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Most of the Centaurs had left the locker room by this point. Slumped in his stall, Luca spread his palms on his sweats, not feeling like getting up anytime soon.
Ottawa wasn’t that different from Zurich, at least that had been what he kept telling himself, but… it was very much not the same. Here, only an empty house was waiting for him.
Luca sighed, pressing his forehead into his hands.
“You okay?” A voice came from his side, startling Luca a little. He looked up immediately.
His cheeks started blushing once he realized who had stepped up to him: Ilya Rozanov. With his wet towel draped across his tapered waist, drops of water gleaming on his chest, Ilya looked incredible. More than that, even. How he managed to look like a weight-lifting athlete with bulky muscles while being able to skate with agility—Luca would never understand.
But good looks and success didn’t bring everything.
When he first joined the team, Luca didn’t know what was missing from his Captain’s life, only that something didn’t seem right. He was quiet a lot of the times even though he had always been known for his larger-than-life personality, for chirping and riling up other players on the ice.
And after Ilya had come out with Shane, the two of them married, and Shane signed with the Centaurs, the shadows under Ilya’s eyes seemed to have disappeared overnight. He remembered how to smile, too. Ilya planned a lot more team activities this year, taking them out to Monk’s frequently, inviting the team and their spouses to dine at fancy restaurants and local joints.
It was fun, definitely, but Luca still felt… lonely sometimes, like this afternoon.
“I’m… it’s stupid,” Luca mumbled, dropping his eyes to the floor.
He was met with Ilya’s sharp ankles and the lean muscles on his calves. Okay, that didn’t help. Luca looked up again.
A sense of worry clouded Ilya’s features, but he waited patiently—almost like he had experience with people opening up about their feelings, like he knew how that could be incredibly difficult.
“I miss my siblings. I miss home. I have a nice house here, but it’s very empty. It’s just me,” Luca admitted in a quiet voice. Under the attention of Ilya, Luca didn’t want to lie. And he knew Ilya would be able to tell.
“Okay, Luca, you’re coming home with us. Shane would love to have you, I know,” Ilya said without hesitation.
Luca stared at his Captain with wide-open eyes. He couldn’t believe it.
“Are—Are you serious, Captain?” Luca stammered, feeling his face flush.
“It’s Ilya, and, yes, very serious. You need to be with people right now. Even if is just one night.” Ilya nodded, emphasizing his words. “We could have dinner, hang out, do fun things. We’ll come together to practice tomorrow. You get ready now and I’ll find Shane.
“Just pretend I’m your sibling, if you miss them, okay?” Ilya smiled before swinging on his heel.
Luca shook his head in disbelief. A night in Ilya Rozanov’s home? A younger version of Luca, one that had Ilya’s poster on his bedroom wall, would never dream of this happening. And Ilya wanted Luca to think of him as a sibling?
After Ilya had turned the corner and disappeared, Luca let out the tiniest fanboy scream into his palms.
The warmth spreading in Luca’s chest already made the smile on his face brighter. He was so glad that he always had another change of clothes in his gym bag. That would come in handy tomorrow.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to stop him from spending the night in the Hollander-Rozanov home.
From the big smile that Shane gave Luca, he was relieved that Shane was on board with having a sudden guest at their house. Luca would feel bad if he intruded on them.
“I’m grilling burgers tonight, so there’s plenty of food,” Shane told him as they walked to the parking lot. Luca smiled gratefully.
Shane was carrying both his and Ilya’s gym bags. Which was pretty shocking, because at their games and on road trips, they always took care of their own bags and luggage. And Luca never knew Ilya would let anyone do things for him when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself.
But Ilya didn’t protest at all, so Luca guessed it was all right.
When Shane and Luca stuffed the three gym bags into the trunk of the SUV, Ilya was already at the passenger-side door, holding it open for Shane.
Ilya tipped his head, and Shane blushed. He gave Ilya a soft peck on the cheek before climbing in.
It all happened so fast that Luca didn’t look away in time. But he couldn’t close his mouth. Again, this never happened in front of the team.
He quickly shut his lips and got in the back row.
They chatted casually about strategy and play, then the topic changed out of nowhere, and Shane and Ilya got into a heated argument about who would score more goals in the upcoming home game.
“Listen, Ilya! In the last game—” Shane was talking louder than he had ever done in any team meetings. Luca had never heard him talk like this, so passionate and intense.
“No! Hollander, you listen! I have figured out how to…” Ilya’s eyes didn’t leave the road, but he was waving one hand in the air. At a stoplight, Ilya made more complicated hand gestures. Luca followed intently, listening and thinking.
Hand on his chin, Luca silently calculated the possibility in his head, given what he had recently seen in practice, and decided Shane might actually come out on top.
Luca would always worship Ilya, but if they were placing bets for the next game, Luca would definitely go with Shane. He kept that to himself, however. There was enough fuel in the fire.
The couple in the front seats kept debating until Ilya parked his car in the garage. For a second, Luca worried that they were mad at each other. They were supposedly rivals starting from rookie season, after all.
However, Ilya was in front of the passenger-side door in no time, opening it for Shane with a playful bow. Shane kissed him, this time on the lips, and touched his face with feeling.
Luca was rubbing his hand on his jaw. He could never understand how these two functioned.
It took no time at all for Luca to tumble on the floor with Anya, who was very excited about having another human to dote on her. She licked his face and hands, making him giggle.
He missed this so much: the feeling of having someone to welcome you home.
“Come, let’s go for a walk. Luca, you can hold the leash. Anya really likes you, I know it,” Ilya said, gesturing to the front door.
Luca obliged only too happily.
Shane said that Anya already had a long walk this morning, but she still wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity to leave the house again. Once they got on the sidewalk, she showed Luca exactly where she wanted to go, where she wanted to pause and investigate and speed up. Luca worried if he was walking too fast.
“Is fine, let her. She’s very smart,” Ilya told him with a smile when Luca looked back.
In the afternoon sun, Ilya and Shane were holding hands, their arms flush against each other. Shane was almost leaning his head on Ilya’s temple. Their skin sparkled under the magical light of golden hour, and strands of their hair were lit up, like there were particles of fairy dust in the air.
And the artist inside Luca wanted to press pause on this moment so he could sketch the two of them, to capture this perfect scene. The way that the sun graced Shane’s cheekbones, painted the color of saltwater blue and peridot green in Ilya’s eyes.
Shane and Ilya were so beautiful.
Once they were home, Shane started prepping the ingredients and fired up the grill in the backyard, which was large and draped in the shade of some very tall trees. Luca wanted to help, but Anya came up, wagging her tail, a giant sheep toy in her mouth.
“Wow. Anya really likes you. She’ll forget me,” Ilya sighed.
He pretended to be annoyed, but there was a smile on his lips as he sat down on an Adirondack chair to watch Anya and Luca play. Luca chased Anya, then Anya ran after him.
Soon, Luca fell down again, this time into the lawn. His hoodie was very much mussed up now, and Anya was on his chest, muddy paws all over him, continuing the tug of war.
A delicious smell of wood, smoke, and sizzling meat gradually filled the air. Luca took a deep breath, suddenly hungry. And he had been smiling so much that his cheeks hurt.
He noticed Ilya stand up and walk up to Shane. Then, Ilya’s hands were around Shane’s waist, and he was leaning into Shane’s ear and whispering some soft words to him. There was a sly smirk on Ilya’s lips. Shane swatted Ilya on the wrist, but Luca was certain that Shane was blushing.
“Shane said he’s going to eat all burgers!” Ilya announced in a loud voice, laughing. Luca was chuckling along.
“No, Ilya. I did not! Luca, don’t listen to him. Ilya is a big liar.” Shane reached back, playfully elbowing Ilya in the stomach. Ilya pretended to yelp in pain, then he collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach and kicking his legs.
From the way that Anya excitedly ran up with her toy and showed it to him, however, Luca guessed it happened frequently.
When Shane put down the burgers on the outdoor table, Ilya’s eyes glinted like he was a hungry teenager who could never get enough food, and Luca guessed he didn’t look any calmer himself at the prospect of a freshly made meal. Shane had also prepared a large bowl of salad.
The three of them chatted casually, the fading twilight combined with the warm string lights made Luca relax in an unexpected way. Luca chomped down his burger, barely tasting it, and then ate two more, chewing slower. Anya was sleeping next to his feet.
All of them shuffled indoors after dinner. Luca wanted to help with the dishes, but Ilya shook his head. Shane cleaned up the kitchen, checking up on Ilya’s progress from time to time.
“Remember to put the glasses on the top,” Shane said.
“Yes, yes, I always do.” Ilya rolled his eyes at Luca with a smile. Sitting at the kitchen island and enjoying some vanilla ice cream that Shane put in front of him, Luca chuckled quietly.
After he finished the ice cream and all the dishes were done, Shane came up.
“Amazing job, Ilya,” Shane commented after glancing into the dishwasher, tracing one hand down Ilya’s shoulder.
Unmistakably, at Shane’s praise, a blush crawled to Ilya’s cheeks, threatening to spill down his neck. Luca remembered Ilya telling the team on many occasions that Russians do not blush, but Ilya was most definitely blushing.
“Want to watch a movie?” asked Ilya after his face was no longer a bright pink. He had started the dishwasher. Luca nodded enthusiastically, not wanting this evening to end.
They gathered by the sectional sofa, Shane and Ilya sitting together, Luca on the other end.
What surprised Luca was the occasional commentary that Shane provided to this simple action movie—he pointed out plot issues, comparisons to other franchises, continuity errors, special effects, and many other things Luca never thought to consider. Luca loved art, and he was very intrigued. It was amazing how Shane knew all that.
Very different from their hockey arguments, Ilya was quiet, only listening admiringly. He nodded along and draped one arm over Shane’s shoulders.
Ilya put his head on Shane’s neck as the movie went on, cuddling next to him. Shane gave him a kiss on the forehead. There was a glow of simple adoration on Ilya’s face as he stared up intently at Shane, a look that Luca had never seen on his Captain.
That night, when Luca was tucked in happily in the soft bed in one of the guest rooms, he fell asleep with a smile.
Accidentally being Ilya’s sibling for one night was awesome.