I think Harris / Ilya is an underestimated pairing. Like, if Shane and Ilya broke up. I didn't think of it myself before reading Role Model, but now I can see it:
Harris has everything Ilya wants. He's a sweetheart. He has a huge family who would lovingly take him in. He lives the "boring" (affectionate) life of slow cooker meals and family gatherings. He wants someone who will take control in bed and let himself be babied outside of it. He's out and wouldn't hide Ilya.
And Ilya is everything Harris wants. He's a hot, loveable asshole who actually has a heart of gold. He loves passionately and faithfully, with all his heart. He knows how to be gentle with the one he loves without trusting them like they're fragile.
Say the Boxing Day fight happens the Christmas ✨️before✨️ Troy comes around. Ilya is devastated. Harris swoops in just as a friend, with puppies and his sunny personality, trying to help. Ilya cracks and tells Harris he moved to Ottawa for love but the closet was killing him. And when he said he HAS to come out soon, his boyfriend said that that would be the end of them. So it was.
Harris WILL help Ilya plan his coming out PR, but first - and more importantly - he throws himself into helping Ilya drag himself out of the pit losing Shane has left him in. He encourages Ilya to reconnect with old friends and strengthen friendships on their team. He helps Ilya find a hobby and commit to therapy.
Inevitably, they begin a relationship. It's not the 'all or nothing' type of relationship Ilya had with Shane, but it's not just hooking up. It's sweet dates before the hot sex and building a friendship healthier than Ilya has had yet.
Maybe Shane eventually gears up to win his man back and Troy comes around, as in canon, and the couples resettle as intended. Maybe in this universe Harris and Ilya fall in love instead and when Ilya comes out, he gets to smile sweetly and blush a little and say his boyfriend helped him find the courage.
Anyone else think this pairing has potential?
