Chapter Text
"Oh shit"
An expletive which can - depending on where it's said and who said it – be deeply disturbing or something you would brush off with no more than a shrug.
Coming from Carter Vaughn, sitting on Scott’s right in the Kingfisher with one of those colorful, curious-tasting new cocktails in front of him and already looking a little too pleased with said cocktail, Scott decides it’s the latter.
That is, until he notices that Eric Bennet and Greg Huff on the other side of the booth have gone deadly silent all of a sudden. Scott looks up from his phone at where is Kip leaning on Scott’s left side, one hand unconsciously found its way onto Scott’s bicep. Kip wears a frown on his face, the look in his eyes somewhere between There is no banana left on a Game Day and Scott forgot a very important art exhibition opening Kip had talked about for weeks.
Frowning as well, Scott follows Kip’s eyes to where a sports talk show is shown in the big Screen above the bar. The moment Scott’s eyes find the screen, Kyle apparently turns up the volume from somewhere behind the bar, so Scott gets the full experience of what happens next.
The two talk show hosts are chatting quite excitedly, tossing words in the air about some fanMail leak while time and again waving their hands at the big greenscreen behind them where an admittedly blurred but still clearly identifiable picture is shown of …
Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander kissing.
Oh shit, is everything that crosses Scott’s mind, internally repeating what Vaughn had blurted out loudly only moments before. And if that weren’t enough, the picture in the background suddenly goes full-screen, leaving absolutely no room for doubt that it’s two of hockey’s greatest legends. Kissing. And on top of that, they're kissing like it's not the first time.
Hell, Scott knows it’s not the first time.
What makes it even worse is the gleeful glimmer in both show hosts’ eyes, their voices an octave too high while explaining to the viewers just how unbelievable this leak is, as if every viewer of the show didn't already know that anyway.
– “None of us would have probably even dreamt of seeing two of Hockey’s biggest rivals, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, getting this cozy, don’t you think, Cathy?”
– “Clearly not, Tom, nothing I ever expected to see. Even though there are surely fans out there who have a preference for precisely this specific type of frenemies, I think that’s what it is called in these fandoms. But let's look at the fanMail video again. If you look closely, you see …”
Flabbergasted, Scott watches the video starting again, this time full-screen but not zoomed in. There is Hayden Pike sending birthday wishes for some random fan, appearing somewhat awkward in the process, Scott notices, not that it matters now. Pike is, clearly, notoriously oblivious to his background. Where Rozanov and Hollander are kissing. Very passionately, one might add.
It's very clear, from this point of view, that both are comfortable with each other there. That they are not paying attention to their surroundings. They probably don’t have to, Scott thinks with a pang of some kind of pain. Because they think this place is safe.
- “Well, don't they look comfortable with each other? Not much of a rivalry at all.”
- “Whatever this is, they surely are closer than we all expected!”
... show host Tom states as if it’s not a life-shattering moment for at least two people.
It feels like someone poured a bucket of icy-cold water over Scott’s head, seeing a nightmare he once feared come true, for someone else. Someone who will likely get even more backlash than Scott had ever feared for himself.
"Oh damn, that's gotta be a joke, right? I mean, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov?", Vaughn says incredulous.
Scott ignores him in favor of taking his phone again, scrolling through his contacts, not sure if ...
"It doesn't look like a joke, though", Bennet states, ever the perceptive goalie. Next to him, Huff makes an unintelligible sound that can be interpreted as agreement.
- “There is no confirmation, or any comment at all, from either Ilya Rozanov or Shane Hollander”
... the show host – Cathy – supplies.
Scott’s finger hovers over a name, a contact he had almost forgotten he had saved, back when they were in the same All-Stars roster.
"Internet is going to explode because of this", Vaughn mumbles and it is this comment that makes the decision for Scott. He stops guessing, opens the empty chat and types a message. Then, without thinking any further, he sends it.
"That’s not gonna be easy for them, will it?", Kip asks the group, a warm and steady hand finding its way on Scott’s thigh to give it a gentle and reassuring squeeze.
"Surely not. But. It is totally mad" Vaughn answers, then, apparently thinking his answer through, adds, "Well, not the gay thing. Them being them. I mean, it's Rozanov we're talking about!"
"Weren't there also rumors about Hollander ...?", Bennet asks quietly.
Meanwhile, the two show hosts had moved on to talking about Rozanov’s and Hollander’s long history, from being drafted as the two biggest Hockey legends of their generation, their relentless rivalry and the unexpected friendship that has formed between them recently.
- “It was quite a shock when Ilya Rozanov left Boston to play for Ottawa Centaurs.”
- “Agreed, Tom, but one might argue it was an even bigger shock when he announced a charity with none other than Shane Hollander! We all thought they wanted to move away somewhat from the facade of rivalry, growing into adulthood. But in light of recent events …”
Scott's phone buzzes, indicating a new message. Hastily, he grabs it and stares at the chat.
Scott stares at his phone for a long second, dumbfounded, before he remembers who exactly he had messaged. Why on earth hadn’t he saved Shane Hollander’s contact, back then?
And: Gay messiah?
The reply comes immediately.
Scott takes a deep breath after reading and thinks about deleting Rozanov’s contact, just for a second, when his phone vibrates again, indicating another incoming message.
"Rumors about Hollander? What kind?", Kip’s question tears Scott away from his phone, suddenly feeling sure about what Rozanov tries to say behind these words. It’s Rozanov, though, so Scott shouldn’t expect any capability of communication. At least not without any chirps or bullshit.
"I mean, I don't know for sure. It's just rumors, but Montreal have played shit this season", Vaughn starts, searching for Scott’s face. When he realizes Scott won't fill in the blanks, he continues, carefully: "Apparently, he came out to his team and they didn't take it well."
Their attention is drawn to the screen again, where Cathy and Tom are speculating right now. It makes Scott’s insides twist.
- “Now, we all wondered why Ilya Rozanov, one of the greatest hockey players of his generation - and probably of any generation – moved to Ottawa of all places ..."
- “Yes, Tom, we all wondered! Don’t say you might have an inkling why?"
- “Well, it's not a secret that Ottawa is Shane Hollander’s hometown! His family still lives there. And die-hard fans know, he even built himself a private cottage there, Cathy. I mean, should we wonder?"
- “You think Ilya Rozanov moved to Ottawa for Shane Hollander?"
"This is totally bullshit. It's a witch hunt", Kip interrupts whatever Tom is replying to Cathy’s suggestion, obviously enraged by the whole conversation. Scott feels a pang of affection and gratitude for his fiancé. Kip’s hand is still on Scott’s thigh, warm, present and comforting. Scott looks at his phone again, typing:
He doesn’t dare to write Hollander’s name in a text, even if it’s all over media. He clicks on send instead. Then he stares at his phone for a moment, wondering what had possessed him to offer help to Ilya Rozanov of all people. Then again, Rozanov can be decent, when he wants to. Scott knows, because Ilya Rozanov was one of the very few hockey players seeking him out after his coming out. Scott hadn’t expected him to be nice about it. In truly Rozanov fashion, the younger one had made a few ridiculous (but admittedly harmless) jokes, and then ...
"You've been awfully quiet", Kip’s voice interrupts his inner thoughts. His fiancé looks concerned and Scott can’t blame him. Scott hadn’t offered much of his thoughts in the last minutes or so.
Kip had tried to ask him quietly. But Vaughn, Bennet and Huff are watching him like hawks, with a thoughtful look on Huff’s face and something like understanding in Bennet’s eyes Scott doesn't like.
Damn perceptive goalies, he thinks, when Bennet’s next words confirms that Scott is easier to read than he thought.
"You knew, didn't you?"
It's a simple question, quietly asked, so nobody outside their booth could have heard it. The words are still ringing very loud in Scott's head, bringing back other words in his mind, he had overheard a long time ago.
"1221"
Scott notices that his reaction, or lack thereof, is probably answer enough for the small group. He doesn't want to say too much, doesn't have the right to. But he can offer that much, he thinks.
"I had suspicions", he mutters, looking down at his phone that now lies on the table, screen black. He wonders if Rozanov will reply, if he even might call.
"Shit", Vaughn curses, for the second time that night, though sounding more intrigued than pissed. Scott shoots an apologetic look at Kip. Kip however – his beautiful, wonderful fiancé – just gives him a soft, understanding smile. Scott wishes to stay in this exact moment a little longer, just looking at Kip with a probably dumbstruck face, when sports show hosts Cathy and Tom catch his attention again.
- “It was rather striking how Ilya Rozanov reacted to Scott Hunter’s memorable coming out after winning the Cup as well."
- “Oh, we all love Scott Hunter for this very special moment – a moment of true romance and meaning."
- “Yes, of course, Tom. But let's be honest: Hockey still is a very conservative sport. Many players were careful to say anything – positive or negative – about this event. Of course, Hunter’s own teammates showed support. Very honourable of them, I might add ..."
"What bullshit", Vaughn muttered, chewing on the straw of his cocktail. It makes Scott feel a wave of affection for his Alternate. It’s true, though. His team had shown a lot of support. Still does, if he looks at Vaughn, Bennet and Huff being comfortable hanging out here in the Kingfisher.
- “But not everyone was so open. And people surely didn't expect Ilya Rozanov, king of chirps and Russian elite hockey player, to take sides!"
With this, an old interview of Ilya Rozanov started playing on the screen. Scott had seen it before. Had actually been shocked about it because yes, Rozanov is an asshole and also a Russian elite hockey player, no matter what he is up to with Hollander when they are alone. In no way had he expected what Rozanov had said when vultures had caught up with him at some airport. Between a dozen questions about next season and how Rozanov planned to spend his summer, a reporter had asked about Rozanov’s reaction to Scott Hunter kissing a guy after winning the Cup.
Ilya Rozanovs reply wouldn't have been very outstanding or even nice, if it weren't for who had given the answer.
"He won Cup even though he is dinosaur. But dinosaur can party, we all saw it on ice. I give him that. I'm looking forward to win the Cup next season and partying as well."
While Rozanov’s interview is repeated on screen, Scott wonders if Rozanov did phrase his words like this on purpose. Then again, it's Rozanov, so Scott really wouldn't be surprised by a deliberate innuendo.
"You know, he sounds like he means to kiss a boyfriend on the ice after winning the Cup, too", Vaughn repeats what Scott had thought as well.
"He probably just wants to be a pain in the ass, as always", Bennet concludes and Scott laughs at that.
Kip’s hand, which hadn't left his thigh until now, is suddenly gone. Kip stares at the screen, Scott notices, looking upset. "I know I'm repeating myself, but this is insane. They're going through every little detail in their lives."
"Well, of course it's bullshit. But it's still Rozanov, so ...", Vaughn won’t be able to finish the sentence, because Cathy and Tom gleefully announce another video that is supposed to show how not straight Ilya Rozanov is.
Scott groans loudly when he sees the beginning, because he knows this video. Had been happy, the first time he saw it on his phone, that it never blew up that much, even though it had potential for a massive blow-up.
Recorded somewhere on a rooftop, the footage shows two blurry figures standing beside each other next to the railing. You can’t make them out for sure, but if you look closely, you can guess Rozanov’s blond thatch and Scott’s own dark hair. While Cathy happily explains that the video is likely recorded somewhere during the MHL Awards Night, the two people on the screen are talking and then ...
Even from this blurred view, Scott sees the trepidation in Rozanov’s posture – hell, he’s seen it back then – and the way he moves gives away that Rozanov is not as sober as he would probably have liked to claim. Then he leans forward abruptly, toward a clearly startled Scott, embracing him in a very quick and clumsy hug.
Cathy and Tom are still chatting agitatedly, their voices even higher now with excitement, while the Rozanov in the video leaves a very startled Scott behind, disappearing a bit too hasty behind one of the doors leading inside.
The Scott in the present groans again and buries his head in his arms, trying very hard not to look at Kip or his teammates, who are suspiciously quiet. A reprieve, of course.
"Is this video fake?", Bennet asks flabbergasted.
"Are you friends with Rozanov?", Vaughn almost shouts.
"Do I need to be jealous?" Kip says, clearly laughing.
"NO. To all of this!", Scott barely cries.
It’s this exact moment, his phone decides to make this even worse, buzzing with an incoming call. Since it's still lying on the table of their booth in front of Scott, screen-side up, the whole group gets a good look on the caller’s name.
Calling: Rozanov
Scott groans again.