Chapter Text
Clairvoyant.
A person who claims they can see spirits or ghosts, also known as mediums or psychics. Or sensitive, as Quinn Hughes had heard being used to describe him multiple times when he was younger.
It wasn’t meant to be an insult; it was just the easiest way to explain why he was claiming to see things, or people, that weren’t there. Especially when the excuse of him being a toddler didn’t pass anymore. So, it was a childhood full of hearing:
“I’m sorry. Quinn’s just a bit sensitive.”
“Quinn, you’re just being sensitive. There’s nothing there.”
Or whatever other phrasing his parents could use to explain why their oldest son was crying about seeing ghosts. Of course, now, his parents were understanding about it (as understanding as you could get about your child being able to see dead people), though that only happened after a major incident.
His family had decided to host a party for the hockey team Quinn, who was only seven at the time, was playing on. Everything was going well until Quinn spotted a man in a military uniform standing in the hallway, away from everyone in the house. Deciding that Jack would be okay to fend for himself for a few seconds with his teammates, Quinn made his way over to the man, inviting him to join everyone else.
Though, as he drew closer to the man, he realized that the guy had a transparent hue to him, but it was already too late to turn around. He had spoken out loud, and the man had turned towards him, shocked that someone was able to see him. In that moment, Quinn remembered how he wanted to run away and find comfort in his mother’s arms; however, he couldn’t do that.
He wouldn’t do that.
The word “sensitive” rang in his head, pushing him away from going for help. Instead, he stood his ground and spoke to the man, confirming that he could see him. As soon as the man figured out he could see and understand him, he sent Quinn on a mission to tell Jenna Wallis, the mother of a kid on his team, that she was loved and protected by Shane. Thinking back on it, Quinn realized how foolish it was of him to do just that, but younger him had no idea what would be wrong with going off and doing it.
So, he did exactly that. He went to the lady and told her what the man had said to him, but as the words left his mouth, he saw the woman’s face change from happiness to shock and finally heartbreak. That night, Quinn learned that Jenna Wallis had a deceased husband, named Shane Wallis, who was in the military and had died randomly one day while away at one of the camps to help train the recruits.
After that incident, his parents couldn’t do anything but believe that Quinn really could see people that were dead, seeing as he had no clue about Shane Wallis yet was able to recall what he looked like perfectly. From there, his parents tried to fully understand what Quinn was able to do, learning that he could speak, see, and help spirits cross over if they wanted.
His father was fully against Quinn being used as a bridge to help those cross over, and selfishly, Quinn was glad. Instead, he was to focus on hockey and, most importantly, being a good older brother.
Which meant he wasn’t allowed to let Jack or Luke know about his ability in case it could backfire on him in some way. At first, he hated that, not wanting to hide a part of him from his brothers, but after some time, he grew used to it.
However, he couldn’t hide the secret forever, and Jack figured it out by accident when he was ten and Quinn was twelve. They were practicing hockey on a frozen lake where Quinn kept spotting a figure out of the corner of his eye, watching him and Jack as if they wanted to kidnap them.
Instantly, Quinn’s big brother’s instincts came into play, and he began to force Jack off the ice, explaining how they needed to get home before the person went for them. The panic he felt increased when he saw the person look directly at them and begin to stalk over towards them. He had never moved so fast in his life, rushing Jack off the ice, trying to decide if they really could run home in their skates.
Yet, Jack had looked at him like he busted his head open before asking, “What person, Quinn?”
As soon as those words left Jack’s mouth, Quinn knew he had fucked up. Glancing around, he noticed that there was nobody, only the scratched-up ice and snow that covered the ground. While he wanted to play it off as a prank, the worry in Jack's eyes made him choose otherwise and explain what had happened.
Unsurprisingly, Jack didn't believe him and forced Quinn to take him home, where he bombarded their parents with questions about if Quinn was messing around or being serious. The look his father sent him after Jack spoke left Quinn feeling like he had failed in his role as a brother to make them believe he was normal.
The feeling of disappointment that ate at him made him lock himself away in his room. However, his mother came up to him not even 10 minutes later and asked what happened. Everything poured out of Quinn like water as his mother held him, reassuring him that he had done the right thing in the end—he wasn’t a bad brother at all.
While he wouldn’t admit it out loud, Jack knowing his secret took a major weight off his shoulder, especially because he had no issue covering for him if he were to slip up a little around Luke or others.
Obviously, Luke found out after some time, yet it was so anticlimactic that Quinn was relieved. He was fifteen (going to be sixteen), getting ready to leave home to go train at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP), when Luke, being eleven, had randomly requested that Quinn tell him and Jack if the program had any ghosts. Automatically, Quinn demanded how Luke knew, wondering if he had slipped up accidentally and forgotten to cover it up.
Nonchalantly, Luke explained that he knew about it for about two years, one night accidentally hearing their parents speak about it; however, seeing as it wasn’t ever mentioned outside of that one conversation, Luke figured he had to keep quiet about it. Yet, he felt he had to break his silence because he really didn’t want to develop under a program filled with ghosts, so Quinn had to scout it out for them. It was such a Luke request, one that showed he didn’t care that Quinn saw things others didn’t, that he agreed to it.
Were there ghosts at the USNTDP? Yeah, but there were ghosts everywhere, which Quinn made sure Luke understood. Especially if it came down to helping him develop his talents more, he could live with being around some ghosts.
That's what Quinn told himself when he began to regret going to the program, but he knew it wasn’t the ghosts around him making things harder for him. It was being so far away from his family. Moving away was rough, but luckily, he was able to find relief in Brady Tkachuk, his roommate who instantly became his best friend.
When he had introduced Brady to his family over a call one night, Jack and Luke bothered him about it in a later call, asking if he would tell about his ability. Obviously, the answer was no; Quinn didn't think he could risk losing that friendship by seeming crazy.
Though, the spirits seemed to keep their distance from Quinn, mostly when he was with Brady. Like Brady's aura scared them away. Of course, when he mentioned that, Jack made a joke, saying, “I mean, if I was a ghost and saw someone who looked like Snotty Boy from Back to the Barnyard, I'd also stay away.” Quinn defended Brady, though, secretly, he couldn't help but agree with Jack's assessment.
Still, the world had a way of working against him, and Brady found out when he caught Quinn pleading to someone to leave him alone, someone who wasn’t there. Once Quinn noticed Brady’s presence and realized he had seen Quinn speaking to the air, he flipped, worried that he had destroyed a friendship that was keeping him afloat in a world that felt lonely in more ways than one. Luckily, Brady didn’t label him crazy; instead, he heard Quinn out before accepting it. His acceptance shocked Quinn, making him question it.
“Wait…what?”
“I said, ‘Cool.’ You’re still the same to me, Quinn.” Brady shrugged before grinning. “Also, it would explain the zoning out a lot.”
Quinn never told Brady, but his words had helped walk him away from the edge that would’ve led him to a panic attack.
After Brady, Quinn never told another soul about his situation, not even his other close friend, Josh Norris. Compared to when he was younger, it was easier to hide his reactions to any spirit that made him uncomfortable, so he was able to hide it through the entire draft—where he got drafted 7th by the Vancouver Canucks—and then while playing for the University of Michigan.
Then, he was set to play for the Canucks. While he wasn’t excited about it, he and his dad agreed that letting the coach and captain of the team know about his ability was for the best, just so they don't assume he was ignoring them if he looked zoned out. Travis Green, one of the many coaches Quinn would experience with Vancouver, made it clear that as long as Quinn played well, Quinn could claim to see angels for all he cared.
On the other hand, Bo Horvat, the captain, admitted to not fully believing him. It left them in a slightly awkward position, but as Quinn began to light up his rookie year, Horvat seemed to forget about it. The switch-up helped Quinn feel more settled into the team, though he wasn’t feeling fully left out to begin with.
Many of the guys had taken to him, nicknaming him Huggy Bear, yet the one that mattered most to Quinn was Elias Pettersson. Elias, better known as Petey, quickly helped him fit into the team, becoming his closest friend. They were two peas in a pod: always sitting together on the plane, roommates on the road, and even deciding to live together.
Even when struggles had hit the team hard, Quinn was able to find stability in Petey, and probably for the first time ever, Quinn wanted to tell someone about his ability. So, he did, and Petey had easily accepted it, deeming Quinn as the person he still trusted the most on the ice.
Of course, though, Quinn should've known that telling Petey meant others would soon know, whether he wanted it or not.
The biggest fight that he had with Petey was because he had slipped up, revealing to Brock Boeser that Quinn was able to see spirits. He felt betrayed, something he made clear to Petey, who in return tried to make up for it by telling Brock he lied. While a sweet move, it had made the situation even worse, with Brock taking it to heart that both of them would mess with him like that.
Lying awake at night, Quinn kept thinking of the word “sensitive.” Maybe he wasn't sensitive anymore, but his ability was, and he needed to get it together. So, he forced a dinner with Brock and Petey, which in turn also meant Thatcher Demko, the goalie, who was there to help Brock when he felt his best friends had played him. Not wanting to waste time, Quinn ripped the bandaid off, revealing the truth. He braced himself for the worst, yet Brock and Demko took it in stride, and after a few days, all seemed well.
Then, in a shocking turn of events, Quinn was picked as the next captain for the Vancouver Canucks. He always thought it would go to Petey or Brock, never himself, yet he couldn't shoot it down, and in 2023, he became the captain.
In a good showing of luck, the team seemed to thrive, pulling off wins left and right, making their way into the playoffs. Even though he knew being captain wasn’t a walk in the park, he never expected the pressure it added, and he slowly began to find solace in the random spirits he would see during games. Though, if he knew that the internet would run with his zoning out, deeming that he was seeing ghosts, he might’ve stopped. But it was too late, and he had those who knew the truth clowning on him.
Being knocked out of the playoffs was heartbreaking, but Quinn couldn’t let it get to him; he had a team to support. So, he sucked it up and gave comfort where it was needed, promising that they would be back.
However, he had made empty promises as the new season began, and the team struggled as if they weren’t a playoff team the season before, and Quinn couldn’t do anything about it. He was only able to drag the team as much as his body allowed, and when he went down with an injury, he felt as if he had left his team to drown. Still, even when he had found his way back on the ice, he couldn’t force wins, and the team, his team, stayed drowning.
Usually, Quinn wasn’t that happy when summer break was coming, yet he was relieved when it finally hit; he was able to rest. Although the media had other ideas, and his future in Vancouver became a major talking point.
Quinn never really thought about leaving Vancouver; sure, he wanted to play with his brothers, but that could happen in the future—he had a team to lead. Yet, as the media breathed down his throat—watching his every move—the management of the team continued to fuck up, his teammates seemed to not care enough, and Quinn couldn't figure out how to make the team win; he wanted out.
A captain should always go down with their ship, and Quinn had. He had tried to keep the ship afloat, drowning as he watched his own teammates just never care enough to try. Then, he had worked, with others, to bring the ship back just to watch it begin to sink again.
His relationship with his teammates was starting to rust or had already fallen apart. Petey and he had distanced themselves from one another, work ethic being a major reason along with others, and Quinn couldn't stick around as it fell apart more and more.
The ghosts had become a comfort for him while his relationships with others had seemingly started to become the thing he dreaded the most. So, when it became clear that he could have a way out, he took it.
Sure, a part of him wanted to go to the Devils, to be with his brothers, but he wasn't stupid. His joining would kick Luke from his spot, and Quinn would hate to do that, so when he learned it was the Wild, he was relieved.
Until reality caught up to him.
Everything he had built in Vancouver was over like that. He never would have the time to attempt to rebuild the friendships he had lost, especially not with how sudden his departure was. A fact that became clear when he met up with some of his now ex-teammates, and certain ones never showed, even going as far as unfollowing him on social media before he had even left the same state as his old team.
Still, he accepted his new fate and was able to figure out as much as possible, like how his stuff would be flown to him, before he found himself on a flight to Minnesota. He had even let his agent tell his new coach and captain about how he saw the souls of dead people, too tired to do it himself.
As soon as his plane landed in Minnesota, Quinn saw a text from Jared Spurgeon, his new captain, explaining how he wouldn't be able to pick Quinn up, but Kirill Kaprizov would be there. Then, he added that he'd speak with Quinn personally at practice the next day.
Seeing those words made Quinn anxious, but he tried to remind himself that Spurgeon was a captain; he needed to check in on the newbie of the team. So, with that reassurance playing on repeat in his head, he started to make his way around, searching for Kirill.
Though, it didn't take much to find him. While Quinn never told anyone but his brothers, he was able to notice that sometimes certain people had an aura about them that was impossible to miss, and Kirill had exactly that. He wasn’t dressed up fancy or anything, but he just seemed to glow a bit brighter than those around him. Then again, it was 3am, and Quinn didn’t expect everyone to be very lively.
Making his way over to Kirill, he couldn’t help but make eye contact with someone behind him, a person that Quinn could easily tell wasn’t from this era by the clothes they were wearing. Yet, as the person went to step towards him, they seemingly noticed Kirill and disappeared.
Quinn blinked a few times in disbelief. Though, he didn’t account for how it made him look until Kirill spoke.
“Tired?” Kirill softly asked, his Russian accent coating the word.
“Ah, yeah…” Quinn mumbled, rubbing his neck.
“Let's go then,” Kirill said, easily guiding Quinn away from his old life into his new one.
Settling into the car that Kirill had brought, Quinn switched his phone off of airplane mode and watched as the notifications trickled in. Yet, not having the willingness to check them, Quinn shut his phone off before watching Kirill begin to drive, directions appearing on the infotainment screen in the car.
“Am I staying at the hotel that visiting teams stay in?”
For a brief second, Kirill glanced at Quinn like he had said something insanely stupid, which maybe he had.
“No.”
“Oh…” Quinn muttered. “Then what hotel?”
“No hotel.” Kirill shook his head.
“No hotel?” Quinn repeated, trying to figure out where he could be staying.
“You stay with me. No random hotel for a Norris winner.” Kirill explained as if what he was saying was a normal thing.
Which, okay, sure, this was Quinn’s first time being traded, but he was pretty sure this treatment wasn’t common. He had heard from plenty of dudes and even saw with his own eyes how they spend their time in hotels instead of finding a place right away. Never knowing if they will be staying long-term with the team.
“You don’t have to—”
“Shh…” Kirill cut him off. “It’s late. No argue.”
And that shut Quinn up because it was late and Kirill had gone out of his way to pick him up from the airport, instead of leaving him to take an Uber, so the least he could do was accept this simple act of kindness.
“Okay.” He responded, causing Kirill to smile.
For the rest of the way, Quinn kept quiet, willing himself to stay awake, while Kirill hummed along to the songs playing in the car here and there. It was peaceful, and Quinn knew he was going to fall asleep soon, but luckily, Kirill made a turn, and the apartment building came into view, waking him up a bit more.
Arriving at Kirill's apartment, Quinn quietly followed him, still trying to wrap his head around everything. He never once thought of offering someone his place when he was captain and had rookies coming up to the team or someone being traded to them. Yet, here Kirill was, giving him a place in his apartment for whatever reason.
However, that thought process went quiet in his brain when he realized they had made it successfully to Kirill's apartment and he didn't see a single spirit. Usually, when entering new places, it didn't take long for Quinn to spot a few lost souls wandering around, but this building seemingly had none.
“Sorry for mess.” Kirill apologized. “Not expecting guest.”
Honestly, the place wasn't even that messy; Quinn had seen worse—a.k.a. Luke's room.
“It's okay. I get how last minute this was.” Quinn reassured.
Kirill seemed pleased at that response, sending him a smile before walking down the hallway, gesturing for him to follow.
Going down the hall, Kirill stopped at an open room. “For you.”
Giving a quick nod, Quinn stepped into the room. “Thanks.”
“Bathroom next to you. My room at end of hall if need anything.” Kirill explained before leaving Quinn alone.
Taking a second, Quinn looked around the room. It wasn’t much, as the bed had white sheets, a black blanket, and four pillows, but it was enough, seeing Quinn didn't expect to be in a room that wasn’t a hotel room. Setting his stuff beside the bed, Quinn decided to shower the airport off him before going to sleep.
Though, he made sure to find his phone charger, plug his phone in, and inform his brothers and mom that he had arrived where he was staying. As soon as the texts went through, he made his way to the bathroom with the first pair of shorts, boxers, and t-shirt he could find.
Not wanting to be an annoyance, he finished his shower in ten minutes and quickly dressed, brushed his teeth—though he had to quietly go back to get his toothbrush and toothpaste—before heading back to the guest room. Without a second thought, Quinn dropped his things on his open luggage, then slid under the blanket, feeling the tension leave his body as the chill of the bed spread throughout his body. The rush of the day and night had wrung Quinn so dry that he knew he was about to fall asleep, so he swiftly checked his phone one last time, where he saw a text from Luke.
“So, did you see any ghosts?”
The text made a smile appear on his face. Ever since that time when Luke was eleven and asked for a warning about the USNTDP, he bothered Quinn with texts about seeing ghosts when he knew Quinn was about to enter a new point of his life.
Normally, the text would make him roll his eyes, but this time he was grateful for it. It was a familiar sight in a world that was turned upside down for Quinn.
“No, not really. Also, why aren't you asleep?”
Quinn replied back before placing his phone aside and making himself comfortable in the bed.
Tomorrow was a new day with a new team, and he had to be as prepared as possible.