Chapter Text
"Thanks for agreeing to meet me, Luca. I know you're busy"
Not confident his reassuring smile didn't lean more towards a grimace, Luca casually glanced toward the jungle gym situated in the center of the park.
It was mid-afternoon. The local schools were dismissed for the day, leading to the current park they were in to consist of parents giving their kids time to play before heading home.
Luca's eyes found and tracked a little boy with a mop of curly brown hair currently playing tag. He and another group of elementary school kids squealed and laughed as they ran around avoiding the tagger.
Following his line of sight, Sofia smiled, watching the 9-year old join a couple of kids who decided to try and hide behind a tree. "He is so energetic. I have to bring him to the park to get his energy out before we head home," she explained, absentmindedly licking her lips as another breeze passed through. The pink gloss that coated her bow-shaped lips beginning to fade with the late evening chill.
Luca hummed in agreement. Adjusting his hoodie, the curls peeking out flickering, he joked, "They do somehow have Tasmanian devil energy after hours of school.
Sofia giggled, "Tell me about it! Max's nanny usually takes care of him in the afternoons, but since I was able to get an earlier flight, I wanted to surprise him at pick up"
Luca nodded, leaning back against the bench they'd found in a secluded area. Watching the group behind the tree squeal as the tagger found them. "I'm glad you did. He looked so excited to see you," He replied, remembering the way Max sprinted towards their spot in front of the school's entrance at pick up. Sofia's tall model-like figure had buckled when Max tackled her into a hug.
Another breeze rustled the trees overhead. Luca barely felt it under his pullover and sweatpants. He'd come straight from a practice session before Ottawa's away game with Buffalo, and after realizing their schedules would align, he and Sofia agreed to meet.
Luca had to admit, despite the circumstances, he found himself enjoying his conversations with Sofia over the past month.
At some point, the topic of her job as a Curatorial Assistant came up, and Luca found himself picking her brain about some of the exhibitions she'd help direct.
Likewise, Sofia was a hockey fan, though she favored the women's division.
Sofia: Not sure if it was a good call to have it playing at the treatment center that took me in lol. But I found it very empowering.
A familiar twist in Luca's gut returned at the reminder of the turn their initial text exchange took when Sofia explained her circumstances and relationship with Ivan.
She made it clear that they were childhood friends and nothing else. Ivan had always been protective of her, and Sofia knew he felt guilty when his family moved to the United States when they were 10 years old.
Sofia: We still spoke. But he was getting more serious about hockey, and years later I had to take up a part-time job after my father passed away. We lost contact after that
Luca: I'm sorry, that doesn't sound like it was easy
Sofia: да, was rough. Watching my best friend become a professional Hockey player and not being able to be by his side. But I knew he was happy, and I didn't want to distract him with my problems.
Luca recalls trying to juggle being in the junior division and trying to make time for his friends. It wasn't easy, and sometimes it seemed the price of success was losing some people along the way.
The 23-year-old still felt conflicted about whether it was just the natural progression of life and people going their own paths, or if Luca should have tried harder to preserve certain relationships.
Sofia: But watching Vanya make something of himself encouraged me to do the same. It was risky, but I had to try, you know?
Luca wouldn't be surprised if Ivan felt the same way when he ran into Sofia by chance in New York all those years ago.
Both only being 18 and on completely different paths in life; one of them being a teenage girl fleeing her country to get away from her abusive mother.
Brown eyes lidding thoughtfully, Sofia tucked the brown strands of her hair behind her ear. "He wasn't always this happy," she began, eyes finding the mop of curls peeking out from behind a bush.
"I like to believe that, because Maxim was only 3 at the time, that he didn't really know what was going on. But the constant yelling and arguments must have affected him. He was such a quiet toddler. Rarely asked for anything like a normal kid should," Sofia shook her head in afterthought. As if trying to swat away a memory threatening to resurface.
"I just knew I had to do something to get us out of that apartment... and Russia"
Luca nodded, gaze lowering.
While being an orphan had its own struggles, at least he had the privilege of expressing himself.
While Switzerland wasn't immune to bigotry, it wasn't as extreme as the laws in Russia. He couldn't imagine the risk of death just from loving someone of the same sex.
Luca blinked when a slender hand came into view and rested on his knee. he couldn't help but linger on the other's bare ring finger before meeting Sofia's regretful gaze.
"I do not say this to excuse Ivan's behavior, Luca," Sofia stressed, accent thickening. "He had no right to keep our arrangement from you. I know Vanya meant well, but he gets so wrapped up in being the protector that he becomes one track minded"
Luca smiled bitterly, because wasn't that ironic? One of the traits that made him fall in love with Ivan was the one that nearly tore them apart.
Pulling his right hand from his pocket, Luca lowered it over Sofia's, his silver band reflecting against the evening sun. "I'm happy Ivan was there to help you and your little brother, Sofia. I do think it was fate that you and Ivan reunited that day. Max is lucky to have an amazing sister like you in his life, willing to fight for his happiness," Luca whispered, gazing back towards the playground where said boy was now on the swing-set.
"Ivan has a big heart; it's... why I fell in love with him, but..."
Sofia searched his expression knowingly. "But it does not hurt any less, да?" Lips pursing, Sofia sighed through her nose.
"I'm an idiot too. We really saw it as a way to keep me from being deported back to Russia and nothing else. I think that's why we both forgot the license was still active until I helped him pick out your promise rings." She cringed, glancing down in embarrassment.
Luca's mind supplied him with snippets of the many videos on social media. The ones that had not only touched on the topic of Ivan becoming Boston's alternate but of his love life.
The video of the first sighting of what Luca knew was Ivan's promise ring lived rent free in his head.
Reporters and internet sleuths didnt take long to research public documents and confirming a spouse.
Luca wants to believe that Ivan tried his best to come up with an exuse. Maybe if Luca was on the outside looking in, he could understand Ivan confirming his marriage if only to avoid scrutiny on his sexuality.
Neither one of them were necessarily out. With careers as professional athletes, they wanted their love life to be private and not under public scrutiny.
While Ivan was lucky to have parents that respected his sexual orientation, maybe there was another talk that should have been had?
What kind of talk? Luca wasn't sure. He'd began to trust that if something was wrong that Ivan would tell him. And whenever he would pry, Luca would get the usual responses of "Its nothing, babe" or "I'll take care of it, Солнышко"
Luca couldn't bother to hold back his simmering irritation. "I get that," he hissed, jaw clenching. "I just... don't get why he couldn't have just.. "
Sucking in his lips, Luca took a deep breath. If only to keep his throat from tightening further.
He'd spent years fantasizing about his life with Ivan. When it was clear that, when the time was right, they'd take the next step in their relationship.
But like his childhood, the minute Luca felt like he was on solid ground, the second Luca felt like love and a family felt obtainable, reality unapologetically pulled the rug from under him.
And maybe...
Maybe, he wasn't supposed to have that in this lifetime?
It was getting harder and harder to avoid coming to that conclusion.
Maybe that's why God took his parents away in that car crash.
And what would have been his twin siblings.
Maybe that's why Ivan-
Luca flinched, blinking at the feeling of a thumb catching a stray tear halfway down his cheek.
Sitting up, Luca mumbled a sorry. Retrieving his other hand from his pocket to rub his eyes.
Sofia shook her head, lowering her hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Luca. You didn't deserve any of this..."
"I know with the media finding out that Ivan was married and the 7 months we were scrambling to get the divorce started was hectic, but I never thought this was something he would keep from you"
Luca's shoulders slumped, too tired to voice his more honest thoughts.
As open and honest as Sofia was being, everything just...hurt.
It sounded very cliché, but Luca really just needed time.
And as if reading his thoughts, "You have every right to take as much time as you need, Luca," Sofia affirmed. " I just hope.. we can at least... stay friends?"
Luca turned to see the 24-year-old with a flush on her cheeks, looking down at her lap sheepishly. "Would it be inappropriate to say I enjoy texting you? I don't have a lot of friends who have very similar hobbies, and I enjoy your company," She muttered, pursing her lips nervously.
Luca blinked in surprise, the silence stretching long enough for Sofia to consider pulling her hand from out of his own. An apology poised on her lips.
Before she could, Luca held her hand in place. Smiling when she met his eyes, "I enjoy your company too, Sofia," he promised, looking down at their hands before glancing out towards the playground.
Grounding himself by focusing on the families begining to call their kids back to leave, A group standing past the jungle gym caught his eye.
Luca watched a woman walk up to the group of three. Stopping beside the other woman to share a casual kiss. Both simultaneously redirecting their smiles towards two girls running towards them.
And while the two men standing opposite didn't display any affection in the 10-seconds Luca observed them, their proximity to the other and how they seemed to occasionally lean into each other's space implied a similar dynamic.
A breeze strong enough to part the branches overhead let a few rays of sun warm the side of Luca's face. Encouraging him to return his attention to Sofia's hopeful gaze.
"You, Victoria and I should meet for dinner when she gets back from her trip..." He proposed, smiling knowingly.
"And I can finally meet the love of your life you can't help talking my ear off about." At the playful shove his remark earned him, Luca chuckled.
Giggling, Sofia nodded, wiping her eyes. "I would love that, Luca," she smiled. Returning the reassuring squeeze the other gave her hand.