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Ilya was nervous. He'd never really gotten nervous before a game since his first NHL game, and he didn't miss the feeling. Tonight was the Ottawa Centaurs's first game of the season: a home game against the Montreal Metros, Shane's old team.
Until Ilya joined them last year, the Centaurs had easily been the worst team in the league. His presence turned them into a somewhat decent team, and now they had Shane as well.
"Alright, listen up!" Ilya stood up on a bench in the locker room, getting his team's attention. "Tonight is a big night. We play Montreal, Shane's old team. With the exception of Boiziau and the unfortunate exception of Pike, we hate them all."
Shane sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We need to win. We need to show them what they gave up by losing Shane." Ilya continued. "My husband scores first goal tonight, is that clear?"
"Yes!" The team shouted back.
"Good. Go out there, and fucking kill Montreal!" Ilya yelled. The team cheered, pumping their fists in the air.
They left the locker room, skated onto the ice to cheering, and went to their bench.
"Tonight is a very important night for these teams, isn't it, Jack?" One of the announcers said.
"Yes, it certainly is, Violet. We've got two very strong, very capable teams on the ice tonight, and there's definitely a bit of a rivalry between them. Shane Hollander, #24 with the Centaurs, used to be the captain and star player of the Metros. Last season, it was revealed that he's in a relationship with the captain of the Centaurs, Ilya Rozanov. Historically, they've been huge rivals, so the reveal was incredibly shocking to many fans. They got married over the summer, so it'll be exciting to watch a married couple play on the same line for the first time ever in NHL history. The stadium is absolutely packed, and I'm sure it'll be an intense game."
"Yes, I'm sure it will be. For those who are unaware, many of the Metros turned on Hollander when his secret relationship became public knowledge. He's been very open about how his team treated him and why he left, and I'm sure Rozanov and he won't make this game easy for Montreal."
The puck dropped, and the game began. The Centaurs played fiercely, and Ilya assisted Shane with the first goal of the game. The crowd went wild; there was clearly a favorite team.
With the first goal scored, some of the stress was relieved from the Centaurs, but they still played hard.
"What the fuck, dude!" Pike shouted as Ilya slammed him into the boards.
"Sorry!" Ilya said, not sounding sorry at all.
"I'm on your fucking side, you fucking idiot." Pike grumbled as he recovered from the hit and Ilya skated off.
The first period ended, and the teams went back to their respective benches. The Centaurs were winning 3-0 so far, and the Metros looked discouraged.
"This has been a super interesting game to watch." The female announcer said. "The Centaurs, the weakest team in the NHL two years ago, are starting to look quite formidable. They've got two of the best players, Hollander and Rozanov, on their team, so they certainly have a chance at the playoffs this year."
The jumbotron flashed away from highlights of the first period and started to do a lookalike competition as the athletes rested. Ilya ignored it. He'd seen lots of these over the years, and he wanted to talk to Shane, who was sitting next to him instead.
"You're doing great out there, sweetheart." Ilya said, wrapping his left arm around Shane's shoulders. Shane leaned into him, smiling.
"Hang on. I need picture for fans." Ilya said. "Harris! Get over here." He twisted around, located Harris, and waved him over with his right hand.
Harris, the Centaurs's social media manager, walked over. "You guys are doing so good out there! What do you need?"
"Can you take picture of me and Shane?" Ilya asked.
"Yeah, totally!" Harris lifted his camera and started taking pictures.
Shane smiled politely into the camera lens, until Ilya licked the side of his face. "Ilya! What the fuck?" He giggled, shoving him away.
"You two are so cute!" Harris laughed, looking through the pictures. "Oh my God, I love this one!" He turned the camera to them, showing them Ilya's tongue pressed against Shane's cheek as the latter smiled. "Can I post it?"
Ilya shrugged. "Of course."
"Awesome. Good luck out there!" Harris turned and walked away.
Seconds later, the crowd started cheering loudly. It made Shane jump, raising his head from Ilya's shoulder. Ilya looked around, trying to figure out what happened.
His eyes landed on the jumbotron above them. There, on the screen, were Shane and him, surrounded by a red frame and the words 'Kiss Cam' in big, round, pastel pink letters in the bottom right corner. Shane was still looking around, and Ilya pointed up to the screen.
Shane blushed, waving awkwardly.
"Can I kiss you?" Ilya asked quietly. He knew Shane was okay with most public displays of affection, but he was worried he might feel differently about kissing on the jumbotron.
"Yeah, sure." Shane smiled and looked at him.
Ilya grinned. He grabbed Shane's head and slammed their lips together. Shane squeaked, obviously expecting just a small peck. Once he recovered from the initial shock, Shane kissed back passionately, sneaking his tongue into Ilya's mouth.
When they looked up several seconds later, they were off the screen and the team was laughing around them.
"They cut off as soon as you started french kissing." Zane Boodram said, gasping for breath. "Oh my God, it was hilarious!" He doubled over laughing again, and the second period began a few minutes later when the team regained their composure.