Work Text:
1997:
Shane pressed his face against the glass of his bedroom window, peering down at the house across the street. He'd been monitoring the 'for sale' sign in front of his old neighbor's house for weeks now, and just yesterday a bright red 'SOLD' sign was posted underneath it.
He wondered who his new neighbors would be. Hopefully they weren't boring like Mr. Smith. Shane had tried to get him to play with him, but Mr. Smith just grumbled something in French that had his mom glaring. He leapt on his bed and pulled his notebook out from under his pillow. Shane had always had neat handwriting and almost perfect spelling, and he often was the last to finish writing in class because he wanted it to be perfect. He had written a plan for what to do when the new neighbors arrived.
1. Tell mom and dad
2. Bake cookies
3. Take cookies to their house
4. Meet them
5. Become best friends!
He'd definitely gotten his meticulous tendencies from his mother. He realized that he should probably be baking the cookies right now.
Shane used the stepstool to see into the bowl on top of the kitchen counter, watching as his mother measured ingredients and let him carefully mix them together. He added extra chocolate chips when she wasn't looking. He wanted these cookies to be perfect for his new neighbors. Hopefully they had a kid his age.
Shane put the cookies on a plastic plate and went over to greet them. He stood on his tiptoes to press the doorbell, hearing it echo throughout the house. A tall woman with blonde hair opened the door, smiling at him. "Hello," She said, voice thick with a Russian accent.
"Hi!" Shane beamed. "I'm Shane Hollander and I live across the street! I brought you some cookies!" He held the plate up to her, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Thank you!" She accepted the plate and turned back into the house. "Ilya! Come here!"
Shane heard footsteps coming downstairs and within the next few seconds a boy who looked to be about his age with curly blond hair appeared. When he realized Shane was standing there, he tried to hide behind his mother's dress.
The woman laughed. "I am Irina, Ilya's mother. Ilya, come say hi!" She stepped to the side and Ilya was forced to make eye contact with Shane.
"Hi." He practically whispered.
"Please, come in our house, Shane!" Irina opened the door slightly wider, welcoming him in.
The house looked much different from how Mr. Smith kept it. There were no random old pieces of furniture that seemed as if they'd collapse if you breathed on them, and the black and white photos of his grandparents were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were two small moving boxes in the center of what used to be the dining room.
"My son and I do not speak English good, but we are learning." Irina said, setting the cookies down on the kitchen counter. "We have just come from Russia."
"Is it cold there?" Shane asked, bouncing with excitement. "I've heard it's cold there. Do you get good ice for skating? Do you skate?"
Irina laughed. "It is sometimes cold, yes. We have places to skate, in buildings. What do you call those?"
"Ice skating rinks!" Shane was happy to help her find the term she needed. "Do you skate?" He asked again.
Her face fell for a second, sorrow washing over it. "Yes. Was very good, won many prizes. I broke my hip before Ilya was born and had to quit. But I skate again," She regained her smile naturally, not caring to hide it. "I do not compete but is still fun." She drummed her fingers on the countertop for a few seconds and then asked Shane, "Do you skate?"
"Yes! I do! I play hockey!"
Irina grinned. "Ilya plays hockey! You should skate together!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Yuna's face appeared, smiling through the glass panes.
"Shane, honey, you need to get changed for hockey practice!"
"Okay, mom!" He shouted in reply before turning back to Irina. "I have to go to practice. Do you want to come over for dinner at six?" He knew his mom would be fine with it, otherwise he wouldn't have asked.
"Yes. Ilya will be there, too. Goodbye, Shane!"
"Bye-bye!" Shane hugged her quickly before running out to join his mom.
__________
Irina and Ilya joined the Hollanders at their dinner table. The places were carefully set, and two candles had been lit to add to the environment. Despite the casual formality, Shane was wearing his shorts and a t-shirt from a hockey camp he'd gone to last year.
"Mom, dad, this is Irina and Ilya! They're from Russia and they skate, too!"
"It's so nice to meet you both!" Yuna said, smiling warmly and embracing Irina in a gentle hug.
"Yes. Your son is very nice." She said, resting a hand carefully on Shane's head and lightly ruffling his hair.
David brought in the food. He'd chosen to make hamburgers with potato wedges and added a salad when Yuna argued that their new neighbors could be vegetarian. As they all sat down to eat, Yuna began asking questions.
"So, what brings you to Canada?"
Irina took a moment to translate the question and her reply. "My husband was not good person. I needed escape."
Yuna's eyebrows creased sympathetically. "Are you safe here? My husband works for the government; I'm sure he could find someone to help if you need."
"No, no, we are fine. He does not know where we are and there is no way to track us. But thank you."
Shane interrupted the silence. "Ilya, you skate, right?"
Ilya's eyes went wide with terror when he realized he was being spoken to and nodded to reply.
"You should join my hockey team! We're really good! We're called the Little Centaurs, because that's what our NHL team is here. We have some spots open and if you like to skate, it'd be perfect!" Shane was speaking a mile a minute, and Yuna interrupted to say it in slower and more simpler terms for their guests.
"Shane really likes hockey, and he wants Ilya to join his team." Yuna smiled at Ilya, who froze again when he heard his name.
"Thank you, Shane. That is very nice. I am sure he will join!" Irina said. "He has not practiced English very long, so he is shy. He is very talkative in Russian, though!" She laughed.
Underneath the table, Shane gently pressed his foot against the side of Ilya's.
__________
2008:
The International Prospects Cup was happening, and it was a popular topic in all of Canada. Shane Hollander was the captain of the team, and his alternate was Ilya Rozanov. Their chemistry was off-the-charts, both on and off the ice.
They'd been dating publicly for the past four years. It had become a pretty big deal as the International Prospects Cup was approaching, especially because the final game ended up between Canada and Russia.
The game was easily won by Canada; Russia didn't stand a chance against a team that had both Hollander and Rozanov on it.
As the players lined up to shake hands, Shane overheard things whispered to Ilya in Russian. He wondered if Ilya had ever played with them as a child.
The Russian team had headed to their lockers as the Canadian team was showered with cheers and praise.
Shane and Ilya clasped their hands together and raised them victoriously as tears fell from Shane's eyes. He knew Ilya and he would be the top draft picks for the NHL, which was something they both wanted to pursue. Unfortunately, they'd likely be drafted to different teams. Neither of them had ever been in a long-distance relationship, but they were willing to try if it meant they could both pursue their dreams.
Ilya's mother and Shane's parents had run down to greet their sons at the edge of the ice. While Shane was tackled by both of his proud parents, he saw Irina slip a small object into Ilya's hands.
"Come." Ilya said, skating out to the center of the rink and dragging a confused Shane behind him.
"What are you doing?" Shane demanded, laughing despite the tears in his eyes. This was the last time they'd play on the same team, likely forever.
"Shane." Ilya said softly, and Shane realized he was crying too. "I love you. I have loved you since I first met you and you brought cookies to my house and invited me and my mother to dinner with you. I want to love you forever, no matter what happens." He kneeled awkwardly and held a small red box in his hand, a gorgeous silver ring propped up inside it.
Shane gasped. "Oh my God, is this why you wanted to know the size of my class ring?"
Ilya nodded sincerely. "Shane David Hollander, will you marry me?"
Ever since he pulled out the ring, Shane had known what Ilya was going to ask him, but hearing the words still shocked him. He froze for a split second before vigorously nodding his head. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Ilya Rozanov, I will marry you."
Ilya let go a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding and let himself be pulled up by Shane, who pulled him into a hug and kissed him.
They were both vaguely aware of the crowd cheering for them in the stands, but in the moment, all that mattered was that they were holding each other.