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Shane turns the key in the lock, pushes the door open, and sighs in relief as the warmth of his home replaces the cool air from outside. He quickly shuts the door behind him before Anya can run out, stooping in his heavy winter boots and thick puffer jacket to scratch behind her ears. She barks softly in approval, nudging her head further against his hands, and when he rises to take all his winter gear—and the rest of his day—off, she yelps in disapproval and nudges at his legs.
Shane huffs out a laugh. Spoiled brat, he thinks. That doesn't mean he won't indulge her, though.
"Come on Anya," he says softly as he heads to the living room at the late hour. "We can go cuddle with Papa in the living room."
The house is mostly silent as he rolls his shoulders back, his sigh of relief ringing louder in his ears than the soft noise he can hear from the TV. After an eventful All-Star weekend where Ilya and Shane faced off against Scott Hunter and Carter Vaughn in the main event (which Ilya referred to as 'league mandated elder abuse'), Shane thought he'd have a quiet few days of rest with his husband before the schedule started again. Even after two years of marriage and no longer needing to savour every second like the golden gift they were, Shane still wanted to soak in every moment they got together.
So what, he thinks, if he's still super clingy far after a honeymoon phase. Sue him. He loves his husband more than life itself.
In any case, he had been looking forward to spending the next three days lazing at home with Ilya, until he received a text from J.J. the Monday after the game in their group chat with Hayden.
Dem Boyz 🥅
J.J. Boiziau: Salut mes frérots, what are you up to for the break?
Hayden Pike: Nothing crazy, Jackie and I were thinking of taking Amber and Arthur sledding at Mont Royal. Ruby and Jade are too cool to hang out with their mom and dad now :(
Shane: Aw man, that's rough.
Hayden Pike: Not too cool to ask for my money though 😒
Shane: I don't envy that one bit.
Shane: I'm not really up to much, just staying at home with Ilya. Might take Anya out to a park one day.
J.J. Boiziau: Booooooringggggg
J.J. Boiziau: [image: patrick star sitting in chair sleeping mouth wide open.jpg]
Shane: When you get married one day, you'll understand the finer pleasures in life.
Hayden Pike: Rozanov wearing you down that much already? 😂
Shane: In more ways than one, sure.
Hayden Pike: ……. I didn't want to know that much, and you know it
Shane: Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to.
J.J. Boiziau: MDRRRR
J.J. Boiziau: Tabarnak you guys are distracting me
J.J. Boiziau: Shane's marital life aside, we have not hung out together in a really long time. I miss my boys 😢
J.J. Boiziau: Which is why I am picking the two of you up tomorrow and we are going on a little boys trip for the day
Shane: Is this gonna be like the "boys trip" you took us on for Hayden's birthday last year where you ended up sleeping naked out in Harris' parents' farm?
Shane: Because I don't want to do that ever again.
Hayden Pike: Jackie says I'm not allowed to go partying with you again without her signing a waiver first
Hayden Pike: Even though that was, like, a top five birthday ever
J.J. Boiziau: Come on guys, I wouldn't do something like that again
Hayden Pike: …
Shane: …
J.J. Boiziau: On such short notice.
[Hayden Pike and Shane Hollander reacted 🙄 to "On short notice."]
J.J. Boiziau: It will be really relaxing, très chill, I promise. But I want to keep it a surprise
J.J. Boiziau: Nothing fancy. Dress comfy, bring some swim trunks and some slippers
Hayden Pike: It's February.
J.J. Boiziau: Exactly.
J.J. Boiziau: Either you are packed and ready to go tomorrow morning, or I will embarrass you all in front of your neighbours. And you know I'm capable of it.
J.J. Boiziau: I won't take no for an answer. À demain!
J.J.'s surprise ended up being an outdoor spa on the outskirts of Ottawa, and Shane would be lying if he said he didn't need it. As the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Centaurs have been pushing hard to retain that title this season and make history once again in Ottawa—and Shane and Ilya have been determined to get more silverware for their trophy room. The scheduling before the break had been brutal and their conditioning is stricter than ever, so he's able to appreciate the private facility J.J.'s rented with whirlpool tubs, saunas, and cold plunges. There's even heated flooring.
The catered food was also nice, with Shane's heart swelling as he notices that, amongst the food items he doesn't typically eat, there is salmon, tuna, quinoa, brown rice, chickpeas, and vegetables—everything required for his macrobiotic diet, a sign of J.J.'s attention to detail. But after finally taking Ilya's advice and starting with a therapist to help him with his diet, he'd decided that today would be one of his brave days.
When he puts cured sausage, slices of cheese and crackers on his plate the first time they break for food, he ignores how warm J.J.'s hand on his shoulder and Hayden's knee tap against his feel. Adjusting his diet is a work in progress, but progress nonetheless.
While he enjoyed the day and had missed Hayden and J.J. quite a bit, he'd spent the entire ride back in anticipation for his return to Ilya, trying his hardest to hide his blush when the guys teased him about it. So when he turns the corner to enter the living room, he half expects to see Ilya already looking at him, a pout heavy on his lips, arms reaching out at him with grabby fingers while saying, "Come here, moya lyubimyj, it's been too long without you."
It's a bit of a surprise when he finds Ilya on the couch, long legs sprawled out over the sectional with his fingers laced on his chest. His mouth is hanging open just a bit, soft snores drifting out from his throat, and a silvery trail of drool tracks down his chin. Affection blooms in Shane's heart like wildflowers at the turn of spring, and he wonders what he's done in life to deserve a happiness that feels so sweet, a love he gets to look forward to nurturing for the rest of his life.
Part of him wants to wake Ilya up, remembering all the times that Ilya has woken up on this very couch and complained about a crick in his neck after the fact. But Ilya also struggles with falling back asleep if he's woken when he's really deep in it, and judging by the time—12:21am—it's too late to change locations.
So Shane quickly snaps a few photos of his beloved husband, making up for all the years and moments that he never got to capture, before covering him up to his shoulders with his favourite red flannel throw blanket that his dad got him for Christmas a few years ago. Shane stands at the L corner of the sectional, not wanting Ilya to notice the change in weight on the couch, and smiles softly down at him.
Ilya smacks his lips together, and Shane can see a hand moving beneath the blanket in what he's sure is a scratch to the stomach. It scares him, sometimes, to know someone so well without even thinking about it, but most of the time, it's a thrill; a thrill to think that he gets to spend the rest of his life learning all of Ilya's mannerisms, that he gets to be a greedy insatiable beast with his love and want even more when he never thought he could have this at all.
"Ya tebya lyublyu," he whispers after enough time has passed, and he turns to leave the living room.
When he's out of earshot from the room, the pattering of Anya in the hallway reminds him of her presence.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles, stooping over to pet her again. When his hand reaches her she flops onto her back, baring her stomach, and Shane snorts gently.
"Oh, you want belly rubs?" he asks softly, running his fingers over her soft belly. Her tail starts to thump against his foot. "Here're your belly rubs, my sweet girl."
After a few seconds he rises, trying to ween her off the constant indulgence she's so used to with Ilya ('She's our daughter, you tyrant, we should be spoiling her as much as possible'). With a wide yawn she jumps up on all fours, and makes her way over to the far too plush dog bed in the reading nook beside the stairs.
"Yeah," Shane agrees, stretching his arms above his head. "Let's get to bed."
Shane groans when he wakes up, his bladder full from all that ginger ale and sparkling water J.J. and Hayden had him drink before they left the spa.
"Look at all this stuff left over man," J.J. had said, arms waving at the table. "We're not allowed to take it home, we gotta make a dent in it. We got like three hours left."
"Okay." Hayden nodded in agreement, and crossed his arms at the table. "We'll split the fruit and veg, I'll eat the leftover quinoa salad since you guys didn't like it that much, and Shane can finish the cold cuts. What about drinks?"
"Ginger ale's mine," Shane said quickly, and J.J. and Hayden rolled their eyes.
"What?"
"We know," they said in unison, rolling their eyes again.
"I specifically asked for it just for you," J.J. added. "But I did not know they would give us enough for a whole fucking team. Shit. And all this damn water."
"I'll finish it too," Shane said eagerly, swaying a little. "I need to wash down that champagne."
"Alright," J.J. accepted, rubbing his chin. "Leave some for me though. And I'll finish the salmon with the crackers. Make sure you hit the washroom before you leave, though."
Shane clearly hadn't, and had somehow managed to last this long without having to go. Through blurry eyes and crusty edges he can make out 5:00am on his bedside alarm clock, and hesighs as he works himself up to move; he's not usually able to go back to sleep after peeing, but he has all day to make up for it if he wants.
He blinks through the crust and rubs at his eyes, rolling over to the other side of the bed closest to the washroom. His body runs cold when he sees it—a tall, dark and shrouded figure motionless at the foot of the bed that he can't make out clearly with the blackout curtains in the room—and he flails in the sheets with a yelp. It's only when he notices the flannel blanket and messy curls peaking out of it that he realizes it's Ilya, and not an intruder. Shane flops onto his back and lets out a sigh, wondering how on earth he didn't ruin their sheets.
"How long have you been standing there staring, you creep?" He groaned, his voice gravelly with the sands of sleep. "You scared the shit out of me."
"Why did you leave me down there by myself?" Ilya whimpers, voice laden with serious grief. "I was waiting for you, I missed you."
Shane huffs out a laugh and gets up, and Ilya starts to complain even more.
"I'm sorry, but you were sleeping so well and I didn't want to wake you," he says, walking into Ilya's embrace and getting wrapped up in the blanket. He kisses the underside of his chin and sighs contently when Ilya mushes their cheeks together. "How do you feel?"
"Like shit," Ilya lies, fingers gently trailing up Shane's back underneath his shirt. "I only sleep well with you."
"Me too," Shane mumbles into his neck. "But it wasn't that bad, be honest."
Ilya sighs. "It was not, I feel pretty good, actually."
Shane hums and appreciates the warm cocoon of his husband's arms and the Hudson's Bay's finest fleece wear until his bladder reminds him why he got up in the first place. When he unravels himself from Ilya's embrace, he's met with strong resistance.
"You are leaving me again," he says with a heavy pout, and something gentle stirs in Shane's chest.
"I just need to pee," he tells him, laughing when Ilya drops the blanket but laces their fingers together, joining Shane on the way to their en suite. "Go back to bed, I'll be there soon."
"No," Ilya says petulantly, flicking on the light switch with his free hand before lifting up the toilet seat. "You will not run away from me again."
Shane sighs good-naturedly but does his business, only separating his fingers from Ilya's to wash his hands. Soon enough they're stumbling back to bed in the dark, Ilya barely giving Shane a chance to land on the mattress before pulling him into his chest. Shane hums as he nestles in place, the steady beat of Ilya's heart underneath his ear lulling him back to sleep like it always does.
"How was the trip?" Ilya asks, thumb rubbing gently at the nape of his neck, not making it easy to stay awake for the conversation. To be loved is to be known he hears ring out in his ears, some cheesy line that Rose had told him once, and he presses a kiss to his husband's chest.
"Fun," he murmurs, tightening the warm comforter around them. "I didn't realize how much I missed them until today. I still missed you tons though, I feel a little bad for leaving you alone."
"Don't be," Ilya says, voice rumbling like calming rain showers around Shane. "In fact, I encouraged it. J.J. called me to ask if it was okay before he asked you and Hayden."
"Really?" Shane asks, tilting his head up to look at Ilya. No nose rub, no skirting eye contact. He's really telling the truth.
"Yes," Ilya admits, dragging a gentle thumb down his cheeks. "Wanted to make sure I did not have any special plans. He also asked Jackie because, well, you know. It would be very unfair to leave her with all those children alone on short notice. So he wanted to be sure."
"Oh," he says softly, lips pouting. "That was very thoughtful."
"It was," Ilya agrees. "So that is why I did not mind, you needed this, moya lyubimyj. I really like him, you know. Great guy, even with. You know." Shane nods, trying not to remember that dark time in his life. "But he has more than made up for it, and he is fun to be around. A lot nicer than Hayden. Better hockey player too."
"Alright," Shane grumbles with a smile, turning back into Ilya's chest, ear finding its way home. Ilya's thumb starts its ministrations again, and Shane can feel himself dozing off. "Lay off Hayden."
"Never," Ilya says sleepily, tightening the arm around wrapped around him. "Sleep well, sweetheart. I want to hear all about the trip and how sweaty you were in the sauna when we wake up."
"Okay," Shane says, huffing out a laugh. "I love you."
"I love you too."