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There have been three times that Shane distinctly remembers the feeling of walking into his cottage.
The first was immediately after construction was completed. He was so excited to finally see the finished product after months of going over designs with the architect, and more money invested than he had ever spent on anything else.
It immediately became a sanctuary to him, a place to escape from his hectic life and career. It was close enough to his parents' cottage, but not so close that he didn’t have privacy when he wanted it.
Really, it was a safe haven. And he didn’t let anyone inside that bubble, not until years later.
When he walked through the front door with Ilya for the first time, it took an entirely new shape for him. It had taken him so much time to work up the nerve to invite him here, and it took Ilya just as much courage (and a bit of help from Scott Hunter) to say yes.
He had no idea in that moment, of course, that within a week they would confess their love to one another, become boyfriends, and come out to his parents. But he knew it was special, and that seeing Ilya Rozanov standing in his kitchen, looking out at his property, made it feel more like home than it ever had before.
After that, the cottage wasn’t his anymore. It was theirs.
It was a place for them to spend their summers when they were still hiding from the rest of the world, to actually relax together without worrying about hockey or being outed or anything else. It was where they came up with most of the ideas for their foundation, which would lay the groundwork for their public “friendship” and eventually go on to help many people from suffering the same fate as Ilya’s mother.
Even after they got married, after they were out publicly, the cottage represented the same things to Shane: safety, peace, home.
They were there for every summer in between hockey camps, every Christmas with his parents, every weekend they could possibly sneak away from Ottawa. They recovered from injuries there, took Anya for long walks on the nearby trails, and invited their close friends and teammates for evenings full of food and laughter and too many drinks.
When they both decided to retire from hockey in their late thirties after several amazing years of playing together in Ottawa, they were excited at the prospect of spending even more time there. For the first time since they were kids, they wouldn’t be spending the majority of their time in hotels or airports or on the ice. It was almost inconceivable to have so much free time.
These plans changed quickly when they got a call just a couple of months after their final season ended from the adoption agency they’d met with earlier that year, informing them that there was a six-month-old baby girl in foster care that they could adopt. They had discussed taking a year to relax and focus on the Irina Foundation, but - well, they weren’t getting any younger, and they both really wanted to be parents.
The moment they met her, their hearts were captured immediately. Shane couldn’t even describe it, but the closest would probably be when he first met Ilya. It was like fate brought them together, and he knew he would do everything in his power to give this little girl the best life possible.
They brought their daughter Alina home on a warm, late summer day, both of them terrified and also happier than they had ever been.
It’s about two months later that they bring her to the cottage for the first time, finally feeling secure enough in their parenting abilities and willing to take her further than the short drive to Shane’s parents’ house or the pediatrician’s office.
This is the third time that the cottage takes on a new meaning for Shane.
It’s still his favourite place on the planet, but he now views it with fresh eyes - the eyes of a parent.
Which means that his first thought as he walks through the door is that they need to babyproof every inch of this house immediately.
“Don’t put her down until I’ve had a chance to at least put the gates up,” Shane says as he trails behind Ilya, who has just lifted Alina out of her car seat.
Her wide eyes are already looking around the cottage, particularly at the gorgeous colours of the foliage outside the windows.
It’s a perfect fall day, one of the nicest times of year to be here, which they never had the chance to appreciate often enough when they were busy with the hockey season. Their drive was stunning, though Shane spent most of it looking at the backseat every ten seconds to make sure Alina was still sleeping. Ilya drove the brand-new SUV he just bought, having sold his remaining sports cars as soon as they found out they were going to be parents. It's the kind of car he would've thought incredibly boring and made fun of Shane for buying in the past - Shane felt like he was in an alternate reality watching his husband ask the guy at the dealership about all the safety features.
“Thank you, Shane,” Ilya says, voice thick with sarcasm as he lightly bounces Alina on his hip. “I was thinking of putting her down at the top of the stairs. Or maybe outside by the lake, so she can learn to swim.”
Shane rolls his eyes, opening the back door to let Anya into the yard. Their sweet dog is getting older, but she still loves to play outside. She’s also been very protective of Alina ever since they brought her home. Ilya had read that that could happen with dogs, but he was still delighted the first time Anya curled up next to the crib while Alina napped.
“I’m gonna grab the rest of the bags from the car so we can get started on the baby proofing,” Shane says. “Although, she’s probably gonna be hungry soon, so maybe we should unpack the food stuff first. The formula is-"
“Sweetheart,” Ilya says, pausing his anxious rambling with one word as he so often does. “We have all day. All week, actually. She is good right now, not hungry yet. Let’s enjoy this moment, okay?”
Shane looks at their daughter, who is currently occupied with playing with the zipper of the grey Roots quarter-zip Ilya’s wearing. Paired with jeans and hiking boots, it’s probably the most Canadian-looking outfit he owns, which feels appropriate for the cottage. He’s also leaned into the DILF thing lately, with his facial hair grown out a bit and his hair slightly longer than normal due to a lack of free time to get it cut. Shane thinks this is the hottest he’s ever been, and that’s saying something.
“Alinushka, do you like the cottage?” Ilya asks her sweetly, holding her up a bit higher to give her a better look around. “It is nice, hmm? You will have lots of happy times here.”
Shane can’t resist coming over to press a kiss to the top of Alina’s head, her soft light brown curls a mess from her nap in the car. She makes a noise of displeasure and reaches out for Shane.
“Okay, go see Daddy,” Ilya smiles, carefully passing her over to Shane.
As soon as she’s settled in his arms, Shane feels himself relax a little bit more. It’s going to be fine. They’re home, and they finally get to be here with their daughter.
Ilya begins to unpack the groceries as Shane walks her over to the windows so she can see outside.
“We’ve had kids here before,” Ilya reminds him. “The Pikes have been here many times with no accidents.”
“Not when they were this young,” Shane retorts, though he knows Ilya is right. The cottage isn’t inherently any more dangerous than their house in Ottawa or his parents’ house. At least, it won’t be once he’s done making sure every square inch of it is safe for her.
“That’s why we will be careful,” Ilya says, opening the fridge. “Ah, Yuna left curry in the fridge for us.”
His parents had come up a couple of days ago to make sure the place was ready for their arrival and set up Alina’s crib, as well as a changing table and diaper genie, which he’s very grateful for. They offered to do more, but Shane really preferred to do most of it himself, even though he knows logically that they had raised him and he never fell down the stairs or electrocuted himself, at least to his knowledge.
“That’s nice, we won’t have to cook tonight,” Shane says, bringing Alina back over to the kitchen area as she begins to fuss. “Are you hungry? It’s about time for a bottle. Or maybe some banana?”
She begins to cry, and Shane quickly realizes it’s not her hungry cry as he smells the source of the problem.
“Babe, did you put the diaper bag-"
“Right over there,” Ilya says, gesturing to the foyer. “I will take her, though. You can start on your gates, she will want to explore soon.”
This is true - she’s been crawling more and more the last few weeks, and has even begun to pull herself up using the furniture. There are way too many stairs in this place to let her roam free.
“Okay, thanks,” Shane says, passing Alina back into Ilya’s arms.
She cries harder for a moment, but these subside when Ilya begins to stroke her hair and walk her toward the bedroom.
“Hold on, Papa’s got you, sweet girl,” Ilya murmurs to her in Russian. It only took him ten years of actively trying, but Shane’s finally just about fluent in the language. It’s good timing, since they’re raising their daughter fully bilingual - trilingual, really, but they figured the French can wait until she’s actually talking.
Shane gets to work immediately, grabbing the rest of the stuff from the car so he can begin. He has a checklist on his phone of all the things that need to be done to make the cottage fully safe. He did the same at their house before they even brought her home - along with some phone consultations with his mom and Jackie to make sure he was doing it right - so he’s pretty confident at this point.
He doesn’t really take a break until it’s time for dinner, which Ilya prepared while Alina was briefly preoccupied with a toy in her pack and play.
They eat the delicious curry his mom made while taking turns feeding their daughter an assortment of mushy fruits and vegetables.
“Should we have a fire?” Ilya suggests while Shane is cleaning up the table afterward, still holding Alina on his lap as he wipes the remaining apple sauce from her face. Anya sits at his feet, eating up the bits she dropped on the floor.
Shane’s eyes widen for a second as he thinks about the potential danger of an open flame.
“It will be fine, Shane, we’ll hold her the whole time,” Ilya says. “Nothing will happen.”
“Okay, yeah,” Shane breathes, nodding his head. “I’ll go start it in a minute. Maybe put her in some warmer clothes, it’s getting pretty cold out.”
Ilya smiles and nods, carrying Alina over toward the bedroom.
By the time Shane has finished the dishes and started the fire outside, Ilya comes out with a pleased look on his face and their daughter wearing a fluffy white jacket that Shane’s never seen before. Anya follows him, running into the yard after a squirrel or some other animal that has moved in the bushes.
“When did you buy that?”
“A few days ago,” Ilya shrugs, sitting next to Shane on the patio couch and letting Alina sit on his knee so she can see the fire. “Isn’t it so cute? She looks so cozy.”
“Yeah,” Shane narrows his eyes at the logo on the sleeve. “Dior, Ilya? Are you serious?”
Ilya has had a bit of a problem regulating his spending where Alina is concerned, ordering an insane amount of clothes and toys for her at every opportunity. He’s always gone overboard on gifts for Anya and Shane and literally everyone else in his life - he once gifted everyone on the Centaurs coaching, equipment, and medical staff and their families a trip to Cabo for Christmas - so Shane really shouldn’t be surprised. He still feels some responsibility to try to rein it in, even if they have more money than they’ll ever be able to spend.
“We were shopping with totya Svetlana and we couldn’t resist,” Ilya says, pressing kisses to the top of her head.
“You do realize she’ll grow out of it in, like, two months, right?”
“Then we will buy her a new one and give it to charity,” Ilya retorts.
Alina begins to babble, demanding their attention, and points at the fire.
“I think she’s a fan,” Shane says, unable to tear his eyes off her as she continues to be completely entranced by the flames. “Do you like the fire, Alinushka? It’s pretty nice out here, huh?”
She continues to babble in agreement, this time reaching out to Shane and indicating she wants to switch laps. Shane happily takes her, holding her just as protectively to his chest as Ilya was a moment ago.
Watching the firelight reflect in her eyes, so full of wonder, Shane is reminded of the first time he and Ilya sat out here like this. It had taken him a little bit of time to convince Ilya, but soon he was fully appreciative of the simple joys of being at the cottage. Alina seems to have been even more easily won over.
Ilya immediately whips out his phone and begins taking many, many photos of his husband and daughter. He’s definitely become that dad - they’ve agreed not to post her face on social media until she’s old enough to decide that for herself, but he sends pictures of her to Svetlana or Shane’s parents or their former teammates pretty much daily.
“This is perfect,” Shane sighs when Ilya finally puts the phone down and both their gazes are fixed on Alina.
There have been countless nights over the years just like this - from that very first one, when Ilya opened up about his mother for the first time, to their most recent, which was the same day they got the call from the adoption agency (before they rushed back to Ottawa the next morning to start preparing).
He’s loved every night out here, listening to the crackling fire and the loon calls, feeling the warmth of the flames and Ilya’s arms. But this might be his favourite one yet.
“Yes,” Ilya agrees, nodding his head, his inability to say much else right now proving how emotional he is, too.
They stay out for a while longer before Alina begins to fuss, indicating it’s time to get her ready for bed. Shane offers to take her, since Ilya’s been pretty much doing everything all day while he focused on the baby proofing, but Ilya (correctly) assumes that Shane really wants to finish the few tasks he has left so they can fully relax tomorrow.
Feeling grateful for how well his husband knows him, Shane kisses their baby goodnight and then gets to work on the remaining items on his checklist.
It takes a bit longer than expected, but he’s just finishing covering the last electrical outlet in the living room when Ilya returns. He’s in his pyjamas now - plaid pants and an old Centaurs t-shirt - and his hair is a bit of a mess from lying down with Alina before putting her in the crib. He looks gorgeous.
“It took a while to get her down, huh?” Shane asks, getting up from the floor by the TV and observing his work. He’s successfully transformed their entire cottage into an environment safe for a curious eight-month-old in one day, and he’s feeling quite proud of himself.
Ilya nods, setting the baby monitor down on the table and plopping down on the couch.
“She didn’t want to go to sleep after her bottle, I think she must be having too much fun being at the cottage,” Ilya smiles. “So, we had some cuddle time first.”
She might not be biologically related to either of them, but they both swear Alina has taken on some of their traits already. While Shane says she gets her stubbornness from Ilya, Ilya insists that she inherited Shane’s ability to make it impossible for him to deny her anything - one look into her big hazel eyes and it’s over for him.
“I’m finally done,” Shane declares, swinging the gate at the foot of the stairs open to show off its functionality. Anya takes the opportunity to enter the room and curls up in her bed near the window.
“Good job, lyubimyy. You should have a show on HGTV. Could be a good retirement plan.”
Shane rolls his eyes. “I think I’m good to not be on TV for a while.”
They’re both focusing on parenting and the foundation and hockey camps for the foreseeable future. Maybe someday, he’ll consider coaching or punditry - though that’s really more Ilya’s kind of thing - but for now, he’s more than content with a quiet life.
Shane sits down on the couch with his legs stretched out over Ilya’s lap, happy to fully relax for the first time today.
Without a word, Ilya begins to gently massage his knee over his sweatpants, the same one that still hurts sometimes from years of playing through injuries. It’s flaring a bit now from spending most of the day squatting or on his knees installing things, so he’s grateful for the relief.
“Thanks, babe,” he says, letting his eyes fall shut for a moment as he leans back against the cushions. “That feels good.”
“Of course,” Ilya smiles, bending down to press a light kiss to his kneecap. “Want to pick a movie?”
Shane throws something on Netflix, a sweet gay rom-com that he read about online and has been wanting to watch.
Ilya adds his own commentary as he always does, commenting on the main couple’s ridiculous lack of communication and the overly dramatic tension before they’ve even kissed.
“Like we were much better before we got together,” Shane retorts. “I would say there was some tension.”
“It was different, at least we were fucking,” Ilya insists. “These two are sharing the same hotel room at their friend’s wedding and won’t even touch each other.”
“They didn’t choose to share the room, there was only one left!” Shane points out. “And Jake obviously wants to kiss Elliot, but he’s scared because of what happened with his ex.”
“They are both idiots,” Ilya huffs. “They should just be honest about how they feel.”
Shane doesn’t even need to point out the hypocrisy there, so he just shoots Ilya a look instead.
“They are not closeted hockey players, Shane, they are openly gay florists or something-"
“Oh my god, that was the last movie we watched!” Shane rolls his eyes. “You’re not even paying attention, Jake is a lawyer and Elliot is the wedding photographer.”
They continue to bicker for a few more minutes, the movie still playing and Ilya still absently rubbing Shane’s knee.
The long day they’ve had and the soft sound of their daughter breathing on the monitor begin to make Shane feel sleepy, and he shifts their positions so he can curl up on Ilya’s chest and wrap his arms around him.
As the movie begins to wind down - the couple finally kisses after a dramatic moment during the wedding reception - Shane tucks his face into Ilya’s neck and presses a soft kiss there.
“Ready for bed?” Ilya asks, kissing his temple.
“We probably should,” Shane yawns. “She might wake up earlier than normal, being in a new place.”
“Mhm,” Ilya agrees. “So comfy, though.”
They’re totally intertwined now, their arms and legs tangled and Shane’s nose pressed to Ilya’s collarbone. He can’t imagine being comfier.
“Five more minutes. Don’t let us fall asleep here or we’ll both be sore tomorrow,” Shane says. “I wanna take Anya for a walk on one of the trails by the water. I think Alina will like it.”
Ilya smiles against his forehead before kissing him there.
“Sounds like another perfect day. I can’t wait.”