Chapter Text
Thank fuck he doesn’t have a hangover otherwise Scott would be crying bloody murder at the sound of Kip using the blender for their morning smoothies.
He wanders out to the kitchen greeting his fiancé by coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist. Scott plants a kiss on Kip's neck. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Kip leans back into Scott, humming joyfully. “No hangover?”
“No hangover,” Scott conforms and buries his face into Kip’s neck. “Is he awake yet?”
“Oh, you mean our son?” Kip laughs.
Scott groans, “Is that what he is?”
“Who is what is?” Ilya yawns entering the kitchen having showered and put on real clothes. Scott notes he’s in long sleeves and pants, aptly hiding the array of bruises. It sends a pang of sorrow through him and he wishes he could heal them all.
“I was just asking Kip if you were awake yet,” Scott lets go of Kip to shuffle close and greet Ilya with a side hug. “Morning, kid.”
Ilya narrows his eyes at the side hug, but returns it anyway. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This hug,” Ilya waves a hand between them. “We do not do this.”
Kip feigns a gasp, and wipes a fake tear from his eye. “He’s growing up so fast. Doesn’t even want his father to hug him anymore. Soon he’ll be off to high school.”
Even more confused, Ilya stares between them, “What is happening?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kip laughs, “I’m just making fun of Scott.”
“Yes, is very easy to do,” Ilya confirms and slides into a barstool. “But seriously, why this hug?”
“You didn’t seem to mind the hugging last night,” Scott points out. “Or any of the other times I’ve hugged you.”
“Ah yes,” Ilya nods seriously, “Because last night I am drunk. And other times you are hugging me when there are emotions.”
“Being happy to see you in the morning is an emotion,” Scott reasons.
“But this is not something you usually do.”
Scott shrugs replying, “What can I say? I’m overcome with emotion.”
“You are strange man, Hunter.”
Kip snorts a laugh and restarts the blender effectively cutting off their conversation for the moment. Scott takes the opportunity to study Ilya. On the surface, he seems fine. He’s his normal self. Chirpy, happy but soft, and someone who is very good at hiding traumas. Just a year ago, the kid had been having panic attacks in his living room and telling Scott about all the horrible trauma’s he’d had to endure. Ilya’s working through that, Scott knows, but it’s still hard sometimes to think about who Ilya had been last year.
And now… and now Scott had some horrible new insight. He couldn’t stop thinking about it while lying in bed next to Kip. He couldn’t get the image out of his head; the bruises that littered Ilya’s body. Like someone had just beat him without abandon.
“You know, you should stay longer,” Scott can’t help himself once Kip is done blending. “This place can get lonely with you.”
Kip shoots him a curious look but stays silent. Scott hadn’t told him about what he’d seen and he’s hoping that if he can convince Ilya to stay then maybe he’ll open up about the abuse.
“I can’t,” Ilya shakes his head, “I want to go home to Jane. He’s got some time off work so we are spending time together.”
“What time’s your flight?” Kip asks, sliding them both smoothies.
“In four hours,” Ilya drinks and nods his approval.
“Perfect, enough time for breakfast. Then Scott can drive you to the airport on the way to practice.”
-
The car ride is pleasant with Ilya babbling on about how annoying real estate agents are because his Jane is much smarter and better than they are.
There’s uneasiness growing in Scott, the more he listens to Ilya talk about Shane and how much he adores the Canadian. Ilya is so deeply in love that he’s ignoring all the injuries. He has to say something, he can’t let this keep happening.
“You know, you can tell me anything right?” Scott turns the music down, “I’m not going to judge.”
Ilya’s head turns slowly to Scott. “I know,” He says slowly, “Why are you saying this?”
Fuck. He was already fucking this up. “I’m just saying it, to say it.”
“Wow, well done Scott. So subtle. He’s going to think you’re an idiot.”
“You are hiding something from me,” Ilya’s too perceptive.
Scott sighs, he just needs to be upfront about it. “Ilya, can we talk about last night?”
Ilya stiffens, “What part of last night?”
Might as well rip off the bandaid, “I saw you had a lot of bruises.”
“Yes,” Ilya continues speaking slowly like Scott is missing something obvious, “I am big strong hockey player. Having bruises like this is normal.”
“You said you fell off a ladder.”
“I did.”
“Doing?”
Ilya’s face goes red, “Nothing. Doing nothing! Is… embarrassing.”
Scott doesn’t believe that for one second. “Right, right! Okay something embarrassing. I’ll believe you.”
“Good.”
“The scratches?”
Ilya’s face splits into a grin. “Jealous? Kip doesn’t give you those?”
“No!”
Ilya barks a laugh, “Ah you give him scratches?”
“We don’t,” Scott shakes his head, “We definitely don’t scratch each other like that.” He wants to yell at Ilya that his scratches are too deep. It’s not okay to normalize abuse like that. But then again, it’s Ilya. He knows how much the kid has had to suffer and how much of his life he deemed acceptable. He probably thinks this fucked up thing he’s got with Hollander is what every normal couple does.
“Ah, so sad for you,” Ilya snorts, “No mind-blowing sex with your boyfriend.”
“It’s not sad!” Scott defends, “We just don’t maul each other during sex!”
“You should try it,” he grins and waggles his eyebrows, “Sometimes sex is intense, is very fun. My Jane likes to maul me.” Ilya finishes with a wink.
God, he really just admitted to it. Scott is horrified, Ilya really thinks he’s okay. He needs to address what he knows, “I know Jane is really Sh-”
“No you don’t.” Ilya cuts him off sharply, tone shifting into something akin to fear, “You do not know who he is, yes? You say nothing.”
“Ilya, it’s okay.” Scott takes a sideways glance at him.
“No, is not.” Ilya insists, “You cannot know. You say nothing. This thing, me and Jane- is secret, yes? It must stay that way. You cannot know. Jane will be very upset if he finds out that you know.”
Ilya’s tone changes to pleading and Scott can help but nod along. He can’t help but feel like he’s sending Ilya back into the lion’s den. “You know me, I’m discreet. I spent my whole career in the closet. I won’t say anything.”
“Good. Okay.” Ilya clamps his mouth shut and doesn’t say anything more until they reach the airport.
“Please text me when you land,” Scott calls out the window.
Ilya rolls his eyes, “Okay dedushka.” But he gives Scott a short wave anyway.
Scott waits until Ilya disappears behind the automatic doors and stupid fucking JFK security yells at for lingering too long before heading to the rink. He calls Kip, needing to get a second opinion.
“Did you just drop off Ilya?” Kip asks when he answers the phone.
“Yeah, I’m heading to practice now.”
Of course Kip knows him too well so the first thing he says is, “So you want to tell me what that was all about? You asking Ilya to stay longer, I mean. I’m not opposed to it, of course. You know I love him. But there was a way that you said it.
Scott takes a deep breath, “I know. I um… last night I was helping him get into bed and he was covered in bruises and scratches.”
“You’re hockey players,” Kip reasons, “You’re also covered in bruises and scratches. All the time.”
“Not like these,” Scott insists. “ I asked him about the scratches, he said it was just rough sex.”
“That’s plausible, Scott.”
“Okay yeah but you didn’t see his body. It looks like he legitimately needed first aid. And… the bruises! Kip, he’s- fuck, he told me he fell off a ladder. I tried to press him further and he just said that Jane was pissed at him and that it was a secret!”
“Oh fuck, okay,” Kip sounds nervous, “That’s actually hard to argue with. Why didn’t you say anything last night? I could’ve helped convince him to stay or open up or something. Scott, if he’s being abused we can’t- fuck, we can’t let him get hurt.”
“I know!” Scott wants to scream, “But he’s acting like this is normal! I don’t think he realizes that what he’s going through isn’t okay.”
“And now he’s going back to Boston? Where he said he and Jane were going to spend some time together?”
“Fuck!” Scott groans, “I’ll fuck- I’ll think of something. Get him back to New York.”
“I gotchu babe,” he can already hear Kip forming a mental plan, “Go to practice. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with an excuse to get Ilya here.”
“You’re the best, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
-
Practice goes just about as well as Scott expects. It’s an optional one anyway, so it’s not like there was much to expect. But he underperforms so much that’s noticeable. But he can’t stop thinking about Ilya.
Falling off a ladder? That’s just about the weakest excuse on the planet. Scott’s brain starts spiraling, because for bruises like that it must be brutal. They’ve lived together. He knows how Ilya is when he’s at home. He’s like a giant puppy, so sweet and lovable. He offers to cook, and isn’t loud or brash. He’s actually very respectful of the spaces that he occupies.
Ilya must be like that with Shane and Shane just takes advantage of him. He probably hits Ilya for accidentally dropping silverware. Or maybe he just does it for no reason. Abusive assholes like that won’t even find reasons, they’ll just hurt others for fun. And the scratches… It makes Scott sick to his stomach. He remembers the way Ilya opened up about his childhood and the sexual abuses he’s had to endure. Scott does not want to think about Ilya feeling afraid to say no or fight back. Fuck, does Shane blackmail him into having sex? Or being a couple?
“Hey man,” Carter skates up to Scott, “What is up with you?”
“Still hungover from last night?” Eric chimes in, leaning against the boards with a broad grin.
Scott shakes his head, “No hangover. Just… thinking.”
“Thinking?” Eric and Carter share a look, “Everything okay? Are you and Kip good?”
“Oh yeah,” Scott sighs and grabs a water bottle, “Just… a friend. He’s going through something right now and I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s Ilya isn’t it?” Carter correctly guesses.
“It’s those bruises, isn’t it?” Eric adds and nods at Carter like they both know something Scott doesn’t.
Scott stiffens, “What? How-?”
“Dude, he’s not exactly subtle.” Eric’s mouth has formed a frown as he lowers his voice. “Last night, his shirt rode up and I saw them on his hips. They looked like handprints, and when I mentioned it he got all cagey.”
Carter nods, “Yeah. Said he fell down a ladder.”
Fuck, it confirms Scott’s worst fears. Ilya had a story, a practiced one. “That’s what he told me too.”
“Look,” Eric leans in close, “I didn’t want to say anything but do you know who Jane is?”
“Yeah,” Carter asks, “Do you? Because we have a suspicion but we don’t want to be wrong.”
“Uh yeah,” Scott nods, “I do. But I don’t want to… shit, it’s hard. I don’t want to out him but-”
“He’s a piece of shit,” Carter cuts in, “I don’t give a fuck if he’s gay or not. An abuser is an abuser, no matter what.”
“Yeah,” Eric agrees. “It’s Hollander isn’t it?”
The shock but be apparent on Scott’s face because Carter gasps, “I fuckin’ knew it!”
“You did?” Scott asks.
“Dude.” They’re both looking at him.
“What?”
“Jane? Shane? It’s really obvious.” Eric points out, “Also whenever Ilya talks about ‘Jane’ he mentions that she’s really into hockey and that she lives in Montreal. Hollander is gay, Ilya is hot. Not that hard to put those pieces together.”
“Oh well, yeah. I guess so.” Scott sighs, “I’m trying to figure out a way to get him back to New York. You know, talk to him about domestic abuse. Get him to realize that what he’s going through isn’t okay.”
“Why don’t we kill Hollander?” Carter asks, “because I already have a tarp in my trunk.”
“What the fuck?” Eric nearly chokes. “Why?”
Carter looks at him like he’s stupid, “Because my best friend is gay. Obviously.”
“No, not obviously. What the fuck!?”
“For killing homophobes and getting rid of the bodies, keep up Bennet.”
“Okay no,” Scott cuts in, “We can’t actually kill him.”
“Why not? We’re literally ‘get away with murder’ rich.” Eric suddenly asks, and then adds, “Well, actually maybe not for someone as high profile as Hollander.”
“Let’s just threaten him then,” Carter nods at Scott. “We have evidence, make him stay away from Rozanov or we expose him for being an abuser.”
Scott can’t believe that he’s nodding along, “Okay. Yeah. Let’s do it.”