Chapter Text
“Why do we have to do this again?” It was the third time in five minutes that Ilya has asked him that, and Brandon was losing his patience.
Because I want to trick the rest of your teammates into therapy, at least for the plane crash we almost died in, and possibly get you specifically to talk to your significant other, whose name I definitely have not guessed, about your problems, forgive me for having a team full of traumatized cuties.
“Because it helps the team.”
“Playing silly games helps the team?”
“We get to know each other and bond, Cap, that’s what helps.”
“Yeah, we bonded great, Wyatt, when we almost died playing laser tag with Ilya and Luca…”
“They have mandatory military service in their countries, Zane.”
“Evan, you don’t get to talk, I’ve accepted to go hunt with you once and I will never recover.” Nick protested.
Brandon whistled before his children could get more into their arguing over their previous team bonding.
“Even if we decided that team building is bad, that specific thing is also a League requirement.”
“Why?” Troy spoke for the first time that day.
He rarely talked in practice, Brandon had noted. Probably because half the team still didn't feel fully conformable around him, and he surely felt that. While he understood why his players felt that way, and did not blame them for it, that fact was just one more reason why they needed to build trust. You win as a team and you lose as a team, but for that you had to be a team.
“You know why, babe, I showed you the video.” Harris answered his boyfriend without looking up from typing away on his phone.
“Oh, the rookie thing? They made a mandatory training course for that shit?”
"Langage, Tanner. The kid is standing right there." Ilya scowled, nodding at Luca.
The kid could drink grown men under the table, but Brandon shared the sentiment. He thought it was a bit hypocritical, however, since he was almost certain Ilya regularly bypassed the no-swearing rule simply by swearing in Russian.
Haas, for his part, quickly pretended that he hadn't been giving his captain star-filled eyes by giving much attention to the flags over their heads. One for every country his players were from, with little Centaur stickers on them if there were many players from one country. Whoever Ilya was dating, Brandon really hoped they weren't Russian, so he could rip that flag off his beams the second the marriage was officiated. And if they didn't want to get married... there's always civil union. Anything to change his captain's nationality.
“Can you blame them? It was calissement bad.”
“I blame league for everything, Nick.”
“We’re aware, Ilya, thank you." Brandon put an end to that incoming rant too. They would be here all night if he let them go at it against the League. "Now, I expect you all here tomorrow at seven. AM. If you’re late, no Chiron.”
From the look on Ilya’s face, you’d thought he’d just been stabbed.