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Ilya Rozanov did not get sick.
He went on a bender of cough syrup and Hot Toddies the second that he felt his throat getting sore or his nose started to run.
He could handle pain and discomfort. It came with the territory of playing Hockey for most of his life, but the aches in his body this particular morning were straight from Hell. He reached for the shades remote on his nightstand while he cursed how sensitive his eyes felt to the sunlight streaming through his windows.
Finally succeeding in darkening the room, he reached for his phone. The missed calls notifications from Shane illuminated the screen along with the time. 11:15 AM. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept so late.
His first season with the Ottawa Centaurs was officially over, and they hadn’t even made it close to the playoffs. It was a small price to pay to be so close to the love of his life.
Shane’s name appeared on the screen, alerting him to an incoming call. Ilya answered hastily to spare his head from splitting open from the ringing.
“Morning”, he croaked. He hoped that Shane wouldn’t take notice.
“Whoa. Are you feeling okay?” The concern was evident in his voice. “I was worried when I couldn’t reach you earlier.”
They had started this morning ritual once Ilya had made the move to Ottawa. If they couldn’t wake up next to each other each morning, they could at least enjoy some time together before they both got lost in their own routines. It was the highlight of Ilya’s day whenever he was away from Shane.
“Yes. I’m fine. Just not feeling so good.” Ilya’s voice cracked even more now.
“I’m sorry. Anything I can do? I can DoorDash you some essentials. Do you want me to call my parents and tell them you can’t make it today?”
Ilya’s heart sank. He had made this grand plan of going to the Hollander’s to cook them a feast before they sat down to cheer Shane on in that night’s game. He liked Shane’s parents, and their relationship was progressing nicely. Yuna had even helped set up his house before he could officially move to Ottawa, but he always felt like he had to prove to them that he was good enough for their son.
“I can still make it! I’ll rest for a few hours, and I’ll be fine.”
“Ilya.”
“Shane.”
Shane sighed through the phone. “Please take it easy. I don’t like knowing that you’re sick and I can’t take care of you.”
Ilya could feel his heart swell. “Okay. I’ll take it easy.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you before the game. I love you.”
Ilya responded in Russian before ending the call. He was able to muster up the strength to drag himself to the liquor cabinet in the kitchen and make himself a Hot Toddy. That’s all he needed, he decided, a couple of these to chase the fever away and a long nap for his body to recover.
He wouldn’t let Yuna and David down.
****
Ilya felt his phone vibrate at his side and couldn’t help but shudder from the pain. He looked at the screen to find an apology text from Shane. Ilya racked his brain to figure out what he could be apologizing for. Right on cue, Ilya heard a knock on his bedroom door.
“Come in?” he rasped. So this is how he was going to die, he thought. By some random intruder while he was tipsy from his half-baked flu cure.
Yuna appeared in the doorway with a tote bag slung over her shoulder and looked at him pitifully.
“Don’t be mad. Shane called, and I got worried.” She unpacked the bag and placed the collection of sick day essentials on the nightstand. Gatorade in multiple flavors, daytime and nighttime flu medicine, Kleenex, and even a small humidifier. She held a thermometer to his forehead and shook her head disapprovingly when it beeped. “101. Ilya…”
Ilya could feel tears well up in his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time that someone else had taken care of him when he was sick. Maybe when he was 10, and he had a cold that didn’t want to leave him alone. His mom had doted on him despite how exhausted she had been. This wasn’t quite the same, but he still appreciated it.
“Have you taken anything or eaten?”
He shook his head, slightly embarrassed.
Yuna sighed. “Okay, tell you what. I’ll go make you some lunch while you freshen up. But take this first.” She handed him two of the orange pills and a Gatorade. “We need to get that fever down.”
Ilya obeyed and went to his en suite bathroom. “Thank you. You didn’t have to…” He could feel the words struggling to come out, partially because of his sore throat and the emotions attempting to overtake him.
“Just because Shane is away doesn't mean that David and I don't care about you. You’re part of our family, too.” Her smile was gentle but earnest.
Ilya gave her a firm nod and disappeared behind the bathroom door.
****
The shower and medicine reduced his aches and pains to a dull throb, and Ilya was dangerously close to asking if Yuna could officially adopt him. He made quick work of changing into fresh pajamas and found her in the kitchen working over the stove.
“Much better.” She beamed at him. “I’ll bring lunch to the living room. Why don’t you go get comfortable?”
Ilya would have skipped to the living room if he were feeling well. He propped himself up against a few pillows and practically swaddled himself in a blanket. He was almost giddy and feeling like a child again.
Yuna set down two matching soup and sandwich plates on the coffee table. Just the smell of it almost made him swoon.
“Shane would eat nothing but my chicken soup and a grilled cheese when he was sick.” She sat on a nearby armchair. “It’s been so long since I’ve made it. I hope that it’s okay.”
Ilya practically wolfed down his soup, ignoring the heat. He swallowed, remembering his manners, before responding. “Is better than okay. Is delicious.”
“Slow down, ‘Illy’. I know you must be ravenous, but you don’t need an upset stomach and a fever.”
Ilya blushed at the nickname in spite of himself and traded the bowl of soup for his grilled cheese. “What was Shane like? As kid?”
A gentle smile overtook Yuna’s face. “He was so focused and smart. But he got in his head a lot. He cared about his friends and teammates, but he kind of struggled letting them in. I think you’ve helped with that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so at ease.”
Ilya couldn’t remember when he had been so at ease himself. Every other relationship, if you could call them that, had been quick, dirty, and chaotic. While his relationship with Shane had started like that, they both transitioned into a comfortable peace with each other. Ilya was 100% sure that they would be together for life, even if their relationship was, temporarily, a secret from most of the world.
“He makes me better, I think. More...boring.” He couldn’t resist the light jab.
Yuna laughed boisterously. “When you two are together for a few more decades, you’ll realize that ‘boring’ can be a beautiful thing.”
They talked for most of the afternoon. About Shane, about his childhood, and Ilya volunteered some details about his upbringing. He couldn’t help but notice the stark difference between his and Shane’s. Ilya’s childhood was filled with a militant training schedule, his father’s contempt, and his mother’s pain. Shane’s was filled with his dad’s gentle coaching and his mother making sure he always had an encouraging note in his gear bag.
Yuna noticed his expression darken and decided to pivot. “Shane will kill me if he finds out that I’m telling you this, but he used to love watching ‘Degrassi’ when he was sick. He stockpiled episodes in the DVR and would binge them like crazy.”
“What is ‘Degrassi’? Is that a school like ‘McGill’?”
“You could say that.” She checked the time on her phone. “We have a while before Shane’s game starts. Want to watch an episode or two?”
****
An episode or two of “Degrassi: The Next Generation” turned into 4 and Ilya was captivated.
“Why would Paige get Terry drunk? And right before dance?” Ilya angrily sipped a Gatorade. “What a bitch!”
He paused. He was usually much better at keeping his cool around Shane’s parents, but he was feeling comfortable now after his and Yuna’s peaceful afternoon together.
“You’re right. She is a bitch.” Yuna shot him a conspiratorial smile, but was interrupted by her phone ringing. “Oh, it’s Shane.”
She answered quickly. “Hey, Shane. Ilya’s here with me.”
“Is he okay?” Shane’s voice was frantic. “I’ve been trying to reach him since we made it to the Arena, but he hasn’t picked up.”
“He’s fine, he had a bit of a fever when I came over, but he’s on the mend. We had a nice afternoon together.” She turned to Ilya with a grin and handed him the phone. “I’ll go start on the dishes and give you both some privacy.”
“Happy playoffs, Shane,” Ilya said, brightly, the gruff in his voice mostly gone. “Don’t worry. I’m not on deathbed.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Sorry about calling my mom. I didn’t want you pushing yourself and getting worse.”
Ilya felt warmth bloom in his chest. “I like your mom. She made me soup, and we watch your favorite show.”
Shane's voice was confused. “So you two ate soup and watched ‘This Old House’ all afternoon?”
Ilya laughed to himself. “Not ‘This Old House’. We watch Degrassi together.”
“Oh my God. I just liked it when I was growing up, okay? It’s not my favorite”, Shane sputtered.
“Hmm. Too bad. I like it. I want to keep watching.”
Shane was silent for a moment. “Maybe we could watch a few episodes when I visit. I won’t promise you soup, but maybe I can borrow my dad’s Chicken Parmesan recipe.”
“You wouldn’t lie to your sick boyfriend. Would you, Hollander?”
“I’ve learned to never lie to you about pasta.”
****
The Metros defeated the Portland Herons with an embarrassing score of 4-0. Yuna and Ilya watched the game with unbridled focus as Shane was able to perform a hat trick before the final buzzer. Yuna made the move to leave, noticing how Ilya’s eyes had begun to droop during the last period.
“There’s some leftover soup in the fridge to last you the next few days, and I left you a couple of bags of “Throat Coat”. No Hot Toddies, okay?” Her face was stern but jovial.
“No Hot Toddies. I promise.”
Yuna leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Ilya’s forehead. “I’ll check on you tomorrow, but if you need anything, please call David or me.”
Ilya yawned. “I will. Thank you.”
Yuna let herself out, and Ilya felt drowsiness overcome him. He shot a quick text to Shane before he completely succumbed to it. He congratulated him on the win, told him that he loved him, and that they had to start planning the perfect Mother’s Day for Yuna.