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Ilya hates talk shows, but his agent advised him to take this one. Hunter had kissed his boytoy on TV several weeks ago, and they would not miss the chance to ask him about it. This would make it easy to make his positions on gay rights clear, and potentially ease things if he ever decided to come out publicly. Not that he intended to do that.
His agent had been right, Mr. Interview had teed the question up only a few minutes into the interview.
“So, recently the hockey world has been struck by a huge change. Scott Hunter has come out, in a very dramatic fashion, making him the first gay active player in the NHL. Do you have any thoughts on that?”
“Yes, is good for him and his boy. Very brave. I do think maybe more shocking is that he won the cup, yes?”
“Oh, so you suspected he was gay? Had he made a move on you before then?”
Well that’s an unfortunate take away. He did not see how his comment could lead to that conclusion, but he will try to clarify.
“No no, not that. You misunderstand me. Is simply very surprising that he won cup. Many good teams, and then there is New York.”
“Ah okay. So you wouldn’t have any problem sharing the ice with him?”
Ilya is starting to get pissed off. Mr. Interview clearly has an agenda here.
“No? Why would that be issue? We will beat him next season and be done.”
“I mean, more along the lines of, you wouldn’t have a problem sharing a locker room with him?”
“Ah, yes I would.”
“Because it would make you uncomfortable?”
“Yes, would make me very uncomfortable to be on same team as someone who is so bad at hockey.”
Ilya hopes this is the end of it, but is sure that he is not so lucky.
“I see. So you wouldn’t be worried about someone like him looking at you in the locker room?”
Fuck Mr. Interview. Ilya is glad he did not bother to learn his name. Clearly very bigoted man thought the Russian player would also be bigoted.
“I am stunning. Everyone look at me in locker room. I am used to this. You are very focused. Did he tell you to ask? Does he want to know if I am interested?”
Ilya winks suggestively at the camera to sell his point. He continues, “I could send him photos if so. Sexy ones. I would even autograph them so he could sell them when he’s retired and poor.”
“Oh, uh, I mean, no, we have not spoken with Hunter about this. Though, I have to say, I am curious now. You have such a reputation for being a ladies man, would you be open to dating someone like Hunter?”
“Ah, yes, as you say, ladies love me. You are not only one with question, though. The ladies online, on the Tumbler, they love to write about me being se—kissing—“
Ilya turns away from the camera and towards Mr. Interview to ask, “I can say kissing, yes?”
After receiving a shaky nod in response, Ilya continues. “The ladies write me as kissing god and write about me kissing many very sexy models and actresses. Since Hunter has come out, though, they write about me kissing Hunter. My beautiful ladies, stop writing about me kissing people who are bad at hockey. I would not do this.”
This apparently stuns Mr. Interview as he blinks at Ilya and takes a second to collect his thoughts.
“Rosanov, you’re on Tumbler? Why?”
“I like to see what the ladies write about me. They like to talk about how sexy I am and I tell them when they are wrong about me. I think they think I am pretend account, but I am me.”
Ilya does an innocent little shrug at his own words, as if to clear him of fault for the creation of this situation.
“Okay, and your only complaint about them writing about you and Hunter is that he’s bad at hockey? Are there players in the league you’d be okay with them pairing you with?”
Ilya tilts his head and pretends to think hard about the question, even though there’s an obvious answer. He pretends to be surprised and gleeful, like the perfect response has just occurred to him.
“Ah, yes! The ladies like the picture of me kissing Hollander during All-Star game. If you must write about me kissing player instead of sexy models and actresses, Hollander is at least good at hockey.”
Ilya smirks at the camera the way he always done when talking about Shane. Like he is challenging him, baiting him even. Like he’d say anything to get Hollander to respond to his taunting. As if it were just an empty taunt.
Ilya has learned over the years that sometimes the more you show, the less people see. There would, of course, be people who would take this answer and run with it, but no one would take them seriously. Baiting Hollander is one of his main interview tactics, and people would see this as more of the same.
Mr. Interview himself bursts out laughing at the response.
“Oh, Rosanov, we can always count on you to take any jab at Hollander given the chance. You’ve mentioned these models and actresses a few times now. Have any ladies won your heart recently?”
“Ah, sadly no, unless you count my WAGs.”
“Your WAGs? Are you saying you have multiple women you consider to be your WAGs? Or do you mean the Boston WAGs?”
“Neither. I have recently become very close with other teams WAGs. They get my phone number and think it would be funny to add me to group. Was very funny joke. Now we are good friends though.”
Mr. Interview is once again very shocked by his response. Ilya would think Mr. Interview would be better at controlling his facial expressions in his line of work.
“You’re in a group chat with another teams WAGs? Which team?”
“Ah, my lips be sealed.” Ilya mimes zipping his lips. “Their players get very jealous if they know their WAGs talk to stud Ilya Rosanov.”
Mr. Interview might be in shock now, based on the expression on his face.
“I’m sure they would. What on earth do you all talk about?”
“Ah, we mostly play Smash or Pass and I tell them that their players are bad at hockey.”
“So it’s not just Hunter who is bad at hockey then?”
“No, many bad hockey players in NHL.”
Mr. Interview looks nothing short of relieved when the director twirls his finger in the universal sign for “wrap it up.” This strikes Ilya as very dramatic, he was not even mean to bigoted Mr. Interview.
“Well, there you have it folks! Thanks for joining us today to chat with Rosanov. Anything else you would like to share before we sign off?”
Mr. Interview gestures to him as if prompting him to speak. He should say no, he’s said too much already. But….
“Yes. To Hunter. You did good thing and will mean something to other players who are like you. Very courageous to be first, and now there will be more players who comfortable doing so. So good job. But if you want the ladies to write about us kissing you will simply need to get better at playing hockey. That is all.”
The director calls cut and Ilya is out of his chair, rushing down the hall to see the messages that surely await him on his phone.
