Work Text:
There's something about autumn in Edmonton. There's some sort of magic to the city. It's not that Edmonton is a truly pretty city; it's given too much to sprawl and consumerism, but it's got a charm to it. It's similar to watching someone only passably pretty do their best to seek out someone of a similar attractiveness level. There's something about them, a kind of brutal honesty, that adds some sort of beauty to them. Edmonton knows what it has, and it knows how to work with that.
It's something about that Taylor finds himself respecting more and more. Well, he finds himself respecting it at least. The city never pretends to be something it's not. It's run down in places, rejuvenated in others, and hockey mad throughout. It bleeds copper and blue for its team, and it's desperate for a good season. There isn't a person who would say differently. They need this.
From the moment the last season ended, they've been building towards the next.
They're fucking desperate.
It was hard to get used to at the start. When he came here, he was expecting something. He knew there would be media coverage. He was playing for a Canadian team. He wasn't prepared for what he got.
Being the first overall draft pick, the face of the franchise, and being expected to turn it all around, was an overwhelming responsibility. There was no way to prepare for that. One minute he was a Junior player and the next he was the man everyone wanted a piece of.
Last year, when he got here in late August, the leaves were just being to turn, and he thought about how pretty it was. That was the last thought he had before he was tossed into a storm of blue and orange, where everything was Oilers with every eye on him.
The sad thing is it really is pretty.
The River Valley is something in the fall; all the vets made sure to point that out to him last year. It's alive in reds and oranges and browns by early September with just enough green thrown in to stand out. Sadly, he can almost hear himself saying it to the rookies already. "Go for a walk in the River Valley before the snow comes. It's pretty in the fall. Take a few moments away from it all to get your head on straight."
He never did find time for that walk last year.
More importantly for him, autumn heralds the start of a new season for the Oilers, a new season for him. Late September will feature the Joey Moss Cup, training camps, and cuts. Only he's not the rookie everyone's watching this time. He's not the only overall number one draft pick around anymore.
It's selfish, but he kind of wishes he were because it would mean that they didn't finish last over all last season. It wasn't the start he was looking for in his NHL career if he's honest. Being such a huge part of the Oilers is great, but he'd like to win at the same time.
Still, he's back in Edmonton now, ready to give it another go. It's all red, browns, and yellows here. He came back a little bit later this year The orange and blue of the fans is already starting to appear. It's like they can feel the approach of hockey season the same way the local wildlife feels winter coming.
He drops his stuff back at the place he got with Eberle last season. His mom is right behind him, and he tries not wince as she looks around. They didn't leave it that badly off last year, but it feels stale now.
"Honey, are you sure that you want to stay here before Jordan gets back? I mean it is his place too."
He knows that she feels it then too. The place just feels off, like it's still waiting. It's a lot like being back in Edmonton after the summer, nothing seems to quite fit properly anymore, no matter what he wants. He'll have to relearn where he fits, on and off the ice.
"Yeah, Mom. It's never going to feel like home if I go to some hotel and wait for everyone to come in and make it easier for me. I did it once. I can do it again. It'll be easier tomorrow, and it'd be better the day after that. It happened last season. It'll happen the same this season. I'm an adult now. I'm going to have to start acting like one at some point. Besides, Jordan was here first last year, and he totally used it to claim the bigger bedroom."
His mom grins at him. "Well, just don't stop being yourself in your quest to be a good role model for the rookies."
"I'm not a role model, Mom. I'll leave that up to the old guys."
"Oh, baby," she's laughing at him now. He's not exactly sure why, but he knows she is. He's seen her laugh at him enough over the years to know when she's laughing at him.
"Can I take you to dinner, Mom?"
She smiles at him, and it's different. She's proud of him. She's always been proud of him for how he plays hockey, but this is different. It feels different to him; everything feels different to him right now though, so he maybe imagining it. He knows that it'll start to feel right in a few days or a month at most.
The leaves are already turning, and it's time for everyone to start coming back to Edmonton. Over the next couple days, Jordan will drive up. They'll settle into the preseason, and the leaves will start to drop off the trees.
The season will pick up; everything crazy thing will start up again. They'll be travelling through Canada and the States, and almost every day will be filled with a game or a practice. There's going to be good days where they win and bad ones where they lose. There'll probably even be worse ones where they lose badly, and those won't be as few as he'd like.
There'll be new guys, and they'll lose guys to trades and injuries. During training camp rookies will fall like the leaves he keeps thinking about for some stupid reason. It's all going to happen. There's nothing he can do about it; it's like the seasons or the leaves or something else that's deep and profound and guaranteed to make his head hurt.
Not tonight though. Tonight, he's going to take his Mom for dinner. He's not sure where exactly yet. It's been a while since he had to pick a restaurant in Edmonton.
Maybe, if he's feeling really ambitious, he'll manage to convince her that a walk in the River Valley sounds like a good idea. He can practice his lines about how beautiful and peaceful it is on her, and when the rookies get here, he'll sound like he knows what he's talking about.
Edmonton's not exactly home, but it's not exactly not home, the Oilers are his team, and hockey is his life. The return of autumn makes him feel like he's just waking up after a very long sleep, and he needs to stretch his muscles and maybe look at the leaves.