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After a long day of practice, meetings for the foundation and household chores all Ilya wanted was to curl up next to his husband and get some well deserved sleep. Shane was in the same boat, getting ready to read a book for a few minutes before also turning in for the night.
Ilya scrolled on his phone while Shane read, stealing occasional glances at him, he couldn’t help it he just looked so perfect wearing his glasses. Just as Ilya was plotting to get a better look at those glasses and freckles, his phone started buzzing in his hand.
He checked the time, 1:42 am. Maybe he was getting old but that seemed like an awfully late time for a phone call. That was until he saw the contact, “Luca perfect angel rookie Haas”. For most other people he wouldn’t pick up, but Luca wouldn’t call him that late if it wasn’t something important.
Shane also looked over at the phone, he gave a small approving smile signalling to Ilya he should pick up. He knew how important Luca was to Ilya, he’d never get in the way of their relationship.
Sitting up against the pillows Ilya clicked answer and brought the phone to his ear. “Haasy it’s late, what’s up?”
There was no answer on the other end, only a jumble of voices talking over each other and making no sense. “Hello?” Ilya tried to figure out if it was an accidental pocket dial, “Luca?”
Shane gave him a perplexed look, he gently nudged the phone away from Ilya’s ear and put it on speaker. At this hour anyone who called Shane or Ilya would probably assume they’d be together, and Luca was now close with Shane, so he was sure he wouldn’t mind him hearing the call too.
The other line was still hard to make out with what now sounded like just two voices yelling. One was distinctly Luca with his Swiss accent catching on a few key words.
“Luca what’s going on?” Shane asked, putting the bookmark back in and placing the book on the table.
Still no response, it almost sounded like the phone was in Luca’s pocket. They looked between each other with confusion, still unsure if the call was accidental or not. They stopped talking and held the phone closer, trying to make out what was being said.
“Shut up you don’t even know what happened!” The voice that sounded like Luca said, Ilya whipped his head around to look at Shane, he was shocked to hear his rookie talk like that.
“..ucking whore…” The other voice yelled. Ilya’s eyebrows furrowed more than before, his concern worn clearly on his face.
“It’s my fucking apartment.” Luca yelled back, it was all seeming to just escalate.
The screaming back and forth began to overlay again, Shane put a hand on the nape of Ilya’s neck and squeezed lightly, trying to keep Ilya present.
“Are you at your apartment Luca?” Shane asked as calmly as he could, trying to confirm Luca’s location. Realistically if the phone is in Luca’s pocket he wouldnt hesr but Shane felt the need to try and ask.
They’d both realised the reason Luca called pretty quickly. He was in a fight and needed witnesses and help on the phone jusr in case something went aray. Ilya’s free hand was tense with a handful of their comforter, a mixture of rage, worry, anxiety and helplessness took over him and needed a physical manifestation.
“You’re actually so fucking pathetic Luca.” That other voice came again, “It wasn’t that big of a deal you're always overreacting.”
Something about that comment made Ilya inhale sharply, stiffening against Shane’s grounding hand.
“Should we go there?” Ilya muttered, there being Luca’s apartment. Shane took a moment to think, clearly processing what was happening and trying to come up with the best option.
The yelling on the phone continued, the sounds of voices overlapping and going at each other was especially disturbing knowing it was their own friend in that argument, a friend who had never once yelled like this in front of either of them.
“Let’s go just in case,” Shane started, picking up his own phone, “worst case it’s nothing and we can just come back.”
Ilya got out of bed, still holding the phone, picked up a hoodie from the ‘work but not fully dirty’ chair and threw it on. Shane also stood, he still had a shirt on and didn’t grab a jacket from their room, hurriedly typing as he headed for the door.
Wyatt Hayes
1:44am
Can you send me Luca's address?
Yeah here
27 Smith Street, Apartment 3c
Is everything okay?
Thanks man
Not sure we are checking on him
I’ll keep you updated
Shit dude okay
Let me know if you need any help
👍
“I got his address, I’ll drive, come on.” Shane called from the front door, putting on his sneakers and grabbing his coat from the rack. Ilya just nodded, once again holding the phone to his ear and throwing down his slides to slip into.
“We are on the way Haasy.” Ilya knew he still couldn’t hear him but still felt the need to say it, almost more for himself than Luca.
Shane unlocked the car and waited for Ilya to leave the house so he could lock it, using his other hand to put the address into maps.
He didn’t live too far, just over 15 minutes away without any traffic due to the hour. Ilya put the phone back on speaker but still held it close, careful not to miss a single thing that was said.
“Yeah get the fuck out.” Luca yelled, “It’s my place, get out.” he kept yelling. They were 5 minutes away from the apartment.
What sounded like a door slamming echoed through the phone. An eerie amount of silence took over, the only sound was the faint noise of Luca’s heavy breathing.
“Läck du mir.” He swore in disbelief.
“Hey Luca, can you hear us?” Shane said while checking their ETA, “It’s Shane and Ilya.”
They didn’t get a response at first, Ilya clicked the volume up on his phone as high as it could go, even though it was already on the maximum.
A muffled sound then came from Luca’s end, like the phone was suddenly being moved around and brushing up against fabric.
“Sorry”
“We are 5 minutes away from you Luca, are you safe?” Shane asked, now exceeding the speed limit slightly.
“Yeah I’m fine”
Ilya physically relaxed, his back finally touching the seat.
“Be there soon.” Ilya added, not quite knowing what to say but needing to say something.
before they had to try and talk over the phone much longer they turned onto Luca’s street. “We are here, do we buzz up?” Ilya asked.
“No, I'll open the door from here, press 3 in the lift.” Luca still sounded almost short of breath and worked up, keeping all his responses short and brief.
Shane quickly pulled into the guest parking spot and they both got out, making a bee line for the front door which opened automatically. The lift ride up was tense but mercifully short.
Shane led Ilya by the hand down the hallway, borderline running.
Within a second of them knocking the door opened and Luca threw himself into Ilya’s chest. Instinctively Ilya wrapped his arms around Luca, holding him close as they stood in the apartment doorway. Shane placed a comforting hand in Luca’s hair, holding the door open.
“Let’s get inside, it's a bit cold out here.” Shane nudged after a moment, mindful of Luca’s neighbors. Luca nodded and wiped his face with his sleeves as they all moved into the apartment.
Immediately they saw what looked like a bowl of pasta smashed on the floor along with the couch cushions strewn around the room, clearly thrown there.
“Sorry about the mess.” Luca said sheepishly.
“It is not a problem we can help clean up.” Ilya looked around scanning the area for any other signs of what went on.
They sat down on the couch together, Luca tried to get his trembling hands under control as he took some deep breaths.
“Who was that?” Shane asked, Luca knew these questions were coming. As much as he wasn’t in the best place to tell them right now, they clearly deserved answers.
“That was,” He took a deep breath that came out as more of a sigh, “my now ex-boyfriend.”
Shane just nodded, looking to gauge Ilya's reaction who was just studying Luca’s hands right now.
“And you were fighting about?” Shane pried further, trying to work out what on earth had just happened.
Luca breathed deep again. “He thought I was lying about practice to cheat.”
Ilya’s face finally changed, twisting in confusion. Shane connected the dots in his mind on what he heard over the call and the scene he was in now, a slow anger bubbling in his chest.
“He’s a fucking idiot.” Ilya spat, talking with his hands.
“I tried to be calm but he keeps saying it.” Luca reasoned, “I would never do that I promise.”
“We know you wouldn’t,” Ilya interjected, “makes it even worse.”
“Ilya is right.” Shane added, trying to calm the room a little.
They all were silent for a moment, not quite knowing how to handle this all.
“How about we head back to our place and you can stay there tonight.” Shane suggested, wanting to get them home and into bed sooner rather than later.
Luca nodded in agreement and got up off the couch, picking up a few cushions off the floor.
“Me and Shane will clean up, grab some things and then we can go.” Ilya said, shooting Shane a look. Shane agreed and they sent off Luca to his room.
“Did you know he had a boyfriend?” Ilya whispered to Shane as they dealt with the smashed ceramic. Shane shook his head and pressed his lips together.
“Why wouldn't he mention it?” Ilya pondered, still whispering.
“We just need to give him time Ilya.”
“Still, he knows he can tell us of all people.”
Shane put a hand on Ilya’s arm as Luca walked back into the kitchen, not wanting him to hear their bickering. Luca had a small duffel bag with a hoodie over his shoulder. Shane and Ilya were almost done clearing up the mess, just silently finishing the job.
“Let’s go now.” Shane said, holding a rubbish bag with the broken ceramic to put in the chute on the way down.
Luca nodded and Ilya followed close behind.
Ilya walked around to the boot of the car and grabbed a blanket they kept in the car, it wasn’t the best one they had but Ilya assumed a small comfort would be appreciated. Ilya wordlessly laid it across Luca’s lap, giving his hair a ruffle before he shut the door.
“Do you want something to eat before we go home?” Ilya asked as he climbed into the passenger seat. Luca looked up from playing with his hands and thought for a moment. “McDonalds?”
Ilya grinned and poked Shane in the shoulder. “We are getting McDonald’s then” Ilya teased. Shane just gave him a fond smile, of course he would take them there.
The drive home was quiet, the radio was on low and Ilya occasionally hummed along to the songs. Both Shane and Ilya were checking on Luca through the windows the whole ride.
Luca started out the window most of the time, hands fidgeting and unable to stay fully still. His mind seemed to be busy but not in a detrimental way so they let him be.
Pulling into the McDonalds, Luca whispered his order to Ilya, they knew Shane would be a little bit hopeless at ordering. Ilya leaned across Shane to order, making Luca laugh a little as Shane leaned back a bit dramatically in his seat and bit Ilya’s hoodie strings. The two were trying to cheer up Luca as much as they could, and Maccas never made it any worse in Ilya’s experience.
“You are not eating a sundae in my car, Ilya Hollander-Rozanov.” Shane said flatly as he handed the food to him and Luca.
“Our car you mean.” Ilya teased. Shane just rolled his eyes and put the car back in drive. Of course, Ilya rebelled and ate a chip dramatically.
It was a short trip back to the house, not long enough for Ilya to eat all the chips. Luca had been smiling the rest of the home, listening to the couples bickering like an elderly couple.
“Fine you can eat on the couch, only because Luca is here.” Shane conceded, he was badly suppressing a smile as he unlocked the house.
Ilya gave Luca a comical high five, clearly to annoy Shane.
They all ate on the couch, Shane sipping a ginger ale and having some leftovers so as to not feel too left out. A replay of that night's game played on the TV, Anya snored quietly on her corner of the couch, Ilya and Luca happily ate their food, it was a peaceful scene, very different from the night they had been having an hour ago.
“I know we talked a bit at yours,” Shane started, “but when you are ready we want to understand how you have been feeling okay?”
Luca gave him a slow nod, “It doesn’t have to be now, but at some point soon is all.” Shane continued, he never wanted to pressure anyone into talking, but he cared too much for Luca to let him suffer in silence.
“We care about you Haasy, I know talking can suck” Ilya added, speaking from first hand experience.
“But we will always listen, yes?” Ilya gave Luca his best reassuring smile. Ilya knew how hard it was to talk about things, but he also knew how much it had helped once he did. Even though at first it seemed like he’d made a massive mistake by talking about how much the hiding was affecting him, he also remembered how they were here now, and things were so much better than they had been before.
Luca kept looking down but nodded in acknowledgment.
“Of course there is no pressure,” Shane added, “we just want you to be comfortable around us Luca.”
He just nodded again, sniffling a little bit and continuing to fidget. “Thank you.” he said quietly. Shane and Ilya just exchanged a look and moved on.
Realising he hadn’t updated Hayes yet, Shane quickly took out his phone.
Wyatt Hayes
1:44am
Can you send me Luca's address?
Yeah here
27 Smith Street, Apartment 3c
Is everything okay?
Thanks man
Not sure we are checking on him
I’ll keep you updated
Shit dude okay
Let me know if you need any help
👍
2:51am
Hey sorry about the late update
Luca is with us now
Safe and sound with McDonalds haha
He didn’t expect a reply tonight, being nearly 3am and all. Shane put his phone back down and leaned to put his drink on the table, on a coaster of course.
Leaning back into the couch he shifted over closer to Ilya’s side, resting his head on his husband's shoulder. Finally chilling out after this overly stressful midnight side quest.
“Thank you for coming to get me by the way.” Luca said in a small voice. Eyes glistening with possible tears forming.
“Of course we did.” Ilya instantly replied, face falling into a sympathetic expression.
Finally, after holding back tears this whole time, Luca let himself cry. The first sob wracked his body, Ilya almost launched himself across the room to hug Luca.
“We will always come get you no matter what.” Ilya whispered to Luca. “You just call us and we will be there.”
Luca just sobbed in their arms, letting himself break down completely after holding it together this long.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Luca spoke quietly, “I didn't want you to know it was bad.”
That broke Ilya silently, a tear falling down his face, only noticed by Shane who brushed it away with his thumb.
“We only want you to be happy.” Shane reassured, pulling Luca’s head into the crook of his neck.
“I want to tell the team” Ilya and Shane gave affirming replies, “Just in case there is a leak or something, I want them to hear it from me.”
—-
centaurs sidequests
11:19 am
haasy:
hey guys, i figure youre all gonna hear about this soon
i’m gay and stuff
d1 hollander stan:
proud of you haasy
pointey:
how am i JUST hearing this.
youngling:
ME TOO?????
luca i could have been the best wing man
cap’s better half:
congrats, we all love you a lot luca
everyone be nice or i’m setting ilya on you
pointey:
we are like a skittles packet
bbqdram:
that’s probably not the greatest metaphor
love u lucs
ditto what shane said
barrett’s better half:
ditto again
i’m very proud of you luca
let me know if i should keep an eye out for leaks!!
haasy:
that would be good thank you harris
not quite ready to fully come out rn
former asshole:
and you don’t have to be!
just be yourself
youngling:
also would have saved me setting you up with my sisters friend…
that feels extremely awkward now.
d1 hollander stan:
oh my god you did WHAT
former asshole:
WAIT THATS SO FUNNY NOW
lavender hayes:
okay so is it a bad time to say i suspected this since we drafted him
haasy:
and you didn’t tell ME?
i only worked this out last year.
HOW HAVE YOU KNOWN LONGER THAN ME??
bbqdram:
he’s a witch is what i’ve settled on
and has insane gaydar
former asshole:
genuinely.
d1 hollander stan:
he’s got magical powers to know far too much about everyone
especially me.
lavender hayes:
secret goalie powers sorry guys
cap’s better half:
i also had a suspicion but i thought it was just projecting
haasy:
YOU ALL COULD HAVE HINTED IT TO ME AT LEAST
this is ridiculous.
youngling:
we love u our oblivious king
d1 hollander stan:
back on topic
TRAINING TOMORROW NIGHT EVERYONE GET HYPED.
LUCA YOU MAY BE GAY BUT WE ALLLLL SKATE LINES
pointey:
you gotta love equality