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“Yo, Hayes! Truth or dare!” JJ shouted, louder than probably necessary, from the bean bag he was sprawled on in the living room.
The Redline University’s hockey team was currently celebrating after yet another win during the season, happy that they are well on their way to another cup at the end of the season.
And, although they usually love the big, loud, and flashy parties where half the campus is cramped in their communal house, they like to enjoy some nights that are laid back and it's just the team sitting around their living room, drinking beer and talking their asses off until they pass out.
“Why the fuck would I choose either of those options when you're asking, dude?” Wyatt Hayes responds from where he's lying on his back, just staring at the ceiling fan slowly turn.
It's not normal for Shane to stay at these things for as long as he has tonight. He's often retiring to his bedroom after he finishes his mandatory second beer, but he's indulging on a third one tonight.
It has nothing to do with the fact that Ilya Rozanov decided to actually hang out with them instead of going out clubbing.
It has nothing to do with the fact that they've been sneaking into each other's rooms since the semester started, nor is it anything to do with the way Rozanov has been not so subtly staring at Shane all night with those blue flame eyes of his.
Nope.
It's only because the chat has been interesting, and he really should spend more time socializing with the team now that he's captain.
“Alright, if you won't answer, maybe Rozanov will. Truth or dare, Russian delight?”
Rozanov rolls his eyes at the nickname he earned by being anything but a delight during his first month on the team.
He didn't speak much, he'd mainly snarl and grunt when spoken to, he'd isolate himself in the dressing room and spend his time just observing the scene around him. Not to mention his on-ice reputation as a big chirper and fight picker.
He softened a little over time, but not by much.
“Dare.” He bravely answered in his thick accent.
“I dare you to sniff Bood’s armpit right now.”
Rozanov rolled his eyes again as Bood threw his head back laughing and lifted his arm to leave his pit on full display.
“You are all ridiculous.” He declared, but got up anyways and made his way towards Bood. He sighed once he stood in front of the dark skinned man wearing a shit eating grin on his face and happily displaying his tattooed arms.
Finally, he bent down and deeply inhaled the natural, human scent coming off the massive hockey player, famous because Cassie, his long-term girlfriend, won't let him anywhere near her until he's taken at least two showers after practice and every game. He has taken only one shower today.
“Poshol nakhuy!” Rozanov exclaimed after completing his dare, and then proceeded to empty his tumbler of vodka in his mouth while grimacing, though not for the taste of the liquor.
The rest of the players in the room were laughing, some of them gagging at what Ilya had done.
“Okay, my turn now, yes?” Ilya asked to no one in particular. “Troy. Truth or dare.”
“God, who would willingly choose a dare from you, Rozy? Let’s do truth.”
Ilya offered a devilish grin, showing that he was up to no good with this one.
“Are you or are you not hooking up with Harris?”
“Who’s Harris?” Luca asked from a corner of the room.
“The nice Communication major guy. The apple dude?” Wyatt offered. Troy, in the mean time, turned red as a tomato, which was an answer in its own, seeing that he wasn’t the kind of person to blush easily, or ever, really.
“We’re together, actually. We became official two weeks ago.” Troye bravely admitted do the room, and everyone hollered with glee, there was not a single negative reaction in sight.
Sometimes, Shane forgot just how open and welcoming his team had become.
It wasn’t always like that. He remembers his freshman year, how he had to stay closeted and be extremely careful of every glance and every single thing that would come out of his mouth, he was hyper aware of everything, even the way he moved, scared that the horrible seniors would figure him out and ruin his chances at hockey.
Once they graduated, Scott became captain. He came out to the team on his first day and made it clear that he would not tolerate any homophobia, or bullying of any kind in the team. Some people were kicked out of the team, others learned to bite their tongue until graduation, and the rest were able to finally breathe freely in the space.
It was during Scott’s captaincy that Shane had come out, even started casually dating, and as a result, his hockey flourished. By midterm that year, it was undeniable that he was the strongest asset of the team. Until Ilya transferred from Russia near the end of the season last year.
He had been added to the team automatically, since his whole immigration strategy revolved around him being a hockey prodigy. And he proved to be just that the second he touched the ice on campus.
Shane had been mesmerized by it. And a little turned on.
But it raised the stakes for Shane, who was striving for captaincy after Scott’s graduation, and hoped he could go pro after his own graduation, and in his book, he had to be the best, anything other than absolute perfection was unacceptable.
That’s how their rivalry started. They were always competing to see who was faster, stronger, had better aim, had more agility, scored more goals, had more assists, even better grades since they were both psychology majors.
From the outside, it looked like they hated each others guts, but the reality is that they quickly became best friends, and then… more than that.
It was late after practice one night, everyone had gone home as soon as the coach called it, but Ilya and Shane wanted more on-ice time, so they stayed behind to do some drills.
Ilya started it in the showers, Shane just went with it.. next thing he knew he was backed against the wall with Ilya stroking him hard and fast and him doing the same, both panting into each other’s mouths. It had been the best sexual encounter Shane had had up until that moment.
Things just got more heated from there and then they were sneaking in and out of each other’s bedrooms at the team house, and finding secluded spots they could hide in at away games.
His growing smile got interrupted by the sound of Troy’s voice calling JJ’s name.
“Truth or dare, then.”
“Dare me, Barret. I am not afraid of you” he answered with his thick quebecois accent.
Troy pondered for a minute, and then “I dare you to call your girl and tell her you want to open the relationship because you have a crush on Hollander and want to explore it.”
“Wait, on me? Why?” Shane asked, surprised he had come up.
“Have you seen yourself, Hollander? Who wouldn’t have a crush on you? And most importantly, who wouldn’t want to explore it?”
Shane felt his cheeks heat up, and averted his eyes towards Ilya, who looked like he was grinding his teeth with so much force he was surprised he didn’t hear them shattering.
The room seemed to agree with Troy’s assessment, which was weird considering Shane had never really put that much thought into his looks. He’d never stopped to consider whether he was attractive or not, it has never even been on his list of things to worry about.
To be fair, he always brushed the ladies’ attention to him being a jock rather than him being… hot.
JJ fished his phone out of his jeans and quickly dialed the number. The room went silent, everyone intent on not missing a single detail from the situation.
Shane took the chance to look at Ilya instead, who was already staring at Shane. The look held jealousy, but also passion, and… pride?
“Hey, baby, how’s it going?” JJ answered when his girl picked up. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. Remember when you said Shane is objectively the most attractive man in the team?”
Everyone scoffed at that and JJ had to silence them all by bringing his index finger to his lips.
“Yeah, yeah! Well, I’ve been thinking and I think that I agree with you. He really is the hottest thing; I mean… I’ve seen him in the showers and I think the reactions I have when he’s… well, let’s just say I don’t think it’s normal for a straight guy.” The silence on the other line felt charged.
“So, I thought it’d be a great idea if I spoke to him about it. I wanted to suggest a threesome, but he’s gay so I don’t know if that would work for you? So, y’know, maybe we could open up the relationship. I could explore this and give you all the dirty details, and maybe you can explore someone else. What do you think?”
Everyone sucks in a breath when the line stays silent. Shane would love to be swallowed by the earth right about now, and he can’t read Rozanov’s facial expression, but it can’t be anything good if his lips have formed such a flat line.
“Jesus, JJ, you’re pranking me, right? Everyone in the team is listening right now, aren’t they?”
And then the room explodes in loud, unabashed laughter, with JJ holding his chest with his hand as if he’s dodged a bullet. Shane still wants to be anywhere but here, honestly? The depths of a volcano sound really cozy in comparison.
“Yes, baby! It is a prank! I mean, I do love Hollzy and he absolutely is the hottest of all of us, but I’ve seen him naked too many times to even wonder about it. Okay, I’ll call you later, alright?” JJ answers hurriedly.
“Okay, bye guys, have a good night. Shane, I’m so, so sorry about this!” The woman says as a farewell, and everyone responds with some sort of acknowledgement to her.
“Thanks, Melanie, I appreciate you for being the only decent person involved in this.” Shane says before JJ finally hangs up the phone.
“Okay, that was great and all, but now it’s my turn, motherfuckers!” JJ fake ponders on who his victim will be, but Shane already knows where this is headed. JJ is extremely predictable off the ice.
“Hollander, truth or dare.” He asks while pointing his beer at him. Before Shane can answer, he adds, “You can’t choose truth, actually. I want you to risk tonight!”
“What? No! You can’t tell me what I can or can’t choose!”
“Yes, I can! You never hang out with us this late, so you should let us have fun with you for once! You have to, as our captain.”
“This is definitely not part of my captain duties, asshole! But, fuck it, sure, dare!” Shane concedes.
“I dare you to kiss the hottest person on the team. On the mouth.”
Shane stills for a second. He can see Rozanov adjusting in his seat, adverting his gaze somewhere else and looking completely unbothered. Luca goes beet red; Troy has stoped breathing; Hayden suddenly looks very interested in the pool table in the other room; even JJ swallows and drops his eyes to the floor.
“I thought I was the hottest person on the team, though.” Shane says, trying to break the tension. It doesn’t work.
Everyone seems even more tense now. If it wasn’t for the music, it would be possible to hear a pen drop, no one is daring to even breathe loudly.
Those who don’t look like they want the earth to swallow them hole, look equally uncomfortable with the atmosphere JJ and Shane managed to create with this dumb ass challenge.
Why would anyone think it’s a good idea for the Token Gay team captain to choose the hottest person of his team? And more so, who would think it’s a good idea to make the captain kiss him?!
Shane is about to back out of the challenge. Maybe he’ll say he has a headache, or that everyone looks like shit.
“Stop stalling, Hollander. Pucker up.” Bood offers, looking very uncomfortable with how charged the atmosphere got.
Fuck. Maybe he should just do it.
He knows who he wants to kiss. Rozanov probably already knows as well, but should he do it? Kissing Rozanov in front of the entire team feels real. Like, doing that would completely change their dynamic from fun, unattached late night hook-ups, to… official.
Are they ready for that?
Hell, is that even something Rozanov would want? With Shane, of all people?
He could have literally anyone he wanted.
Shane knows there’s a long line of men and women all over the campus that want to get a piece of the Russian. And he knows that Ilya likes the attention he receives.
He’s not exactly someone anyone would picture in a relationship.
Much less a relationship with the most boring guy in the campus.
“C’mon Hollander, we haven’t got all night!”
Or maybe he could kiss someone else entirely. That would be the best idea, right? Choose someone at random, peck their lips and move on. He should probably choose the straightest person in the team too.
Hayes seems to be very straight, and he’s not exactly hard to look at. Bood’s muscles and strong jaw are also big contestants.
He wants to choose JJ or Hayden, since they’re his closest friends in the team, but the way they’re looking literally everywhere else but at Shane gives him mixed signals. They always seemed pretty straight, but maybe Shane’s got it wrong. Or maybe they just don’t want to kiss their gay friend.
“C’mon, Hollander, finish your dare.” It’s Ilya’s voice.
When Shane looks at him, his stare is intense, like it’s holding the weight of everything that has happened between them since the first time they met.
Like this is inevitable.
Like he wants Shane to kiss him just as much as Shane wants to kiss him.
And then, Ilya gives Shane the smallest nod. It’s s subtle that it could’ve been nothing. No one else could’ve noticed it.
Fuck it.
He’ll say he was drunk in the morning if it comes to it.
Shane sighs deliberately and stands, taking three long and determined strides towards the couch where Rozanov is sitting.
He doesn’t let the panic in the pit of his stomach, or Ilya’s face, reflecting the same sheer terror Shane is feeling, stop him as he bends down and cradles Ilya’s face in his hands, angling him upwards towards his own face.
He tries to keep it chaste, he tries to just peck Ilya’s lips with his own, but the second their lips meet, it’s clear that it’s going to be anything but chaste and quick.
As their lips meet, Ilya melts into it and places his hands on Shane’s waist, bringing him closer, until he has to sit on the blond’s lap to be as close as possible as they continue the kiss.
It is slow, deep, deliberate. They are taking their sweet time tasting and exploring each other’s mouths, uncaring of whatever shock might be happening outside of their little bubble.
It’s everything they ever wanted.
It’s everything they needed to do to make their feelings crystal clear.
Shane feels drunk, but he doesn’t think the beer has anything to do with it. This is Ilya and Ilya alone making him feel like this.
When Ilya starts giggling into the kiss, Shane knows he’s feeling the exact same, and he smiles into it to.
With a few final pecks, and a delirious smile, they part.
For them, it’s been a seconds. For everyone else, it feels like the show went on forever.
Shane looks around the room, still on Ilya’s lap, and notices everyone’s jaws on the floor, but he doesn’t give a single fuck.
Luca coughs and recovers first.
“So, umh… how long has this been going on for?” Their youngest teammate asks.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Haas.” Ilya answers, trying to keep nonchalant, but failing miserably.
“C’mon, Rozy, it’s clear you two have been… familiar with each other for a while.” Troy refutes.
“Since the beginning of this semester.” Shane answers, plainly.
“But we’ve been into each other since we met, basically.” Ilya supplies, to Shane’s surprise.
“Yeah, pretty much.” He agrees.
“Holy shit. So, that’s what I’ve been hearing through the walls all this time?” Dykstra says, for the first time since the game started. “I thought Ilya was just bringing random girls to the house! And all this time he’s been fucking or captain?” He looks very mortified.
Shane feels the same, thinking about being heard as Ilya completely unraveled him and made him squirm in pleasure.
“Yeah, that was just Shane.” Ilya confirms proudly.
The chatter continues for a while, people asking their questions and Shane and Ilya trying their best to answer them, or flat out telling them to fuck off. At some point, someone asks if they’re even going to continue playing the game.
They agree that they do, so Shane asks Luca, who chooses truth and now has to admit that now that Scott Hunter plays professionally, he keeps a poster of him in his bedroom back home.
“Want to leave?” Ilya whispers in Shane’s ear after a while.
Shane turns in Ilya’s lap to look at him and nod.
Shane kisses him once (because he can), then nods.
They leave the room thinking they’ve done a good job at sneaking out undetected, but everyone is aware of their every move. Good thing that they’re all happy their captain finally found someone who keeps up with him, and they wrongly think that this might help Ilya become nicer to everyone else.
They manage to make it to Shane’s bedroom, but as soon as the door closes, Ilya is all over him kissing his mouth, his cheek, jaw, neck, collarbone, shoulders, anywhere he could gets his mouth to.
Shane was glad to let Ilya indulge, simply caressing the man’s blond curls. This was everything. He could be shacked up with Ilya kissing him and touching him for hours, days, weeks, years if Ilya wanted to.
“So, that was quite the kiss, Hollander.” Ilya said against Shane’s ear, tickling the skin there with his lips.
Ilya is now holding Shane's face with his hand, directing him to look at him, to focus on the conversation and not the touch he was giving him mere seconds ago.
“Yeah.” He says, although sighs would be a more fitting verb.
“Do you know how long I've been craving to claim you as mine in front of all those idiots? Especially your little fan club. God, I loved seeing Hayden's face.”
By some miracle, Shane has managed to ground himself in the conversation and sedate his hunger for Ilya's touch.
“What do you mean? What does Hayden have to do with anything?”
“You're seriously telling me that you've never noticed Pike’s fat crush on you?” Ilya comments, pushing Shane's hair from his face and then tracing the freckles peppered around his face.
“What are you talking about? Hayden has a girlfriend!”
“Yeah, I know. But that still doesn’t mean anything. He can like both. Like me. Come to think of it, me and Pike have a lot of things in common.”
“Fuck off, Rozanov.” Shane offered without any bite, and then leaned back in to devour Ilya’s mouth. After another couple of minutes, and just as the blond’s hand was slipping under Shane’s briefs, he stopped.
“Wait, wait, wait. What does this mean?” He asked, stalling Ilya’s hand in its endeavor to find his aching dick.
“It means I’m trying to see how hard you are, Hollander. Can I continue?”
“No! I mean, yes! But that’s not what I mean. I mean, for us. What does it mean for us after the whole team has seen us making out and they know we hook-up?”
Ilya’s entire face softened, his lips breaking into a soft smile Shane had never seen before. It was breathtaking.
“It means that if you want, I can hold your hand around campus, and kiss you whenever I want. It means that you can tell everyone that I’m completely yours and everybody else can fuck off. It means that there’s no one I want more than you, Shane. I want you without doubts and I want to call you mine too.”
Shane had never had a love confession be told to him, but this sounded an awful lot to one.
His own face broke into a smile, the kind that was easy to muster when he was around Ilya and only Ilya.
“Ilya, I think- fuck! I think I’m in love with you.”
The silence that follows isn’t awkward or unwelcome, the spend those seconds basking in each other, with Shane kissing Ilya’s tears off his cheeks and pecking his lips. Just, completely happy to be in this room together.
“I love you too, Shane” Ilya reciprocates between kisses. And then he picks up the pace right from where they paused it before confessing their love.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the party is fully dwindled, with teammates scattered around the room, laying in odd places and odd positions, dozing off without a care in the world.
“Yo, JJ?” Troy asks from where he’s half asleep on the carpet.
“Mhm” JJ asks, eyes fully closed.
“Did you know Shane was gonna kiss Rozanov?” JJ giggles a little, smirking at the thought.
“Those two suck at sneaking around. I think I saw them sucking face at least 10 times behind the library. And, my room is next to Hollzy’s and he is not very silent.”