Chapter Text
Scott Hunter night at the gay club was interesting. Not well themed besides Scott being in the room. The lights strobed familiarly and the music thumped very heavily with bass. It smelled like sweat and cologne and Ilya loved it. He could look at men and not immediately be clocked for what he was doing. Not that any of these men had anything on his man, Shane.
Ilya stood against the wall not fully immersed in the crowd. Hunter had invited anyone who wanted to come during his speech but not many had shown up, typical. Hockey wasn’t supposed to be queer that's what Ilya had thought, what Shane had thought. That’s why they hid. But here he was in a club that was celebrating an openly gay hockey player who had just won MVP. Ilya wasn’t sure what he was trying to do being here. He didn’t like Hunter, he just wanted to somehow make it clear that he thought what he did would be good for the NHL. Good for people like him. Good for Ilya. So he stood nursing a shitty vodka and scanned the crowd, hopefully no one would spot him and take photos.
He was going to Shane cottage in a week. The season was over, he wasn’t going to Russia, he felt like he could exhale. He swayed to the music and thought about joining the crowd when he was spotted. Not by a reporter or anyone who might say something bad about him being here but by the man he was supposedly here to support. Hunter's eyes widened seeing him and he said something to the man who was standing next to him, his boyfriend Ilya reminded himself. Then he started walking to where Ilya was standing. Ilya tensed a little, he didn’t talk to Hunter besides chirps on the ice, what was he supposed to say. ‘Oh yeah I came here because you made me confident enough to go to my male fuckbuddy of 10 years cottage for the summer and also he’s Shane Hollander?’
“Rozanov?” Hunter asked as if he wasn’t very obviously the one and only. Ilya looked at him trying to read if he could see his own internal struggle over being in the club. Hunter just seemed confused to see him so he just grinned at him and sipped at the awful vodka. “What are you doing here?” He asked and Ilya looked at him and wished he could tell him the truth. Instead he just shrugged.
“Wanted to see what the hype was about. Scott Hunter night, not a very interesting theme no? Old man night is basically same theme.” He joked easily and Hunter just laughed good natured along with him. Hunter had been too happy to get angry at those chirps lately. Ilya would be too if he got to kiss his… well Shane wasn’t his anything, not yet…in public.
“Alright Rozanov, keep your secrets, you definitely aren’t in a gay bar in Vegas just to make fun of me though.” He wasn’t. Ilya anxiously ran a hand though his curls fluffing them.
“Da, I am not… would you like to talk somewhere umm…” Ilya didn’t know where he was going with this. He just wanted to talk to Hunter without a ton of people dancing around them.
”Less public?” Hunter filled in the blank and Ilya nodded. Hunter looked a little confused but walked with Ilya to a side door leading out to a alleywall, he had waved at the boyfriend and gestured to where he was going quickly. In the alley Ilya pulled out a cigarette, he didn’t smoke nearly as often as he used to, now though he needed the familiar weight between his fingers to have this conversation.
“What you did…” Ilya swallowed hard not looking at Hunter, he could feel his eyes digging holes into the side of his face. “It will be good for…others- fuck- for me.” He whispered it into the cold air then took a deep drag of the cigarette. He knew his sexuality was almost an open secret at this point, he hid it sure, but the speculation was there. Especially now that he was serious about Shane. He stopped sleeping with random women. He played up his flamboyance sometimes, gay or European was a funny thing to him. His team thought it was all part of being Russian, silk shirts, eyeliner, eye fucking Shane on the ice. Well, that last part they just thought was the rivalry. Now though he was confirming it to someone who wasn’t Shane or Sasha or Svetlana. It was scary but liberating.
“Huh…” Hunter blew out his breath watching it fog in the air before dissipating. Not exactly the reaction Ilya had been hoping for. He risked a glance at Hunter. He looked at Ilya like things were clicking and Ilya really hoped he didn’t just figure out Shane too. That wasn’t Ilyas to share.
“You know…You’re the first person to tell me it in person. I’ve gotten emails, phone calls… Lots of thank yous. No outright confessions. I’m sorry this isn’t the right reaction- fuck- I’m glad you feel comfortable telling me. What I did… I couldn’t keep hiding the man I loved. It just so happens that that's a bigger deal than it should be. Not exactly brave.” Ilya hummed in agreement, he was still smoking knowing it was the only thing stopping him from freaking out.
Ilya exhaled smoke along with a sharp laugh that didn’t quite land. “I think it was brave. I am not brave like you. I am brave on ice. This?” He shook his head. “This is different.” He finally fully looked at Hunter, eyes open, unflinching even when making eye contact. “So… I am glad you did it. That is all.” A beat lapsed as the stand in silence, then, with a hint of his old swagger creeping back in: “Also, if you ever tell anyone before I am ready, I will deny it and say you are obsessed with me.”
Hunter laughed and whacked Ilya's arm. “I would never.” He reassured like Ilya knew he would. “Okay last question before we go back inside and I introduce you to my boyfriend. How’s Hollander?” Ilya tenses. “Hey, hey, I’m not implying anything but, you are close… and when he was hurt I know you probably went to see him after. Professionally…because you’re the captain. Very normal.” Ilya looked at Hunter and he knew he knew but was being cryptic for his sake. He’s going to trust him because there’s not much else to do.
“Shane is fine… I go to his cottage for summer. If this gets out I will actually kill you.” Hunter puts his hands up defensively but smiles.
“Good, having a… friend makes this whole thing easier.”
Ilya sighs thinking about Shane and how much he wants to tell him he loves him. “Yes…friend, alright lets go talk to your boyfriend. I need tips on how to make smoothies.” He chirps lighthearted. Talking with Hunter has been good for him. Maybe this thing with Shane could finally be more, maybe he could have the life Hunter has too someday. In the very far future.