“Can you keep a secret?"

why. harris didn't answer in words, but instead turned the phone with its looping video toward troy so he could see for himself. was he surprised about ilya being queer? no, not really. ilya rozanov had always managed to be surprising, what harris couldn't have predicted was that he would be kissing hollander. there had been rumors floating around that hollander was gay, but their rivalry was well known. wasn't it? well, wouldn't be the first time the image the league presented was wrong.

Oh shit.

Did they already know about this being online? He felt a sudden strong urge to send Ilya a text. He had to imagine that the both of them were already being swarmed by messages.

"Well, if you're seeing things, I must be hallucinating with you..." he murmured, sounding almost as if in a daze. "That's definitely Ilya kissing Shane Hollander..."

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. This would likely be a PR nightmare. If the head of the NHL got involved, both of them could possibly lose their careers. It was gonna be a giant mess.

"This was my bunch, by the way," he admitted to Harris. "I initially said that Ilya and Hollander were fucking as a joke while I was..." He winced suddenly. "Being a homophobic prick in Toronto."

✘ ♕ ✘ There was much to celebrate after Ilya's third year with the Centaurs. They gained a new player, and despite initial concerns, Troy turned out to be a great asset and an even greater teammate and friend They also survived the harrowing near plane crash ordeal, bring the team closer together than before. On top of it all, Ilya and Shane were outed to the world, and though it was against their will, he couldn't be happier about it. The weight was lifted and his team had seemed to accept it.

Distance still spanned the boyfriends while Shane remained in Montreal (though it was looking more likely that he wouldn't renew that contract). Despite that lingering pang of loneliness that seemed to ever dwell within Ilya's heart when they were separated, he was glad to throw the post season party at his house. Though the Centaurs didn't last long in the playoffs, they were actually there, which was a first for Ottawa in a decade. Spirits were high and the players with their families were boisterous, filling the home with happiness and pride.

Standing in the kitchen alone, the captain was lost in his own thoughts as his fingers idly played with the ring and crucifix that hung around his neck. At the sound of another voice, he blinked back to the present, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he regarded Barret. It was odd how life worked, he thought to himself. He remembered the day that his new wingman's trade had been announced to the team. Ilya was pissed off by it, hating the idea of a homophobic bully coming in to ruin the good vibes the Centaurs had already built up. Less than half a year later, and Ilya now saw Troy has one of his closest friends.

He went over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer before going to grab the bottle opener that had been left out on the counter. As he worked to pop the cap, he paused, nearly blushing at the remark about his smile.

Ilya seemed to love teasing him about Harris at any chance he could get. After a moment, he removed the cap and looked up at his captain's face again. Despite the ribbing, a smile couldn't help but eventually find its way back across his lips. "He is," Troy confirmed with a nod. "I think he's talking to Hazy and his wife."

harris was, in a word, at peace. in a way he hadn't been at peace in what seemed like a very long time. sure, he had nothing really to complain about, but he also hadn't spent his nights cuddled in close to troy. troy his boyfriend. troy his brave, talented, really fucking hot boyfriend. harris slept so well.

but he still had to wake up at some point, and, yeah, he liked his job enough to at least check in with the centaurs social media platforms when he woke up. harris was still enjoying the comments for the pride night posts. they were mostly positive, and harris was once again thankful for the centaurs fans. best in hockey.

what started as scrolling through posts, though, had turned into biting his thumb nail, watching the same video over and over. hayden pike of the montreal voyageurs wishing happy birthday to some guy named brad. but that wasn't why harris was watching. it had been tagged with ilya's name. and when harris watched, there was ilya in the background. odd enough that he was at pike house, but then he was kissing shane hollander. and harris was stressed job wise, sure, but more than that he was concerned for ilya as a friend.

Despite the growing tenseness in the room, he impulsively leaned into the soft touch of Harris's hand. Though, when his boyfriend had asked his question, Troy nearly went tense.

He couldn't help but immediately think back to his conversation with Ilya about being bisexual. He had asked about if Ilya was with Shane Hollander. He recalled Ilya's bizarre but not-at-all-subtle deflection.

“What would it be like to be that comfortable—that open—about yourself?”

This is a sideblog to @bostonlilyxo, so if I follow you back, it will be from that blog.

✖ independent series canon Troy Barrett ✖ 15 years+ rp experience, mun 25+ ✖ multifandom, multiverse ✖ discord for mutuals

MOBILE LINKS: Rules & About Info

Mains & Affiliates: @gardcnofedcn || Harris -- more to be announced later

His polite smile is still there, frozen in place like something he can’t quite take off, and for a second his chest just still as he forgets to breathe, until the burn in his lungs snaps him out of it with a sharp, uneven inhale.

Troy Barrett. Not straight. Troy Barrett talked to Ilya about this. And Ilya didn’t- Shane cuts the thought off before it can finish, before it can spiral into something worse.

"Right." he says, a little too quickly, like he’s trying to catch up to a conversation that’s already miles ahead of him. His hands come up briefly, reaching for the drawstring of his hoodie in a small, uncertain gesture that doesn’t quite land anywhere before dropping again.

"Okay. Wow. That’s-" he huffs out a quiet, strained breath, something almost like a laugh slipping through. "That’s great, actually. I mean- you know, I just—"

God. He presses his lips together, shaking his head once as if that might reset him.

"Thanks. For- telling me. Trusting me with that-" Shane manages, voice a little steadier now, falling back into something rehearsed. Anything but the actual question. Because he can’t touch that. Not here. Not like this. Not in a fucking parking lot for fucks sake.

His gaze flickers past Troy for a second, already searching for an out, something to latch onto. "I should probably-" he gestures vaguely behind himself already taking a small step back. "I’ve got an early morning tomorrow and- yeah."

"...Uh, yeah, you're welcome," he replied awkwardly. Somehow, in this moment, he knew he had fucked up.

If Shane was actually dating Ilya, there was no doubt that his captain would hear about this later.

He could've kept his mouth shut about this, but curiosity had gotten the better of him.

'I should've kept my mouth shut,' his brain corrected for him.

So, when Shane was practically hedging towards his jeep, Troy did nothing to stop him or press harder on the topic. "Yeah, sure," he replied softly. "I won't take up anymore of your time."

Quickly, yet genuinely, he added, "Sorry for springing that shit on you without warning." The last thing Shane told him made him smile, even if a little bit. It did at least sound sincere. "Thank you."

Thankfully after the Pride game, they had never heard from him again. They spent plenty of time with Troy’s mother whenever she wasn’t busy travelling the world and had found their own place to move into to deepen their relationship. It was everything Harris had ever wanted.

Sitting on the couch, Harris had been engrossed in editing a new video for the Centaur’s Instagram page. Some cute little video with Luca talking about his home country’s culture. He wanted to make as many as these as he could. It would be good for the kids who came to their games and had the same backgrounds as some of the players.

The sound of Troy’s voice instantly had him looking up though, a soft frown on his features as he dropped his gaze to the video playing on Troy’s phone. It was a vulnerable moment caught between Troy and his father; something that should’ve never been made. His hand reached out for Troy’s cheek, stroking over it. “Hey, hey, breathe.” He muttered softly, taking hold of his boyfriend’s phone and placing it to the side. “This is a breach of your rights. They shouldn’t have been filming a moment like that, nor should they be uploading it without your permission.”

He opened his eyes a moment later, not putting up any resistance when his phone was taken away from him. Honestly, he had no plans to check his social media for the rest of the day. Until he released some professional statement, there was no way he'd post on his social media. The last thing he wanted to do was spark more controversy, but he was aware that no matter what he'd post, people would talk anyways.

"Yeah... you're right," he finally murmured, nodding slowly. He had a feeling that removing the video would do next to nothing. God only knew how much the clip had already been circulated throughout the internet. "I think an official statement would be the best move."

More....more than friends?

His heart lurches, a sharp, violent jolt against his ribs, and suddenly everything feels too close. Too loud. Too exposed. He can feel it. That horrible, sinking realization of how close Troy is. How he's poking at something that shouldn't be poked.

How easy it would be to just- see it. Connect the dots.

Shane swallows, but it doesn’t help. His throat feels like sandpaper, like something is lodged there, blocking every carefully rehearsed response he’s ever had for moments like this. His mind races, too fast, too many thoughts colliding at once. Deny it. Laugh it off. Deflect. Say something. Anything.

But for a fraction of a second too long Shane simply remains frozen in place. And that’s the most dangerous part. Because silence can say more than words ever could. "I—"

His voice catches, barely there, and he clears his throat quickly, forcing something steadier back into place. Forcing himself back into control.

Though, he couldn't help but feel a little bad for hitting him with something so anxiety inducing without warning. He knew from experience; hiding your sexuality from the entire world was exhausting and terrifying.

Troy was tempted to say that it wasn't that "bold" after Ilya's bizarre reaction to the same accusation. Thankfully, for once, he managed to keep his mouth shut before risking sounding like a dick.

The accusation nearly made him wince, but he decided to stick to his guts. "Maybe you can call me nosy, but the one word I haven't heard from either of you was a 'no'," he pointed out.

There, he put it out there. Now, Shane knew that he had spoken to Ilya about the same topic.

He held up his hands placantantly. "Look, I'll tell you the same thing I told him. I'm not straight."

Since I just started this blog, I have to start getting some threads going here!

Like for a starter! It can be random or plotted!