Work Text:
Ilya was thoroughly unprepared for his phone to blow up on a miserably ordinary day in February 2021. A few home games in Ottawa that they’d managed to win with the hot streak they had going it’s exciting in a monotonous way. Predictable now that they know they can and will win. So when notifications start rattling in to the point he starts to fear his phone will explode he checks it eagerly.
—-
Bood: So
Barrett: ??
Lapointe: idk what i did but i didnt do it
Holmberg: me either
Boyle: Are we finally banning Dykstra from aux permanently?
Lapointe: I agree with this
Dykstra: I’m right here asshole
Boyle: I will not be silenced
Chouinard: If I have to be subjected to his singing on ice everyone else should hear it over the speakers
Dykstra: Subjected? You are serendaded
Holmberg: Big word for you
Lapointe: Very impressive
Chouinard: Sausage is a big word for him
Bood: Oh my God shut up.
Hayes: Are we in trouble :(?
Bood: I have assembled us here to discuss the Luca problem
Rozanov: What’s wrong with the boy??
Lapointe: His hopeless crush on Roz? I agree it’s getting concerning
Holmberg: he hisses when we tell him to throw that coffee cup away
Holmberg: nvm the POSTER
Lapointe: Bro do not even bring up the poster to me rn
Hayes: I know a guy who can frame the coffee cup for him
Lapointe: Please do not enable him
Bood: Not that crush
Rozanov: He has a different crush?
Boyle: You’ve been replaced for a while Cap
Rozanov: How long
Boyle: Since end of January at least,
Lapointe: Longer
Bood: So we all know who the crush is
Lapointe: yep
Holmberg: yeppers
Boyle: indeed
Dykstra: “indeed”??
[Boyle “:middle_finger” reacted this message]
Rozanov: I DO NOT.
Rozanov: WHO??? WHO IS MY BOY CRUSHING ON
Bood: Young.
Dykstra: Oh that’s why he’s not here
Chouinard: I was wondering why it’s so quiet
Rozanov: Young???
Bood: Exactly.
Bood: It’s hopelessly unrequited
Rozanov: We must fix this
Barrett: Roz stop googling conversion camps they don’t go that way
Rozanov: They should
Lapointe: omfg
[Ilya Rozanov has named the group chat INTERVENTION]
Boyle: I feel like this can only go wrong
Rozanov: Nonsense
Hayes: What? No way
Hayes: Luca can do better anyways Young is, god forbid, a suicide squad fan
Lapointe: pretty sure he was just ragebaiting you
Hayes: my point stands
Barrett: I'm opting out
Rozanov: That's because he’s your favourite rookie
Barrett: I don't have a favourite
Lapointe: nah it’s cool we know
Holmberg: we’ve always known
Holmberg: like how Luca is caps fav
Rozanov: At least I am loud and proud about it
Bood: Hey hey, focus.
Bood: Who here knows how to get him over his crush.
Rozanov: I’ve never been rejected so no cards here
Lapointe: already been threatened into no meddling
Holmberg: I was bribed
Lapointe: man the favouritism goes crazy
Boyle: I’m their linemate I’m not risking the on ice chemistry
Rozanov: I’ll risk it for you
Boyle: Please I like having a productive line
Bood: Luca’s a good player it’ll be fine
Boyle: :(
Chouinard: We gotta let him grieve the crush
Chouinard: man my emo phase was so good for this
Rozanov: I demand pictures
Chouinard: over my dead body.
Dykstra: I know a great song for this
Lapointe: NO
Boyle: ABSOLUTELY NOT
—-
They gave Dykstra the aux.
It’s a moment of weakness meant to inspire closure within Luca Haas’ heart whilst they take a coach to their next game. Ilya can’t remember its name but it’s something written by Brad Paisley something and Dykstra had insisted on describing it as being about ‘moving on’ yet also being ‘hopeful’. To him it sounds like vague country noises and a wish for headphones.
Ilya had chosen his seat carefully, usually he went close to the front. Easy to hide his phone when texting Shane and always the first off after an obnoxiously long ride. Today, however, he went closer to the middle right across from where the rookies always go. Lapointe and Holmberg are already asleep - Lapointe with a sleep mask on, wireless headphones in and snoring open mouthed whilst Holmberg’s head is pillowed on Lapointe’s shoulder while wearing a bulky pair of headphones. Haas and Young on the other hand.
Now that it’s been pointed out to him, Haas’ crush on Young is obvious to the point where Ilya fears his gaydar needs checking. It’s not the puppy-crush filled with admiration that had been directed towards him the entire time; instead, it’s the two rookies crowding in around a phone and sharing a pair of wired headphones. Luca leaning in like a tree under a strong gale, eyes not even on the screen but instead on Young and listening intently whilst he yaps about whatever movie they’d put on. It’s sappy and the infatuation painfully obvious - all things Yuna and David say about how he looks at Shane. It’s that serious.
What else becomes obvious? The music ploy is not working. Every other player including the target has headphones on and Ilya is becoming increasingly certain the intermittent chatter he can hear is not in fact from his fellow Centaurs but dialogue from Young and Luca’s movie because the audio is cranked all the way to max to drown out the noise from Dykstra’s playlist - that Ilya is sure that if he checked its name on spotify it would be called ‘Cowboy Yearning’.
Clearly, this is not working.
—
Rozanov: okay someone take the aux back this plan is failure
Boyle: please.
Dykstra: I refuse
Dykstra: I have been given the power I’m not giving it up
Rozanov: mutiny!!
Dykstra: I'm not captain you can’t mutiny against me
Rozanov: tyrant
Bood: someone just tackle him and steal the phone.
Rozanov: shhhh do not plan where he can see
—-
Desperate times call for desperate measures, the hug Luca and Young shared after a - honestly very impressive breakaway - goal was borderline indecent and went on for a few seconds too long. Haas is a quivering worm hooked on Young and he needs to be freed and Ilya Rozanov is a benevolent captain.
—-
Rozanov: Get Harris
Rozanov: And dress slutty we are going to Kingfisher
Barrett: why
Rozanov: Luca has to sleep the crush away
Rozanov: repression is not good for a growing boy
Barrett: And here I thought it could be ‘oh yeah scott hunter, gay icon of the league, can give him advice’
Rozanov: never say those words again
Rozanov: he does not represent me
Rozanov: I am young and sexy he is fossil even if his bones are rainbow
Barrett: Talking as if you aren’t a regular at his bar
Rozanov: Kip and Kyle are bestie
Barrett: ,,who is teaching you these things
—-
It takes being a younger sibling and a certain mastery of assholery to know exactly how loud and fast to knock on a door to annoy the person behind it. Luca may have the patience of a saint but Ilya has been a master of this skill since he was young. That is to say approximately three seconds into battering door 1232 down Luca swings it open looking irritated and confused with the fledgling beginnings of a blush on his face. Scruffy blonde curly hair, full rimmed wayfair glasses and baby blue eyes, the dance floor will be easy pickings for him.
The outfit needs work, that being a grey partially unzipped hoodie and jeans. Raising a brow Ilya says, “Get changed, we are going out.”
Luca looks at him confused, then into his room and back again before saying, “Give me a minute to wake Young up.”
“No no,” Ilya waves him off, “Just bring yourself.”
“Okay?” Luca says, stepping back enough that Ilya can now see into the room where Young is sprawled face down on one of the beds, a spot next to him rumpled from someone else sitting there whilst the other bed is untouched.
—-
Rozanov: Haasy needs to get up
Barrett: What??
Rozanov: he’s down bad
—-
Luca reappears in a dusty blue henley that’s loose around his shoulders but too short in the torso. Whatever, not everyone can be as stylish as he is. “Alright vamanos,” he says, clapping his hands. He’d shot Hunter a text earlier in the night, saying something along the lines of ‘if you have any gay rookies bring them’ and when questioned the phrase i’ll show you mine if you show me yours was used in relation to the aforementioned gay rookies. It’s a great plan. A little rivalry gets the blood pumping, he should know.
Hunter does not deliver because he is a boring old man, but he is still warm and welcoming giving Luca a pat on the shoulder - Luca whose face immediately flares up in a splotchy blush and both Harris and Troy seem to nod in commiseration. Why is he surrounded by Scott Hunter fans. Gross.
“Where are my favourite bartenders?” He asks rather than greeting Scott in any meaningful way.
“Preparing as many stupid cocktail adjacent combinations as they can for you,” Scott answers easily, gesturing over his shoulder to where Kyle is standing at the blender looking manic. “You’re in trouble,” he adds, mildly.
“Trouble is where it's most fun,” Ilya argues before looping an arm round Luca, “Haasy with me, time for the best education in drinking.” The rookie tries to look over his shoulder to plead with Harris and Troy but Troy is busy yapping to Hunter about tomorrow’s game and Harris just takes a picture of the two of them. He’s sure it will end up on twitter later with @Rozanov8I tagged and his phone vibrating to hell and back.
When he slides up to the bar it isn’t long until Kyle is sliding what tastes like a Pornstar Martini without the prosecco over to him and saying, “So who have you brought me today?” Kyle is like a shark in the water, sniffing out baby queers on their first gay bar trip and it appears Luca is his newest target. Surprisingly, Luca doesn’t flush that red - he still does it’s not Luca if he isn’t blushing in some capacity - and simply introduces himself as a Centaur player. “Ilya why is it your team gets all the gay rookies,” Kyle complains, “So many people here would be happy to have a hockey player but no you’re all in Ottawa.”
“It’s because we get screened,” Luca says, a little smile on his face that is so Shane Hollander thinking he’s funny that Ilya’s chest hurts for a moment, “If we score lower than 50% on an are you gay quiz it’s back to the AHL.”
“I see, I see,” Kyle nods, rubbing his chin like a scheming advisor, “and this works?”
“Look at the stats,” Luca grins and Ilya pats him on the back, pointing out the booth Troy and Harris have taken over and ditches. There’s a brunette with similar freckles to Young who has been eyeing Luca since they settled at the bar. Within five minutes their mysterious stranger has approached Luca and they’re chatting.
Leaning over to Troy he says, “Never doubt me again.” Gesturing towards Luca with an inordinate amount of pride.
Troy just raises a brow, taking a long drink of cider before looking at Luca and back again, “He doesn’t seem that interested.”
“No wonder you like Scott Hunter,” he sniffs, “you are blind.”
“Why is my name always in your mouth,” Scott gripes as he sits down, placing a pint on a rainbow coloured coaster and shuffling over slightly to let Kip squeeze into the booth too.
“Only way anyone would want to say it,” Ilya responds, grinning around the rim of his glass. He notices Kip muffling a snort into his glass and the betrayed glance Scott sends him. There’s a reason Kip is bestie. “Either way, Troy, you are simply blind. Misinformed even.”
“Yuh-huh,” Troy says, a smile pulling up on one side of his face, “So blind I saw the puck you completely missed at that game the other day?”
“That was a training exercise,” Ilya defends, feeling his face heat and choosing to believe it’s from the alcohol content in the martini, not embarrassment.
“When we were tied?” Troy asks.
“Yes.” Everyone else at the table laughs at him. Traitors. All of them. He’s going to check that old man into the boards in vengeance tomorrow. Either way he decides if the people here cannot appreciate his genius then other people will and snaps a picture of Luca at the bar. He’s still talking to the same brunette with a small smile.
—-
[Ilya Rozanov has sent an attachment]
Rozanov: My genius is at work.
Lapointe: HELLO??
Holmberg: Why weren’t we invited out wtf
Bood: That’s not relevant
Hayes: Why does he lowkey look like Young lmao
Rozanov: Haasy is just a brunette + freckles magnet
Bood: That’s called having a type
Lapointe: Yo cap what bar you in
Barrett: Kingfisher
Barrett: Me and Harris were dragged along too
Rozanov: **Harris and I
Barrett: Who asked
—
The next thing he knows is Lapointe, Holmberg and Young are bursting through the doors to the Kingfisher.
—-
Rozanov: Petition to ban Lapointe and Holmberg from this chat
Rozanov: They are ruining my scheme
Bood: What have they done??
Barrett: Shown up
Barrett: The guy trying to chat up Luca has been completely stone walled, haasy already left to join those three
Bood: @Ezra Lapointe, @Jakob Holmberg , why
Bood: explain yourselves
Holmberg: I have the right to remain silent
—-
Soon enough the rookies are collapsing in on the booth, Luca next to Young on Ilya’s side and Holmberg and Lapointe on Kip’s side. Snickering a little Kip asks, “So you guys are the rest of the rookies?”
“Yep,” Young says, plucking Luca’s glass straight out of his hand and taking a long sip before putting it back, “The captain’s favouritism is obvious right?”
“You can’t say shit,” Lapointe cuts in, grinning over at Young, “You and Barrett are always running drills and that together.”
“So you have a favourite too?” Kip asks as he turns to Troy.
Grumbling, Troy insists, “I don’t have a favourite - Scott do you have a favourite rookie?”
“Yep,” Hunter admits, easily with a little grin, “he’s the most polite one we have.”
“Boring,” Ilya and Young say at the same time and high five over Luca.
“Hey wait a minute,” Young says, staring intently at Luca - who is slowly becoming redder and redder. “Is that my fucking henley!?” He shouts and Ilya watches fascinated as he starts tugging at Luca’s shirt until he can flip the neckline out enough to read the tag aloud “Size… dude it is!” Lapointe and Holmberg openly laugh at Young’s scandalised tone - Young who continues to shout, “I was looking for this, I was gonna wear it tonight!” Meanwhile Luca is steadfastly staring forward and sipping his drink.
“I didn’t pack any going out clothes,” Luca defends after he swallows his latest sip, “and you seriously can’t say anything Aiden.”
“Why can’t I,” Young goades and Luca reaches out and tugs on the neckline of the dark green sweater he’s wearing.
“This is literally mine,” Luca says and Ilya can definitely see that now, it’s too long in the arms and torso for Young but far too tight around the shoulders.
“Do you two just share a closet?” Kip asks, pointing a finger between the two rookies.
“Probably,” Troy comments.
“Y’know I wouldn’t be surprised if Aiden is wearing one of Luca’s belts right now,” Lapointe comments and Holmberg laughs.
“Bet on it?”
“Don’t” Young says, a sudden flush on his face and well, Ilya supposes that’s that answered.
—
Rozanov: I am serious about that petition
Bood: I’m not signing it we need our men on the inside
Rozanov: traitor
—
He ends up having to herd the rookies back to the hotel too. They insist on having a sleepover and all pile into one bed, stacking up like the gangliest pile of dominos ever invented. Lapointe starfishes in the middle of it all, Luca laid on his back next to him and Holmberg curled up on Lapointe’s other side. Young ends up turning himself into Luca’s blanket too, face planted into Haas’ collarbones. Ilya makes sure the bin is much closer to the bed than it was previously and returns to his own room.
—
So the operation to get Luca a hook up failed. But we adapt. We come back stronger. Rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Which is exactly what his operation will do too.
“Shanya,” He says, “It’s genius. Cannot fail at all.” Through the screen on his phone his fiance looks tired, face furrowed and frowning.
“I really don’t see how it will,” Shane says, and Ilya really does not approve of that doubt.
“It will!” He argues, “my gaydar has never led me astray; it is the perfect plan.”
“Gaydar??” Shane repeats incredulously, “..Who the hell is teaching you these terms.”
“That is not relevant,” Ilya responds, “But it is the rooks.”
“Right,” Shane says, “Back to the relevant topic at hand - you really think this random rookie from Tampa is gay? And going to show up?”
“Oh he’ll do more than show up,” Ilya says, grinning and he watches the way it inspires a smile from Shane that he can’t fight despite his best efforts. Snapping his fingers, Ilya adds, “He was also staring at Luca all of the time during the game earlier,” speaking around a yawn he suddenly gets quite a bit more excited, “oh he just texted me.”
“What did he say?” Shane asks.
Tutting, Ilya says, “I thought you didn’t like my gossip.”
“I never said that,” Shane argues, “just that it may be unprofessional to meddle this closely with Luca’s love life.”
“Eh, he’ll thank me later.” Ilya squints at his phone for a second before smiling. Tampa’s rookie had sent a selfie of the two of them at the ‘totally not a date what do you mean’ date location he’d booked them into. Luca seems to be smiling happily in it, eyes closed with prominent smile lines at the corners. He has done good.
Only for a second text to come in minutes later:
Luca’s possible Rookie: Hey so a different centaur player also just showed up???
And with this text, comes a second photo. “Uhm,” Shane says, “Ilya are you good?” Ignoring his fiance’s beautiful dulcet tones for the first time in his life, Ilya openly stares at the picture that has just come through. Young has somehow not only found out about this most recent scheme but managed to wedge himself in between the two players with his arms wrapped around both and grinning widely. This is ridiculous.
—-
Rozanov: Who snitched
Bood: What
Chouinard: What's gone on now?
Dykstra: I am so confused
Lapointe: did you have a scheme going on?
Rozanov: my best one yet
Rozanov: So How has Young managed to find out and foil it
Hayes: Roz you sound like a scooby doo villain
Rozanov: Young is a meddling kid
Lapointe: Neither me or Holmby snitched
Lapointe: He was chilling in our room, got a notif and suddenly got up and left
Holmberg: yea but not before saying “i’m needed elsewhere” like bro chill??
Bood: Who is he, batman??
Hayes: Absolutely not, I’m batman.
Rozanov: No i am
—-
The next morning at the bar, texting Shane a good morning and wishing Montreal a quick and painless defeat, Ilya looks up to see the Tampa rookie leaving. Walk of shame style. Thank god his plan worked.
—-
Rozanov: group suicide cancelled
Bood: say that again
Barrett: aw
Rozanov: my scheme worked
Rozanov: never been so blessed to witness a walk of shame
Barrett: Gross dude.
Holmberg: that’s great and all but then where tf was Young last night????
Rozanov: what
Holmberg: yh deadass he just didn’t come back to our room?? His location on snapmaps says he’s in the hotel though
Boyle: No sign of him here
Barrett: neither
Hayes: nope
Dykstra: yeah no
Lapointe: Found him.
Barrett: Where was he??
Lapointe: Around
—-
In Bood’s barbeque over the summer, after Shane Hollander graduated from his wonderful fiance to his husband and also the newest Ottawa Centaur, comes their final scheme. Which is Bood sitting down and just asking Luca about it all. Ilya thinks it’s their most boring one yet. Where is the spice?? The drama?? Why be overly involved in Haasy’s life if there is no excitement about the reveal.
Well there’s the tension in the room given there are those who are in the know and then there are the blissfully ignorant. Case in point Young, hopelessly oblivious and currently messing with Wyatt. Batman fancasts are apparently serious business. What stands out the most is the arm he has casually thrown around Luca’s shoulders whilst holding a bottle of cider. Luca himself doesn’t seem to notice or mind, simply focusing on the baseball game they threw on the TV for background noise. Without blinking Luca steals a piece of food directly from Young’s plate.
Shane shifts next to him, swallowing a bite of his frankly obscenely spicy chicken - hottest marinade and drowned in Bood’s home made chilli sauce - before whispering to him, “Are you sure he’s straight.”
“I’m getting my radar repaired,” is Ilya’s response, watching in a way that he hopes isn’t too eager as Bood sits down, beer in one hand and overloaded plate in the other. Lapointe and Holmberg are also in the room snickering between themselves whilst Troy and Boyle chit-chat. It seems as far as investment goes he, Bood and the defenceman duo of Dykstra and Chouinard are in the deepest.
“So,” Bood begins, “When should me and Cassie be expecting you four to start inviting people ‘round to these shindigs.”
Luca looks over briefly with a small smile before locking back in on the baseball, all he offers the room is, “My sister has been threatening to visit over the Christmas break this year.”
“Threatening?” Boyle questions.
“She’s a menace,” Young answers.
“Well it’d be nice to meet her,” Bood acquiesces, before turning to the other rookies, “What about you three, family? A girl we can be expecting?”
“Well if Holmby would give me his sister’s number already,” Lapointe starts only to get hit round the back of his head by Holmberg whilst the surrounding Centaurs chuckle.
Holmberg shrugs, “Haven’t really clicked with anyone yet.”
The remaining eyes all swivel towards Young, who seems to be lounging whilst openly eyeing the room back. Young then nudges Luca with his knee who nods and only then does he say, “I’ve been seeing someone.”
The room gets loud for a moment, Ilya being part of the noise happily. It feels like the locker room after a particularly good win, energy exploding outwards whilst Young sits in the eye of the storm.
“So what are they like?” Ilya asks, a teasing lilt to his voice as he watches Young’s ears start to darken at the top.
“Well,” Young begins, kissing his teeth and inhaling, “We’ve been seeing each other since New Year’s and they’re a pretty big Ottawa fan…” then, in a voice so much quieter Ilya has to lean forward and strain to hear the words, “... and you’ve already met them.”
“What was that?” Bood asks, whilst Wyatt seems to have figured something out and is grinning openly. Boyle and Barrett don’t seem overly surprised and it appears Lapointe and Holmberg are desperately trying not to laugh.
“You’ve already met them,” Young repeats, adding on a, “multiple times,” when it seems the room has calmed down.
“Okay okay,” Dykstra cuts in, “describe ‘em to us I have a good memory for faces.”
“They’re uh, blonde with blue eyes,” Young says and Ilya feels his gaze shift to Luca unwittingly. Luca flushes violently and a few things are beginning to connect in Ilya’s brain and he makes eye contact with Wyatt who mimes a mind blown gesture. Holy shit. “Pretty tall,” Young adds, “hockey player too.”
“PWHL or NHL,” Dykstra asks, “I don’t remember meeting someone from the PWHL before, surely I’d remember that.” It seems that was the remark that broke the camel’s back with Lapointe and Holmberg bursting out laughing and even Boyle and Troy seem quite amused.
“Okay,” Ilya says, pointing towards the corner where those four are perched watching everything go down, and accuses,“You knew all about this didn’t you?”
“There’s a reason I’m his favourite teammate,” Troy shrugs.
“My Ottawa queers help line,” Young says, nodding.
Cringing yet somehow also smiling, Troy says, “Don’t call me that.”
Boyle just says, “I’m a damn good linemate.”
“We’ve shared walls and an apartment for the past year,” Lapointe says for himself and Holmberg. Ilya stares at them betrayed. They’ve known this entire time and didn’t say anything? Let him scheme and meddle without all the important information? Traitors. Bag-skates for five hundred years.
Dykstra lets silence fill the air for a moment before saying, “Am I missing something here.”
Young smiles, and nudges Luca again who sighs and says, “It’s me. I'm someone.”
Bood stares openly before taking a long sip of his beer. Really it looks more like he’s trying to down it in one go. Afterwards he says, “This entire time I thought Luca just had a hopelessly unrequited crush on you Aiden.”
“He does,” Young responds, leaning back with a cocky grin and very deliberately ignoring the glare directed his way from Luca.
With the rudest language he’s heard out of Luca in a while, Luca hisses, “Shut the fuck up, you made the first move.”
“Pity kiss,” Young teases before taking one look at Luca’s face and immediately saying, “I take it back.”
“You better.” Luca pauses, cocking his head to the side before squinting towards Bood and Ilya, gaze swapping between them rapidly. “Is that why Roz kept trying to set me up?”
“This really is the gayest team in the league,” Shane comments mildly, seemingly doing a mental headcount of all the queer people sitting in the room.
Ilya snickers, pulling his husband closer to his side, “Yeah because you’re on it.”
“Fuck you.”
—-
Rozanov: Petition to never speak of this group chat again?
Bood: Agreed