Chapter Text
Even though they were married and happy now, this nightmare still ate at Ilya sometimes. Shane had never met his mother. She would have loved him so much. She would have loved him like Ilya himself loved him.
Unfortunately, all Ilya had left were memories.
Memories of when she used to take him to hockey camps and afterward they would go skating together. The way he used to furrow his eyebrows whenever he got nervous, and how Irina would always tease him about it in the sweetest way.
“I don’t think I’ve ever told you this,” he said quietly.
“What?” Shane asked from beside him.
It was a quiet evening. After cuddling and their usual passionate moments, they were simply lying together, relaxing.
“How often I used to go skating with my mom when I was little. We had an incredible time together.” His voice carried both childish warmth and melancholy.
Shane gently caressed his cheek.
“It’s wonderful that you have those memories. And I can imagine it still hurts.”
“Very much,” Ilya admitted softly. “But I’m glad I lived them.”
He began telling him about how they used to spend their days during the cold Russian winters. The endless walks through Moscow, since she had never really been happy in their home.
“…she used to tease me all the time about my expressions.”
Shane burst out laughing. “What do you mean?”
“She used to say that when I get nervous, I furrow my eyebrows in a very specific way. And she once mentioned that it was the exact same expression as a little boy she had helped once, completely randomly. She said she wished she could have met him again because for some reason that moment had stayed with her as an important memory. I don’t know… moments like that are the ones I miss the most and—”
He stopped mid-sentence because Shane had gone completely pale.
“Shane?”
No answer.
He looked like he had just seen a ghost.
“Hollander, what happened? Talk to me.”
Shane took a deep breath, and when he finally spoke his voice was barely more than a whisper.
“What did you say?”
“What did I say?”
“That’s what I’m asking You. What did you just say, Ilya?”
“I was telling you about skating with my mom.”
“No. Not that,” Shane said quickly. “The last part. What did you say?”
Ilya frowned in confusion.
“That she used to tease me about my eyebrows many times? Can you tell me what’s wrong with you?” Now he was genuinely starting to worry.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Shane said, his voice tight. “And what did she say after that?”
“That I reminded her of a little boy who always had the same expression. And that she wished she had met him again because for some reason that moment had stayed with her as an important memory. I don’t know. But I really don’t understand why this information is so important.”
He truly didn’t understand what was happening.
Shane looked like he might collapse right then and there.
For a moment he just stood there, frozen.
Then suddenly he shot up from the couch.
And ran.
“Shane! Where are you going? Have you lost your mind?” Ilya shouted after him.
But it was too late.
Shane had already rushed out of the house and disappeared without a single explanation.
And Ilya was left standing there, completely confused.