cannot understand. Honestly, he thinks it’s sweet the way the swede is so happy to share little things about his culture to people who are willing to listen. And Collin has found that he is more than willing to listen. He’s not even sure when all of this started, maybe it was the day when Eky had sat down next to him in the locker room and handed him a fistfull of Swedish candy. Ever since then they’ve gotten pretty close.
Over the weeks Collin has noticed that Eky simply has a weird effect on him. Making him ask questions about things he’s never been interested in before, just so he can see the swede smile. But Collin tries not to think much of it.
He has also noticed that it’s pretty hard to miss Eky’s voice when he speaks in his native language. How noticeably more relaxed and confident he sounds. Eky’s voice is nice. Sometimes Collin finds himself listening for it when they’re on the ice.
Other times Colin catches himself feeling sort of bummed out at the fact that he can’t understand what the other is saying, especially when Eky apparently says something so funny it makes Wenny and Klinger double over laughing. Or after a particularly bad loss, where he wishes he could console his teammate with words that would mean more to Eky than any English word ever could.
That’s why Colin has taken it upon himself to, at least, learn a few words of Swedish. Just enough to be able to say something meaningful. Because he has also noticed how homesick Eky can get, and Colin can only imagine being so far from home. And sure, Eky has a great support system back in Sweden, the latter always gushing about his younger brother and father. But Collin wants to make sure Eky knows he has a place here too, with the team, in San Jose.
Hopefully it’ll at least make Eky feel appreciated.
-
At first he tries to teach himself, downloading every language learning app he can think of. Though, he learns pretty quickly that the apps can only teach him so much, seeing as he ends up pronouncing every word with a thick american accent. He searches up a few videos on Swedish pronunciation, all of them saying that the best way to learn how to speak is to practice with a native speaker. Collin initially dismisses that as an option, he can’t ask Eky for help, it would ruin his whole plan. Then he considers his other teammates. Wenny is nice and he is sure that the man would be willing to help him. But he’s also so busy, and Collin would just feel bad to take up more of his time. So that leaves Klingberg as his only other option. The problem was that the two of them had never really spoken to each other outside of a hockey setting before. And Collin’s unsure if the other would even be willing to help him. But it’s worth a shot.
When Collin eventually musters up the courage to ask Klinger to teach him some phrases, the older man just raises an eyebrow, surprised, and asks him why. And why is a good question actually. Collin isn’t too sure if he should tell Klinger the real reason behind his request. So, he settles on a half-assed explanation about how it would raise team morale. Klinger just grins wide at him, not believing a single word coming out of Collin’s mouth. But to his surprise the older man offers up the seat next to him and they sit down together, and Klinger takes the time to teach Collin a few sentences. As expected, Collin’s pronunciation of the words are atrocious at first, but he’s determined to learn and Klinger is willing to sit with him until he does.
It takes a few hours but they get there, to a point where Collin doesn’t stumble over the words as he forms his mouth around the new sounds. And Klinger seems satisfied with the results of his impromptu Swedish lesson. The older man even says he sounds somewhat good for a beginner. It fills Collin with hope that he at least won’t miserably butcher the few words he knows how to say now.
-
He had not planned to see Eky so soon after their last game of the season. But the team had all agreed to go golfing together over the weekend. So Collin has spent half the day talking himself out of making up some shitty excuse and not going. He needs to go, he hasn’t been practicing for this long just to chicken out at the last second. He takes one last look in the mirror as he throws on an outfit, trying to make it look presentable enough.
When he pulls into the golf course parking lot Collin becomes painfully aware of how late he is, when he sees all of the other cars already parked. The walk into the reception is even worse, as he spots all of his teammates waiting in the lounge. Probably waiting for him.
His eyes wander around the room, finally landing on Eky. The man is sitting on a sofa near the entrance and he’s talking to Reavo, but they both look over when they notice Collin. And Collin doesn’t miss the way the swede lights up when they lock eyes with each other.
Eventually everyone makes it out onto the pitch, and it actually starts out pretty well. It’s nice to just hang out with the guys and do something that doesn’t revolve around hockey. But Collin still can’t shake the sense of dread swirling in his chest, and every time he catches a glimpse of Eky it only gets worse. So, he keeps his distance for the majority of their rounds. But Collin knows he has to talk to him, it would be weird not to. They are friends after all. And he gets his chance when the Swede wins their last round of the day. As they are heading back to the golf carts he jogs a little to catch up with Eky in front.
“Hey man, nice putt at the end there,” Eky turns around, beaming at him as Collin says it, his smile somehow wider than usual.
“Thanks Grafer! Your shots were not too bad either,” His smile quickly turns into a teasing smirk. “Have you been secretly practicing since last time, or something?"
“Yeah something like that,” Collin smiles back, despite the fact that he can feel the skin on his face heat up. He looks away for a second, thinking carefully about the words he’s about to say next. He needs to get it right. “Du suger balle,” He finally says, voice shaky.
But he must’ve said it wrong or something, because Eky is just blankly staring at him. His eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open slightly. Not really the reaction Collin was hoping for. And it doesn’t make things better when Eky suddenly bursts out laughing. His laugh is loud, loud enough to make a few of their teammates turn around and look at them. A sinking feeling in his gut tells Collin that he must’ve said it wrong, so much for all the hours he spent practicing. He watches as Eky full on cries from laughing too hard. Maybe he should’ve seen this coming, but he still can’t help the frown forming on his face and the sting of tears behind his eyes. The other finally calms down enough to wipe the tears from his eyes, and as he does he looks up at Collin, and his smile falls.
“Graf-” Eky starts. But Collin cuts him off, too embarrassed to hear what the swede has to say.
“Sorry, I don’t know why I said that,” He deflects. But he knows it’s no use to play dumb. People don’t just randomly start speaking other languages for no reason. Eky is probably thinking that too, as he watches Collin fumble with his golf club, before he finally speaks up.
“Do you… know what you said?” It’s an odd question. Of course Collin knows what he said, Klinger taught him what it meant. But Eky sounds genuinely confused, and it makes Collin second guess himself.
“What do you mean?” Collin crosses his arms a little defensively. He doesn’t really like being put on the spot like this. “Doesn’t it mean ‘you played well’?”
“No, it basically means ‘you suck dick’ in Swedish,” The Swede can’t help but laugh as he says it, and Collin freezes. Did he really say that? He certainly doesn’t remember that from the language apps. He must’ve learnt it from somewhere else, from someone else. The realization that Klingberg had royally fucked him over dawns on him, and all Collin wants to do now is run into the woods and never come back. But instead he just stands, frozen in place, and stares at Eky.
“Where did you even learn that?” Eky questions, rightfully so. It’s a pretty weird thing to say, in a foreign language, to your teammate. Or a friend, or whatever they are.
“Klingberg taught me,” He manages to get out before the conversation catches the attention of their other teammates.
“Wait, what did Klinger teach you?” Macklin asks. And from there the conversation spirals out of control, as more people suddenly seem super interested in what Collin had just said. But all Collin can do is watch the confused frown on Eky’s face as he walks away.
-
Eky walks up to Collin some time later, the sun slowly setting behind him. It paints Eky in a bright warm light that makes it almost impossible for Collin to look away. He wants to say something, maybe apologize. But all the words get stuck in his throat as he watches the orange hues frame Eky’s sharp eyes. So he turns around, trying to look too busy packing his golf clubs into the trunk of his car. The majority of their teammates had left already, leaving the two of them in an almost empty parking lot. But it still feels too cramped when Collin peers to the side and sees the swede lean against his car. They stand in silence, none of them willing to speak first. But eventually Eky breaks the ice, a small mercy.
“Since when were you taking Swedish classes from Klinger?” He asks, his voice teasing but he’s fiddling with the straps on his bag. Eky’s nervous. Collin considers lying for a moment. Even if the initial embarrassment had worn off, telling the truth might ruin the mood again. But as he locks eyes with Eky he can’t bring himself to lie. Not when he thinks of the way Eky made him feel part of something special. And how Collin wanted to give that back to him, even if that kinda backfired. Eky deserves to know.
“I wanted to learn it so I could talk to you,” He explains, maybe a bit too blunt. Because, when he glances at the man beside him again, Collin’s stomach drops as he watches the smile on Eky’s face fall.
“Why?” Eky hurriedly asks, concerned. “Is my English really that bad?”
“What? No no, Eky your english is good. It’s just-” He sighs as he combs a hand through his hair. “I wanted to learn a few sentences, nothing major,” And after a beat of silence between them Collin finally concedes. “I’m sorry,”
“Oh,” Eky hums, looking down at his shoes now. “You could have asked me for help,” He says it so matter-of-factly it almost makes Collin smile.
“I wanted to surprise you,” He shrugs lamely. “Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I asked you for help,”
“Surprise me?” Eky looks up at him.
“It's just, you always talk about how much Sweden means to you,” He pauses, choosing his next words carefully. “I guess I wanted you to feel at home here too,” And Eky’s eyes widen at that, like he wasn’t expecting that answer.
Collin is probably saying too much and he wishes that Eky would just cut him off, tell him whatever he is doing is too much. That learning Swedish just for Eky is too intimate, and that they aren’t close like that. But the swede doesn’t cut him off. He doesn’t even say a word. Instead his eyes go all watery and Collin can, for a second, see how Eky’s bottom lip trembles before he bites down on it.
He hesitates. Sure, he’s seen Eky cry, but Collin has never been the cause of it before, or close enough to comfort. But he knows he can’t just stand there and watch. He reaches out, his hand awkwardly landing on Eky’s upper arm. Then suddenly, without a word, the swede pulls him into a hug. When Collin feels the way Eky is trembling against his shoulder he hugs back tighter. It feels nice, grounding, Collin thinks briefly, before he hears the other sob into his shirt. He focuses on rubbing his hand up and down the other’s back instead, hoping that it’s at least a small comfort.
Eky pulls back after a while, his red-rimmed eyes looking at him. His hands are still resting on Collin’s triceps. He doesn’t look sad now. He looks happy. He looks pretty, Collin’s mind helpfully supplies.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Eky’s voice is hoarse as he says it. “Learn Swedish for me,” Collin looks down at his hands resting on Eky’s waist.
“To be fair I didn’t learn much,” Collin can’t help the small smirk playing on his lips.
“Still, no one has done that before, it means a lot,” They lock eyes again. They are so close that Collin can feel Eky’s breath on his neck. “But next time I will teach you,” Collin genuinely smiles at that and nods. Next time sounds good.