Chapter Text
Shane was not having it.
He hadn’t been having it since last week, when Ilya received the call from the center — the one they got every six months to the report check-ins from the littles on their team.
“Hello Mr. Rozanov, this is Emma calling from SunnySide Center to go through our biannual check-ins”
The call went smooth as always. Ilya nodded along as he listened how many times each little had attended, even writing it down for some reason.
But when the woman reached the end of the list, Ilya found himself frowning.
“Sorry to interrupt. I think I’m missing someone- Luca Haas. ”
Shane looked up from his own phone when he heard those words come out of his husband’s mouth.
“Put it on speaker” He whispered sharply, sitting up and moving closer to him.
“ Oh, let me check the system” The woman said, a soft clicking sound following. Then she paused “Uh, here it is. Great news actually, he told us he’d found a caregiver so he wouldn’t be needing our services anymore”
“He what?”
“Yeah, about four months ago he let us know. We’re actually really excited for him, since he’d been having a hard time trying to regress here. He’s a great kid” the woman added reassuringly.
Ilya had to bite back a laugh at the horrified look on his husband’s face.
“That’s okay then, thank you so much. Yes, goodbye.”
Shane turned to him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. For a second, he didn’t say anything and then he let out a short, breathless laugh.
“That’s- he’s fucking lying Ilya, what?” He let out a short, disbelieving scoff “What the fuck?”
So yeah, Shane was absolutely not fucking having it.
He discussed it with Ilya the rest of the evening. It was mostly Shane brainstorming ideas and Ilya shutting him down. At the end, they agreed to wait for Luca to come to them.
Ilya budged first.
Shane didn’t need to know that, of course.
He was too worried about the rookie not dropping, so he started trying to pry the truth out of him.
He caught him the next day after practice. Shane was still on the ice, going over a play with Nicky when Ilya found his perfect chance.
Luca was sitting on his cubby, taking his gear off when the older man approached him.
“Hey” the captain said, casual as ever, moving towards his own cubby before stopping in front of the rookie’s. “How’s SunnySide treating my favorite-”
“Everything’s good ”
Ilya paused, one eyebrow raising slightly. Luca had never interrupted him before, he was generally a well behaved and polite kid. Then he just sighed and nodded.
“That’s great” the captain answered through his teeth. This kid was going to cause his death one day. He’d die of stress with a head full of white hair.
“What’s great?” Shane asked as soon as he stepped in the changing room, pressing a quick and soft kiss to Ilya’s lips before turning to Luca.
“Nothing” he answered quickly, already standing up and heading out.
Shane turned back to Ilya again and shoot him a glare. “That’s not what we agreed on.”
That went on the next 4 days.
Either one of them would try to approach Luca, he’d lie his ass out, panic and then disappear.
Until today.
Shane noticed the second Luca stepped into the rink. He knew a headspace- deprived little when he saw one, and if his math was right and usually it was, Luca had gone five months without dropping but that was going to end up today.
Then the whole Luca falling incident happened and he never felt more determined on wanting to wrap that kid in a blanket and take him home. He didn’t know why was he so attached to the rookie, he was sure Ilya was too and probably it was just their caregiver hormones acting up.
Maybe it was those big, beautiful blue puppy eyes, or that playful giggle that lit up the room. Or his never ending energy at team’s BBQ that fueled him to play all day with the rest of the rookies, the way he’d anxiously chewed on his mouthguard whenever he was anxious or-
Yeah, caregiver hormones.
He knew Ilya felt the same. He and Shane had been talking about taking a little in but their hectic schedules quickly made them drop the idea. Still, their instincts were already taking the best of them and it was only a matter of time before one of the rookies they kept nagging told them to fuck off.
Their safe option had always been the Pike kids, and even if Jackie and Hayden were always more than happy to let them take care of their kids so they could go out, it never fulfilled their needs.
But this, or whatever the fuck was going on with Luca, felt completely different.
It was complicated though. Shane had grown up surrounded by more love any kid could ask for, while Ilya had lost that same love when he was twelve. For some reason, it made them want to shower someone in love and affection. Their hands were practically itching to do it.
To pick a baby up, smooth his hair, made him laugh and all those parenting things that they had been dreaming of lately and couldn’t get out of their minds.
“He’s one failed pass away from crashing out” He muttered to Ilya, who wasn’t taking his eyes off the ice or Luca.
They kept watching as Luca stumbled over and over again, each time more frustrated, his frown deepening and his little pout more and more pronounced.
“I am talking to him” Ilya said, pushing himself off the wall he’d been leaning on.
That’s how they ended up with a sulking kid in their backseat. He didn’t know what Ilya said to make him mad but he also knew the man he was married to and even if he was nice, probably he could’ve been a little too blunt.
The ride home went eventless, aside from the usual whimper slipping from Luca’s lips.
“Come on, you really don’t need to do this, you don’t want to” The blond tried to argue, unbuckling his seat belt so he could sit in between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. “You can drop me off, my apartment is only 20 minutes away and I can walk”
“Sit down properly and buckle up. Now” Shane told him, eying him from the rearview mirror before focusing on the road again.
“I hope we do not have problems with your caregiver Haasy” Ilya said, turning slightly to look at him. He could pinpoint perfectly the moment Luca froze “What? I said something wrong?”
Fucking asshole, Shane thought to himself.
“SunnySide called, they said that you have new caregiver. I do not see him though.” Ilya added, looking in all directions teasingly. “Shane do you see Haasy’s caregiver?”
“Lying is naughty, especially lying about your own health” He lectured “So here’s the plan, you will drop and we’ll talk about this when you’re up again”
The silence after that was uncomfortable. Luca shifted in the backseat uncomfortably, fidgeting with the strap of his bag.
His tummy felt funny, the kind of funny you feel when you knew you did something wrong and you’re about to face the consequences.
“I didn’t want to lie” He finally said ten minutes after the lecture. Luca had always been a very polite kid, he didn’t like to think he was in trouble. When he was first drafted by the team, he had even been a little bit of a tattletale on the rest of the rookies, just to stay out of trouble, so this was just too much for him to handle.
The couple didn’t answer and it only made the lump on Luca’s throat grow bigger and bigger. Before he could even stop himself, tears started rolling down his cheeks.
Shane’s head shot up and Ilya’s turned so fast hay might’ve gotten whiplash.
“No, no- don’t cry zaichik” Ilya began to soothe him, reaching for his knee and squeezing it to try and ground him.
“Stop the car Shane.”
He was tired. His body ached, his head felt heavy and all he wanted was to fucking drop, but he couldn’t. His sobs turned into loud, broken wails.
The next thing he knew was that they were both in the backseat with him and he was on Ilya’s lap being gently bounced while Shane rubbed a steady hand over the small of his back.
“I thought i had it- i thought i could handle it alone because” his crying turned messy, hiccups interrupting every breath and word he tried to get to pass from his lips, making his chest ache from the effort.
“Easy, easy, bug” Shane muttered softly against his ear and Luca hated how bad he needed that. “Let’s breathe in okay? You’re gonna make yourself sick”
“That’s okay, we know you must’ve had a reason for lying, but we’ll talk about it later. Okay?”
Shane gently guided him to breathe slowly and controlled until all that was left were small hiccups and stubborn tears still rolling down his cheeks and soaking into the collar of his shirt.
“You’ve got him?” Shane turned to ask Ilya, who just nodded before Shane slipped back into the driver’s seat. They still needed to get home.
For the rest of the drive, Ilya kept rocking the little one on his lap, murmuring soft Russian nonsense to calm him down, which obviously worked out because Ilya was a great caregiver and Luca was exhausted.
“Good thing we brought him down today” Ilya said before pressing a kiss to the rookie’s curls. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time”
“Yeah, i know” Shane said, eying him through the rearview mirror, his mouth twitching up into a small smile. “I know”
When they got home, Ilya lifted the baby up in his hip before carrying him inside while Shane grabbed all their bags and followed after them
“I’ll start on dinner, do you know if Luca has allergies?” Shane approached his husband who was already settled on the couch, cuddling the sleeping baby. “You should get him changed first” he added, gently running a finger over Lucas’s soft, round cheek.
“He does not have allergies. He is strong, like his papa”
“Don’t let him hear you call yourself that” Shane laughed and pressed a soft kiss against his husband’s lips.
“I’ll be papa, you just wait and see”
“Yeah, you’re done. Go change him” He muttered playfully to the taller man before watching them disappear down the hallway.
Dinner was ready in an hour. Shane made pasta and vegetables, but cut up fruit and cheese for Luca- he could already see the disgust look on his face if anything green ended up on his plate.
Luca was placed down on a chair before Shane set his plate down in front of him. He was wearing a Boston shirt that looked loose on his petite frame and a pair of pajama bottoms that were probably his, making Luca look ridiculously adorable.
“Thank you guys, uh- I… you don’t have to do this. I really can book again at the center and” Luca started rambling before the couple cut him off.
“No, you’re not. Luca, we’ve been playing with you for almost a year, and we know you’re not going to do that if it depends on you” Shane said gently
“Shane is right” Ilya agreed.
“Even if you don’t like centres, you still need to drop. You’re an athlete, Luca. You need to be at the top of your game every time you step on the ice- and if you don’t drop, you can’t do that”
“I have it handled, i just” Luca tried to defend himself before bringing his fork back to his mouth.
“Do you, now?” Shane asked him. “Do you really have it handled?”
“I- I’m trying to” Luca shifted awkwardly under the couple’s disappointed look “I really am! It’s just…it’s really hard for me because I miss my mom” Luca added quickly, his voice significantly smaller now.
He looked so young and fragile. The couple’s heart clenched. “I miss her… and I miss my home”
“I don’t understand-“ Ilya said confused before Shane elbowed him sharply.
“That must be hard, baby” Shane smiled softly “How about we make a deal?”
“Let’s do a trial run, let us look after you and if you end up hating it- we’ll stop and we’ll help you look for someone or somewhere to drop safely” Shane offered “And we’ll never mention it again”
“But you need to drop zaichik, and stop ignoring your captains when they ask you if you are okay” Ilya added.
“What if you end up hating me?” the rookie asked shyly, his big blue eyes fixed on them, searching for any sign that it might happen.
“I don’t ever think that will ever happen, baby Haasy” Ilya was quick to answer before offering him a soft, gooey smile.
God, their caregiver hormones were out of fucking control.
Dinner after that went smooth. Luca slowly came out of his shell, dropping some jokes here and there that made the players laugh out loud.
Shane and Ilya finished their dinner and Luca still had food on his plate so Shane let him take it to the couch so they could watch a movie together.
It was common knowledge that Luca was a cuddly monster so he quickly climbed up in the middle before resuming his eating.
They watched Frozen, because apparently Luca hadn’t seen it before and Shane pressed a kiss on his head when he noticed the baby tearing up when Elsa and Anna were arguing.
By the end of the movie, Luca was fast asleep. His head resting on Ilya’s lap and his little feet stretched across Shane’s.
Ilya picked him up sliding one arm under his legs and tucking his head into the crook of his neck, careful not to wake him.
They had already prepared the guest room the day before so Shane pulled the covers back while Ilya laid the little one down, tucking him in and turning themselves to press a good night kiss on his forehead before quietly closing the door behind them.
The next day, Luca woke up in-between headspaces. Maybe it was the exhaustion finally catching up to him that made him drop. He was weirded out by the sun not instantly blinding him- until he realized he wasn’t in his apartment.
Oh, fuck.
Yesterday’s flashbacks hit him all at once and he felt his cheeks heat up. Okay, this was an easy fix. He could take a flight back to Zurich, quit hockey and become a full-time bartender in a small bar in some hidden small village.
Or he could go to Antarctica and live with penguins, penguins were really cute. Yeah, that sounded about right. Okay, maybe not Antarctica, he could only bear the cold on practice and games.
He groaned, dragging the covers over his head like that somehow would undo all everything that had happened the day before. Maybe if he stayed very, very still, Hollzy and Roz would forget he was even there.
So when the door opened, he stayed very quiet and still under the soft blue blankets.
“Good morning zaichik” Ilya’s voice came from the doorway and Luca held his breath. “Oh, are we hiding?”
Luca let out a giggle. Ilya was being silly! He wasn’t hiding, well, he kinda was but that didn’t matter.
“Oh, where could he be hiding?” Ilya said and Luca heard him opening and closing the closet doors. He giggled again, this game was so fun.
“Hmm, not here,” Ilya hummed loudly “Shane! Luca is not here!” He called out loudly and he could hear Shane enter the room along with Anya’s little paws padding against the floor.
“Oh no, where could he possible be hiding?” Shane played along “Anya, had you seen him? He had blond curls and he’s very little-”
“I am not little!”
“There you are, mon chouchou” Shane smiled and they both sat down on Luca’s bed. “Are you hungry bug?”
Luca nodded shyly, suddenly feeling too exposed to even look at them.
“How about you stay with Ilya while I make breakfast?” Shane suggested gently and before Luca could answer, Ilya picked him up and pressed a kiss on his cheek.
“Did you sleep well zaichik?” Ilya asked before sliding one arm under his bottom and bounced him lightly. The little one curled on his chest and nodded slightly. He had sleep well, better than he had been sleeping the last 5 months.
“Let’s brush our teeth and change our clothes, then we can eat okay malysh?”
Luca nodded, he didn’t feel like talking a lot today so he just let himself be carried to the bathroom and sat on the sink.
Ilya opened the package of toothbrushes that Shane had made him buy the last time he went grocery shopping, holding a baby blue one under the running water before applying some kid-friendly tooth paste.
“Open” Ilya instructed gently.
Luca blinked confused before opening his mouth obediently.
“Good job malysh” Ilya praised, guiding the toothbrush along the baby’s teeth. He was very careful with his movements, making sure to not damage Luca’s gums.
He tilted the little one’s chin to brush the other side “There we go… we’re almost done”
He held out a small cup filled with water so Luca could rinse his mouth, then he wiped the corner of his lips with a wet wipe, pressing a soft kiss on his forehead when he was done.
He didn’t change him yet, they needed to give the baby a bath first, so he picked him up again and headed to the kitchen.
The smell of pancakes filled the kitchen as soon as they stepped it. They probably were those horrible protein pancakes Shane liked to make, but that was okay. Ilya walked in, Luca still leaned against his chest and slightly playing with Ilya’s hoodie strings.
Shane turned around at the sound of his footsteps and his face immediately lit up when he saw Luca.
“Oh my god” He said, leaving the spatula on the counter and turning the stove off as he approached the pair “Look at him, he’s so small. You’re so small, mon loulou” Shane said and booped Luca’s nose, making him giggle.
“Someone’s happy” Ilya said this time, bouncing the baby lightly as he walked over to the dinning table “Do you need help with breakfast?”
Shane shook his head as he brought the pancakes out and two mugs filled with coffee before heading back to the kitchen to grab a sippy cup filled with milk for Luca.
“Here you go baby” He set it down in front of the rookie and ruffled his hair before sitting down himself. They watched carefully as Luca picked the sippy up and took a slow sip.
They exchanged a quick look. Was this how heaven felt like?
Yeah, now they were having it.