Work Text:
July 2017
Shane and Scott Hunter had always been…work colleagues, essentially. They were friendly enough to have each other’s personal cell numbers, but never close enough to actually text like friends. Which was why Shane was surprised to suddenly get a text from Scott Hunter out of the blue one afternoon.
Scott: Hey man, I just wanted to say thanks again for your email after the cup. It meant a lot to me.
Shane tried not to shake as he typed out a reply, trying to sound casual, not sure how much he should say. He didn’t have the time to carefully edit himself the way he wanted to, like he had with his email.
Shane: Yeah, sure thing. Like I said, it's good for the league, and it’s going to mean a lot to a lot of young players. Brave as hell.
Scott: Also I wanted to check in on how you were healing up from that hit you took. We missed you in the playoffs and in Vegas
Shane: Doing a lot better now. Sorry I couldn’t be there in person to support you at the awards. I watched your speech though, it was great.
Scott: Glad to hear you’re on the mend, sorry you missed the awards, and “Scott Hunter night” after.
Shane: Oh that thing at a club after? I heard about that, how did it go?
Scott: Ok I think? Kip said it was good, but I don’t know.
Scott: Plenty of people there, but not very many players. Would have been nice to have a few more I guess.
Scott: It was my first time in a gay club, actually. I’m not used to all this yet.
Shane: Kip’s your bf? Congrats man
Scott: Yeah. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be bugging you over the summer when you’re trying to recover. I probably shouldn’t be saying any of this.
Shane: ?
Shane: It’s fine you're not bugging me :)
Scott: I’m still really new to all of this. Coming out, telling people that I’m gay and that I’m in a relationship.
Scott: But 2 of the first times I did it, actually said it out loud, first to my friends on the team and then to Coach Murdock, both times, do you know what they said to me? When I said I was seeing someone?
Scott: Huff told me he was worried I was gonna say I was secretly dating Rosanov.
Scott: And then Murdock said “It’s not Rozanov, is it?”
Shane felt his stomach drop and his heart start pounding. At the same time, he felt a delirious laugh rise up in his throat. Before he could think better of it, he opened the camera on his phone and snapped a picture of the view right in front of him: Ilya on the other end of the same couch, with their legs tangled together.
Shane: No, you clearly have better taste than that
He started typing another message before pausing - Ilya was already looking up from his own phone.
“What? Who are you texting? Rose again?” Ilya lightly kicked Shane in the shin.
“I–it’s not Rose.”
“You’re blushing, should I be jealous?”
“What would you say if I said I think Scott Hunter suspects us?” Shane asked, struggling to keep his tone even and calm.
Illya shrugged languidly, “Just Hunter? Hunter’s fine.”
“Really?” Shane wanted to confirm.
“We said we were being honest at the cottage, we’re saying how we really feel.”
“I meant that for us, we don’t have to say how we feel to everyone who asks.”
“Your parents know, why not Scott Hunter?”
Shane suspected that Ilya felt more about it than he was letting on, but he hit send on the message and the attached picture before he could chicken out.
Shane: I wish I could say the same of myself.
<picture attached>
Scott: Your boy looked good on the dancefloor at Scott Hunter night
Shane couldn’t help but let out a loud burst of laughter. His boy. He remembered how much terror that phrase had filled him with before, but now the cold pit in his stomach radiated with warmth. When Ilya looked up at him questioningly, Shane just threw his phone at him.
Ilya caught it deftly and scrolled through the brief conversation on the screen with a furrowed brow before he started typing something back.
Shane leapt to the other side of the couch, trying to get his phone back.
“Hey! What are you –” Shane asked, as Ilya held the phone just out of his reach until he could hit send.
Shane: So did yours ;)
Shane: Sorry that was from Ilya
From there the phone tumbled from the couch where it wouldn’t be looked at until morning, neither Shane nor Ilya noticed when it buzzed again.
Scott: Give Roz my number so he can text me his thoughts about my boyfriend himself. Got your back.