Let's forget reality

Anyway, I think Shane, Hayden and JJ get into this conversation only it's the other two asking Shane "which one of us would you date if you had to pick" expecting him to say he couldn't choose or (more likely) he doesn't want to be with anyone but Ilya.

Except Shane, without thinking, says "JJ".

And then he has to immediately backpedal because Hayden's looking at him like he just spat in his face and JJ's going "Mon Capitaine I had no idea you felt this way ~ 😏😘" and now Shane's stuck reassuring Hayden that he's very good looking, I promise and yes, I'm sure you're great in bed we really don't need to call Jackie, it's just that JJ's more obviously sexy - wait no I didn't mean it like - sure, you're sexy too, Hayden - and Hayden's going "Sure??"

Ilya: [barely listening] yeah for sure. Should I buy this Rolls-Royce in yellow or red?

"What even is riding? What is governer general? So many weird English words. Don't get me started on history. Why do I have to remember there was strike in Winnipeg a hundred years ago? Was Scott Hunter there?"

The clip goes somewhat viral, but it doesn't spread far until he's doing a post-game interview where one reporter, after asking their question about the game, asks, "Where does the name 'Canada' come from?"

"What?"

The reporter kind of embarresedly repeats, "Where does the word 'Canada' come from? It's on the Canadian citizenship test."

Ilya stares blankly for a moment then says, slowly, "It means village, I think. From Indigenous language? Why are you asking questions from citizenship test?"

The reporter shrugs. "You said you were having dfficulty studying for the test. Maybe it helps with studying?"

And THAT clip goes viral along with the first. It starts a trend of reporters asking questions from the Discover Canada study guide whenever the opportunity arises. It starts as a bit, but soon people get in invested and genuinely want to see Ilya pass his citizenship test. Fans start asking him questions from the study guide too, whenever they meet him at official events or out and about.

(She then also prints a dinosaur and adds it to the tree, like on the top of the tree)

Shane: who is this, baby?

After lunch they are seated in the den, fondly flipping through old photograph albums, when Ilya spies one that makes him lean over and squint. In the way of disposable camera film from the early aughts, it is grainy and overexposed, but there are no mistaking the warm brown eyes and pouty lips of Shane Hollander, looking blank faced at the camera. What comes as a surprise are the bleached blond ends of his dark hair, styled into crunchy looking spikes with obscene amounts of product.

Ilya emits a noise that can only be described as a squawk. Hand clapped to his mouth, because he barely trusts himself to speak, he chokes out, "What is...this?"

Yuna glances over nonchalantly. "Oh, that. Shane begged me to let him get frosted tips when he was 12."

Ilya will die. He will die right here, gagging on suppressed laughter, and Yuna will be forced to clean the mess of his remains off the berber carpet.

"I think he was trying to emulate some boy band he was obsessed with then. NSYNC maybe? I thought it was a bad idea, but David convinced me to let him try it out. Shane was going through a moody period, and he thought it might help."

"And-" Ilya squeaks in way too high a pitch, then clears his throat. "Ahem. And did it?"

Yuna thinks. "Hard to say. God, he was a bit of a bitchy preteen." She chuckles. "He had a poster of Lance Bass taped to his closet door. In hindsight, I should have guessed the gay thing much earlier."

Ilya can no longer contain his laughter. He doubles over with it, waving his hand and wheezing, "Sorry, sorry." He wipes tears from his eyes. "I can have this picture?"

Yuna shrugs. "Sure. The poster is probably still upstairs in his closet, if you want that, too. I've been meaning to clear it out-"

DING DING DING DING.

Thank you. The nature of being closeted is what makes him reserved- it’s self preservation.

I think once he’s been with the Centaurs for a good few years and they’re all completely comfortable, he sometimes comes out with shit out of nowhere that makes Ilya blush a little.

Dick was called in because jason was away in another city right now. Dick immediately told baby to apologize, which he did begrudgingly. However, before they could leave the scene, the other boy’s father muttered under his breath about “unruly, defective omegas have unruly pups.”