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Ilya was shocked to find all the Centaurs already in the locker room when he got there, a whole 2 hours early for practice. Haasy had texted him asking if he’d come early to help him with some drills, and he’d of course said yes. Plus it was a good distraction from the fact that Shane left this morning for a week long run of away games.
So he wasn’t quite sure why the whole team was here, lounging about as if they’d been waiting for him.
“Hello?” Ilya said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “What are you all doing here?”
“We gotta talk to you about something, Roz,” Bood said, nodding seriously.
Ilya looked over towards Luca, who had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Sorry, Cap. We all thought it was best if I asked you to come,” Luca said with a sad shrug.
“You use my favorite rookie against me?” Ilya said. “For what, interrogation?”
“It’s not an interrogation, Roz, just a . . . chat,” Dykstra said, in a way that was totally not reassuring.
“Yeah, sit down man, nothing’s wrong,” Wyatt said. Ilya eyed them all wearily before dropping his bag and taking a seat.
“Okay. I am listening,” he said, starting to get genuinely nervous. Had he done something wrong? Said something problematic? He mentally scrolled through the past few days of practices and games but could find nothing noteworthy.
“We know you’re hiding something, Roz, and we just want you to know we support you,” Bood said, gesturing to the rest of the group.
Ilya squinted. “What is it you think I’m hiding?”
Troy shrugged. “You never go out with us to bars or anything. None of us have been to your house. You’re really only ever seen at practice or games.”
“So, what, it is crime to be antisocial?” Ilya said.
“No, shit. I’m going about this all wrong,” Troy said, turning back to Bood, a silent request for him to takeover.
“He doesn’t need to know the backstory on how we figured it out. Look, Roz, we won’t say it out loud or anything in case you’re, I don’t know, worried about anyone overhearing or something. But we just wanted you to know we’re with you. We know, and we love you and support you no matter what.”
Ilya’s heart would have stopped beating if he had one to begin with. The team knew about him? They’d figured it out? He had been careful, so careful, but clearly not careful enough. Maybe he’d been too distracted by finally being so close to Shane, to spending all this time together, that he’d dropped the ball.
“You . . . are okay with it?”
Wyatt nodded, a warm smile on his face. “Yeah, man. We just want you to be happy!”
The response was a bit odd, but Wyatt was an odd guy, so Ilya didn’t think too much of it. Him being a vampire wasn’t like a choice he made to be happy, but he thought the sentiment was nice. “Okay….Thank you. You are not….scared?”
“Why would we be scared?” Bergy asked, looking back at him like he was an idiot.
“Because I could accidentally hurt the team?” Ilya said, starting to get frustrated. Why was his team being so chill about this? He could kill them. Easily. And they weren’t even worried? Didn’t have any follow up questions??
“Why would this hurt us?” LaPointe said.
“You mean if this leaked or something and other teams said shit? We’d figure that out together,” Dysktra offered.
Wow. His team was being insanely supportive.
“That is very nice, thank you. It means a lot….Others are not so…..welcoming to the idea.”
“We’re sorry to hear that, man,” Nick said, clapping Ilya on the back. “You deserve nothing but love and support.”
Ilya felt like he might cry, which he very much did not want to do. He nodded gratefully, making eye contact with each teammate. “Thank you. It will be nice not to have to hide anymore around you all,” he said, his shoulders already relaxing. “Though I am surprised you do not have more questions for me about being a vampire. And yes, you can say the word, it will not offend me and I do not think locker room is bugged.”
The room was dead silent for a beat.
Then, chaos.
“What?”
“Did you just say vampire?”
“Dude, WHAT are you talking about?”
“Is this a prank?”
“Everybody shut it!” Bood shouted, quieting the room. Ilya looked like a deer in headlights, his eyes wide as he realized the team had not figured out he was a vampire. “What the fuck are you talking about Roz?”
“What are YOU guys talking about?” he countered, trying to gain a read on this situation.
“We’re talking about your secret relationship, man! With Hollander!” Troy blurted out.
“Oh,” Ilya said, unable to really formulate anything more than that. They knew he was dating Hollander and that’s what this little gathering was about. Not that he was a vampire…..which he just revealed for no reason. Great!
“We put all the pieces together and figured it out as a team. We wanted to tell you so you knew we were cool with it. That, like, no one is weirded out or anything,” Dykstra said.
“It actually makes a lot of sense when you have all the evidence in front of you. Montreal Jane, Boston Lily….” Luca started.
“Moving to Ottawa, starting the charity together…” LaPointe added.
“The way the two of you chirp each other is basically flirting,” Boyle shrugged.
“Yes, yes, it is obvious to you all I am dating Hollander, I get it now,” Ilya says running his hands through his hair. Shane was going to kill him, drive a stake right through his heart when he learned about this.
“Wait, so it IS true? I was worried we were being conspiracy theorists,” Young said. Ilya just nodded to him.
“Why is no one talking about the vampire thing?” Wyatt said, gesturing towards Ilya.
“Yeah was that a joke? Cause I don’t really get how it’s funny,” Nick said, half under his breath.
Ilya figured there was no point lying now. He might as well just come clean and pray they act half as nice about this revelation as they had about his relationship. “It was not a joke. I….am actually a vampire. That’s what I thought you were confronting me about. That secret. Not the other one.”
“You’re fucking with us,” LaPointe said, laughing awkwardly. “Funny!”
“Yeah, Roz, maybe this is like a Russian sense of humor thing that isn’t translating but—" Bergy started.
“I am not joking! I am literally a vampire!” Roz yelled, standing up.
“Cap, even if vampires were real, we’ve seen you out in daylight and you eat food all the time.” Boyle argued.
“You’ve posted like 100 mirror selfies on your instagram!” Young added.
“Those are all stupid myths. Vampires, we are not like that.”
“I seriously cannot tell if he’s joking anymore,” Wyatt murmured to Troy, looking nervous.
“Is he having a psychotic break?” Luca whispered to Young.
“I am a VAMPIRE!” Ilya said, letting his fangs extend for dramatic effect.
The whole room erupted once again.
“Holy SHIT!”
“I must be hallucinating.”
“This is kind of the best day of my life.”
“Vampires real AND Hollanov confirmed on the same day?”
Shockingly to Ilya, nobody seemed scared. No one cowered away or ran from the room. Everyone was shouting frantically, sure, but no one seemed to be scared of him, which was always his biggest fear. That people would look at him like he’s a monster if they found out.
“See? I do not lie,” Ilya said, plopping back down on the bench. He was mentally exhausted from this conversation, and they still had practice soon.
“This might take me as second to process,” LaPointe admitted.
“If you hate me and want me off team, I understand. I will…..figure something out,” Ilya said dejectedly.
“No, dude, stop,” Troy said. “I mean, I think we’re al a bit shocked and have some questions but….you’re still you, right? The Captain we know and love and get annoyed to death by?”
Ilya huffed in laughter. “Yes. I am still me.”
“You don’t kill people, right? Cause, look, I love you, man, but I don’t know how i feel about being friends with a murderer,” Dykstra said.
Ilya shook his head. “No, I do not. It is not like how it is in movies. I will explain to you but I do not hurt people, I promise.”
“Were you turned by someone?” Boyle asked.
“Is anyone else we know a vampire?” Bood wondered.
“Does this mean other supernatural creatures are real? Werewolves? Fairies?” Wyatt asked excitedly.
“Wait is Shane a vampire too and that’s why you got together?” Young gasped.
“Okay, okay. I will answer all questions later but now it is almost time for practice. Coach will be here any minute so we should get ready, yes?”
Everyone nodded, starting to change, and Ilya smiled to himself as he got dressed. His team loved him, fangs and all. Shane and all. He really lucked out with this team.
He grabbed his phone to send Shane a quick text.
ILYA: so I might have accidentally come out to the team.
SHANE: as bi?
ILYA: no as a vampire lol
ILYA: but they also figured out i’m bi and that we’re dating oops ;)
SHANE: Ilya!
SHANE: I’m proud of you, of course, but how did that happen??
ILYA: i will call you later and tell you everything, котенок .
SHANE: Are you okay? How did they react?
ILYA: yes yes I am good. emotional but good. everyone was so nice and supportive for both things.
ILYA: maybe you can properly meet them when you’re back from roadie?? we can host little party?
SHANE: Yes, of course. I’d love that.
SHANE: I’m so glad they took it all well. I’m a little worried that so many people know (about both things) but if you trust them, I trust them.
ILYA: I do. They are the best.
SHANE: Good. I’ll call after my game and we can talk. I love you.
ILYA: love you too мой маленький человечек
Ilya put his phone away and finished getting dressed. When he met the other guys out on the ice to start warming up, he felt lighter than before.
He could overhear some of the other guys talking from across the ice.
“Honestly I can’t tell what’s more shocking: that hollanov is real or that Ilya’s a vampire,” Young was saying.
“You think Roz dating Hollander is more shocking than him being a literal supernatural creature?” LaPointe clarified, laughing.
“Like if anyone I know was going to be vampire, it was always gonna be Roz, you know?” Young said, and Ilya couldn’t help but smile. “But damn how did his bloodsucking ass manage to pull HOLLANDER? I can’t wait to hear about that”.
“You will hear nothing if you don’t stop gossiping like school girls and start warming up, Young!” Ilya called and the rookie’s eyes went wide, cheeks read. But Ilya flashed him a smile, assuring him he was teasing, and Young shook his head.
Yeah, he really was lucky with this team.