Chapter Text
Shane shifted awkwardly in his chair. It was one of those tall production chairs with the canvas back that he’d seen many times on the movie sets he’d visited Rose at. They’d looked a lot more comfortable from a distance. A clicking noise to his right drew his attention, and he turned to see Ilya repeatedly popping and replacing the cap on his dry-erase marker.
A few weeks ago, NewsFeed had contacted the two and asked them to be in a video, titled “How well do you know your rival?”. Ilya had been immediately on board, despite Shane’s arguments that it was too risky. Ilya had - rather unfairly - brought Yuna into the discussion, and she had (maybe fairly) pointed out that participating in something like this could help shift the narrative from them being rivals to them being friends. Besides, as long as they didn’t directly admit anything incriminating, it would be fine. The video’s proceeds would be going to a children’s hospital, the final detail to convince Shane to participate.
The first sign of warning should have been when the editors had explained the format of the video. The first round would be straightforward trivia with objective answers. After that came increasingly personal questions where they'd have to predict each other's responses. For each individual correct answer, they would get a point. For each question that both members of a pair got right, there would be one point for their “team”. The winner would be the player with the highest points on the team with the most points. There were two other pairs of rivals they would be competing against, and Shane had a passing familiarity with them, despite his lack of interest in their sports.
Noticing Shane’s gaze, Ilya leaned over conspiratorially. “DeLuca and Ferreira can’t stand each other. Did you see how they were staring at each other?”
Shane scoffed. “Ilya, they’re rivals. That’s their whole thing.”
Ilya raised an eyebrow. “We don’t hate each other.”
“Well I hate you for dragging me to this thing.”
Ilya said with a smirk, “Right. We’ll see if you still have this opinion later tonight when we celebrate winning.”
Shane flushed and glared at him. “We’re not doing this here. Stop it.”
Raising his hands in mock surrender, Ilya turned away, and Shane watched as the film crew finished their preparations.
Before long, cameras were rolling, and the host, Gio Giovanni, spoke to the camera.
“Welcome, everyone, to a special episode of NewsFeed: Sports! Today we have a few very recognisable faces with us: MLB players Mason DeLuca from the New York Skyliners and Luis Ferreira from the Boston Bats, NBA players Tyler Morena from the Chicago Whitecaps and Corey Zarei of the Detroit Titans, and NHL players Shane Hollander from the Montreal Voyageurs and Ilya Rozanov of the Ottawa Centaurs. You may know these players from their famous and heated rivalries, but today, they’ll be working together as well as competing against one another in this edition of ‘How well do you know…’ by NewsFeed!”
Gio rattled on about the rules before finally getting to the first question.
“And without further ado, let’s get started on round 1! These questions will be sports-specific, and we know the answers, but the questions will be a bit different between sports. We’ve tried our best to match the difficulty between teams, don’t worry. Our first question is for DeLuca and Ferreira - Which side does your rival bat from? Let’s start with DeLuca.”
DeLuca answers immediately, “Right.” Ferreira follows with “Switch.”
“Both are correct! Well done, one point for each of you, and one point for your team. Moving on to Moreno and Zarei - Which hand is your rival dominant with?”
Both players answer with “Right”, and the host nods. “Both correct again! One point to each of you, and one point to your team. Now, Hollander and Rozanov, what is your rival’s shooting handedness?”
“Right,” Shane replies, and hears a near-immediate “Left” from Ilya.
“Well done! Now, let’s move on to question two - DeLuca and Ferreira, what year did your rival win their first World Series? Let’s have Ferreira answer first this time.”
“2019.”
DeLuca answers, “2023.”
“Both are correct again, as expected. Now for Moreno and Zarei - What year did your rival win their first NBA championship?”
“2006,” Zarei answers.
Moreno follows with “2009. Three years after me.”
The host chuckles, and confirms the answers. “Alright, now Rozanov, then Hollander - What year did your rival win their first Stanley Cup?”
“2015,” Ilya responds, and Shane can tell he’s biting back a comment similar to the one Moreno made.
“2014.”
“Well done! Let’s up the challenge a little, shall we? DeLuca and Ferreira, what is your rival’s single-season career high in home runs?”
“52,” DeLuca responds.
“That’s right,” Ferreira says with a smirk. “Because his is 47, 5 behind mine.”
“Both of you are exactly right, and can I just say, I am loving the competitive spirit here! Now Moreno and Zarei, what is your rival’s single-season career high in points per game?”
Moreno’s response comes after a slight pause “31.4 points”
Zarei hesitates for a moment, recalling the answer. “34.2 points”
“Correct again! Now Hollander and Rozanov, what is your rival’s single-season career high in goals?”
Shane feels the need to show off. “64 goals, during the 2013-14 season.”
Ilya responds in turn, “Three more than his, which is 61. He set that two years after mine, in the 2015-16 season.”
“Of course you would know the year, wouldn’t you? Well, back to Ferreira and DeLuca - What pitch does your rival most often throw in a full-count situation?”
Ferreira snorts. “That’s easy. He prefers a slider.”
DeLuca rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and you like to get overly cocky with a four-seam fastball.”
“Cocky? It works, does it not?”
“Alright, both of you are correct, and as much as I love the bickering, let’s move on to Zarei and Moreno - What is your rival’s signature offensive move?”
Zarei hesitates. “Step-back three?” he eventually guesses.
“That’s right!” Gio responds. “Moreno?”
Moreno’s answer is more confident. “Fadeaway jumper.”
Gio nods, pressing the button that updates the scoreboard with a flourish. “Both correct again. You folks sure have studied each other’s careers well - not a single wrong answer yet! Really makes you wonder who will give the first. Rozanov and Hollander, your next question is - what is your rival’s favourite move in the shootout?”
“If you want us to slip up, ask harder questions,” Ilya quips. “He does a forehand drag to blocker side. Almost every time.”
“His is a backhand five-hole.”
Gio confirms, then asks about batting glove colour, sleeve colour, and tape colour, and each pair gets the questions right. Gio then asks the MLB players about their bat weights, the players correctly answering with 31 and 33 oz. The NBA players get a question about shoe line, also both answering correctly - with greater ease than the previous question, Shane notes. Shane and Ilya answer a question about each other’s preferred stick flex, and the next question is about each player’s jersey numbers before the major leagues. All three teams, again, get their answers correct. They’ve been tied for all game, and as Shane has realised they’ve been matched against pairs who were just as obsessively familiar with each other as he and Ilya were, the urge to win has only become stronger. One glance at Ilya’s face tells him that he’s thinking the same thing.
“Alright, Ferreira first and then DeLuca - Which team did your rival hit their first MLB home run against?”
Ferreira pauses. “Uh… he hit a home run in his first game - I think it was against the Philadelphia Evergreens?”
“That is correct! DeLuca?”
DeLuca mutters something inaudible.
Ferreira gets a glint in his eye. “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.”
Louder this time, DeLuca repeats, “It was against the New York Skyliners.”
Ferreira smirks as Gio directs his attention to the NBA players. “Zarei and Moreno, a similar question for you. Which team did your rival score their first NBA basket against?”
Zarei has to think over this one, eventually guessing “Was it the Cleveland Aces?”
Moreno shakes his head. “No, it was the Indiana Stormbreakers. Yours was against the Cleveland Aces.”
“And we have our first wrong answer from Zarei! I almost thought it wasn’t going to happen! Rozanov and Hollander, who was your rival’s first NHL goal scored against?”
“Is easy, Brooklyn Scouts. When are these questions going to get difficult?”
Shane rolls his eyes. “His was against the New York Admirals.”
“Correct again! For the last question of round one, the same question will be going to each of you, and you’ll answer in a line - What was the first individual trophy your rival won?”
“Gold Glove.”
“Rookie of the Year.”
“Defensive Player of the Year.”
“Most Improved Player.”
“Hart Memorial Trophy.” Shane pauses before adding, “In 2014.”
Ilya scoffs. “Junior League MVP. 2009.”
Gio gives a startled look. “We were prepared to accept Rookie of the Year for your answer - but you’re correct! Hollander did win Junior League MVP in 2009, so a point to you and to your team!” He gestured to some of the crew off to the side. “Alright, guys, let’s take five.” Shane noticed his talking voice was significantly less animated than it had been while the cameras were rolling. He also noticed Ilya looking at him with a competitive glint in his eye.
“We are winning this, yes?”
“Of course.”
“I bet I end with more points than you,” he said, a glint in his eye.
“Fuck off,” Shane replied.
“What? Is just fun competition.”
“Yeah, whatever, asshole.” Nothing had more of an effect on him than competing with Ilya, and Ilya knew that fully well.
“Unless you think you won’t be able to answer their questions right…?”
“Oh, fuck you, it’s on.”
Ilya laughed as Gio got the attention of the contestants again. Once the camera was rolling, he shifted back into a dramatic cadence. “Alright, we are entering the second round, and our MLB players have 9 points, tied for first with our NHL players, the individual players with nine points each, and our NBA players are behind with 8 points - Zarei is at 8 individual points, while Moreno has nine. We’ve only gotten one wrong answer across all three pairs, but that’s bound to change soon, as we’re ramping up the difficulty for our round two questions! This time, all players will be getting the same question, and they’ll write down their own answers on the whiteboards provided. Then, we’ll start from one side of the room and make our way across for each player’s answers. Are you guys ready?”
Various noises of assent came from the six players, and Gio continued. “Alright, we’re starting off simple - What is your rival’s birthday?”
After everyone had written down their birthdays, Gio looked towards Ilya to start.
“May 10, 1991.”
Shane revealed his board. Ilya was, of course, correct. “His is June 15, also 1991.”
Two of the remaining players got the question right, one on each team. The next question was “What is your rival’s childhood idol in your sport?”
Shane and Ilya had actually discussed this at length. Largely to argue which player was better. Needless to say, they both got that one right, as did one of the other players. Shane felt a sense of smug pride at their two-point lead that he quickly squashed. Now was not the time.
“How early does your rival typically arrive to a game?”
“Three hours. He likes to get ready before locker room gets too crowded.”
Shane nodded as he revealed his board. “Two hours. Il- Uh, Rozanov is usually the third or fourth player on his team to arrive. Barrett and Hayes regularly get there pretty early.”
His answer was also correct.
They moved on to questions about their favourite and least favourite non-home arenas. Ilya correctly identified TD Garden as Shane’s favourite. Shane answered that Ilya’s was the Bell Centre. Both of them listed Toronto as their least favourite.
“What is your rival’s favourite professional accomplishment?”
“He is proud of franchise record for longest game win streak. 18. Streak that I ended, by the way.”
Shane shot a glare at Ilya, though he was aware of the fondness still present in his eyes, and the look he received in return showed him that Ilya was, as well. “Don’t get cocky. That game was a tie.”
“A tie is not a win, Hollander.”
“Whatever. His is having the Rozanov named after him.”
Gio chuckles. “Not winning the vote for most punchable player in the league?”
Shane shook his head. “No. He takes pride in that, but he doesn’t consider that much of an accomplishment.”
Ilya revealed his board to show that Shane was correct, and shrugged. “Is not difficult for me, to be most punchable. Hockey players are punch-happy. Why do you think we have so many fights?”
“What music does your rival warm up to?”
Shane noticed the other players were getting these questions right much less frequently now. Neither he nor Ilya had been wrong yet.
“He has a classic rock playlist,” Shane answered once they were done writing. “He refuses to let his team play any music, after Dykstra played too much country.”
“Is not my fault team has bad taste in music,” Ilya responded as he revealed his board to show Shane’s correct answer. “He listens to game recordings while warming up. Has special headphones and everything.”
Gio raised an eyebrow. “That’s not really music, though, is it? Wouldn’t Hollander’s answer be ‘none’, if that’s the case?”
“No,” Ilya shook his head. “He wrote down ‘game tapes’.”
Shane revealed his board. He had written ‘game audio’, and Ilya was awarded the point.
“What does your rival complain about most after games?”
Ilya glanced at Shane with a smile as he answered. “He hates early-morning flights.” He omitted the reason for it, electing instead to give Shane a look almost bordering on suggestive as he revealed his board.
Shane made aggressive eye contact with a table in the back of the room. “He complains about officiating. I don’t think there’s been a single game he’s played where he’s agreed with every call made that game.”
“Maybe that would change if refs made right calls more often.”
The next question was “Which of your rival’s teammates annoy them the most?”
Shane wrote ‘None’ on his board, as Ilya responded, “Pike.” Before Shane could triumphantly reveal his board, however, he kept talking. “He won’t admit it though. He’s too polite. He wrote ‘Nobody’, probably.”
Shane glared at Ilya as he revealed his board. “His is Harris Drover.” Upon confused looks from the crew and host, he added, “That’s the Centaurs’ social media manager.”
“That’s… not a teammate.”
“It’s his answer, though.” And as Ilya revealed his board, he was proven right.
“He is always telling me I cannot post things or say things.” Ilya stared directly at the camera as he blew a raspberry. “I say what I want.”
Gio awarded them the point. They took another break, this one a bit longer, and Shane chose to stand up and grab some grapes from a snack table off to the side.
Moreno approached the table shortly after him, picking up a small pastry that looked far too sweet for Shane’s taste. “So, you and Rozanov know each other pretty well, huh? Maybe I should be studying Zarei’s games more,” he chuckled.
The thought that they were maybe giving too much away nagged at the back of his mind, and Shane felt the need to justify himself. “I mean, we’ve been working together for the Irina Foundation. So we’ve kinda been talking more lately.” He hoped the laugh he gave came across as friendly rather than awkward.
“Well, I guess you guys have an advantage over us, then. We’ll have to settle for competing for third behind you two.”
“You and the rest of the NHL.”