[ she will gladly meet him in the middle on this and assist since he won't let her take over, retrieving the bread and bringing it over to him. ]
Trust me when I say that you're doing more with this, [ she gestures to him and the bread and the other sandwich fixings with a sweep of her hand, ] than most men who have cameras on them for a living. I know way too many actors and athletes who either have someone to do this for them or just DoorDash everything. They probably couldn't even boil water without burning their mansions down.
[ not everyone in the business came from humble beginnings. there's a lot of people in her industry especially who either had parents who were actors or their parents worked behind the scenes or did something at the studio corporate level. people who, regardless of how talented they genuinely were, had an automatic foot in the door and connections that people like her didn't. ]
Self-sufficient, yes; that's it. Being able to take care of yourself is important, but being able to do things for yourself — even basic things like making a sandwich — isn't always a skill the nepo babies have.
[ a laugh: ] Oh, I agree, but sometimes when I'm on location for a quick day shoot or they've flown me out to some random city for a radio show or podcast appearance, DoorDash is the only option.
[He still has so much to learn. Like... staying off of his goddamn feet when he has a sprain. He winces inwardly, then decides he's not going to be a macho shithead about this anymore, and pushes himself up to sit on the kitchen island.]
It's like... [ she turns, leaning back against the counter as she purses her lips in thought, trying to think of a good way to describe something that's become part of the everyday american lexicon. ] Someone who was born into this. Or born into whatever they're doing. Like, in my line of work, people whose parents were actors who grew up on set and spent their childhoods accompanying their parents to movie premieres and can you can Google photos of them when they were seven walking the red carpet. People who have always had more money than they knew what to do with and didn't really have to try to get into the industry.
[ some of those people are some of the nicest people she's ever met. some are super talented! but that doesn't mean that they didn't have an unfair advantage over the rest of them. or that there aren't nepo babies out there who are the definition of the reason they collectively have a bad reputation. ]
Pizza. McDonald's. All the stuff I'm not supposed to have.
Dairy Queen has the best chicken tenders. They're fried in grease and my team hates when I eat them because they make me break out, but they're so good.
[ she does take over now, finishing making the sandwiches with the ease of someone who makes food for herself whenever she has the opportunity to — all while singing aloud a few times over: dq, that's what i love about texas. a high profile actress she might be, but at the end of the day, she's just a girl from michigan who happened to find her niche in the spotlight. ]
[his team will hate him too, but he'll still win, so they can't say shit. He breathes out a careful sigh of relief when he's actually off his feet now, trying not to feel uncomfortable with Rose doing all the work. But he can tell she would rather have this, so.... it's ok.
her song is ridiculous. it's dorky and it reminds him of.... Shane. No wonder they got along so well.
Next time. [ she points at him like it's a promise he's making her. ] We'll get Dairy Queen. The chicken strip basket with the white gravy. Thank me later.
[ finishing up the sandwiches, she plates them and then looks to him pointedly, as if simultaneously silently daring him to try and take his plate from her and commanding him to go sit down. rose fully intends to bring his plate to him once his ass is seated and he's no longer hobbling around on one good foot. ]
Home doesn't need to be home-home, you know. Go sit. Now. Please?
[ ilya's not wrong. rose is absolutely ridiculous, and so is shane. they've become really good friends on the other side of their failed relationship for a reason. well, other than that he's gay — but rose doesn't know that ilya doesn't know that and she'll take shane's secret to the grave. it's not her truth to tell. ]
[He goes hard. His diet is terrible. His work out schedule is grueling. He makes up for everything.
He makes a sound of protest, but slides off the kitchen island and heads back to the couch to fully sit. He even puts his leg up to sort of elevate it.]
You are very bossy. I can see why he likes you.
[It kind of slips out in passing. He doesn't even really notice it as he settles in, frown on his face as he does what he's told.]
Home is home. I do not know what else this means.
*doesn't know that ilya already knows that, bah catching typos after the fact... 🤦♀️
It's delicious, [ she promises. ] Good with chicken strips and fries.
[ rose laughs at him good-naturedly for his dramatics, following him with both plates in hand. she hands him his and then plops down beside him. she takes a bite of the sandwich and says with her mouth still partially fully: ] I was the youngest of three brothers.
[ swallowing, she continues: ] I had to be bossy to survive. Don't let the designer dresses and hard work my glam squad does fool you — I was a tomboy. Rough and tumble all the way. And you can let that go, you know. Shane and I broke up. No need to keep holding on to whatever your rival having dated the girl from the X-Squad movies means to the grudge you have against one another.
[He would try a lot of things, actually. He's definitely not as strict as he should be, but it doesn't seem to affect him all that much. Maybe when he gets older, but that's future Ilya's problem.
He's glad they switch from the topic of Russia. It's a complicated situation that he doesn't talk about with anyone. They wouldn't understand. He takes the plate from her with a thank you, setting it on his lap.]
I can see this about you. You have a way that says brothers.
[His dynamic was very different. It's only then that he really catches what he said, and he side eyes her for a moment before taking a bite of his sandwich just to stall a little before speaking again.]
This has nothing to do with it. You think I am with you here now to get him back? I am not that petty.
[ a side eyed glance that she misinterprets. perhaps if she were in the same room with them she'd pick up on it, but right now it reads as nothing more than rivalry. professional rivalry that maybe bled a bit into the russian's personal sphere? but rivalry nonetheless.
rose knows that shane has been involved with someone or someones in a casual sort of way, but she doesn't know who and has no reason to think it might be ilya rozanov of all people. ]
If I did, do you think I would be here? Shane and I aren't together any more, but he's still my friend. One of my best friends, in fact. I won't hurt him like that, so if you were looking for feel good sex? Shop elsewhere. I am here for pleasant company and bossy bullying only.
[ not that it would hurt him in the ex-boyfriend sense, so much as in the sense that it would create such a nasty narrative in the press for her to hook up with his rival after splitting from him. it would get messy. she won't do that to him. ]
[ Now he shifts from anxious that something he said might've poked a hole in this tightly knit secret they're trying to keep, to completely astounded by her words. He plops his chicken sandwich down on his plate, grabbing a napkin so he can look at her fully incredulously. ]
Looking for feel good sex? Rose Landry. No. This is not.
[He shakes his head, wanting to cup his hands in front of his mouth and yell out into the world that the only person he wants to have feel good sex with is Shane. That he would never want to hurt him like that either.
This is killing him. It's really killing him. ]
This is just company. I would never want that from you. You really think I am that much of an asshole.
No, actually. [ she sets what's left of her sandwich back on her plate, twisting her body and bringing a leg up so that she can turn and face him on the couch. ] I think you're actually the opposite, you just keep a tight lid on it. Squishy center with a hard exterior. Like a tootsie roll pop.
[ or something along those lines. she could be off the mark with this, but she rarely is. rose is perceptive and she's gotten pretty good at reading people. ]
Mostly, I think you just seem like the type who needs a friend. A real friend and not a friend that sometimes joins you in bed.
[ This is a little jarring. He gets it, but still. ]
Tootsie roll pop. I do not know this.
[Besides the point, he knows that as well.]
I am sorry if I gave you other impression. I did not want anything else from you. Just friends is it. That is all. Even this- it feels like maybe is too much. Hollander might get wrong idea.
Candy. A type of lollipop that has a piece of chewy chocolate on the inside.
[ is she going to bring him a tootsie roll pop next time she sees him? absolutely. ]
You didn't, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. [ for shane's sake — something they both seem to agree on, though rose is still under the impression that he doesn't want to make his rivalry with the metro's star any more complicated than it already is. ] Friend.
[ she smiles at him and returns to eating her sandwich. ]
[ oh, she's absolutely figuring out that he's not as much of an asshole as everyone would like the world to believe. like she said: tootsie roll pop. hard exterior, squishy center. she's willing to bet that deep down beneath all those layers of bullshit, ilya rozanov is a total softie. ]
Preaching to the choir on that one.
[ she faux toasts him with the final bite of her sandwich before finishing it off. ]
They love to run with things. Hence coming here incognito. Not ashamed to be your friend, but really not looking to start any new rumors. God forbid a girl have male friends that also happen to be extremely hot hockey players.
[ Disgustingly soft. He would never let it see the light of day.
He gives her a crooked grin at the sandwich toast, and gets to finishing his as well. It's nice to have her here, he has to admit. Sometimes he feels so alone here in this big place. ]
Sometimes rumors work, but mostly is just for show. Plus we will be on same team for All-Stars so we cannot hate each other too much.
[Ilya gives a shrug, setting his plate down, then carefully maneuvers his leg up onto the couch. His ankle feels pretty swollen right now. He should probably stop walking around on it so much.]
Maybe, maybe not. I did not ask him. Did he tell you he hates me?
If anyone gets media fixation... [ she points to herself as if to say that would be me. any actor, really, especially those who are staring in the increasingly popular superhero franchises. ] Anything to keep getting clicks and views. I suppose if it's getting people out to games... why would the League discourage it? The commentators are probably the worst at keeping the "rivalry" [ yes, she does lift her hands to do airquotes ] going.
[ He knows she understands. Maybe that's why it's easier to talk to her about it. He has very few people he can talk to who actually get it. Sure, he has his teammates- but he can't exactly talk to them about Hollander.
He can't really talk to Rose about him either, not completely. But he can talk about this. ]
Maybe one day it will get old. I mean I get it, we are young and hot and everyone wants to talk about us.
So long as it's competitive and not negative... [ she feigns weighing these two options (as if they are the only options available to him) in here head. ] I can live with that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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You know, being a famous actress doesn't mean I can't cook.
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[He's mostly just standing in one place, resting his foot against the back of his ankle. He's good at balancing too.]
You can help. The bread is over there.
[So he doesn't have to walk back over to the counter from the island.]
And the plates are in first cupboard to the right.
[See? He's letting her help.]
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Trust me when I say that you're doing more with this, [ she gestures to him and the bread and the other sandwich fixings with a sweep of her hand, ] than most men who have cameras on them for a living. I know way too many actors and athletes who either have someone to do this for them or just DoorDash everything. They probably couldn't even boil water without burning their mansions down.
[ not everyone in the business came from humble beginnings. there's a lot of people in her industry especially who either had parents who were actors or their parents worked behind the scenes or did something at the studio corporate level. people who, regardless of how talented they genuinely were, had an automatic foot in the door and connections that people like her didn't. ]
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Is better to be...what is word...self sufficient. Even if you do not have to it is better to know.
[He starts cutting up the tomatoes and lays them out on a plate, then gets to work on the cheese.]
Door Dash is unhealthy and waste.
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[ a laugh: ] Oh, I agree, but sometimes when I'm on location for a quick day shoot or they've flown me out to some random city for a radio show or podcast appearance, DoorDash is the only option.
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[He still has so much to learn. Like... staying off of his goddamn feet when he has a sprain. He winces inwardly, then decides he's not going to be a macho shithead about this anymore, and pushes himself up to sit on the kitchen island.]
You take over.
[There, are you happy now, Rose? You win.]
What do you like to Doordash?
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[ some of those people are some of the nicest people she's ever met. some are super talented! but that doesn't mean that they didn't have an unfair advantage over the rest of them. or that there aren't nepo babies out there who are the definition of the reason they collectively have a bad reputation. ]
Pizza. McDonald's. All the stuff I'm not supposed to have.
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[He nods, even though he doesn't understand half the things she's talking about. He gets the basic idea.
Honestly he thought she'd be more excited about him letting her take over sandwich making duties while he steps (or sits) aside.]
I like the chicken tenders.
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[ she does take over now, finishing making the sandwiches with the ease of someone who makes food for herself whenever she has the opportunity to — all while singing aloud a few times over: dq, that's what i love about texas. a high profile actress she might be, but at the end of the day, she's just a girl from michigan who happened to find her niche in the spotlight. ]
Do you miss it? Russia?
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[his team will hate him too, but he'll still win, so they can't say shit. He breathes out a careful sigh of relief when he's actually off his feet now, trying not to feel uncomfortable with Rose doing all the work. But he can tell she would rather have this, so.... it's ok.
her song is ridiculous. it's dorky and it reminds him of.... Shane. No wonder they got along so well.
Her next question takes him off guard a little.]
Ah. Sure.
[No.]
Is home.
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[ finishing up the sandwiches, she plates them and then looks to him pointedly, as if simultaneously silently daring him to try and take his plate from her and commanding him to go sit down. rose fully intends to bring his plate to him once his ass is seated and he's no longer hobbling around on one good foot. ]
Home doesn't need to be home-home, you know. Go sit. Now. Please?
[ ilya's not wrong. rose is absolutely ridiculous, and so is shane. they've become really good friends on the other side of their failed relationship for a reason. well, other than that he's gay — but rose doesn't know that ilya doesn't know that and she'll take shane's secret to the grave. it's not her truth to tell. ]
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[He goes hard. His diet is terrible. His work out schedule is grueling. He makes up for everything.
He makes a sound of protest, but slides off the kitchen island and heads back to the couch to fully sit. He even puts his leg up to sort of elevate it.]
You are very bossy. I can see why he likes you.
[It kind of slips out in passing. He doesn't even really notice it as he settles in, frown on his face as he does what he's told.]
Home is home. I do not know what else this means.
*doesn't know that ilya already knows that, bah catching typos after the fact... 🤦♀️
[ rose laughs at him good-naturedly for his dramatics, following him with both plates in hand. she hands him his and then plops down beside him. she takes a bite of the sandwich and says with her mouth still partially fully: ] I was the youngest of three brothers.
[ swallowing, she continues: ] I had to be bossy to survive. Don't let the designer dresses and hard work my glam squad does fool you — I was a tomboy. Rough and tumble all the way. And you can let that go, you know. Shane and I broke up. No need to keep holding on to whatever your rival having dated the girl from the X-Squad movies means to the grudge you have against one another.
haha it's ok i know what you meant!!
[He would try a lot of things, actually. He's definitely not as strict as he should be, but it doesn't seem to affect him all that much. Maybe when he gets older, but that's future Ilya's problem.
He's glad they switch from the topic of Russia. It's a complicated situation that he doesn't talk about with anyone. They wouldn't understand. He takes the plate from her with a thank you, setting it on his lap.]
I can see this about you. You have a way that says brothers.
[His dynamic was very different. It's only then that he really catches what he said, and he side eyes her for a moment before taking a bite of his sandwich just to stall a little before speaking again.]
This has nothing to do with it. You think I am with you here now to get him back? I am not that petty.
❤
rose knows that shane has been involved with someone or someones in a casual sort of way, but she doesn't know who and has no reason to think it might be ilya rozanov of all people. ]
If I did, do you think I would be here? Shane and I aren't together any more, but he's still my friend. One of my best friends, in fact. I won't hurt him like that, so if you were looking for feel good sex? Shop elsewhere. I am here for pleasant company and bossy bullying only.
[ not that it would hurt him in the ex-boyfriend sense, so much as in the sense that it would create such a nasty narrative in the press for her to hook up with his rival after splitting from him. it would get messy. she won't do that to him. ]
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Looking for feel good sex? Rose Landry. No. This is not.
[He shakes his head, wanting to cup his hands in front of his mouth and yell out into the world that the only person he wants to have feel good sex with is Shane. That he would never want to hurt him like that either.
This is killing him. It's really killing him. ]
This is just company. I would never want that from you. You really think I am that much of an asshole.
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[ or something along those lines. she could be off the mark with this, but she rarely is. rose is perceptive and she's gotten pretty good at reading people. ]
Mostly, I think you just seem like the type who needs a friend. A real friend and not a friend that sometimes joins you in bed.
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Tootsie roll pop. I do not know this.
[Besides the point, he knows that as well.]
I am sorry if I gave you other impression. I did not want anything else from you. Just friends is it. That is all. Even this- it feels like maybe is too much. Hollander might get wrong idea.
[And that's the last thing he wants. ]
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[ is she going to bring him a tootsie roll pop next time she sees him? absolutely. ]
You didn't, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. [ for shane's sake — something they both seem to agree on, though rose is still under the impression that he doesn't want to make his rivalry with the metro's star any more complicated than it already is. ] Friend.
[ she smiles at him and returns to eating her sandwich. ]
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[It's probably one of the nicer things he's been called. Even if he apparently has a squishy center.]
We are on same page. Same sentence. I would not do anything else.
[He really hopes he didn't come off that way. Not even a little bit. Friends are good. He has Svetlana, but maybe even that is different.]
I am also not here for trouble.
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Deal. No trouble, just friendship.
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He lifts his hand, linking his pinky with hers.]
No trouble, just friendship.
[And he adds.]
When I say I can see why he likes you is honest meaning. Not some rival thing. Hollander is not so bad.
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[ she's a bit shocked to hear that, having been under the impression that neither had a terribly positive opinion of the other. ]
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Sure. You know how media is. They make big deal of everything.
[Like about how much of an asshole he really is. But maybe she's starting to figure that out by now too.]
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Preaching to the choir on that one.
[ she faux toasts him with the final bite of her sandwich before finishing it off. ]
They love to run with things. Hence coming here incognito. Not ashamed to be your friend, but really not looking to start any new rumors. God forbid a girl have male friends that also happen to be extremely hot hockey players.
what are timelines, i dont know them xD
He gives her a crooked grin at the sandwich toast, and gets to finishing his as well. It's nice to have her here, he has to admit. Sometimes he feels so alone here in this big place. ]
Sometimes rumors work, but mostly is just for show. Plus we will be on same team for All-Stars so we cannot hate each other too much.
timelines are meant to be flexible in rpland 🤪
[ rose has no idea. not even an inkling. if she didn't, she wouldn't ask questions like this.
she would be much more direct]:D
Maybe, maybe not. I did not ask him. Did he tell you he hates me?
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[ deliberate on shane's part? possibly. ilya and their rivalry has also just... never come up in conversation. ]
But I pay attention to media buzz surrounding him.
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[Probably very deliberate. The opposite of Ilya, who apparently can't keep his mouth shut about Shane anymore.]
Media buzz doesn't say I hate him. They get stuck on this years old rivalry on the ice.
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He can't really talk to Rose about him either, not completely. But he can talk about this. ]
Maybe one day it will get old. I mean I get it, we are young and hot and everyone wants to talk about us.
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[ she's teasing, evident by her bright, good-natured laugh. ]
Is it hard keeping up negative appearances for the cameras?
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[He shrugs, but he also lets out a soft snort.]
Is not that hard when Hollander is so... what is the word... easily riled up. If you notice, is not really negative either. Just competitive.
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