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Ilya watched Shane skate with the rest of the Canadian Junior Team. His eyes not leaving the dark-headed boy. He'd tried to find out everything he could about him after Shane had come over and introduced himself the day before. He'd asked his coach, under the pretext of studying the teens play style. So far he knew three things. Shane was 17 years old - same as Ilya. Shane apparently had one of the highest hockey IQ's of his generation, and Shane was very, very good at hockey.
And apparently, Ilya wasn't the only person who had noticed Hollander. "He's good." An American accent behind him said. Ilya didn't turn around. He was pretending to take notes in looping script. So far he'd managed 'soft hands' and 'fast on the outside'.
"Oh yeah. He was at a training camp I went to this summer and he killed." Another voice said. Ilya really needed to work on his English if he wanted to get on top of his game. He knew the charismatic players got more air time, more interviews. He knew he could manage his ice time well, he played hard enough that he could realistically be confident with that, but if he wanted to make it he'd need to be able to talk to cameras. "You know he does yoga?"
"What, the bending and shit?"
"Yup. Every morning - he said it works your core and helps balance. My big sister dropped me off in the morning super early and her and a bunch of girls would just stand around and watch him." The first voice said, sounding impressed. "I told her it was gross and she said it wasn't her fault that I was a fucking idiot who didn't know what girls found attractive."
"What, they think he's hot?"
"Dude, every single time we had a break, some girl would be trying to flirt with him. We shared a rink with the figure skaters, and I swear like every girl was like 'oh I bet you could lift me with one hand' and shit. During free skate, they would ask him to race, and fake tripping so he'd help them up. It was so dumb."
"Damn, some guys have all the luck."
"Yeah."
"Did he get with any of them?"
"Nah, apparently he had a girlfriend back home, which just made the girls want him more. 'So respectful'." His tone turned mocking. "Although personally I think he was lying through his ass about that. No way dude has a girlfriend - he's a fucking hockey robot."
"Yeah, no way he's that good at hockey and drowning in girls. That would suck for the rest of us."
"He'll be first draft pick." The first voice said, confident. "Everyone knows it."
Ilya didn't frown. He just watched Hollander skate, puck never leaving the tip of his stick. He made it look smooth and effortless. If they were already talking about the draft picks, then Ilya needed to step up his game. He was expected to place high, and he didn't like to come in second to anyone - even 'hockey robots'. He focused more intently, trying to see if there was any hesitation on the ice from Hollander. There was - a split second delay to a pass. But the problem wasn't with Shane, Ilya could see that clear as day, his linemate was too slow to keep up, and so Shane was compensating by delaying his pass. Ilya could work with that - Hollander was being a team player, and Ilya was rather well known for being selfish. It caused problems in the locker rooms, but he didn't give a fuck about his teammates here. Ilya was here to show off, get his name in front of GM's and coaches, and get the fuck out of Russia as soon as possible. He could use Hollanders delay to his advantage.
He doubted it would be something he could exploit if they met in the league. Players would be faster there, more likely to be where they needed to be when the puck was passed, but here?
"Tell you something, though," The first voice said, getting quieter as the two players walked away. "It wasn't just the figure skating girls who watched him."
"No."
"Oh yeah. He had like 3 different gay guys just following him around. Doubt he even noticed though - kinda hard to see through all the pussy getting thrown his way."
Ilya did frown at that, as the laughter faded away, both guys our of earshot. Not that guys thought Hollander was hot - fuck, Ilya thought he was hot - but that they'd tried to flirt with him. Canada wasn't Russia, he knew. Maybe flirting with guys wasn't as... dangerous here. But didn't that make Hollander even more dangerous to Ilya?
He blinked. Maybe it was a good idea to stay away. He didn't need a reputation for being 'another' guy following Hollander around.
Shane wasn't a huge fan of all the things he needed to do to be 'the face' of Asian Canadian hockey. He didn't want to be the face of Asian Canadians. He wanted to play hockey and get paid for it. That was the dream. Everything else just seemed like a waste of time. However, his mom had other ideas, and since she'd never made him do anything without a good reason, Shane let himself be dressed up (or, more often, undressed) for the cameras.
Today it was some kind of aftershave. It wasn't as bad as some of the others though, because he got to keep his pants on, and he wasn't being sprayed with water between takes. He'd count that as a bonus.
"God, you have the softest hair." His make-up artist told him, running his hands through the strands with some kind of wax, trying to get some texture that the cameras would pick up. It wasn't the first time that Shane had a male make-up artist. It was, however, the first time that one had been so enthusiastic about working with him. "What do you use?" He asked, twisting strands. He'd introduced himself as Stephan, and wore eyeliner.
"Uh, well, at the rink I just use whatever soap they have there." He admitted. It was easier than bringing in bottles, and reduced the time it took. He'd spent a long time around make-up people though, so he knew when they asked a question, they would actually appreciate a proper answer. "But at home I use A'pieu mint vinegar rinse, and then a Viori shampoo. It's good for excess oils," he added. He went to an Asian hairdressing place in Montreal and they had recommended it. Hayden had laughed at him when he'd seen the bottles, but Shane had made a deal - Shane wouldn't tell the team about Haydens retainer and Hayden wouldn't tell them about all the hair and skincare Shane used.
It had only been a couple of months since joining the Metros, but being friends with Hayden had made it easier.
"Well, it is working for you." Stephan said, winking at him. "You look good enough to eat today."
Shane smiled. "I didn't think the craft services options were that bad." He joked, and got a laugh and playful smack on the shoulder. Stephan fixed Shanes collar, fingers ghosting along the inside of the starched fabric, against his skin. "Have you been here long today? I heard they had been filming for a while before I got here."
"Oh god, its been gruelling." Stephan said, as he brushed lint from Shanes shoulder. "But then you showed up and my day got a lot easier." His smile was nice, Shane thought.
"I saw the girls you've been working on." He said, smiling. "I'd like to think its a little easier with me than a full face of... animal themed make-up." The girls had been dressed up in some very revealing clothing, hair and make-up on theme with whatever 'animal' they'd been assigned. Shane hadn't been sure what exactly that had to do with the smell of the aftershave, but whatever. All he had to do was stand where he was told to stand, and walk towards the camera slowly. It was harder than it looked, but at least he was dressed.
Stephan ran a finger over his jaw, probably checking the subtle foundation they'd put on him to make sure he looked good under the harsh lighting. "Oh, you've been a balm, honey."
Shane found himself smiling. That was nice. He liked being easy to work with.
Hayden wasn't blind. He was very happily married and had a kid, but he wasn't blind.
Shane, however, seemed to be blind and deaf. And stupid.
"Dude, what the hell was that?" Hayden managed, as Shane walked back to the tables where the rest of the team was sitting. He'd managed to get Shane to agree to a nigh out with the guys, which was near impossible with his freaky training schedule. The rest of the guys didn't really know how to take Shane. Hayden liked him, Jackie liked him. The guys though, seemed to think that he was stuck up, thought he was better than everyone else on the team. Hayden thought they were probably right - not about being stuck up, Shane was cool - but about being the best on the team. He'd been second draft pick and was moved up to first line instantly on the first day of training, where he'd smoked everyone else at accuracy and endurance. Hayden was pretty sure they were going to win a cup within the next couple of years if they sorted out the defensive line.
He could feel some of the older guys starting to turn, what had been good natured chirping at first was becoming a little more sharp, comments a little too close to... something else. Hayden had watched Shane shoulder them all with a smile, even the borderline racist ones. He never seemed to take it personally. But Hayden also knew that Shane wasn't stupid. He'd commented once, when they were sharing a room, that he'd hard a lot of the jokes before - training camps, tournaments. He'd even told Hayden that the GM had told his parents that the Metros were proud to have him be Asian Canadian. To their faces. He'd mentioned that his mom took it a little harder than he did, so she wanted him to be a good role model, to show other kids like him that they could be MLH players too. He said it was one of the reasons his mom tried to get him so many deals. Get his face on the cover of every magazine. Representation.
"Huh?" Shane said, sitting back down. He had a pint glass, but unless Hayden was tripping, he was pretty sure it wasn't beer. Shane was strict in a way that bordered on religious when it came to his diet. Midweek beers with the boys wasn't on his diet sheet.
"That girl was fucking flirting with you, dude!" He said, keeping his voice lowered. He didn't need the rest of the team picking up that Shane was as useless with girls as he was with small talk. He'd never hear the end of it.
Shane looked back at the bar, where the girl was still standing, although looking a little less perky than when she had been talking to his buddy. She was tall, blonde and hot as fuck, in a dress that hugged everything nice and tight. Hayden felt bad for noticing - but Jackie would forgive him. Noticing was okay. Jackie noticed guys all the time.
Shane looked back at him, and rolled his eyes. "Jasmine? No, she just likes Hockey." He said, "She wasn't sure what team we were, so she thought she'd ask me."
"She likes hockey but didn't recognize you?"
Once again, Shane shook his head. "Not everyone memorises each player in the MLH, Hayden." He pointed out, like Shane fucking Hollander didn't have his face plastered over half the country, and his abs on the other half. "We're in New York, and she's an Admirals fan."
"Dude, I'm pretty sure she's a Shane Hollander fan." Hayden said, eyes struggling to peel themselves from her legs. God, it had been a long time since he'd been able to slide his hand up a long leg. He really did need to get home to Jackie ASAP and show her how much he had missed her. "Jasmine?"
Shane laughed. "Yeah, she's here for school. She's originally from Tampa," He added. "She uh, goes to the dance school here."
Hayden made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. "So a super hot, smart and sexy dancer had her hands all up on your pecs for the better part of fifteen minutes, and you think she was looking for... hockey stats? Insider info?" He was pretty sure he was starting to get a headache from the lighting. He hadn't drank enough to deal with this shit. "Shane, you go back over there right the fuck now, and you buy her a fucking drink."
"She doesn't need me to buy her a drink, she's here with her friends."
Hayden sighed. "Shane, walk up to that girl, ask her if she and her friends want to come over here, and drink our drinks - for fucks sake." He shot a meaningful look to the rest of the guys, who were starting to look over. "The guys would really appreciate a little wingman action." He pointed out. "Its... good for morale." He'd worked out earlier in his friendship with Shane that he'd do a lot of things if he thought it would be in the best interests of the team, or improve his game. Its how he'd managed to get Shane to play Chell. Its how he'd gotten him out tonight, despite losing the game to Scott Hunters fucking team.
"Oh," Shane said, looking back over at Jasmine at the bar. "Oh, okay then."
Later, when Shane was getting not-to-subtle pats on the back from his teammates for managing to get a group of fucking hotties to come party with them, Hayden wondered if Shane had even noticed all the touches and playful jokes Jasmine had given him all night. Her girlfriends seemed to like him, and she's asked for his number, but he still got into the taxi with Hayden at the end of the night. "You don't have to come back with me." Hayden pointed out. "Just cause I'm married doesn't mean you need to act like it."
Shane had shrugged. "Its late, and it was a long day. I'm beat."
Whatever. Hayden would think about it more when he wasn't buzzed.
Shane was excited to be at the Olympics, to represent his country. He was even more excited that they were in Russia, a place he'd been thinking a lot about, recently.
Joe, a guy he'd met at one of the many training camps he'd attended before the draft was representing America in the men's figure skating and had asked if Shane would like to meet up after they were done.
After watching, and after his disastrous conversation with Rosenov, Shane hadn't been really looking forward to it, but as the night wore on, he was surprised to find he was actually having fun. Joe had made a lot of friends in the Village, and the party was underway when Shane arrived. He'd been a little worried that he'd be underdressed in his jeans and compression shirt, but most of the people were wearing very similar things - joggers, tshirts, athletic wear.
Joe had greeted him with a warm hug, and had introduced him to a bunch of people as 'my buddy Shane' - casual and friendly. They had kept in touch for a long time, but very rarely got the chance to meet, so Shane had been pleased to get such a warm reaction. Especially when a lot of people seemed to know him as 'Joes Friend'.
"Joe was so excited that you agreed to come tonight!"
Shane had been introduced to Matteo, who was representing Sweden in the pairs skating, told him. "Really?" Shane asked, smiling. "We don't get to hang out a lot so I'm glad I was able to catch up with him."
Matteo was about the same hight as Shane, but seemed smaller due to the difference in mass. "Oh, we're all so glad you were able to make it." He smiled, warm and inviting. "Honestly there are too many catty brats here, its nice to have someone so, solid... around." He winked at Shane like he was in on the joke and grabbed his bicep. "I'm sure you could keep even me in line with these guns."
"Well, I really hope everyone behaves tonight." Shane agreed. He certainly didn't want anyone to start a fight.
"Oh, no promises," Matteo said, pressing closer.
Shane grinned. Everyone was being so nice, and Matteo was a lot of fun. He didn't make Shane dance, and seemed more than happy to sit with him at the back of the room. Sure, he was a little more... affectionate than the Hockey players Shane normally hung out with, but then again, he was used to dancing very close to his partner.
All in all, it was a fun night, and when he found Joe to tell him he was heading off, he seemed surprised he was alone, which didn't make sense, because Shane had already told him that he wasn't going to be brining anyone to the party.
He waved at Matteo as he left, and was a little disappointed to see the man pouting at his dance partner. He hoped they managed to work it out, they seemed like a cute couple.
Jackie loved Shane. He wasn't just a good influence on Hayden, who had started to pick up a few bad habits from the rest of the not-so-great members of the Metros before Shane came along, but he was also super good with the kids. He could be relied upon for last minute babysitting, didn't mind helping out around the house when he showed up, and always called ahead to find out if Hayden had forgotten to pick anything up from the store so he could pick it up for her.
She loved him. He was perfect.
Except for one thing.
"Well he never called me back." Haley said, frowning into her wine glass. "I thought it went really well, and he seemed nice, but then he totally ghosted me."
Jackie wanted to hit her head against the table in frustration. Haley was her age, very attractive, and ran her own business. She was a solid 10 out of 10 for every metric that Shane could possibly want - she even loved hockey. Not as much as Shane, of course, but literally no one could love hockey more than Shane Hollander.
"Did he say anything to you?"
She shook her head. "No, and I know he didn't say anything to Hayden either, because he'd have told me." She took a sip of her wine. "What did you guys do?"
Haley sighed. "Well, he picked me up on time, which was nice, and he had reservations at Le Club, which was nice - I've been wanting to go there forever." Jackie nodded. A nice expensive place that was hard to get into, so he hadn't skimped on that. "We talked. He didn't seem to mind what I got, like didn't do that thing where guys suggest you want a salad or act like he knew what the best wine pairing was. He was polite to the waitstaff and tipped well. We got on!" She sighed. "At least I thought we got on. He walked me to my door, and when I invited him up-"
"Oh my god, you didn't?"
"He's hot as fuck, Jackie! Can you blame me?"
"Probably not." Jackie conceded. Shane was, after all, hot, fit and rich. Kinda hard to act all prudish when she'd slept with Hayden on the first date too, and that worked out perfectly.
"Anyway, when I invited him up, he said that he had training in the morning but that he'd had a really nice evening." Haley said. "So I leaned in and kissed him, you know... like... trying to change his mind?"
"Yeah?"
"And he just kinda... blushed a bit? And then left."
"And never called you back?"
"Nope." Haley said. "And I know I looked good, Jacks. I looked fucking hot as hell." Jackie didn't doubt it. Haley was a looker.
Jackie sighed. "Thats it. No more setting Shane up with my hot friends. He doesn't deserve you."
Ilya was going to start throwing punches if Shane didn't stop flirting with the not-as-hot-as-Ilya-but-hot-enough-for-Ilya-to-get-annoyed guy at the bar.
He'd gone to get another vodka for Ilya and a soda for himself because he was driving them back to the hotel, and he'd been accosted by some... male with a death wish. Ilya had completely expected Shane to brush the guy off and make his way back to Ilya as soon as the drinks were put in front of him, but no. Shane was talking to him. Acting downright friendly with the guy who was now running his hand up Shanes arm.
Ilya was getting to his feet when Rose grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back down. "Don't worry about it." She laughed. "He doesn't know he's being flirted with."
On the other side of the table, Ilyas walking talking headache - Pike - laughed. "Oh my god - have you noticed too?"
Ilya frowned. "What are you talking about, Pike? Noticed what?"
"Shane!" Pike almost shouted, trying to make himself heard over the bass in the packed club. "He gets hit on literally everywhere we go, and he never notices!"
This was news to Ilya. He knew people thought Shane was hot - because eyes existed and most people had them - but the idea of Shane being hit on made his internal temperature spike. Shane had never told Ilya about people flirting with him. Every time he'd mentioned his attempts to flirt with people he got all flustered and shy. Had that been... a lie? He didn't think so, Shane genuinely seemed embarrassed about it. He'd called his sex life with Rose a 'disaster' and Ilya didn't question that too much. Maybe he'd been wrong to let it slide - maybe his relief that Rose wasn't going to steal Shane away had gotten in the way of his questioning.
"God, one time we were at a club, and I was dancing with him," Rose said, and Ilya wanted to glare at her, but she was Shanes friend and he'd promised that he'd only ever hate on one of his friends at a time and Pike was right there. "And Myles is behind him - actually grinding on him, full on mouthing his neck, and Shane didn't notice." She laughed. "I think Myles had to have a sit down, he was so upset." She giggled. "His ego was bruised for weeks after."
"Is not good for you to let other man touch Shane when you were.. a thing." Ilya manged to bite out. He'd mostly forgiven Shane for dating a movie star. He was still on the fence with Rose for touching what obviously hadn't belonged to her. Now Myles was putting his mouth on Shane?
Jackie patted his arm gently. He was glad she was here. She made Pike more tolerable, and she hadn't had sex with Shane so he liked her more than Rose.
"Its okay, Ilya." She said, soothingly. "Shane honestly has no idea when he's being flirted with. I've set him up with every single one of my hot friends, and he's never done anything more than a single date." Maybe Ilya didn't like Jackie as much as he thought. Maybe he missed Svetlana more than he realised.
"Is because you were setting him up with women," He pointed out, glaring over at the man who was still holding onto Shanes wrist. "Shane doesn't like women."
As though he could hear Ilya say his name, Shane glanced over.
Ilya wasn't an idiot. He knew Shane loved him, had heard him say the words a thousand times, shown him a million ways. But sometimes, he'd look over at Ilya and he'd smile, and it was like every emotion burst out of him like the sun. His smile got wider, his eyes glittered, and Ilya melted in the heat of his adoration.
The man who had been holding onto Shanes wrist, also looked over, and Ilya felt the smirk on his lips form. Raised his eyebrow mockingly, as Shane said something and picked up the tray with the drinks on it. The man reluctantly dropped his hand to his side, and Ilya decided to let him live. The disappointment on his face was like a shot of adrenaline to his heart.
He kept his eyes locked with the stranger at the bar until Shane put the tray on the table, and pulled his husband in for a kiss that was a little too filthy for being in public, but Shane didn't seem to care. When Ilya glanced back wo where the man had been, he was gone. Threat neutralised, Ilya pulled Shane a little closer, making sure to touch as much of him as he could.
"You okay?" Shane asked, as Ilya kissed his wrist.
"Da." Ilya smiled. "People being stupid, saying you don't know when you are being flirted with."
Shane laughed. "Oh god," he grinned, eyes sparkling. "That's not true at all!"
Around them, the table burst into a chorus of "What?" and "Of course it is!" That just had the effect of making Shane laugh harder.
"Its just the only person who has every flirted with me is you," Shane told him. "And I noticed right away."
Ilya grinned as the table argued louder, pressing a kiss to the underside of Shanes jaw. It was one of his favourite places to kiss.
"Bullshit." Pike said, taking a swig of his beer. "When was the first time you noticed Rosanov flirting with you?"
Shane blushed. Ilya had been flirting with Shane for as long as he'd known him so he was also interested in knowing the answer.
"Well, the first time he flirted with me," Shane said, his skin getting redder. "He jerked off in the shower in front of me."
Ilya was laughing so hard that Shane thought maybe he wasn't as good at picking up flirting at all...