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spikecentricTitle: ⟫ Centaurs Newsletter: No.24
Fandom: ⟫ Heated Rivalry, Game Changers Series by Rachel Reid
Characters/Pairing: ⟫ Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Rating: ⟫ Teen & Up
Master!post: ⟫ here
Word Count: ⟫ 2,696
Summary: ⟫ Shane Hollander has joined the Centaurs and it’s time for some promotion with Harris Drover
Harris wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Everyone was excited about the Shane Hollander joining the Centaurs and were united in their belief that Montreal had lost its ever-loving mind. Of course, the romance of the situation wasn’t lost on Harris – realising that the Ilya Rozanov that had spent the last year dragging the Centaurs into cup contention was madly in love with Shane Hollander basically broke Harris’ brain!
He was interviewing Hollander for the Centaurs Newsletter (digital and physical copies) and wasn’t sure how to approach it. Hollander—Shane—was nothing like Ilya. For his Ottawa introduction, Ilya posed for some risqué shots—shots Harris was definitely using. The man was a walking thirst trap, seemingly without inhibitions.
However, when it came time for Shane’s photographs, instead of obvious thirst traps, they had ended up with thoughtful, almost editorial images. Shane was obviously dealing with a lot – the media were a plague on anyone trying to get into the rink – as well as dealing with the MHL and the bullshit that led to him leaving Montreal. It was no wonder that his photographs showed a young man deep in thought, in the midst of a maelstrom of instability, trying to be the best he could be while being in love with another man. Harris had so much admiration for Hollander but hadn’t spoken to him enough to get a good feel for who the man was behind the hockey stardom.
“Shane – thank you so much for agreeing to do this. The Centaurs – and all of Ottawa – are so excited for your debut on the ice.”
“Thanks for having me – I’m really looking forward to getting on the ice with the team,” Shane replied, shifting slightly in the chair. His entire demeanour was a perfect demonstration of his media training – he appeared present, relaxed and content, but Harris could see that he was gripping the hem of his Centaurs zip-up hoodie, and he looked slightly pale.
“How are you finding being back in Ottawa – it’s your home town, right?”
“Yeah, I grew up here – was a Centaurs fan from a young age! My Mom has – had a lifelong devotion to the Voyageurs but I think she’s going to enjoy me skating for Ottawa,” Shane replied blandly.
“How have you found skating with the team? Talk from the coaching staff is that you and Luca Haas have some amazing chemistry on the ice.”
“Haas – Luca is an absolute legend! His speed is incredible, as is his accuracy – I was looking at his stats and – “ Harris grinned at the sudden animation that came over Shane, but held up his hand to make him pause.
“Ilya warned me that I shouldn’t let you distract things by talking about the other team members! This is an interview about you, not about the other players!”
“He’s a traitor then!” Shane muttered, blushing slightly whilst giving a small smile, acknowledging that Harris might be correct.
“You know that I have to ask – how are you finding it being on a team with your fiance?” There had been so many revelations in the last few months – when Ilya had announced that they were engaged, it had felt like the beginning of good things happening instead of all of the external bullshit.
“Oh that’s – well, we experienced playing together for the first time at the All Stars Game in Tampa and it was pretty cool, exciting. Being here – on the ice with Rozanov – he’s one of the best for a reason, and my whole career I’ve been competing with him to be the best. That hasn’t changed.”
“And you don’t think being engaged – married – is going to change that dynamic?”
Shane gave a private little smile before meeting Harris’ eyes. “No – there hasn’t been a time in my career when I stepped onto the ice that I haven’t had Rozanov in the back of my mind, keeping me sharp, making me better.” Shane wiped his hand over his face, settling his face into his professional persona. “If anything, being engaged – being together – has made the whole thing sharper.”
“In what way?”
“Well – we lay bets with each other. See who can skate the fastest, gain the most points – even in scrimmage.”
“So you’re constantly competing?”
“Well, yeah. When you find the person that meets you where you are – is on your level – having them by your side is – amazing,” Shane replied, his face becoming animated as he continued talking. “The power play is coming along really well – sometimes it feels like Ilya – Rozanov – is an extension of myself. He’s always where I need him to be and I almost feel like I know where he is without looking. It’s made for some incredibly satisfying gameplay.”
“You sound really enthused,” Harris said, smiling gently.
“Yeah, after everything that happened – the FanMail video, all of the discussions about repercussions – it’s really good to be back to what matters. Playing hockey with a team of like-minded individuals, all working towards the same goal.” Shane tilted his head slightly to the side, deep in thought momentarily. “There’s so much we can’t discuss because of legal matters, but it just feels really good to be enjoying playing hockey again. And to be honest, it feels fucking awesome to be playing with Rozanov – especially because the chirps are a little less scathing when you’re playing on the same side as him!”
“He still chirps you?!” Harris was surprised but he hadn’t had a chance to visit during training sessions so hadn’t been able to observe any happenings on the ice.
“The only time Ilya isn’t chirping is when he’s eating or drinking – and even then, he can verbally shiv you in between bites!” Shane gave a small laugh. “Last practice, he told Hazy that the crease wasn’t a nap space for toddler goalies! Hazy said if Rozanov was doing his job properly, he should be able to nap because the puck would never be down his end of the rink! He also told me that my ass might be pretty, but if I didn’t keep up with him on the ice, he’d make me do bag skates in full kit until I puked – yeah, suffice to say that the chirping hasn’t ended!”
“What do you say to people who think that having a queer couple on the team is a distraction, that this isn’t what hockey is about?” Shane seemed to fold in on himself, all of the relaxation leeching out of his body as he returned to his perfect hockey-robot form, although his discomfort and anger were obvious. His tension was clearly visible and Harris regreted the need to ask the question but there was really no way of pretending that the entire situation was normal.
“I’d say that as long as management and my team mates have no issue with it, then it’s none of their fucking business. No one cares if the team goes out, gets drunk and picks up girls at the local club, but they have an issue with a married couple? Like, we’re boring as fuck!” Shane said, his voice rising slightly as he spoke. The door to the interview room opened and Ilya swaggered in, his face lighting up when he saw his fiance.
“Hollander!! Oh, is this the introduction interview?” he asked as he shut the door behind him and took a seat next to Shane, automatically reaching over and taking his hand. He placed a gentle kiss on the centre of Shane’s palm before putting their joined hands in his lap. “Are you asking him deeply penetrating questions, Harris?”
“How do you make everything sound like an innuendo?” Shane asked, sounding irritated yet his eyes soft as he gazed at his fiance.
“Because you are a freak who thinks about sex more than anyone else I know, Moy Pomidor,” Ilya replied with a grin.
“I do not!” Shane protested, shoving Ilya’s shoulder.
“Penetrating was the answer in crossword for the New Yorker this morning,” Ilya said,”so I do not understand why it was full of – how you say – innuendo?”
“You know damned well what you’re doing – you’re such an asshole!” Shane said fondly and Harris felt like he should turn off the camera and give them some privacy. Time felt frozen as he watched them gazing at each other, utterly forgotten as they sat in their own personal bubble. Ilya’s face was soft, his mouth tilted in a smile, his eyes flickering all over Hollander’s face. Shane was just as bad, mouth slightly open as he looked fondly at his fiance. It felt like an intrusion to speak, but Harris had a job to do.
“So the fire between Hollander and Rozanov burns just as brightly as it ever did?” Harris asked, and the two men opposite him seemed to realise that they weren’t alone, turning to face him as they adjusted to his presence.
“We are very fiery – we are a fire-storm together and anyone who comes near us on the ice will be burned,” Ilya proclaimed, like saying it made it so. “Hollander is second-best hockey player in the world and Centaurs already had the best – we will be bringing the Cup to Ottawa!”
“Shane?”
“You heard him – he’s my Captain so what he says goes. If he says we’re bringing the Cup home, then we’re bringing the Cup home,” Shane stated calmly, squeezing Ilya’s hand in his. “Although I might take issue with the whole second-best player comment!” he said ruefully.
“Do not worry, sweetheart, I will share my diet and exercise routine with you and soon you will be playing on my level,” Ilya replied.
“Your diet would make a mountain goat sick and your exercise routine consists of chasing Anya around!”
“No, no, is lie – Shane, why are you telling such hurtful lies on me? Centaurs fans will think that I am lazy!” Ilya protested, the patently false expression of hurt on his face making Harris giggle. “Harris – you cannot put that in the newsletter! I am elite athlete and should be respected as such!”
“An elite athlete having two MacDonald’s breakfasts and hot chocolate with extra sugar instead of a protein smoothie is not my definition of a diet plan!” Shane snarked back. “When your eating patterns make it out of your teen years, I’ll listen to you!”
“This is not true!!” Ilya said, gesturing once more towards Harris dramatically. “I shared my breakfast with Luca because I knew he would not have eaten before morning skate. And hot chocolate was needed – I had to replenish energy!”
“You had to replenish – “ Shane began.
“Yes, was very busy this morning reminding my fiance just why he wants to lock me down quick – it made us late for morning skate so breakfast from MacDonalds!”
“ILYA!” Harris burst into laughter at the expression on Shane’s face. “Who taught you that expression – lock me down?”
“Bood and Hazy were talking about marrying quickly before their wives realised what they were getting themselves into!”
“Well that tracks!” Shane replied, “although why is it me locking you down and not the other way around?”
“He has a point – MHL’s most Handsome player three years in a row,” Harris inserted. “Some people might wonder how you managed to land Shane!”
“Ah, no – not MHL’s, Shane is mine,” Ilya protested. “And I landed him with my charisma, persistence and incredible bedroom skills!”
“ILYA!!
“Yeah, we might have to cut that out,” Harris said, seeing the relief on Shane’s face.
“You will cut out talk of how much we express our love physically – Harris, I am shocked at you! That is – that is homophobic! Shame on you!”
“ILYA! It’s not homophobic – because apart from the fact that I’m a homosexual, the video and newsletter need to be family friendly!”
“What is not family-friendly about talking about our love? It is not as though I told you about how flexible Shane is because of yoga and how his legs can – “
“And that’s enough of that!” Shane said, slamming his hand over Ilya’s mouth. “Sorry, Harris – he and I have had the conversation about PDA at work but obviously Ilya missed the bit about not sharing our bedroom habits with our colleagues!” Shane glared at Ilya. “Although I would have thought that was obvious! EW!”
The exclamation came as Ilya swiped his tongue over Shane’s palm, chuckling when the gag was removed and Shane wiped his hand down his pants leg to get rid of the drying saliva.
“Love will not be gagged – ask the Voyageurs if you don’t believe me! Or the MHL – love will always win and we will not be silenced!”
“No one is trying to silence you – “
“You’re such an ass– “
“WHEN we win the Cup, I will kiss my husband in the middle of the ice whilst holding it in our hands! Scott Hunter’s kiss on the ice will cease to be a topic of conversation – bah, when we kiss it will make Hunter’s look like a Victorian kiss on the back of the hand! He took a risk kissing his Kip on the ice – he could have fallen and broken his fragile bones.”
“Ilya – Scott isn’t that much older than us – “ Shane protested, even as he laughed.
“I’m really going to have to get creative with this editing,” Harris said whilst smiling.
“You are perfect man for the job, Harris,” Ilya said encouragingly, grinning at Shane who simply shook his head. “And my Shane is perfect subject – I cannot wait to see the pictures you took so that whole of Ottawa can see the beautiful man who will be my husband!” That apparently deserved a kiss because Shane leaned over and kissed Ilya’s cheek. Harris watched as a pink tide rose in Ilya’s cheeks, his eyes widening and his mouth spreading in a delighted grin that Harris had never had the privilege of seeing before. Before Ilya could derail things any further, Harris turned back to Shane.
“Okay, Shane, I can see that we’re not going to get anything else done whilst Ilya is here. Last questions – what are you looking forward to most and what should we expect from you?”
Shane sat in silence for a moment before meeting Harris’s eyes with a sincere smile.
“I am most looking forward to taking the ice with my husband and lifting the Stanley Cup for the fourth time – and Ottawa should expect to see some first class hockey because the Centaurs are hitting the season running and no one is ready!”
“Thank you Shane – and Ilya. I’ll let you see the video before it’s released and the newsletter to make sure you’re happy with things,” Harris said, turning off the camera. “And on a personal note, can I firstly say how happy we are to have you here and secondly, my commiserations on having to wrangle this one on a permanent basis!” he said, pointing at Ilya. “It’s good to have you here Shane – I think this is going to be an incredible journey that we’re all on together.”
As Shane and Ilya left, Ilya still complaining about being silenced whilst wrapping his arms around Shane’s waist and walking behind him, Harris watched them together. It was strange to think of the Russian as the more delicate partner, but as he watched them walking down the corridor, Harris found himself thinking that Shane was like Ilya’s North Star – he had been lost in Ottawa without him, but now he was so obviously happier and more settled. However horrendous the last few months had been, anyone seeing the two of them together would know that this was the real thing. He also found himself wondering just how long they had been together – Shane had said something about every time he set foot on the ice, Ilya had been on his mind. Just how long had these two been hiding?
Shaking his head at his internal musings, he opened his computer and began to look through the footage so that the newsletter would be ready to go out before the first game. This was going to be an incredible time for the Centaurs and Harris was excited for the coming season.
- - X - -
centaurs newsletters: after party
Fandom: ⟫ Heated Rivalry, Game Changers Series by Rachel Reid
Characters/Pairing: ⟫ Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Rating: ⟫ Teen & Up
Master!post: ⟫ here
Word Count: ⟫ 2,696
Summary: ⟫ Shane Hollander has joined the Centaurs and it’s time for some promotion with Harris Drover
Harris wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Everyone was excited about the Shane Hollander joining the Centaurs and were united in their belief that Montreal had lost its ever-loving mind. Of course, the romance of the situation wasn’t lost on Harris – realising that the Ilya Rozanov that had spent the last year dragging the Centaurs into cup contention was madly in love with Shane Hollander basically broke Harris’ brain!
He was interviewing Hollander for the Centaurs Newsletter (digital and physical copies) and wasn’t sure how to approach it. Hollander—Shane—was nothing like Ilya. For his Ottawa introduction, Ilya posed for some risqué shots—shots Harris was definitely using. The man was a walking thirst trap, seemingly without inhibitions.
However, when it came time for Shane’s photographs, instead of obvious thirst traps, they had ended up with thoughtful, almost editorial images. Shane was obviously dealing with a lot – the media were a plague on anyone trying to get into the rink – as well as dealing with the MHL and the bullshit that led to him leaving Montreal. It was no wonder that his photographs showed a young man deep in thought, in the midst of a maelstrom of instability, trying to be the best he could be while being in love with another man. Harris had so much admiration for Hollander but hadn’t spoken to him enough to get a good feel for who the man was behind the hockey stardom.
“Shane – thank you so much for agreeing to do this. The Centaurs – and all of Ottawa – are so excited for your debut on the ice.”
“Thanks for having me – I’m really looking forward to getting on the ice with the team,” Shane replied, shifting slightly in the chair. His entire demeanour was a perfect demonstration of his media training – he appeared present, relaxed and content, but Harris could see that he was gripping the hem of his Centaurs zip-up hoodie, and he looked slightly pale.
“How are you finding being back in Ottawa – it’s your home town, right?”
“Yeah, I grew up here – was a Centaurs fan from a young age! My Mom has – had a lifelong devotion to the Voyageurs but I think she’s going to enjoy me skating for Ottawa,” Shane replied blandly.
“How have you found skating with the team? Talk from the coaching staff is that you and Luca Haas have some amazing chemistry on the ice.”
“Haas – Luca is an absolute legend! His speed is incredible, as is his accuracy – I was looking at his stats and – “ Harris grinned at the sudden animation that came over Shane, but held up his hand to make him pause.
“Ilya warned me that I shouldn’t let you distract things by talking about the other team members! This is an interview about you, not about the other players!”
“He’s a traitor then!” Shane muttered, blushing slightly whilst giving a small smile, acknowledging that Harris might be correct.
“You know that I have to ask – how are you finding it being on a team with your fiance?” There had been so many revelations in the last few months – when Ilya had announced that they were engaged, it had felt like the beginning of good things happening instead of all of the external bullshit.
“Oh that’s – well, we experienced playing together for the first time at the All Stars Game in Tampa and it was pretty cool, exciting. Being here – on the ice with Rozanov – he’s one of the best for a reason, and my whole career I’ve been competing with him to be the best. That hasn’t changed.”
“And you don’t think being engaged – married – is going to change that dynamic?”
Shane gave a private little smile before meeting Harris’ eyes. “No – there hasn’t been a time in my career when I stepped onto the ice that I haven’t had Rozanov in the back of my mind, keeping me sharp, making me better.” Shane wiped his hand over his face, settling his face into his professional persona. “If anything, being engaged – being together – has made the whole thing sharper.”
“In what way?”
“Well – we lay bets with each other. See who can skate the fastest, gain the most points – even in scrimmage.”
“So you’re constantly competing?”
“Well, yeah. When you find the person that meets you where you are – is on your level – having them by your side is – amazing,” Shane replied, his face becoming animated as he continued talking. “The power play is coming along really well – sometimes it feels like Ilya – Rozanov – is an extension of myself. He’s always where I need him to be and I almost feel like I know where he is without looking. It’s made for some incredibly satisfying gameplay.”
“You sound really enthused,” Harris said, smiling gently.
“Yeah, after everything that happened – the FanMail video, all of the discussions about repercussions – it’s really good to be back to what matters. Playing hockey with a team of like-minded individuals, all working towards the same goal.” Shane tilted his head slightly to the side, deep in thought momentarily. “There’s so much we can’t discuss because of legal matters, but it just feels really good to be enjoying playing hockey again. And to be honest, it feels fucking awesome to be playing with Rozanov – especially because the chirps are a little less scathing when you’re playing on the same side as him!”
“He still chirps you?!” Harris was surprised but he hadn’t had a chance to visit during training sessions so hadn’t been able to observe any happenings on the ice.
“The only time Ilya isn’t chirping is when he’s eating or drinking – and even then, he can verbally shiv you in between bites!” Shane gave a small laugh. “Last practice, he told Hazy that the crease wasn’t a nap space for toddler goalies! Hazy said if Rozanov was doing his job properly, he should be able to nap because the puck would never be down his end of the rink! He also told me that my ass might be pretty, but if I didn’t keep up with him on the ice, he’d make me do bag skates in full kit until I puked – yeah, suffice to say that the chirping hasn’t ended!”
“What do you say to people who think that having a queer couple on the team is a distraction, that this isn’t what hockey is about?” Shane seemed to fold in on himself, all of the relaxation leeching out of his body as he returned to his perfect hockey-robot form, although his discomfort and anger were obvious. His tension was clearly visible and Harris regreted the need to ask the question but there was really no way of pretending that the entire situation was normal.
“I’d say that as long as management and my team mates have no issue with it, then it’s none of their fucking business. No one cares if the team goes out, gets drunk and picks up girls at the local club, but they have an issue with a married couple? Like, we’re boring as fuck!” Shane said, his voice rising slightly as he spoke. The door to the interview room opened and Ilya swaggered in, his face lighting up when he saw his fiance.
“Hollander!! Oh, is this the introduction interview?” he asked as he shut the door behind him and took a seat next to Shane, automatically reaching over and taking his hand. He placed a gentle kiss on the centre of Shane’s palm before putting their joined hands in his lap. “Are you asking him deeply penetrating questions, Harris?”
“How do you make everything sound like an innuendo?” Shane asked, sounding irritated yet his eyes soft as he gazed at his fiance.
“Because you are a freak who thinks about sex more than anyone else I know, Moy Pomidor,” Ilya replied with a grin.
“I do not!” Shane protested, shoving Ilya’s shoulder.
“Penetrating was the answer in crossword for the New Yorker this morning,” Ilya said,”so I do not understand why it was full of – how you say – innuendo?”
“You know damned well what you’re doing – you’re such an asshole!” Shane said fondly and Harris felt like he should turn off the camera and give them some privacy. Time felt frozen as he watched them gazing at each other, utterly forgotten as they sat in their own personal bubble. Ilya’s face was soft, his mouth tilted in a smile, his eyes flickering all over Hollander’s face. Shane was just as bad, mouth slightly open as he looked fondly at his fiance. It felt like an intrusion to speak, but Harris had a job to do.
“So the fire between Hollander and Rozanov burns just as brightly as it ever did?” Harris asked, and the two men opposite him seemed to realise that they weren’t alone, turning to face him as they adjusted to his presence.
“We are very fiery – we are a fire-storm together and anyone who comes near us on the ice will be burned,” Ilya proclaimed, like saying it made it so. “Hollander is second-best hockey player in the world and Centaurs already had the best – we will be bringing the Cup to Ottawa!”
“Shane?”
“You heard him – he’s my Captain so what he says goes. If he says we’re bringing the Cup home, then we’re bringing the Cup home,” Shane stated calmly, squeezing Ilya’s hand in his. “Although I might take issue with the whole second-best player comment!” he said ruefully.
“Do not worry, sweetheart, I will share my diet and exercise routine with you and soon you will be playing on my level,” Ilya replied.
“Your diet would make a mountain goat sick and your exercise routine consists of chasing Anya around!”
“No, no, is lie – Shane, why are you telling such hurtful lies on me? Centaurs fans will think that I am lazy!” Ilya protested, the patently false expression of hurt on his face making Harris giggle. “Harris – you cannot put that in the newsletter! I am elite athlete and should be respected as such!”
“An elite athlete having two MacDonald’s breakfasts and hot chocolate with extra sugar instead of a protein smoothie is not my definition of a diet plan!” Shane snarked back. “When your eating patterns make it out of your teen years, I’ll listen to you!”
“This is not true!!” Ilya said, gesturing once more towards Harris dramatically. “I shared my breakfast with Luca because I knew he would not have eaten before morning skate. And hot chocolate was needed – I had to replenish energy!”
“You had to replenish – “ Shane began.
“Yes, was very busy this morning reminding my fiance just why he wants to lock me down quick – it made us late for morning skate so breakfast from MacDonalds!”
“ILYA!” Harris burst into laughter at the expression on Shane’s face. “Who taught you that expression – lock me down?”
“Bood and Hazy were talking about marrying quickly before their wives realised what they were getting themselves into!”
“Well that tracks!” Shane replied, “although why is it me locking you down and not the other way around?”
“He has a point – MHL’s most Handsome player three years in a row,” Harris inserted. “Some people might wonder how you managed to land Shane!”
“Ah, no – not MHL’s, Shane is mine,” Ilya protested. “And I landed him with my charisma, persistence and incredible bedroom skills!”
“ILYA!!
“Yeah, we might have to cut that out,” Harris said, seeing the relief on Shane’s face.
“You will cut out talk of how much we express our love physically – Harris, I am shocked at you! That is – that is homophobic! Shame on you!”
“ILYA! It’s not homophobic – because apart from the fact that I’m a homosexual, the video and newsletter need to be family friendly!”
“What is not family-friendly about talking about our love? It is not as though I told you about how flexible Shane is because of yoga and how his legs can – “
“And that’s enough of that!” Shane said, slamming his hand over Ilya’s mouth. “Sorry, Harris – he and I have had the conversation about PDA at work but obviously Ilya missed the bit about not sharing our bedroom habits with our colleagues!” Shane glared at Ilya. “Although I would have thought that was obvious! EW!”
The exclamation came as Ilya swiped his tongue over Shane’s palm, chuckling when the gag was removed and Shane wiped his hand down his pants leg to get rid of the drying saliva.
“Love will not be gagged – ask the Voyageurs if you don’t believe me! Or the MHL – love will always win and we will not be silenced!”
“No one is trying to silence you – “
“You’re such an ass– “
“WHEN we win the Cup, I will kiss my husband in the middle of the ice whilst holding it in our hands! Scott Hunter’s kiss on the ice will cease to be a topic of conversation – bah, when we kiss it will make Hunter’s look like a Victorian kiss on the back of the hand! He took a risk kissing his Kip on the ice – he could have fallen and broken his fragile bones.”
“Ilya – Scott isn’t that much older than us – “ Shane protested, even as he laughed.
“I’m really going to have to get creative with this editing,” Harris said whilst smiling.
“You are perfect man for the job, Harris,” Ilya said encouragingly, grinning at Shane who simply shook his head. “And my Shane is perfect subject – I cannot wait to see the pictures you took so that whole of Ottawa can see the beautiful man who will be my husband!” That apparently deserved a kiss because Shane leaned over and kissed Ilya’s cheek. Harris watched as a pink tide rose in Ilya’s cheeks, his eyes widening and his mouth spreading in a delighted grin that Harris had never had the privilege of seeing before. Before Ilya could derail things any further, Harris turned back to Shane.
“Okay, Shane, I can see that we’re not going to get anything else done whilst Ilya is here. Last questions – what are you looking forward to most and what should we expect from you?”
Shane sat in silence for a moment before meeting Harris’s eyes with a sincere smile.
“I am most looking forward to taking the ice with my husband and lifting the Stanley Cup for the fourth time – and Ottawa should expect to see some first class hockey because the Centaurs are hitting the season running and no one is ready!”
“Thank you Shane – and Ilya. I’ll let you see the video before it’s released and the newsletter to make sure you’re happy with things,” Harris said, turning off the camera. “And on a personal note, can I firstly say how happy we are to have you here and secondly, my commiserations on having to wrangle this one on a permanent basis!” he said, pointing at Ilya. “It’s good to have you here Shane – I think this is going to be an incredible journey that we’re all on together.”
As Shane and Ilya left, Ilya still complaining about being silenced whilst wrapping his arms around Shane’s waist and walking behind him, Harris watched them together. It was strange to think of the Russian as the more delicate partner, but as he watched them walking down the corridor, Harris found himself thinking that Shane was like Ilya’s North Star – he had been lost in Ottawa without him, but now he was so obviously happier and more settled. However horrendous the last few months had been, anyone seeing the two of them together would know that this was the real thing. He also found himself wondering just how long they had been together – Shane had said something about every time he set foot on the ice, Ilya had been on his mind. Just how long had these two been hiding?
Shaking his head at his internal musings, he opened his computer and began to look through the footage so that the newsletter would be ready to go out before the first game. This was going to be an incredible time for the Centaurs and Harris was excited for the coming season.
centaurs newsletters: after party
