lavsnz ෆ

the (somewhat) joint interview

Luck would have it that the Shane’s first game as a Centaur would be against the Metros. They win, 4-2, but Shane knows full well that he won’t get to celebrate for long until he’s pulled to talk to reporters. He had done some preparation, but he was still nerves. Thankfully Coach Wiebe suggested that Ilya join Shane for this, and even decided to set media up in a conference room so that Shane wouldn’t be bombarded with microphones in his face.

Ilya and him quickly throw on their post game outfits and head to the conference room hand in hand. Right before they enter, Ilya gives Shane’s hand a kiss and raises a brow at him. Shane blows out a breath and nods. They walk in heads high, but no longer holding hands. Professionalism and all that.

The reporters have some decorum for once, they wait until Shane’s ass hits his chair before they start shouting questions. Harris insisted on being there to try to control the media and Coach Wiebe is standing at the very back. Shane’s nervous, of course, but knows that multiple people there have his back, something that he hadn’t had for a long time as a Metro.

“One at a time, please.” Harris asks, tone kind but firm.

One of Shane’s favorite reporters goes first. “Shane, first of all, congratulations on your first game as a Centaur.”

Shane smiles. “Thank you.”

“Many of us are wondering, how does it feel playing with Ilya and not against him after being rivals for so long?” She finishes.

Shane knew he would get this question, it’s one of the ones he has a perfect response for, and it’s genuine. “Well to be fair, it was mostly media and league narratives that pushed the idea of us being rivals. Ilya has always been a force to be reckoned with on the ice and of course playing against him definitely got on my nerves, but I always respected him. Playing with him is great. We meet on the power play and he can read my mind like no one else. I somehow always have a sense of where he is on the ice without having to look.”

Ilya beams but his eyes quickly get a far away look to them. He turns to seemingly adjust his position in his chair and jolts in on himself, with a quiet “nxgt!” Through the small opening on the back of Ilya’s chair, Shane rubs his back a few times, a silent blessing.

“Speaking of only being on the power play with Ilya, how does it feel to no longer be the starting center?”

Shane’s about to answer, but gets cut off by Ilya sneezing.

“HA-AATSHIEW! AATSHIEW! AATSHIEW!” Ilya sneezes into cupped hands around his nose.

“Honestly, not being starting center is really nice. It takes a tiny amount of pressure off. On top of that, Ilya’s a fantastic starting center. There’s no point in fixing what’s not broken, he has such chemistry on the ice with his line mates too that they’ve built, I’m glad that it’s not changing just because I’m here now.”

“Bless you,” Shane says, in a chorus of blessings from reporters. Ilya shyly smiles and nods for Shane to continue.

“HUH-PTSHIEW! APTSHIEW! HEPTSHIEW!“ Ilya sneezes again. He’s met with another round of blessings and a very concerned look from Shane.

“Shane, how did it feel playing against the Metros and not with them for the first time—”

“HEH-PTSHIEW! APTSHIEW! A-AAKSHIEW!”

This time Ilya fully spins around, hands covering almost his entire face. Shane can tell he’s gearing up for another round and Harris rushes over with tissues. Ilya takes them and sneezes another set of triples. Shane can hear him start to wheeze, hinting at some sort of allergic reaction.

Shane stands up and goes to the back of Ilya’s chair where Ilya is facing, hands holding the tissues from Harris around his nose.

“Ilya, go to medical. You’re wheezing, something’s up,” Shane says softly.

Shane can tell that Ilya’s about to protest, but sneezes before he can.

“I’ll be okay, I promise. But you’re not, go to medical. I’ll be right down.”

Ilya nods and stands up. Shane walks him to the door where Coach Wiebe meets him.

“I got him,” Wiebe says. Shane nods, grateful to have a coach looking out for Ilya while he can’t.

Once again, as soon as Shane sits, questions are being tossed at him rapidly fire.

“What’s going on with Ilya?” is the first question he makes out.

“I don’t know, but he’s headed to medical right now.”

“Is this normal for him?”

he wakes up stuffy because it’s been raining for the past few hours, and he spends the rest of his morning with a tissue in hand.

the sneezes don’t come super often, just enough as to where he can’t quite focus fully on anything. when he’s not sneezing, his nose is running, needing constant attending to

the first time il/ya sees him when it’s rainy outside he just assumes sh/ane is sick. but eventually, once he and sh/ane are dating, he notices the pattern of sh/ane’s nose acting up once it’s rainy