Chapter Text
Elena just finished tying up her skates when she heard the loud clap from her coach.
It‘s been only four months on this team so she wasn‘t sure if it was a positive clap or a negative clap. The facial expression of the girl standing next to Coach Sievers didn‘t give her much to work with either.
The Girl was probably around Elena‘s age, with shoulder length darkblonde hair with green dye in some strands. Maybe a new team mate. Maybe only training here during the holidays. No matter why she was here, Elena couldn‘t stop staring at her. Why couldn‘t she stop staring?
“Listen up, we have a new addition to our group: Please welcome Willow Heenan“, Sievers interrupted Elena’s thoughts and clearly butchered the Willow‘s last name because the girl visibly cringed.
“Actually it‘s Heinen,“ she corrected her with a clear german accent.
“Sorry, Willow“, Coach apologised, “She just moved here so be extra nice okay? Elena, you show her your routine and practice, you’re both the same level.“. Coach Sievers finished her usual pre practice speech and gestured at her wrist watch for everyone to finish getting ready.
Willow stepped closer to Elena. Elena felt her breath hitch almost immediately.
“She got my name wrong too“, she mumbled nervously, barely audible.
“Sorry, what?“, Willow asked with a small chuckle.
Elena started to blush. She usually didn't blush.
“My name. Hollander-Rozanova. Sievers only called me Holland-Rose for the first month.“, she tried to explain but it came out very awkwardly. What is wrong with me?
“Rozanova? Are you european too?“, Willow asked excitedly, as they made their way into the ice.
“I‘m not sure what I am genetically speaking , I was adopted as a toddler. My birthparents died and my grandmother couldn’t take care of me anymore but she was korean so-.“, Elena rambled on very literaly before seeing the questions in Willows eyes.
“Sorry, I mean yes, my Papa is russian. My other dad is Japanese-Canadian,“ she continued, slower and less rushed.
“Wait-You said Hollander-Rozanova right? Are Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov your parents?“, Willow asked now even more excitedly.
Elena nodded carefully. She usually kept this part a bit more to herself, for her own privacy and because she didn‘t want a pity friendship just because her parents are famous. Plus there were still too many homphobes out there. It was better to be careful. But something told Elena that Willow would be different.
“They adopted me after their first stanley cup win. I know it must be shocking, they mostly keep me out of the public eye,“ Elena told Willow who was visibly perplexed at the influx of information she was receiving .
“No it‘s not that at all! I just thought the Hockey husbands’ first child would be another hockey legend“, Willow said with a smile.
Elena laughed at that, briefly getting lost in her eyes.
“Uhm.. Well I used to play,“ she said when she gained function over her body again, “but figure skating became my passion.“
Willow nodded, not further asking.
They started practicing, and Elena was immediately impressed with Willow’s abilities. She looked graceful even when she claimed to not know what she was doing. To Elena she was perfect. She couldn’t stop watching even if she tried.
———
After practice they exchanged phone numbers and agreed to hang out the next day.
Even when she got home, Elena couldn‘t stop thinking about Willow.
Why did this new girl take up so much space in her mind? Why was all Elena could see when she closed her eyes this strange new girl? Sure she was funny, kind and beautiful and the way her hair falls into her face when she moves around the ice-
Oh.
Is this what my friends talk about when they mention their celebrity crushes?, she suddenly thought. Paula usually brought up her Ryan Gosling obession at least once a day but Elena never understood what the big deal was. He is talented sure, but he‘s just a man you know?
Okay. So she probably has a very lesbian crush on her new teammate. Sure, nothing significant other than the fact that she never felt this way before and doesn‘t even know how to handle this revelation. And Willow probably doesn’t like girls. And her grandparents keep asking about boys.
No issues at all.
At dinner, she couldn‘t stop thinking about Willow. Even when Ilya asked her about practice she barely listened.
“Lenochka, you there?“, he asked, waving a hand before her face.
“Sorry, what did you say?“
Ilya looked a bit confused but decided not to ask about it.
“I asked how practice was“, he simply said, continuing to fork at his pasta.
“Good,“ she simply replied.
A beat of silence stretched between the two of them. Only then Elena noticed the absence of her other parent.
“Wait, where is dad?“, she asked suddenly.
Ilya laughed, almost choking on his food and looked even more confused.
“Roadtrip to San Francisco. He said goodbye to you not even an hour ago.“, he said.
That‘s right. The centaurs had an away game tomorrow. And Shane did say goodbye. How did she forget?
“Sorry, yeah.“, she brushed it off quickly, visibly blushing.
“What is going on Malyshka? Are you not feeling well? Should we call dad? Or Grandma Yuna?“, Ilya asked worries clear in his voice.
“No. I‘m fine. Just tired“, she brushed off again.
Ilya decided not to push any further. He knows from experience that she will come to him sooner or later if it‘s serious. It doesn’t make him any less worried though.
---
That night, Ilya facetimed Shane.
He usually waited until Shane calls him but he is still a bit confused because of Elena‘s behavior at dinner so physically he can‘t wait anymore.
Shane had barely time to say hi when he came on screen before Ilya started to speak.
“Hollander, Elena is keeping secrets again. Come back please I can‘t do this again.“, he stated rather dramatically.
Shane let out an exhausted laugh. “Well, hello to you too.“
“Sorry, Hi. Love you, miss you. More important: Your daughter is hiding something and I need to know what it is!“, Ilya rambled on.
“Slow down, babe. What is it?“, Shane said, sounding much calmer than has husband.
“At dinner she was like in different universe, didn‘t hear me when i talk to her.“, Ilya explained, sounding a bit less frantic now.
“She said everything is fine. But I know something is up. She forgot you said goodbye. You know that? Maybe my dementia gene got passed to her-“
Ilya couldn‘t finish his thought because his husband was laughing.
“Hollander this is not funny!“, he said genuinely offended.
“Yes it is“, Shane argued, still laughing. “I know she‘s our baby, and she is more like you than I would like to admit. But she does not have your genes. We adopted her, remember?“
Ilya‘s shoulders fell down.
“Oh. Yeah. Ok.“, he said, only about five percent less comcerned than before. “But her grandmother was very forgetful when she still was guardian!“
“Because she was 92 taking care of a toddler. Ilya where is this sudden worry coming from?“
Ilya let out a long sigh before continuing. For some reason this was very hard for him to say out loud.
“You remember last time. When she didn‘t want to talk to me about quitting hockey. I just don‘t want that to happen again.“
Shane nodded, remembering how distraught it made Ilya that Elena did not confide in him from the start.
“I understand. But baby, she is a teenager. She is 16. Maybe it‘s something she doesn‘t want to talk to her parents about,“ Shane tried to reassure his husband. “Or maybe it‘s nothing at all. Either way she will probably figure it out on her own. We should trust her, whatever is going to happen.“
Ilya nodded. Shane did have a point.
“I‘m sorry but I have to go now“, Shane suddenly said apologetically. “I have boring captain stuff to attend to. I‘ll call you before practice tomorrow. Give Lena a kiss from me! Bye, I love you-“
“Wait! Gimme kiss first!“, Ilya whined putting his face closer to the camera.
Shane visibly blushed but happily obliged. He made a kissy face and gave his phone a loud smack.
“Happy?“, he asked, smiling very big.
“Will be when you‘re back home. I love you.“, Ilya said.
They waved goodbye and hung up.
Ilya got up and left his bedroom. He didn't even notice how empty the room felt until Shane's call disappeared from his screen.
He quietly knocked on his daughter‘s door, not wanting to scare her to death. He really needed to be close to her now.
When she didn‘t react he carefully opened the door.
There lay his daughter on her bed, fast asleep with a loon stuffy in her arms. It was the first thing she got from her parents before the adoption was even confirmed.
Ilya had bought it right after he and Shane decided to have a kid. When they didn't even know a little girl named Elena was already born and waiting to be adopted. The moment Ilya handed the little toy to her she gave them both a big hug and announced that the loon's name would be Bucky. Starting that day it was a rare sight to see Elena without her little loon friend. Somehow even after almost 13 years of playing and cuddling with it, it was still in somewhat good condition.
He smiled at the memory of giving Bucky to Elena, leaned down over her and kissed her head. He also gave Bucky a boop on the beak, just like he and Shane used to do when putting little Elena to sleep.
“I love you, my darling“, he whispered in russian. “Dad and I love you so much.“
The moment he left Elena's room and sat down on the couch, he finally allowed himself to cry.
———
Over the next few weeks, Elena got to know Willow better. Willow told her she lived in Cologne, Germany for six years and recently moved back to Canada with her mother after her and her father divorced. She is fluent in German, though she only learned it properly while living in Germany, and did not hesitate to teach Elena a few curse words and phrases. Her favorite Hockey team are the Cologne Sharks, which Elena wasn‘t familar with but got very close to it listening to Willow‘s rambles.
Willow also opened up about getting bullied in Germany for having an english name and barely speaking german when she first started school there.
It also turned out that Willow attended a game changers hockey camp a while back. Sadly not the same time as Elena though. That still did not stop them from sharing old camp gossip and laughing at how similar they experiences were.
They hung out after practice more frequently. Even after school started again they hung out during free periods, during lunch break and sat together in shared classes.
She was very happy to know her and to be her friend. They always had fun together and were already known as a fierce duo both in school and their figure skating team. But recently things were getting more awkward.
Willow was getting a bit distant lately. Plus she missed a few practices without telling her before.
Maybe she knows you have big fat crush on her and is weirded out. Maybe she hates you now. You ruined everything, Elena suddenly thought one day.
Which is why after practice she texted her parents that Coach Sievers insisted on an extra hour of practice today but instead went to see Willow. They didn‘t ask any follow up questions, knowing Elena had a competition soon so extra practice was nothing new. Elena felt terrible about lying but her new developed lesbian senses needed to make sure Willow was alright and didn't hate her.
After ringing the doorbell of the small brownstone Willow and her mother lived in, she was greeted by a dachshund barking loudly as if she was intruding the premises. Which she kind of felt like she was.
“Aus! Aus, Lola! Komm wieder runter. Ist bestimmt nur die Post oder so“, she heard Willow‘s muffled german yelling. She didn‘t understand much aside from Post and the name Lola though.
The door finally opened and she was met with a completely healthy looking Willow with a cute dachshund in her arms.
“Leni,“ Willow said surprised, using the nickname she gave her on the second practice day.
“Siehst du, Lola? Ist doch nur Leni.“, Willow said before kissing the dogs head and setting her down.
Something about Willow speaking german makes Elena understand why her dad‘s eyes lit up everytime her papa spoke russian.
“Come in before Lola runs out“, Willow said, letting Elena in.
“I have a dog too“, she blurted out before being able to think. “Her name is Anya. She is almost 17, so very old. But I still love her“
Willow laughed. “Lola here is three, and she loves barking at everything and everyone so don‘t take it personally. She‘s just being her true dachshund self.“
They take the stairs up to Willow‘s room in Silence.
"How did you come up with the name Lola?", Elena asked when Willow had just closed her door.
"My favorite movie. Lola Rennt or I guess in english it's Run Lola Run. We should totally watch it sometime. This little sausage runs even more than the Lola from the movie."
Elena laughed at that and knelt down to pet Lola, who was already lying on her back with a wagging tail, ready to receive belly rubs. After a moment of silence she decided to speak again.
“Sorry for just showing up here. It‘s just, you didn‘t come to practice today and you usually do or at least you tell me if you don’t and so I thought maybe I did something wrong which I hope not because I really like you and-“
Oh. Oh no. Noooo.
Elena stood up abruptly already ready to defend herself.
“Um. I mean-“ she started but she didn‘t get further than that because Willow suddenly stepped closer, with a smile on her face and pressed her lips on Elena‘s.
OH!
Elena kissed Willow back and took her face in her hands.
When they pulled apart Elena looked a mix of shocked, confused and happy. Mostly confused though. She let out a breathless laugh. "I like you too."
Elena couldn't say anything at all, she could only stare at Willow. The same Willow who just kissed her. Omg Willow kissed her!
“Sorry, I hope that was okay?“, Willow said, also letting out a laugh.
Elena stepped closer again, taking Willow‘s face in her hands and said “It‘s okay. It‘s so okay, oh my god-.“ Then she pulled Willows face to hers and kissed her again, deeper this time.
She ran her hand through Willow's hair, and God, It's so soft!
After what felt like an eternity, Lola decided to interrupt them with a bark.
Willow groaned and pulled away from the kiss.
“Lola! I‘m trying to make out with my girlfriend here!“, she said briefly petting Lola‘s stomach before turning back to Elena.
“Girlfriend?“, she asked surprised and with a smile.
“Yes girlfriend! Or did you think after all this I‘d only want to stay friends?“
Willow let out a breathless laugh, fondly kissing Elena‘s cheek.
She didn‘t answer and instead went back to kissing Willow, her girlfriend.
Omg, Willow was her girlfriend!
Elena stayed for at least another hour before heading home, reluctant to say goodbye. Which was ridiculous because they‘d probably see each other in school the next day anyway.
“Say hello to Anya from Lola and me!“, Willow said as Elena started to make her way out of the door.
“I will. I miss you guys already“, she said giving Willow one last kiss before finally leaving.
———
When she got home she said hello to Anya first, who definitely smelled a strange dogs scent and gave a few annoyed huffs, then looked for her parents.
Shane was nowhere to be seen but Ilya sat on the couch, and from the look that he gave her he knew that practice actually ended on time, and she lied to him.
He still pulled her in for a hug before asking her about it.
“You lied to me.“, he accused, squeezing her shoulders with every word. “Practice ended early and you were gone anyway. If Hannah‘s mom hadn‘t called..Where the hell were you, Lena?“
He sounded mad. He also sounded like a father happy to have his daughter safe in his arms.
“Sorry, Papa. I went to check on Willow. She wasn‘t at practice and I was worried.“, she tried to calm him down and apologize but this only raised more questions to Ilya.
“Why didn‘t you just say that? And who is Willow? New teammate?“, he asked exhausted.
“Yes, I‘m sorry. I was stupid. Please don't be mad, Papa.“
She wanted to tell him how terrible it felt lying to him. But something in her held the words back. And somehow that felt even worse.
"I will tell you the truth next time, I promise."
Ilya just let out a sigh of relief and caressed his daughters head. “I will need to tell dad when he gets home from practice. He was worried too. I‘m just glad you are okay, malyshka.“
———
Dinner was awkward. She knew her parents were disappointed and she still thought about Willow. They barely talked, aside from Shane and Ilya catching up on the latest Centaurs shenanigans. Elena excused herself, claiming to have a ton of homework, having barely finished her meal.
Ilya tried to argue but she waved it off and headed to her room.
“I don‘t know what I did wrong“, Ilya muttered as he stood up and gathered their plates to put it in the sink.
“I thought she could tell me everything. Now she keeps secrets again.“
Shane stood up aswell and pulled Ilya into a hug. He knew this was going to be a repeat of that one facetime when he was in San Francisco and there was nothing he could do other than be there for Ilya.
He wished he could be there more for them both but even being an older hockey player now didn't liberate him from having captain responsibilities. And unless he decides to retire earlier he still has a contract until the end of the year. Which Ilya insisted he didn‘t.
“She‘s a teenager, Ilya. Teenager are a bit confusing sometimes.“, he said, not knowing what else to do and kissed Ilya‘s forehead.
“Maybe she wants to quit skating.I know I sound like broken record but last time she did this I noticed too late. I need to make sure that she-“, Ilya‘s ramble was interrupted by Shane‘s lips on his.
Ilya deepened the kiss immediately and pulled Shane closer. He needed this. And Shane knew it.
They pulled apart and Shane put his forehead on Ilya’s, wiping away a tear that had escaped his eye.
“Whatever it is she will tell us when she‘s ready. And it‘s not your fault she hasn‘t yet.“, he tried to reassure him and gave him another small peck.
“Maybe Svetlana can talk to her, you know, woman to woman?“
Svetlana or Rose were almost always the first to know when Elena had girl troubles, and Shane and Ilya were infinitely grateful for their help. They both still wished Elena would open up to them more too.
Ilya nodded. “I will ask her when she comes over tomorrow.“
Shane pulled him into a deep hug, caressing his head and variating between kissing his check and whispering reassuring words into his shoulder, in hopes it will stop Ilya‘s anxiety for now.
It seemed to work at least a little bit because Ilya dropped it then and there. He was definitely still worried, and Shane knew it. But they both knew they would just have to wait until Elena was ready to talk to them.
Until then, they would do everything they could to make her feel like she can.