ILYA R. he watches logan from the edge of the rink, reading the tilt of shoulders and the careless swagger that masks a prudent mind, like one studying weather rolling in from a distant sea. garrett’s voice still rings in the rafters after departing the ice from their practice, all command and certainty, and it'd left ilya with a familiar itch between his shoulder blades yet again, their friendly opposition humming beneath his skin like electricity. he believes logan carries the echo of it too, the way players do when they orbit captains and their expectations. ilya pushes off the boards and skates to the center of the rink, breath fogging, slight smirk sharp and intentional working its way across his face. “you skate like you are telling joke,” he asserts, wholly unaware if his utterance made a lick of sense, though in his mind, it had. hazel hues flicker to logan's stick and back up again, registering. “garrett says you are passionate. brave. i think he is annoyed because you make it look easy. that is captain disease.” the words sounded flippant, but beneath them lay an inventory of tells, of weight shifts and restraint, of a man who hides depth behind noise because silence had not been kind to him.
ilya slows to a stop arm’s length away, blades whispering, the rink lights fracturing across his visor like a crown of ice. ilya feels the old ache of competition, braided with a newer curiosity that surprises him with its persistence. “practicing together does strange things,” he resumes, voice even and unhurried. “everyone skates harder and pretends they are not.” his gaze lingers on logan’s stance, the readiness tucked behind humor, and his mouth curves with subdued mirth. he tilts his head in a thoughtful angle, considering how much to reveal and how much to keep tucked away. “your captain and i will circle each other until one of us breaks. but not you. you are standing in the middle, laughing, pretending it is all LOL and no stakes.” a small smile curves, softer than before. “tell me, defenseman. are you ready to pick a side, or are you going to keep giving me a headache?” @lovetold
