Work Text:
Arriving at Halifax Stanfield International Airport on a breezy but bright summer morning, Benjamin Kindel is unsure what exactly awaits him. At the end of the season, after their exit from the playoffs, while on the final Penguins golf trip of the year, Sid had approached him and invited him to join him at his now famous Nova Scotia training clinic. Ben had ended up staring at Sid in shock before stammering through a yes, trying to come off as calm, collected and as if the invitation was no big deal, and failed epically. Sid simply smiled at him and his answer and then went to go and tee off.
It was only after a few more holes passed, Ben getting through most of them in a bit of a daze, that he remembered that he had promised to go home to his family in the offseason. His sister had a major tournament coming up and with their exit from the playoffs being when it was, he would be able to make it home in time to watch and support her. Ben gathered himself and approached Sid, asking when he would be expected in Nova Scotia and was glad to find out Sid himself wouldn't be in his hometown for over a month, having decided to go to the Men's World's Championships in Switzerland before going on a trip to Ireland he apparently took annually. This would give Ben plenty of time to go home, see his family, support his sister, mourn the end of his first season and work through all of the remaining hero worship and idolisation he has for Sid, well, what remains of it after sitting beside his jock for a whole year. He would also need to prepare to tone down the admiration he would have for the other players that would end up appearing, Mackinnon was a likely feature but with the fame of the clinic, there was bound to be some unexpected appearances.
Ben just needed to be cool, he needed to be calm, and he needed to not make a fool out of himself in front of his captain and whoever else would show up.
All of this brought him to Halifax Stanfield International Airport. His sister had finished her tournament, playing very well, his family were happy to have him home and as usual, mandated he take time off, to abandon the ice for at least a few weeks, leaving him free to relax and chill out. Coming home had given him time to lick his wounds in private as well as to receive the comfort he desperately wanted and needed from his parents. His dad's coaching experience had come in handy, knowing exactly what to say to give his son the comfort and peace of mind that he needed. All of the resting, talking and emotional regulation had led Ben to where he was now, still hurting from the loss but the sharpness was no longer there, and instead he was looking forward, towards his sophomore year in the big show.
He passed quickly through the airport's halls, reaching luggage claim quickly and ending up stuck waiting. While he stood around he messaged Sid to let him know he had landed, getting a thumbs up in return. The luggage carousel started up before he could ask any further questions about being picked up and so he left it until he collected his bags, finally spotting his suitcase, and more importantly, his gear and sticks bags towards the end. Grabbing them from the carousel, he made his way out through the final doors and ended up in the arrivals hall. Pulling his bags behind him, his sticks in his arms, he walked through the hall before pulling himself out of the flow of footfall and beside the wall of windows, getting out of the way so he could pull his phone out and text Sid.
Looking down at his phone in concentration, trying to type while juggling his sticks, he didn't notice the figure approaching the glass from the opposite side until a knock sounded right in front of his face, making him jerk his head up and flail, almost dropping his sticks, much to the amusement of the man on the other side, who broke out laughing.
Macklin Celebrini.
Macklin Celebrini was stood in front of him, in the flesh, at an airport in Nova Scotia.
What on earth had Ben gotten himself into.
Making his way outside through the closest door, Ben and Mack were soon face to face on the same side of the glass, and it was awkward. Neither knew quite how to start, so beyond the polite "hey man's" the two kind of just stood there staring at one another awkwardly.
Mack was the first to break the silence, the awkwardness clearly getting too much for him.
"Hey...so, I'm here to pick you up. Sid's running some errands that couldn't wait so I offered..."
"...Thanks man."
The two continued staring at one another.
"Should we...go...?" Ben asked.
"Yeah! Yeah, totally, yeah, let's get going." Mack answered quickly.
They continued to stand there.
"...Are you gonna tell me which direction we're going?"
"Ah yeah...that," Mack's ears flushed red with embarrassment and he quickly began walking in the direction Ben assumed the car was parked in, Ben quick to follow once he saw Mack wasn't slowing down.
The two continued to walk together and soon came to a stop by Sid's car. Ben knew it was Sid's car because it was the exact same make and model car as the one he drove in Pittsburgh, because Sid was nothing if not regulated and pattern-oriented.
They came to a stop at the boot, opening it, and the two quickly fit Ben's cases and gear in the vehicle, with a speed built from years of doing it to their parents cars, and then their own. It was once they finished packing that Ben noticed Mack's hands. They were shaking slightly. Not too obvious, and if Ben hadn't been paying attention to the case Mack had just finished lifting in that moment, he would have missed it.
But he didn't.
He saw it.
It was in that moment that Ben remembered seeing something online, something about Mack not driving, and always getting chauffeured by his fellow Sharks player Will Smith. Ben remembers his sister having a good laugh seeing that and sending him memes with the phrase 'passenger princess' emblazoned on it. She then made very sure to check that her brother hadn't been using a vets soft side to get free rides or anything of the sort, which Ben was happy to shut down. He had been driving since he was able and honestly loved it. He drove as much as he could, even when car sharing with Bonino would probably make sense. He enjoyed the freedom of choice and movement more than common sense.
"If you want...I can drive?" Ben offered.
"What...?"
"I don't mind driving, I can do it. You'll need to give me directions but I'm good to get behind the wheel."
"Are you...are you sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry dude. This isn't the first time I've driven a vets car."
While not technically a lie, Ben doesn't think Mack needs to hear how Erik Karlsson forced him to perfect his parallel park in his car, white Karlsson sat in the passenger seat, judging and chirping him every time he did something wrong.
"Yeah...ok then," Mack acquiesced before continuing, "have you got any crazy vet car stories?"
The two walked around to the driver and passenger seats, getting in before Ben continued.
"Well, I don't drink much. Not that I don't at all, but living in America makes it hard to drink. So, anyway, when we go out as a team, I always end up as designated driver. I don't mind it to be honest, I'm good with it and it gets me brownie points with the team. Anyway, I once ended up with Cookie and Geno in my back seat, absolutely plastered..."
Ben continues the story as he pulls out from the parking spot, Mack fiddling with the satnav on the dash to bring up the home address and setting it for Ben to follow.
Ben found his mind wandering as he talked, letting the funny stories fill up the air as Mack listened. He had no idea how he ended up in this situation and as he sat there, he found it quite unfair. He had not idea Mack would be coming to this training, though why he hadn't considered it to be an option was baffling to him. Mack was coming off of playing with Sid, twice this year, as well as being a previous visitor for training. Mack had played with Sid more recently than Ben had, playing with him within the last month.
While it made sense, when he thought about it, it still left him slightly uneasy, with something bubbling in his chest. Before today, Ben and Mack had never spoken beyond the 'good games' during the handshake lines. Ben didn't even know that Mack knew who he was, and still right now thinks there is a high chance that all he knows about him is that he's Sid's rookie, which while not exactly inaccurate, is not a full description of him.
Ben knows that there is no competition between the two, Sid wasn't the type to pit two players against one another, not after the 20 years of rivalry and the deep hatred for Philly. But Ben couldn't help but feel underprepared and inadequate. He hated it, but Ben was jealous. Of Mack's skill and his seemingly close relationship with Sid, as well as how much of an absolute powerhouse he is. He has taken a floundering Sharks team and helped it almost make a playoff run, Ben has seen the magic of the Sharks first hand, on that infamous reverse come-back win that players in Pittsburgh are still scratching their heads about. While the how's are still cloudy, Ben could put good money on the why's, and its main perpetrator is now sat in a car with him.
It comes to Ben suddenly, that this is real and his life. He really plays with one of Canada's national heroes, a hockey icon that will be written into history, every day. He calls Sidney Crosby his Captain, calls Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang his Alternates. What is his life?
Ben calls Captain Canada himself his captain, and now he is about to train with him, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Macklin Celebrini, and probably a few other iconic figures of hockey. And here was Ben, in his rookie year, who put up respectable numbers but who is aware that he is not a superstar like these guys. Sid, MacKinnon and Marchand are long time friends, but Ben and Mack are the new meat, which means, even if not intended, Ben's direct competition is Celebrini. And no matter how good his self-esteem is, how good his self-love is after his mom drove it into his head, he still could never measure up to the greatness that was Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini was the first draft pick of his year, Ben was an unexpected 11th in a move that left a lot of pundits scratching their heads. Ben watched his own draft back after finishing all of the paperwork and the first thing to stand out to him was how little they had prepared for him. They clearly weren't expecting him to go so high and as such their introduction notes on him were sparse and basic, it was a small thing but it stuck with him.
Ben knows he will never be one of the greats, the face of a franchise, like Mack is, or Sid is, and he has mostly made peace with that. But on days like today, when he comes face to face with that truth physically standing in front of him? It hurts. It hurts even more because Mack seems so nice that it makes Ben's stewing jealousy feel petty. But Ben can do nothing but feel what he feels, and so he stews in his jealousy and inferiority while driving the two of them.
What he didn't know, was that across the armrest, in the passenger seat, the man beside him is going through a very similar thought process.
Mack hadn't heard much about Benjamin Kindel. His dad had mentioned his in brief passing during his draft debriefing, but Mack hadn't been paying that much attention. He'd mentioned him again once it was clear he was making it out of camp, a player outside the top 10 making the team in his first year was rare and so was worth a comment, but other than that, Mack hadn't paid much attention to him.
It wasn't until Mack met up with Sid after playing Pittsburgh for the first time in the season, that he heard the name Ben Kindel as more than just statistics. Sid raved about the kid, clearly adoring having a young player on the roster, smiling as he regaled Mack with the funny things he had done and how he made the team feel old, in that way older brothers talk about their sweet but annoying younger brother. It was then, as he sat there listening to Sid, that Mack decided maybe he would pay more attention to Kindel. And he was glad he did.
Ben Kindel had an amazing rookie year, putting up numbers no one was expecting from a draft pick no one was really thinking was going to go straight into the big show. Kindel excelled past expectations to become one of the standout players for the Penguins, and he did all of it while not embarrasing himself or destroying any of his credibility in front of the press, social media or brands.
Mack broke scoring records for his team, led the team in points by double and became one of the youngest hockey Olympians in history. And he did all of it with all of the expectations on him. No one around to smooth his awkward answers, no one to answer when things go wrong, no one to go its ok Macklin, you'll be fine Macklin. Instead, even as an A, he was expected to do that for others. Instead of anyone else, it was him who was toted out as the saviour of the franchise, to be paraded on every merch, every banner, every game. To answer to the press when they are angry, when they get vicious. It was exhausting and sometimes made him wish he could be a simpler player, one who could go to others, who didn't have to be the centre of attention and the saviour of everyone. It made him yearn for Ben's job, he was truly jealous of him. Ben Kindel got to work every day and play hockey amongst legends, while having no great team or national expectations on his shoulders.
The two sit in silence as they drive towards Cole Harbour, deep in thought.
Mack was the first to break the silence.
"Ya know, when Sid told me you would be coming, I was excited."
"Really?"
"Yeah, dude, you're cool. I've heard a bunch about you. You've had an awesome first season. To be completely honest, I'm kind of jealous of you. You get to play so young without having the expectation of a whole franchise resting on your shoulders. You get to play with Sid, with Malkin and Letang every day, not many people can say they did that at 18. Hell, you got to play with Flower as well. Not many people our age can say they played a game with all of the Penguins' Core Four."
"Dude," Ben finally seemed to be able to get words out, "your play is out of this world amazing. I wish I could be more like you."
"Nah, you don't man. You should be yourself, grow your game. And you're so lucky man, you get to have your vets around, they can shoulder the pressure and they do it happily, who let you simply play without any of the strings attached that top draft picks who go straight to playing usually find."
"Yeah, having vets around is the best."
"Damn right."
The car once again lulls into silence, though this time it is a happier quiet, the two occupants emotionally exhausted but happy with the conversation.
"So what would you be doing if you weren't here?" Ben asks, trying to make small talk.
"Oh definitely training, my dad has multiple plans for me, I'd be doing skills and workouts and everything. What about you? "
"Oh, I'd probably just be chilling with my family. My dad believes you should have time off from your sport, he picked it up when he coached. So I'd have a proper break and stop hockey, give myself a chance to miss it, so would probably just be at home, playing footy with my sister, and watching the world cup when it starts."
Mack sits in shock at that, having a dad who believes in taking time off, especially a former coach, is something Mack never expected to hear, and so he simply offers, "Huh, cool, I don't think my dad follows that way of thinking."
Without really thinking Ben responds back, chirping back with, "well yeah, he's a bit of a dick, ain't he?" Clearly louder than he planned.
Both of them were silent for a moment before snorting and breaking out laughing.
"Well, I can't disagree with you there." Mack acquiesced.
The two continue to drive onwards, getting closer to the cottage they will spend their summer at.
And as expected from two teen boys, when left alone, they plot.
"So should we prank Marchand?"
"Oh absolutely."
What neither of them knew was that this had all been part of Sid's plan for this summer. Sid knew that Kindy needed some support and uplifting after the season, but he also knew Mack needed some grounding and comfort after the end of the regular season and the international competitions. Having each other should hopefully balance the other out, and the two should help one another to start next season on the right foot.
Or at least Sid hoped. With teenage boys, you never knew truly what was going to happen.