Scott's not entirely sure what to do with himself right now. He'd told Kip not to come - Scott was used to the casual homophobia threaded deep into the league and its players (and representatives, and managers, and fans, and et cetera, et cetera), but Kip was still… Adjusting.
If by 'adjusting', one meant experiencing the kind of incandescent rage only someone with supportive friends and family could when thrown deep into the hetero-normative, closed-minded echo chamber that was the MLH.
So Scott came to collect his award alone.
The room appeared to have split into three separate groups. Those who hated Scott and everything he stood for by simply existing, those who didn't care either way, or at least didn't care enough to glare at him or approach him, and those who would go out of their way to speak to him. To give a show of support to the first openly gay player in the league. Who, exactly, the intended audience of this show was, he wasn't sure. Probably depended on the person.
Unfortunately (although even his own use of this word was debatable to him), those in the latter section were very few, and very far between, and so Scott found himself playing wallflower. Not entirely away from the crowd, but certainly not part of it.
He hoped Carter wrapped up his conversation with whoever had managed to snag him and made his way back over soon. Scott would feel worse about forcing him to play babysitter if this wasn't how they'd already spent every high profile event for more than a few years now.
Scott is entirely focused on his phone when he hears someone walking in his direction. His eyes widen when he glances up, expecting Carter and being confronted by a different beast entirely.
Scott says nothing. A moment passes. He moves the fingers of his left hand against each other, anxiety flooding into every twitch.
There's another moment of silence. Then:
"It was brave. What you did."
Rozanov hasn't so much as glanced his way since he'd first caught Scott's eye on his way over. He settles back against the same wall Scott's been occupying, staring out at the crowd with little emotion on his face.
Scott's not surprised by the lack of expression - aren't Russians known to be pretty stoic?
What he is surprised by is the compliment. That had to be what that was, right? A little lacklustre, sure, three words - it was brave - but it was almost overwhelmingly positive compared to the shit he'd had to take off some of the other players. And management. And fans.
Christ.
Scott can't claim to know too much about Ilya Rozanov - he's kind of an asshole, kind of a prodigy, and definitely a cocky little shit-talker - but he supposes he'd just assumed he would, at best, be casually homophobic. One of the players who chatted shit about (and maybe to) Scott, but never bothered starting an actual, physical fight over it.
Maybe it's the Russian thing - he can still hear 'Russia is not safe for people like that' bouncing around in his head, thanks Vaughny - or maybe it's just that Rozanov has always been an antagonistic dickhead, but Scott would never have even considered he'd have his support in this. Certainly not that he'd have it verbalised at a very public event.
"Uh… Thanks." Scott says. He's still not really sure how to react to these conversations with his fellow players - positive and negative alike. It's all part of a script he honestly thought he'd never have to take part in, and it leaves him wrong-footed no matter how many times he has to run through it.
Rozanov shrugs, unperturbed.
There's a beat of silence. Another.
Another.
Scott's not normally one to speak just for the sake of it, but, if he's honest, genuine and entirely positive reactions to the scariest and best thing he's ever done are pretty few and far between, and he kind of wants to hold onto it. This weird little connection he now has to Ilya Rozanov.
I came out as gay and you were nice to me about it when you didn't have to be. When a lot of people weren't. A lot of people I would've called friends not too long ago.
"Um, seriously. Thanks." Scott huffs a laugh, trying to inject a little humor into his tone. "Not everyone feels that way about it."
Understatement of the fucking century.
"Fuck them," is Rozanov's immediate reply. Blunt and straightforward and entirely certain. He turns his head to look Scott dead on as he continues. "Good for you. Fuck them."
Rozanov's face is inscrutable but his tone is ringing with finality. He isn't joking, or chirping, or antagonising. He's just entirely on Scott's side here.
It's… Pretty nice. It's really fucking weird.
There's another beat of silence. Scott feels his throat tightening a little with the threat of tears, which is simultaneously stupid and embarrassing.
Then, from a few feet away: "Rozy!"
Rozanov's head snaps around at the call.
Saved by the bell. Sort of.
Rozanov leans off the wall and starts to walk away with as little preamble as he'd approached.
"I still think you should retire," he calls over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in challenge. "You are one million years old."
Scott's eyes roll on impulse and Rozanov is gone by the time he refocuses.
So, still an arrogant little shit with a penchant for shit-talking, then. Just… Not about this.
Scott being gay is the lowest hanging fruit in that regard, and Ilya Rozanov had just made it abundantly clear where he stood about that. About other players taking advantage of that, too.
What an odd fucking world.
Scott's immediate impulse is to text Kip, of course. So he does.
Scott: I can't believe what just happened.
Scott: Ilya Rozanov is the cockiest little shit in the league. He's an asshole and he's irritating and he's always calling me old as time. He's a Russian chirp-machine who starts fights over nothing with a grin on his face. He just told me I was brave for coming out.
Scott: Craziest thing that's ever happened to me and I came out on live TV by making out with the most beautiful man I've ever met after winning the cup.
Kip's response is almost immediate.
Kip💕 hearted this message.
Kip💕: guess i'll add him to my new list of favorite hockey players :)
I spent a while on ao3 looking, so its possible the answer is no, but... are there any fics where Scott gets outed before anyone comes out willingly? I feel like there's a bunch of juicy material in there, where Hollanov sees this happen to Scott and they respond either by panicking, or by yelling fuck it, then going to bat on Hunter's behalf.
Hmm so I couldn't find anything, and I even peaked into the Scott/Kip relationship tag. I am not sure if there are heavy Skip Fic blogs here, but that might be my best bet to go check. The main tropes I see are Skip reacting to Hollanov being outed or being supportive of them, nothing specific to Hunter.
Does anyone have any recommendations for any SKIP blogs?
a/n - this was written a while ago for something i'm no longer participating in, so you guys get it now! also my first heated rivalry fic so please be nice <3 snippet under the cut
"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" he moans from under the blanket's he's draped over his head.
"Because we agreed that our daughter could try everything once, and you let me be the sperm donor so she got all my athletic ability," Scott's grinning to himself from where he's putting his socks on, the blue and yellow stripey ones that Allie got him for his birthday.
Allie Hunter-Grady had all of her dad's athletic ability and all of her daddy's hatred of early mornings. Which is why Scott make Kip get her up, rather than face the rath of their nearly six year old before she's had her morning apple juice.
She gets that from her dad, the love of routines and rituals. Apple juice, boiled egg and toast soldiers every morning for breakfast from the time she was old enough to eat solids.
Kip says he doesn't get it, that variety is the spice of life. Scott sees it though, was the same when he was a kid, is the same now, even if he is nearing retirement age.
The Hunter Files- Ch 1: Prologue- Costa Rica, 2019
Summary: Detective Christopher Grady thumbed through the evidence files on his desk. He’d been called in late last night- it was an all hands on deck situation. Scott Hunter, MLH superstar and gay icon, had been arrested for murder. Not just murder- multiple murders across this country and likely several others based on his known travels. He thought that this was a mistake- it had to be, but the calmness in Hunter’s demeanor caught him off guard. He wasn’t scared. He was settled. Like he had always known this day might come.
But as Kip walked into the interrogation room, he knew one thing Scott had never calculated. That it would be him. That the man he loved most in the world would sit across from him and ask him to recount every atrocity he'd committed. The world didn't know about them and if this was the last gift he could give Scott- he would be there- with him as he told the world his full truth.
Request from the lovely @westofcatherine.
If you prefer the AO3 experience- you can find it over here.
He heard the careful footsteps, even with the waves and sand- he’d know those footsteps anywhere. It had been six months since he helped him escape, since he made sure that he got away. He still couldn’t believe sometimes that he had helped him- that he had risked everything he had to make sure that he got to live a long life - alone, in this tiny Costa Rican town- where no one cared about hockey. And no one knew the true legacy of Scott Hunter.
He glanced to the side as the man settled next to him- he looked better than he remembered. His dark hair was a bit longer, the shorts revealing legs he had only been able to dream about for the last year. They’d never been allowed to touch once he’d been taken into custody, but the other officers didn’t know. They didn’t know who Scott Hunter was to Christopher Grady.
But if he was here- he was going to be hauled back. He was going to be taken to court and forced to face what he had done. He’d do it. He’d do it because he knew that if he didn’t- it would mean the end of so many things for Kip and he wanted Kip to have those things. He wanted Kip to have a full life that was only linked to his with an asterisk.
He'd accepted never being with Kip again. He'd accepted that the moment he realized what precinct he was in and who was likely to come through the door. He didn't know how he was here, how he was doing what needed to be done to save himself.
“You’re dead- per the dental records I forged. Died in that van transport wreck.”
“And you…”
“My father and I have conveniently gone missing- I settled him a few towns over after I found you.”
“Chri…Kip. You didn’t have to do this, come here- you didn’t know when we started dating what I was. Who I was. The monster that I am–”
“I read every file. Every murder that was attributed to you and some that I’m sure were but they haven’t put together yet. I listened to you explain every. Single. Kill. Pedophiles. Rapists. Wife beaters. Klansmen. Racists. Thugs and Mafia. You chose to isolate yourself when you ran- to be in the middle of nowhere, where those types are less likely to exist. Or where you could kill with impunity because no one is going to track down an accident this far out. I don’t think there’s a person you’ve killed that wasn’t headed to prison. That hadn’t hurt others- so- I’m here because I see that in you.”
“Kip…it’s not that simple. I am a danger to everyone. I…one day I…you, me…”
“When it gets to be too much, when you need to- I’m just as good at tracking down those that live to hurt others, Scott. And this way…this way I get to have you. We get to have each other.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kip Grady/Scott Hunter
Characters: Kip Grady, Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Carter Vaughn, Eric Bennett, George Grady, Background & Cameo Characters, Ilya Rozanov
Additional Tags: Cute, Fluff, Post S01E05, mix of book and tv showy
Kip takes Scott to family games night, Scott thinks his competitiveness might be their undoing, he couldn't be more wrong
warnings - slice of life, competitiveness, fluff, confessions, comfort
a/n - this was written a while ago for something I'm no longer participating in, so you guys get it now! i hope you enjoy <3 snippet under the cut
The sun has long set outside, George ducking out to flick the heat on while Scott gets more drinks from the kitchen.
"I've never seen him this happy, you know."
Jake is idling by the door to the kitchen, he looks a little apprehensive, like he wants to say something but isn't sure how.
They've met before, but the kid's only sixteen, the youngest of them all by a few years.
"With me, you mean?" Scott asks gently.
"Yeah, like, he's always been a pretty happy guy, but with you it's like, something more, you know?" Jake says.
"Yeah, yeah I do actually, I feel the same way when I'm with him, like meeting him unlocked a new level of life, sorry that probably sounds really cringey." Scott laughs.
"No, no I know what you mean." Jake paused for a while. Mouth opening and closing, flinching once when Milly yells that they're going to start Pictionary soon.
"I uhm—I wanted to say something to you and Kip said it was fine and not weird but I don't really—I just,"
"Jake, hey bud, just take a breath,"
Jake does, uncrossing his arms and standing up a little straighter.
Wip word game baby let’s do this! mag beloved asked for SOUP so you get GOOD soup!
S- Scott drags his focus back with effort. “It didn’t feel like a challenge,” he says. “That’s what’s messing with me.”
“No posturing, no territorial nonsense?” Kip asks.
“Nothing,” Scott says. “If anything, it was,” He stops, jaw tightening. “I don’t know. Intentional.”
O- “О, хороший мальчик.” Ilya purrs, closing the distance between them and cornering Shane against the bathroom counter, their hips pressed together. “Is that why you had to go?” A soft kiss is pressed to Shane’s lips, followed by another. Ilya’s hand drags up his side and lands on his chin, tilting his head up so their eyes meet. “Did not want our friends to see you desperate for me?”
U- “Uber XL take too long, Shane did not want to wait ten extra minutes,” Ilya says, looking at Shane and winking. “He is very impatient when he wants something.” One of Ilya’s hands comes down to rest on Shane’s thigh just above his knee. Shane smacks a hand of his own down on top of it.
“Stop it,” He seethes under his breath, turning to look at Ilya, who seems positively delighted at what’s happening in this aggressively small backseat.
P- “Please, Ilya.”
“You need to be louder, Shanya. Scott can’t hear you, all shy and quiet.” Ilya takes Shane in his hand, then, pulling a cry out of his husband. “Yes, good boy, let him hear you.”
PLS do this its sm fun! not tagging anyone but if you want to do it, your word is CITY! tag me ;)
