Fighting Dragons With You

Evgeni Malkin sat at his stall in the Pittsburgh Penguins locker room, watching his team mates happily enjoying their time playing with their kids or talking with their wives or girlfriends. He watched as Sidney Crosby leaned into his girlfriend and sneaked a quick kiss on her cheek, making her laugh. He saw Pascal Dupuis admiring all his kids as they ran around the locker room causing havoc and then he too leaned in to kiss his significant other. Even Jordan Staal had his girlfriend there and she sat on his lap, their hands intertwined as they talked with Marc-Andre and his fiance.

He felt lonely. For the first time since he had first come to America, Evgeni felt lonely. He didn't have anybody to share his happiness with and that broke his heart. All along his parents told him that his goal in life should be to be successful, and all along he thought that meant being rich and famous, but now that he thought back on it, maybe his parents meant happiness. & while Geno was very happy, to an extent; he just wasn't complete.

"You alright there, Geno?" Sid asked him, grinning a goofy grin at him. Geno sighed under his breath before smiling back.

"I fine. Just wish I had girl like team mates do," he said quietly, looking down at the floor and running his fingers through his wet hair. Sidney's girlfriend smiled softly at him.

"You know Geno, there's plenty of girls who would love to have a chance with you. I could set you up if you'd like," she offered sweetly as he looked up from the floor.

"No, it is okay. I... I need find girl myself," he replied with a grimace. Sidney shrugged at his girlfriend before clapping Geno on the shoulder and walking away to talk with someone else, maybe someone a little more cheerful.

Everytime he stepped onto the ice at Consol Energy Center for a game, fans would scream his name. They loved him, they supported him, they needed him. But for Geno, he just wanted to be needed by the right person.

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Evgeni Malkin stepped into the club with Aaron Asham, Ben Lovejoy, and Brooks Orpik. He scanned the crowd before him and then headed upstairs to the VIP area without a second thought. He passed the bar and then stopped in his tracks.

Sitting at the bar, drink in her hand and a smile on her face as a guy much older than her attempted to pick her up, was the most beautiful girl Geno had ever seen. She had wavy light brown hair that shined even in the dark club and as she laughed, Geno caught his breath. He's never heard a more beautiful sound. The guy soon left her and she ordered another drink as she finished up the one in her hand. Geno realized he had been standing, frozen, watching this girl for about 5 minutes and so he summed up his courage and walked over.

"You dance?" he asked hopefully, as she turned around after a second. She stumbled a bit and so, with his quick reflexes, he grabbed her elbow and steadied her. She smiled up at him and didn't reply for a minute. She seemed to be studying him. He smirked confidently.

"Okay?" he asked her after a minute of silence. She blinked and looked into his eyes, seeming to come out of her reverie.

"I'm fine. Yeah, I'm up for dancing," she replied quickly. he smiled and led her out on the dance floor. Their bodies immediately found each other and they grinded together. His hands held her hips and he planted kisses along her neck. She seemed to like this so he kept at it, even biting and marking her as he did so. She would smile up at him every once in a while and he just kept thinking how beautiful she was.

After dancing for a while they headed back to the bar and silence overtook as they ordered drinks. Then he spoke, introducing himself to the green-eyed goddess before him.

"Name Evgeni, but call Geno," he said softly, smiling at her and holding out his hand to shake. She placed her hand in his and he marveled at how small it was in his own, though as he held it and shook lightly, he felt like just touching her hand was setting fireworks off in his stomach.

"Cora, Cora Jones," she introduced herself, smiling too and then taking her hand back.

They spent the night talking and when she told him she had been sick with cancer, his heart fell and all he could feel was horror as she spoke of her fight with cancer. He let out a breath as she said she was fine now and he thanked God because he thought maybe, just maybe, God had kept her alive because she was meant for him.

Geno had had girlfriends in the past, back in Russia, but sitting here now, with Cora, no one had ever made him feel so alive and happy. He hoped that fate was finally giving him his last piece of the puzzle, the one that would make everything fit perfectly.