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Ottawa International Airport was busy. Not so busy that it was unbearable, but busy enough that there was a steady stream of people moving through the terminals and the background buzz was loud. Shane had learned, over the years, to tune it out and focus on his travel rituals. It helped him to get ready for away games when he was able to put his headphones on and work through his system. The same foods, the same stretches, reading a chapter of his book, and running through plays in his mind to make sure they were fresh.
Today was a little different, because Ilya and Nina were travelling with them. The Centaurs were playing in Florida tomorrow and then they had four days off. Four wonderful days to spend with his family, visiting the beach and exploring Disney World. Shane wasn't sure Nina was old enough to actually enjoy Disney, but Ilya had been so excited that he hadn't been able to say no. He wasn't sure how much of that excitement was for Nina's first time meeting Minnie Mouse, and how much of it was Ilya's own excitement talking. He'd mentioned in passing that Irina had introduced him to classic Disney before she died, so at least some of it had to be nostalgic. Shane didn't mind though. He'd happily do anything that brought a smile to Ilya's face.
Ilya smiled a lot more these days. Between Anya and Nina, he seemed to have found something small and bright within himself that only grew with every passing day fulfilling his role as 'Papa'. He thrived as a parent. It was beautiful to watch. Shane had thought it was impossible to love his husband more, but he fell more in love with Ilya every single day as he saw him adapt to the reality of being a stay-at-home father.
That was something Shane had found hard at first too, Ilya retiring. He loved playing alongside his husband. Hockey had never been as fun as it was playing side by side. But he understood it. Ilya wanted to be a papa so badly, and he didn't want to leave their child home alone with some random nanny, or even with Shane's parents. His mom and dad helped out with Nina's childcare a lot, allowing Ilya to come on away trips with the team when it felt right, but Ilya didn't seem to miss his position as team captain. Now, he seemed to have assigned himself the role of team cheerleader.
They were flying early afternoon to Florida. Shane hadn't been thrilled about that because it was going to run close to Nina's nap time but he knew Ilya could easily handle that. It never seemed to phase him when their little girl cried, he was the king of gentle parenting. Like now, when he was following Nina around the airport gladly, her tiny hand tucked into his for balance. Shane had to grin at the travel loungewear Ilya had bundled her into, a lilac matching set with 24 on the cuff of one sleeve and 81 on the other. Her sneakers were Disney Princess themed and lit up when she ran, if you could call it that. It was more of a toddle, and it was fucking cute. How on earth was she 21 months old already?
Shane looked up from his book briefly, grinning when he saw her leading Ilya to a set of stairs nearby. It was one of her favourite games; she loved to climb up the stairs and then bump back down on her bottom. Usually she insisted that Ilya bump downstairs right beside her. It was a popular game in their house, something Shane normally arrived home to complete with the sounds of delighted giggles and squeals of, "More, Papa!" Ilya, of course, was never able to refuse.
Bood nudged him, smiling widely. "They're so fucking cute, man."
"I know. It's nice having them here." Shane smiled. "Though, she needs to nap soon or that flight's going to be hell later."
"Ah, she'll be fine," Bood brushed off, waving a hand in their direction. "Milo always slept eventually. And Ilya's really good with her. If anyone can get her to sleep in the middle of a busy airport, it's him."
Shane nodded, sighing softly. "Yeah, you're right. He was born to be her Papa." Part of him wanting to join them, to wait at the bottom of the stairs with his arms open wide or sit on her other side on the stairs. She'd be delighted to have both parents joining in, she always did. He couldn't though, he needed to get ready.
"Hey, I'm going to grab some coffee. Ilya looks like he needs one."
"Alright. I'll let him know when he asks where you disappeared to."
"Thanks, Bood." Shane stood, pausing long enough to snap a picture of Nina climbing the stairs, Ilya standing behind her to make sure she didn't fall.
Ilya loved being a Papa. It was his favourite thing in the world, other than being Shane's husband. It brought him so much joy to care for his family, to be a place of emotional safety that his own father had never been for him. Nina was growing so big and learning so much every day now. She was incredible. Ilya loved being able to help her learn new skills, loved giving her the confidence to be adventurous and try new things. That did occasionally backfire on him though. Like now, when she was throwing herself at the stairs instead of waiting for him like he'd told her to. "Ninochka!" he called, picking up his pace. "Wait for Papa, please."
"I do, Papa!" she insisted, brows drawn together in concentration. She looked so like Shane in that moment with her angry kitten eyes that Ilya almost had to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately she tripped as she tried to step down the stairs. Ilya cursed, heart hammering in his throat as he lunged for her. It was a half staircase, so not far for her to fall, but it would hurt his baby and he never wanted her to be hurt or upset.
To his surprise —and relief— arms wrapped around her before she could land, scooping her and tossing her in the air. "Careful, little Princess," Pointey teased, smiling as she laughed delightedly. "Can't fall over before our adventure."
"'Venture?" she asked curiously, looking up at him with wide brown eyes.
"Yup. An adventure. Where we go and do a fun new thing. Seeing new places, or trying something new," the rookie explained. Ilya had to smile at the way he was so obviously trying to find words that wouldn't be more confusing with her.
"Oh. Nina has 'venture!" she decided with a smile.
"You bet," Alex agreed seriously. "But we need to listen to Papa so we don't fall over, right?"
She nodded, twisting around to look for Ilya with sad eyes. "Sorry, Papa…" she mumbled, reaching for him.
Ilya smiled, taking her from Pointey with a smile of thanks and wrapping his arms around her. "Is okay, Ninochka. Papa only wants to keep you safe. But if we can't use our listening ears, we will need to sit down and read book instead."
Her bottom lip wobbled and tears filled her brown eyes, reminiscent of so many of Shane's looks over the years. "N-no…" she whined, wiggling in his arms.
"Then we are going to listen to Papa, da?"
A timid nod accompanied by another whine. Ilya couldn't be so serious with her looking so sad. He smiled, kissing her forehead. "Papa's good girl," he soothed. "I know you are just happy to be with the boys."
Pointey spoke up, looking hopeful. "Uh, Roz? You want us to take her for a bit? I think Cap brought you a coffee."
Ilya looked over, delighted to see the Starbucks cup in his husband's hand. "Yes, good idea. Nina, why don't you show boys how fast you run?" he asked, laughing softly at the excited sound she made. It was a win-win situation for him, because it might tire her out for her nap before take off. That would be better for everyone involved because she didn't like take off or landing. Not that he could blame her, he knew it hurt her precious ears when the pressure changed.
He couldn't think much more about that before Nina twisted in his arms in search of her friends. The younger boys were especially good with her, treating her like the baby sister some of them had never had. Most of them had siblings back home that they missed and playing with her was a good way to feel connected to their families from a distance.
Ilya laughed, playfully tossing her to Pointey with a vague thought that he hoped Shane hadn't seen it. His husband would have a fit if he saw them tossing her between them. "Okay, Ninochka. Be good and use listening ears with the boys. Papa will be just there having drink."
The toddler barely noticed him speaking, already on the floor with her hand in Pointey's as she tower the twenty two year old off across the terminal. It was no surprise to Ilya that by the time he made it back to Shane, she had Bergy, Young and Haasy also following along. That did deserve a photo, which Ilya snapped and posted in the group chat for them all to admire later. It was obvious to him how besotted the boys all were with her.
"Did you lose something?" Shane asked in amusement when Ilya settled beside him. His husband leaned into his side and Ilya wrapped an arm around him instinctively. "She is with her fake brothers."
"Oh, good, they'll have her hyper in no time."
Ilya laughed softly. "They will use up her extra energy and maybe some of their own. Is better if they all sleep on flight, makes flight go faster for everyone," he explained.
"You speaking from experience?"
"Yes. I have been on many flights with bored Centaurs. It makes the flight very long, so much harder to sleep." Ilya leaned over to kiss Shane, smiling at the taste of coffee on his tongue. "And anyway, I think is better if Nina is sleeping before plane leaves. Maybe she will be calmer that way."
"Yeah, maybe. She didn't cry last time though."
"This is true. And we have many pacifiers and toys this time. I think it will be okay. It will be better if you give me coffee. I will be happy Papa."
"You look tired," Shane told him in concern, brows drawn together in a frown.
"You are still very bad at foreplay, Hollander. I was up very early this morning, I'm fine."
"I should have gotten up with her."
"You needed to rest. Besides, I was awake already. Stop worrying so much."
"I'm a parent, we always worry."
Ilya laughed softly. "I know. Always." He hummed. "How is pre-flying routine going?"
"Uh, alright. I'm finding it harder to concentrate today, I keep getting distracted watching her." He sighed, laying his head on Ilya's shoulder. "It's fine."
"Mm, no. You will be grumpy if you don't finish this routine. Why not put headphones in and finish, then you can come and play?"
Shane bit his lip. "But I should be paying attention."
"No, we will be fine. I have Nina, the team has Nina. You do what you need to, and then come join. Yes?"
"Ilya—"
"Yes?" Ilya prompted, kissing Shane's dark hair fondly.
"Okay. Thanks, Ilya."
"Anything for you, Hollander."
They sat together for a few minutes, enjoying a rare reprieve from the chaos that was their lives now, and then Ilya noticed that the boys had disappeared around a corner with Nina. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but he knew she could get upset if she spotted her parents missing, and it was usually in the wink of an eye. "I am going to check they are okay," he murmured, kissing Shane again. "I love you, моя газонокосилка."
Shane reluctantly sat up, reaching for his backpack to grab his headphones. Ilya sipped his coffee and stood, glancing back at Shane. "Do your thing," he reiterated before he left his husband, letting his voice deepen a little in instruction. He grinned at Shane's answering blush, strolling across the departure lounge in search of the 'kids'.
There was a roar out of sight and Ilya snorted, rounding the corner to find Young on all fours pretending to be some big animal — a lion, perhaps? Nina let out a delighted squeal, scampering over to Haasy who was hunched over like some kind of ape. "Go go!" she insisted.
Ilya leaned against the wall, feet crossed at the ankles as he sipped at his sugary coffee and watched the scene playing out before him. He noted that the guys had found somewhere quiet and out of the way where they hopefully wouldn't disrupt anyone else's journeys as they played together. Ilya's chest bloomed with warmth at the way the boy's were fully immersed in the game, embracing Nina's imagination without questioning it at all. It felt wonderful, to see how loved his little girl was. From years of hiding love in the shadows with Shane to this wild love for anyone to see, it was overwhelming for him.
"You know," he said after a couple of minutes, pushing off the wall with a smirk. "I am thinking my Nina is faster than all of these animals. What do you think, Ninochka?"
Nina spun in a circle, beaming when she spotted Ilya. "Papa I fast!"
"I know," Ilya agreed. "You are very fast. Maybe you show Papa?"
She nodded eagerly. "'Kay!"
"Papa will be referee, like in hockey. We see who is fastest animal." He could see the resigned looks the boys were exchanging and had to fight a laugh. "Nina will be faster than all animals, I think."
The truth was that they would all let her win, and every adult knew it. Still, nobody was going to admit it out loud. Ilya knew he could count on them to let his маленькая тыква win the race. Sure enough, when he went to stand at the 'finish line' and leaned forward with an enthusiastic 'Ready. Steady. Go!' that Shane could no doubt here in the main lounge the younger players made a show of running and struggling to catch up with their youngest teammate. Nina's face was scrunched up in concentration and she wobbled precariously as she tried to run towards Ilya. Amazingly, by some miracle —perhaps his own mother watching down on her granddaughter— Nina didn't fall, and she was soon throwing herself at Ilya's legs with a delighted cheer.
Ilya swept her up, tossing her in the air before pressing her against his chest and landing loud, over the top kisses all over her face. "My Nina is winner!" He announced proudly for anyone who would listen. The guys were trying not to laugh as they pretended to be shocked that she'd won.
"Okay, I had special game for best runner. You think you can do another adventure, Ninochka?"
She nodded eagerly, planting one little hand on each of his cheeks and tilting his face up and down in a nod. Ilya willingly obliged, aware of the 'heart eyes' he was giving her. "Okay, see this moving walkway?" he asked, crossing over to it and pointing. When she nodded he smiled. "Nina and Papa are going to see if we can run faster than walkway. We will have to be very fast though. Do you think we can do it?"
Another nod, eyes sparkling with determination. Ilya kissed her cheek. "Come along, then." He carried her to the walkway and set her down in the middle beside him facing in the opposite direction to the one the travelator belt was moving. "Ready?"
Nina nodded again, swaying excitedly. "Okay, go!" He pretended to job on the spot, easily keeping time with the moving walkway. Nina's little legs meant she had to run on the spot as much as he she could. It was a fun game for her for the next few minutes as she managed —barely— to beat the speed of the conveyor belt.
It didn't take long to tire her out, especially so close to her scheduled nap time, and Ilya was cautiously optimistic that getting her to sleep wouldn't be too tricky when she started to flag a few minutes later. She whined, rubbing her eyes, and he knew it was time to wrap up their games. The boys had been cheering them on but instinctively got quieter as they recognised the change in her body language. Ilya was grateful for it. He knew it was a fine balance between encouraging her and overwhelming her, especially when she got tired.
"Wow, Nina. You were so very fast," he told her with a gentle smile as he picked her up and settled her on his hip. He walked them off the walkway, cuddling her for a few minutes and assuming she was getting sleepy. Instead she squirmed to get down, and in his infinite wisdom, he obliged.
"Daddy!" She whined when she was back on her feet, head moving in a swivel as she realised Shane wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Daddy's got to work, Nina. How about we go and say hi before our nap?"
She shook her head, bursting into tears. "Daddy need…"
"Soon," Ilya promised her, trying to lift her back up into his arms. "Come on, we can find Sky and have cuddles and story."
He was surprised when instead of letting him lift her, she dropped to the floor on her tummy. Her arms were tucked up under her, face pillowed on them as she wailed. Ilya felt a blush creeping up the back of her neck and looked around in alarm, unsure what to do. He couldn't leave her here. Shane wouldn't be looking at his phone, not if he was running through his funny little routines. The rookies had set off ahead of them in search of food, though Haasy had turned back hearing her cry. "Uh, Roz? Need help?"
"Ah, maybe? Maybe see if Hollander is around? He will be doing pre-flying things."
"On it, Cap."
Ilya had to smile, thinking to himself that he was no longer Captain of the Centaurs, but it was nice to hear his legacy was continuing. He crouched down at her level, sitting on the floor beside her and gently rubbing a hand up and down her back. "I know, принцесса. So many big feelings," he soothed, giving her the comfort he had never known from his father. He knew she was only small and words were hard. She was learning so much and the world was big and exciting, and overwhelming. Some people were giving them looks that said they thought he was doing bad job with tantrum, but he knew his Nina. She was not doing it to be bad, she just wanted her daddy and he wasn't there. He would have to interrupt Shane's routine maybe, it was important for their daughter to know they would always be there for her. Shane would probably be stressed to be disturbed, but Ilya knew he would more upset later if he knew Ilya hadn't come to find him.
"I have idea, my Nina," he murmured, keeping his voice pitched low and soothing. He was rewarded when her tears grew just a little quieter, even if they didn't stop. "Do you think we can cuddle for minute to calm down, and then we will go find Daddy? I'm sure he would like cuddles with his Nina."
She nodded and twisted enough to reach for Ilya from her spot on the floor. He smiled and gently gathered into his arms, kissing her forehead and settling her against his chest. "I know, Ninochka. I know. Sometimes Papa just needs a cuddle from Daddy too. It makes my heart feel good."
He rocked her until her tears slowed, then stood with her, careful not to jostle her too much. This time she gladly curled into him, shoving her thumb into her mouth and sniffling sadly. Ilya rubbed her back as he made his way back along the corridor to the departure lounge. He couldn't see Shane in the seat he'd been in before. Oh no, that wasn't ideal. Ilya looked around, hoping to lay eyes on him before their daughter noticed.
He, of course, wasn't that lucky. Nina's face fell when she couldn't see Shane and a few seconds later Ilya —and everyone else in the terminal— was treated to hysterical tears from the toddler. Her body went stiff a few seconds before she tried to propel herself backwards out of his arms. She screeched at the top of her lungs, eyes scrunched shut.
Ilya's heart ached seeing how upset she was. He knew it wasn't that she was trying to misbehave. She was trying to tell him what she needed, and that was Shane. Shane who he couldn't see anywhere. He mumbled a Russian curse under his breath, shifting his weight so that he could easily hold her through the tears without any unwanted escape attempts resulting in bumping her head. "Come on, Hollander. Where are you?" He muttered under his breath as he tried to bounce their 21 month old, shifting enough to reach for her travel backpack in search of a pacifier. If he couldn't find his husband, maybe that would be the next best thing. He needed to find something, given that Anya was back home with the Hollanders. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Shane walked through the departure lounge looking at random stores for something he could surprise Nina with before he went back to his last meditations before the flight.
He found an adorable little Jellycat elephant called Smudge that he couldn't resist, then grabbed a book for Ilya that his husband had mentioned in passing earlier in the week and got some water and chocolate. He didn't normally eat chocolate, but he knew Ilya would be thrilled to have something to snack on on the flight.
As he walked through the terminal, he thought he heard a child screaming. It sounded like a hell of a tantrum. Shane winced, sparing a thought for the parents. He'd been there before and it was embarrassing as hell having people staring at you. Off the ice Shane hated being the centre of attention. He always felt so awkward. He was glad that Ilya was so patient with Nina; his husband was usually able to calm her down before she got too wired up, although that was likely to change as the 'terrible twos' approached.
Shane followed the curve of the corridor as he returned from duty free and stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight of Nina trying —he thought so anyway— to throw herself backwards to the floor. She let out another screech that managed to permeate his noise cancelling headphones as he watched, face flushed and tearful. Her hair was falling out of the adorable little princess clips Ilya had put in for her earlier, falling down in messy tendrils around her cheeks. Shane's own cheeks turned pink as he watched the scene play out, risking a glance around to check who was watching. He clocked a few cursory glances, but most people seemed to be getting on with their days without too much attention for them.
Shane winced, heading in that direction. He dropped the bag with his purchases down on a nearby chair as he reached them. "Hey, what's going on here?" He asked, hoping he looked less anxious and embarrassed than he felt.
It was a total shock to him when Nina stilled for a moment before twisting towards him and blindly throwing herself in his direction. "D—Daddy!" She wailed, voice quivering as she tried and failed to suck in a shaky breath.
"Hey, okay. It's okay, princess. Daddy's right here." Shane easily caught her, tucking her against his chest and hugging tight. "What's wrong?" He asked her gently, rubbing her back in soothing circles. As he waited for an answer, he shot Ilya a questioning look.
His husband shrugged a little sheepishly. "We needed Daddy," he admitted, as if that explained everything. "I'm sorry, I know you are working."
"Don't be." Shane leaned over to kiss him chastely. "We're okay."
He could feel Ilya's gaze on him as Shane bounced her a little, continuing to rub her back. "Okay, shhh. I've got you now," he murmured. "Daddy's got you."
Nina tucked herself as close as she could get, little hands tucked into his sweater and clutching the fabric tightly. She sucked in shuddery breaths as her tears slowed, starting to relax now that she had the person she wanted close holding her. "Good girl. You're doing great, princess. Breathe like Daddy."
Eventually Nina stopped crying completely, sniffing occasionally and rubbing at her eyes. Ilya stepped forward then, looking guilty. "Sorry, we can—"
"No." Shane shook his head. "I need some Nina cuddles."
"Are you sure? I know you were…" he trailed off, gesturing weakly.
"I'm sure. We're going to read a book, right Nina?"
She nodded, eyes lighting up hopefully. She loved when Shane read to her. "Guff-low?"
"Of course we can read your Gruffalo book," Shane agreed, kissing her warm forehead. "Let's get you some milk and your blanket and then we can cuddle and read some stories. Does that sound good?"
Nina nodded, relaxing fully against him once she knew she wouldn't be separated from him. Shane was pretty sure she'd be asleep in the next fifteen minutes but if he pointed that out she'd just fight her nap. Ilya was already moving to retrieve the milk and heat it for her using the portable device Yuna had bought them when Nina was born, so Shane moved to take a seat and reached for her favourite rainbow patterned blanket.
Shane heard Nina's soft sigh as she was handed the blanket, which he wrapped loosely around her in his lap. "Hey, you want to see what Daddy found in the store?"
"For Nina?"
"Yeah, baby. For Nina."
She nodded, twisting around to look for it. Shane laughed softly, leaning down to reach into the bag. He pulled out the elephant plushie, smiling when she made an excited sound and hugged the toy tightly. It wasn't surprising when she cuddled him to her, even as her body turned back towards Shane's chest. He hummed, kissing her cheek.
"'Ky!" She insisted, reaching for her favourite dragon with the rainbow spikes along his spine.
"Here we go." Shane handed him over, laughing at the way she gripped them both tightly, pretty much daring anyone to try and steal them from her despite barely being able to hold them at the same time. One foot swung against his thigh, the other stretching out in front of her, and he thought he could see her eyes already getting heavier.
When Ilya brought over her pacifier and juice bottle she frowned, realising she couldn't hold it and both toys. Shane shared a grin with Ilya, who gently extricated the toys for a moment.
She started to whine but Ilya shook his head with fond smile. "Is okay, little Ninochka. Papa is just helping them cuddle you like this so you can have milk too," he explained, always patient with her. Shane felt his heart thump with affection at how patient and soft his husband was with their child. Ilya had been so worried he'd lose his temper or be too strict like his father had been, but he had the patience of a saint.
He adjusted her cargo carefully, stepping back when he was satisfied nothing would fall. "There, perfect. Smudge and Sky are all ready for story time." Ilya winked at her, earning a surprised giggle for his efforts. He kissed her cheek, then shifted to kiss Shane briefly. "I will be over there playing cards with Bood if you need me."
"What if she doesn't want…" Shane stammered, worried she'd change her mind when Ilya walked away. His husband was so much better with kids than he was.
Ilya just rolled his eyes and laughed softly. "Shane, she needs Daddy time. She loves Papa but right now she is wanting you. I will take her when you need to finish meditating, okay? I promise."
Shane blushed. "It's okay, I'm done," he decided. Spending time with Nina seemed like a way better good luck charm anyway. He found himself relaxing as he fully processed the feel of Nina's small body tucked against him, a comforting weight in his lap as he watched her shove the bottle into her mouth and drink gladly. He reached for 'Hello to the Gruffalo', shifting a little to get comfortable before opening to the first page.
It surprised him when she pulled the bottle from her mouth a couple of pages in, shoving it towards him. Still, he just smoothly took it and set it on the chair beside them, slipping the pacifier between her lips without missing a word. He was so engrossed in reading to her, voices and all, that he totally missed the photos Ilya was taking of them to reading together.
It was a testament to how tired Nina was that she leaned into him, stretching up one hand to play with his earlobe sleepily. Usually she'd be pointing at pictures and chattering, but whatever Ilya had done earlier must have successfully tired her out. Shane didn't mind. He loved moments like this when their usually independent, energetic bundle of chaos was content to cuddle into him and listen to him tell stories.
Sometimes Shane worried that he wasn't exciting enough, that his kids would think he was uncool or wouldn't want to spend time with him, how could he possibly compete with all of Ilya's fun activities? The last twenty one months had been a rollercoaster but he'd learned a lot. One of the things he'd learned was that kids needed different needs met at different times. He might not be the crazy one that would encourage chaos, but he could be fun in his own way.
When they weren't travelling, Ilya was usually in charge of bath time but Shane was an expert at bedtime. Ilya was surprisingly good at calm, cosy cuddles, but Nina seemed to gravitate to Shane for bedtime. Naps were more hit and miss. Shane thrived with structured play where Ilya's was a lot more creative and much more impulsive. Most of the time Shane tried not to find the dangers in their activities. He just tried to trust that Ilya knew what he was doing and would keep Nina safe. So yeah, he'd come to accept he would never be the parent letting her jump from great heights, but Nina seemed to know that too and find comfort in it even though she was still young. It worked for all of of them.
He was pulled from his thoughts as Nina whined, pushing away from his chest to swing forward in search of another book. "Hey, Daddy's got that. Hold on." He tightened his grip around her waist and leaned down to pick up her backpack, reaching in to pull out another couple of books so she could choose. He wasn't surprised when she tapped 'The Hungry Caterpillar' and 'Guess how much I love you' which had always been two of Shane's favourites when he was little. "Okay, let's start with Mr Caterpillar," he decided. He usually saved the second option for his final book choice, wanting her to remember in her sleep how loved she really was.
Nina nodded, sucking on the pacifier and shifting around restlessly, so Shane paused to adjust the blanket so that it cocooned her more. He could feel her relaxing as the familiarity and smiled to himself, pleased he'd figured out what she needed.
Once he was satisfied she'd be comfortable, he opened the book and started to read. "In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf…" he read, smiling as she pointed to the picture of the egg. "That's right," Shane praised. "There's the egg. And this is a leaf. And the moon is in the sky while we're sleeping."
Nina looked up at him in awe, eyes already soft with the sleep she was fighting. "Egg."
"Right. Let's see what happened to the egg…" He turned the page. "One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and—pop!— out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar." At that, he turned his finger into a caterpillar, pretending to crawl up her arm while she giggled and kicked her feet against his leg. "Sun, daddy!" she announced, pointing at the picture of the sun.
"You're so smart, princess," Shane told her with a smile, kissing her forehead. "The sun is so big, and that caterpillar is so little. He's even smaller than my Nina," he told her pretending to be surprised.
"Anya." She told him, reminding him that Anya was little. Their dog really wasn't that little, especially not anymore, but he nodded anyway. "Bigger than Anya too. The sun is even bigger than Papa!"
At that Nina looked awestruck. In her mind nobody was bigger or stronger than Ilya. Shane didn't blame her; he felt the same too. He read the next page, letting her trace the pictures and chatter to him about the story. They read through all the things the caterpillar ate, then about him being in his cocoon, just like Nina was cocooned in her blanket. When they got to the hatching, Shane had to laugh at how excited she looked. "He was a beautiful butterfly!"
"Daddy wow!" she gasped around the pacifier, beaming at the colourful picture.
"Very wow." Shane gave her a squeeze. "Are you ready for your favourite, Nut Brown Hare?"
She nodded eagerly, wiggling in excitement. It was by far her favourite book, to the point Shane was sure he could quote it to her verbatim at this point. "Babbit!"
"Okay, princess. Babbit time." He kissed her forehead and opened the book. "Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears…" He read in a soft voice, noticing the way her hand was up, thumb and forefinger rubbing at his earlobe as she listened. She seemed completely oblivious to the background noise of the airport, used to being surrounding by noisy, easily excitable hockey players with no volume switch. The guys' inability to modulate their volume came in really handy at times like this. "He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. 'Guess how much I love you', he said. 'Oh, I don't think I could guess,' said Big Nutbrown Hare."
Before the words left his mouth, Nina was stretching her arms out wide. He almost laughed at how fucking cute it was. Somebody better be getting a photo of this that they could show at her wedding, not that Ilya would let her marry anyone. That would require her growing up, after all. "'This much,' said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching his arms as wide as they could go."
Nina giggled sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she listened. She pointed at the pictures, blinking rapidly as she tried to listen to the whole story. Shane shared a knowing smile with Ilya across the lounge, never losing his place once. "'I love you right up the moon,' he said and closed his eyes. 'Oh, that's far,' said Big Nutbrown Hare. That is very far.' Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned down and kissed him goodnight."
Shane paused so that he could look down at his toddler, grinning when he saw her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out. She didn't even react to the words pausing, but he said his favourite line anyway, even as he gently closed the book and set it on the seat. "Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, 'I love you right up to the moon — and back."
He was convinced Nina smiled in her sleep but she didn't reply. Shane breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back in the leather seats of the airport lounge while rubbing her back. That had been a lot smoother than he expected it to be. After another couple of minutes, he carefully shifted her so she was cradled against his chest with her face pressed against his hoodie. Sky and Smudge were balanced precariously so he lifted them and settled them closer. He was sure life didn't get much better than this, nothing felt better than holding his kid close just like this. He thought it might even feel better than sex, but it was a close thing. Ilya would probably share the sentiment these days.
A quick glance at the TV sharing departure information told him he still had time before he needed to move her. Ilya would no doubt retrieve her bag —and Shane's— when he grabbed his own, so Shane only had to focus on carrying their precious cargo onto the flight. He sighed contently and reached for his own book. A minute later it lay discarded on the couch, easily forgotten with Nina cosy in his arms.
Teammates moved around them in a sea of noise and laughter, but Shane barely noticed. He found himself glancing over at Ilya, smiling as he watched his husband playing some card game with Bood, enjoying the way Ilya's gaze was intent on the table when it was his turn. Bood put down a card Ilya wasn't expecting and Shane watched as the Russian leaned back, gesturing and muttering in Russian. "You are cheating," he heard Ilya complain incredulously while Bood threw his head back and laughed.
"Can't handle the heat, Roz?"
"Of course I can. I am Russian."
"Doesn't make you good at cards," Bood insisted with a grin.
Ilya rolled his eyes and flipped Bood the bird. "Fine, I am bad at cards. Very good, Bood." He rolled his eyes again. "Dealer's turn, da? Maybe you can cheat some more."
Bood was laughing as he took his turn, sending Ilya into another outraged tirade in Russian that Shane only partially understood. "Barrett! He is cheater!" Ilya called, gesturing their teammate over.
Troy just snorted, shoving at Ilya lightly. "Sure you're not just a bad loser, Cap?"
"Fine, then you win!" Ilya insisted, shoving his hand in Barrett's direction. Troy blushed, trying to take an awkward step back, but Ilya just dragged him down into the seat next to him, gesturing expectantly. "Well, go on. Show me how to win against cheater."
Shane watched with a grin as both Troy and Ilya tried to win against Zane, laughing softly into Nina's soft dark tresses when the pair of them launch into another passionate speech about Bood being a cheater. He rolled his eyes when he heard Luca speaking up, thinking that he was glad he had a good excuse to refuse to get caught up in their antics for once. "Maybe you should get Hollzy to play. Bet he can figure out the rules quickly."
Ilya's gaze wandered over to him, softening into something warm and familiar as he shook his head and set his card down. "Hollander's busy," he decided. "Haasy, come. You try. You are smart like Hollander, smarter than me and Barrett."
Haas looked unsure, eyes wide as he looked between Bood and Ilya, but he never refused his captain anything, so a few minutes later he nodded and slipped into the chair Ilya vacated. "I believe in you," Ilya told him with a smile, squeezing his shoulders.
A few minutes later Shane felt his husband settle in the seat beside him, wrapping an arm loosely around Shane and squeezing his shoulder lightly. "Have I told you how handsome you are with most beautiful accessory in whole world?"
"I'm not sure you can call her an accessory," Shane countered in amusement, rolling his eyes.
Ilya shrugged. "Is true. You are wearing her like handbag. Almost. Or octopus, I think." Shane laughed softly at that because he could hardly disagree given the way she was wrapped around him and holding on tightly. "And she is very beautiful. So are you, my Shane. Your eyes sparkly when you are holding her, is my favourite view."
Shane shifted, trying not to squirm at the compliments. "Ilya…" he complained without heat. He could feel the blush spreading over his face, colouring his cheeks and camouflaging his freckles.
Ilya just laughed softly, leaning in to kiss him. "I still have it, I see. My handsome Shane. She is okay?"
"She's good, fast asleep. She might even sleep the whole flight."
"I hope not or she will be keeping Papa busy tonight. I can think of better reasons for Papa to be busy."
"She's in our room, remember?"
"Depends, I have whole team of babysitters. I think my chances are good for Papa-Daddy date night. We will see."
"Well, even if we can't do… that, I'm still glad you're here. I can't wait for a vacation together."
"Mm, yes, me too. Ninochka will love Disney."
"Nina? Ilya, you're going to love Disney."
"I will love being with my family, seeing them smile. It is my favourite thing in the world." As he spoke, Ilya shifted in his seat and pulled Shane closer so he could settle against the Russian's broad chest. Shane smiled, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Love you, Ilyushka."
"Mm, love you too, любимый. Rest now, she will be awake soon and then we won't have time for moments like this."
"No," Shane agreed with a soft smile. "She takes after her Papa, after all."
And she was perfect, from the hairs on her head to her tiny little toenails. Shane loved her so much it felt like his heart might explode. He'd always believed he couldn't love anyone or anything as much as he loved his husband, but Nina had definitely proved that theory wrong already. God knew how his heart would cope if they were lucky enough to have more children, more moments like this in the future.
Shane knew he couldn't wait to find out.