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The room smells like antiseptic and something faintly plastic, the kind of clean that never quite feels comforting. Machines hum quietly in the background, steady and indifferent, while sunlight filters in through half-closed blinds. Ilya lies propped up in the hospital bed, still pale, still a little too still for Shane’s liking, even though the doctor had said it was routine. Simple. In and out. He’d said it like it meant something.
Shane hasn’t really believed that since they wheeled Ilya away.
Now he’s back. Breathing. Alive. Sedated out of his mind.
Which, apparently, is its own kind of problem.
“He should be waking up soon,” the nurse had said.
That was ten minutes ago.
Now the room is fuller than Shane expected. His parents had come, which he understands. Hayden showed up because of course he did, dragging Jackie and the kids along like this was some kind of chaotic field trip. Ruby and Jade are whispering to each other in the corner, clearly entertained by the whole hospital setting. Arthur sits a little apart from them, quieter, shoulders slightly hunched, watching everything without saying much, occasionally glancing at Ilya and then back down at his hands. Baby Amber is asleep against Jackie’s shoulder, completely unaware that she’s currently the calmest person in the room.
David stands near the window, hands in his pockets, calm in that steady way he has. Yuna sits closer, watching Ilya with a quiet softness that Shane notices but doesn’t comment on.
Hayden, on the other hand, is leaning against the wall like he owns it.
“If he wakes up and starts confessing secrets,” Hayden says, “I’m recording it.”
“You’re not recording anything,” Shane snaps without looking at him.
“I’m just saying, anesthesia truth serum is real.”
“It’s not a truth serum.”
“Tell that to the internet.”
Jackie nudges Hayden with her elbow. “Leave him alone.”
“I’m not bothering him,” Hayden says, then lowers his voice just slightly. “Yet.”
Shane ignores him and focuses on Ilya.
There’s a shift.
Small, but there.
Ilya’s fingers twitch against the blanket, then curl slightly like he’s trying to grab onto something that isn’t there.
“Hey,” Shane says immediately, stepping closer. “Ilya?”
Ilya’s eyes flutter open slowly, unfocused at first. He blinks like the world is too bright, too loud, too much.
“Mm,” he manages, voice rough and unfamiliar.
Shane leans in. “You’re okay. Surgery’s done. You’re fine.”
Ilya turns his head slightly, squinting at him like he’s trying to solve a complicated problem.
“Shane,” he says eventually, like he’s confirming it.
“Yeah,” Shane says, relief hitting him all at once. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Ilya stares at him for a long second.
Then his face softens in a way Shane that he sees Ilya do many times whenever they're talking something "sappy".
“Oh,” Ilya breathes. “You’re so pretty.”
The room goes silent.
Hayden makes a choking noise.
Shane freezes. “What?”
“You are,” Ilya insists, more certain now. “Very pretty. Like… stupid pretty. It is problem.”
Jackie clamps a hand over her mouth. Ruby and Jade are staring openly now. Arthur glances up briefly, then quickly looks down again, hiding a small smile. David coughs, trying to hide his own. Yuna looks like she might actually laugh.
“Ilya,” Shane says, turning red, “you’re on drugs.”
“Yes,” Ilya agrees seriously. “Very good drugs.”
Hayden loses it, laughing into his hand.
“I have been saying this for years,” Ilya continues, pointing vaguely in Shane’s direction but missing by a good foot. “He looks like this and expects me to be normal. Is impossible.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Shane mutters, but there’s no heat in it.
Ilya frowns suddenly, like something has gone deeply wrong. “No, do not die,” he says urgently. “That would be very bad for me.”
“I’m not dying.”
“Good,” Ilya says, immediately relieved. “Because I love you.”
The words land harder than anything else he’s said.
Shane goes quiet.
The room shifts with it.
“I love you when you are boring,” Ilya continues, completely unaware of the audience. “And you are always boring. It is your strongest trait.”
Hayden wheezes.
David actually laughs this time, warm and unrestrained.
Shane drags a hand down his face. “Unbelievable.”
“But boring is good,” Ilya continues, frowning slightly like he’s trying to explain something very important to people who are not keeping up. “Boring is safe. You always come back. You always stay. Even when I am… difficult.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Hayden mutters.
Jackie elbows him again.
Ilya’s gaze finds Shane again, more focused now, more intent.
“You make things quiet,” he says. “In my head. It is usually loud. Too much. But with you… it is not scary.”
Shane’s chest tightens.
Across the room, Yuna’s expression softens even more. David looks down briefly, like he’s giving them privacy without actually leaving.
“You are home,” Ilya finishes simply.
There’s nothing funny about that part.
Not really.
Shane reaches for his hand without thinking, careful of the IV, of the tape, of everything.
“Ilya,” he says quietly, “you’re going to regret this later.”
“No,” Ilya says immediately. “I regret many things. Not this.”
Hayden wipes at his eyes. “This is incredible. I’m never letting you live this down.”
Ilya turns his head slowly toward the sound, eyes narrowing. “You are still here.”
“Unfortunately.”
“You are annoying even in hospital,” Ilya informs him.
“Love you too, man.”
“I do not love you,” Ilya says, very clear about that.
Ruby giggles. Jade whispers something back to her. Arthur huffs a quiet laugh into his sleeve, trying not to draw attention.
Ilya looks back at Shane again, softer.
“You stayed,” he says.
“Of course I stayed.”
Ilya nods, satisfied. “Good. That is correct choice.”
There’s a pause, then his expression shifts again, something curious and completely unfiltered crossing his face.
He squints at Shane.
“You should have baby,” Ilya says suddenly.
The entire room freezes.
Shane blinks. “I— what?”
“Yes,” Ilya continues, gaining confidence. “Like Pike. Many children. Very loud. Very chaotic. You would look good round with my chi—”
Shane’s hand clamps over his mouth instantly.
“Nope,” Shane says quickly. “We’re done talking.”
Ilya tries to keep going anyway, words muffled. “Mmph— strong genes— good structure—”
“Absolutely not,” Shane mutters, holding his hand there, face burning.
Hayden is doubled over, silent laughing.
Jackie is hiding her face behind Amber’s blanket.
David turns away entirely, shoulders shaking.
Yuna presses her lips together, clearly trying to stay composed.
Ruby and Jade are whispering furiously now, wide-eyed.
Arthur has gone completely red and is staring very hard at the floor.
Shane leans closer, lowering his voice. “There are children in the room.”
Ilya blinks up at him, confused for a second, then nods very seriously like he understands.
“Okay,” he says once Shane lets go.
A beat.
Then, softer, but somehow worse, “We discuss later.”
Shane drops his head. “I’m never recovering from this.”
“You’re welcome,” Hayden manages between breaths.
Ilya, entirely pleased with himself, relaxes back into the pillow, eyes already starting to drift again.
His hand finds Shane’s without looking.
Shane laces their fingers together automatically, still embarrassed, still overwhelmed, still a little undone from everything that came out of Ilya’s mouth.
There’s a quiet stretch, softer now, the laughter fading into something calmer.
Ilya shifts slightly, eyes half-lidded, and looks at Shane again like the rest of the room has dimmed around him.
“My love,” he murmurs, voice softer than anything he’s said so far.
Shane freezes.
Completely.
It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic. It’s barely above a whisper.
But it lands.
Harder than everything else.
Ilya’s thumb brushes weakly against his hand, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Stay,” he adds, barely coherent now.
Shane swallows, face going red all over again, but this time it’s different. Quieter. Shyer.
“I’m here,” he says, softer than before.
Hayden, for once, says nothing.
Jackie just smiles gently.
Yuna looks down, touched. David exhales slowly, something warm settling in his expression.
Even Ruby and Jade go quiet for a second, like they know this part is different.
Arthur glances up again, watching just long enough to understand before looking away.
Ilya hums, satisfied, eyes slipping closed again.
And even half-conscious, barely awake, he holds onto Shane like he knows exactly who he belongs to.
Around them, the room slowly settles again. The laughter fades into quiet conversations. Ruby and Jade lose interest and start bickering softly. Arthur stays quiet, but a small smile lingers. Amber sleeps through everything.
And then, just as things begin to feel normal again, there’s a knock at the door.
The doctor steps in, clipboard in hand, polite smile already in place. “Alright, how are we doing in here?”
Shane straightens slightly. “He just woke up.”
“Good,” the doctor says, stepping closer to the bed. “Hi, Ilya. Can you hear me?”
Ilya opens his eyes again, slower this time, like gravity is heavier than before. He looks at the doctor with deep suspicion.
“Yes,” he says. “You cut me.”
The doctor pauses, then smiles professionally. “We performed a minor procedure, yes.”
“You did good job,” Ilya adds, nodding once like he’s granting approval.
“Thank you,” the doctor replies, clearly trying not to laugh.
“We are in love,” Ilya continues suddenly, gesturing vaguely toward Shane.
Shane closes his eyes. “Oh no.”
The doctor glances at him, then back at Ilya. “I see.”
“Yes,” Ilya says. “Very in love. Long time. He is boring, but I accept this.”
David lets out a quiet laugh again.
“Boring is good,” Ilya insists, turning his head slightly toward the doctor now like this is a medical fact that needs documenting. “You should write this down.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the doctor says, biting back a smile.
“We will have children,” Ilya adds, serious now. “Many. Like them.” He gestures again toward the Pike kids.
Shane moves immediately, hand back over his mouth. “Okay, we’re done with that topic.”
The doctor raises an eyebrow.
“He’s still… coming out of anesthesia,” Shane explains quickly.
“Mmph— good father— very strong—” Ilya protests against Shane’s hand.
“Yes, thank you,” Shane mutters, mortified.
The doctor clears his throat, still smiling. “That’s… great to hear. Very forward thinking.”
Hayden is silently shaking with laughter again.
Jackie has fully given up and is laughing into Amber’s blanket.
Yuna looks like she might actually cry from trying to hold it in.
Ruby and Jade are whispering even faster now, clearly piecing things together in ways no one is prepared to address.
Shane finally lets go again, resigned.
Ilya sighs like he’s been deeply wronged. Then he looks back at the doctor, very serious.
“You make sure I wake up properly,” he says. “I have plans.”
“I’ll do my best,” the doctor replies.
“Important plans,” Ilya adds, glancing at Shane with soft, unfocused affection. “With him.”
The doctor nods, jotting something down that is definitely not that.
“Vitals look good,” he says. “He’ll be a bit out of it for a while, but everything went smoothly.”
“Thank you,” Shane says quickly.
The doctor gives them one last amused look before stepping out.
The door closes.
There’s a beat of silence.
Then Hayden finally loses it completely.
“I’m never letting you forget this,” he says.
Shane doesn’t even argue.
Ilya, already drifting again, tightens his grip on Shane’s hand just slightly.
And even now, even like this, it’s steady.
Still him.
Still theirs.