Chapter Text
It was a hard decision to take in Luca Haas.
Ilya had spent weeks thinking it over, confirming over and over with Shane that he was okay with it. Confirming over and over with himself to make sure he could handle it. Two littles in one house would be tough, especially considering how particular Shane could get. But Shane had promised he didn’t mind, both while big and little. And Ilya had made sure he could change his mind at any point, but after a trial period, Luca would be there to stay.
It would be unfair to the boy to kick him out the second one of them got frustrated. If they were going to be family, they needed to treat each other like it.
So a few weeks, of living with and taking care of Luca, they would make the decision together, of if it would be a good fit for them. Because he really did deserve a good home, and Ilya was perfectly capable of providing, even if it would be a challenge at times.
---
The past few weeks had been particularly challenging for Luca.
His mama, his primary caregiver had died. She was the one to move thousands of miles away with him to Canada, to be with him while he started his new career. She was the only person he could actually talk to, she was the only person who actually knew him. She was smart, and sweet, and funny, and she was the only person Luca had ever dropped with.
When she passed, Luca hadn’t known what to do, so he showed up to practice that day. He was devastated, and his mind was foggy, and he tried to hide his tears behind his visor, but his captains knew better. They cornered him in the locker room, and he had broken down in front of them. They made him take the next two weeks off of hockey, and he tried to get his affairs in order, while actively fighting off dropping. How could he? No one to take care of him, and he sure as hell was not going to a center.
The day he came back to practice, Shane and Ilya offered to take him in, both while he was big and little, and to be apart of their family.
At first Luca was unsure. I mean, the captains offering to live with their rookie, taking care of him while he was little, even when Shane was a little himself, was a bit weird. Wouldn’t Shane resent him for taking away attention from Ilya? And wouldn’t Ilya hate Luca for being needy?
Luca had immediatly refused, but when they pressed him about what his other choices were…he admitted there were none. Besides going to a center, but Luca had heard far too many horror stories about those places.
Of course Luca wanted to move in with them. He admired his captains, wanted to be them even. So moving in was farther than he ever though possible. But it was still weird. Luca was already so awkward around them, still starstruck when they talked to him, how would he live with them? Allow Ilya to take care of him when he was little? Share little things with Shane?
It was just a bad idea overall.
So why was he currently sitting in their living room with Shane while Ilya unpacked his things?
---
The morning had gone pretty good; Ilya picked up Luca and his things, and brought them to his and Shane’s house. Both men were in big headspace, but Ilya wanted to get them to spend a little more time together before either of them dropped, so he set them up on the couch with a movie.
Ilya worked on unpacking Luca’s things, which wasn’t going to take long. Luca had one suitcase of clothes, a couple of boxes with hockey gear, and a bag with his little things.
They had chosen the room next to Shane and Ilya’s for Luca, just so he could be close if he needed them. The room was small, but not tiny. It had a large window, a walk in closet, and a queen sized bed. Then were the things Ilya had added, like the wooden bookshelf in the corner with a rocking chair next to it, (Yes, he could’ve just used the one he had for Shane, but he wanted something just for Luca) the sky blue comforter on the bed, specifically made with weight to comfort littles, and the soft glow nightlight on the bedside table. It was simple, but very cozy, and Ilya hoped Luca would like it.
He got to work unpacking, putting the clothes on hangers, hats on the wall, and shoes on the rack. The hockey boxes were stored in the back of the closet. Ilya wasn’t exactly sure why he had them, the Centaurs had an equipment manager, and they provided all the gear. He did notice the branding on the gear was not english though, it could be a memory from Switzerland.
Then Ilya got to Luca’s little bag. There wasn’t much, just a small blanket that looked pretty worn, a bear plushie, also worn, and a few pacifiers. Ilya knew from meeting with Luca’s specialist that he tended to drop pretty young, often younger if he was stressed, so the light packing did make sense. Babies didn’t need as many toys as toddlers or little kids, and tended to hold on to just a couple special items.
Ilya set out the blanket and bear on the bed, and took the pacifiers with him to the kitchen, but leaving one on the nightstand in case Luca needed it.
He put the pacifiers on a special rack where he kept Shane’s, for safekeeping and sanitization, but placed them on the far side of the rack, in case Luca didn’t like sharing things like that.
From the kitchen, Ilya could fully see the living room. Shane and Luca were watching Captain America: Civil War, which Ilya had to laugh at because whenever he and Shane watched it, Shane could never shut up about how Captain America was the right team, despite Iron Man having better fighters.
Shane was quiet now, though. He was an observant man, and probably noticed how nervous and sad Luca was. He was in a new place, without his mom for the first time, and he probably didn’t want to talk yet.
Luca’s attitude was probably also caused by the fact he had been avoiding a drop for weeks now, but Ilya would have to address that later. For now, it was lunchtime.
---
The three men sat at the bar in the kitchen, Ilya had made sandwiches and everyone was pretty content. Luca was quiet, so Shane and Ilya mostly led the conversation, and tried not to put pressure on the kid. Luca scarfed down the sandwich, which told Ilya he probably hasn’t eaten a lot since his mom died. Luca was small already, he would have to make sure to feed him well.
After lunch, Ilya gave a knowing look to Shane and cleared his throat, “Luca, we are very glad you are here, we would like to go over some things, yes?”
Luca looked up at him anxiously and nodded.
“Okay. First, this is your house now. You don’t need to ask for food, water, TV, anything, when you are big. You have your own room, I will show to you soon. We decorated, but we are happy to add anything you like. You can be comfortable here.” Ilya explained gently, keeping his eyes on Luca.
“Okay, t-thank you.” Luca stammered.
Shane nodded and spoke next, “There’s some rules for both of us while we’re little, but do whatever you want when your big.”
“Yes, rules for littles, Shane take this as reminder,” Ilya said with a pointed look at Shane before looking back at Luca, “There will be no driving, no drinking, no practicing, and no ice skating in general while little. The rest will be negotiated or limited as it comes, okay? Also, you tell me, or even Shane if you feel like you are going down, even if just a little bit, it happens unexpectedly a lot, I want you to be safe. You will never be in trouble for telling either of us you need it, okay?”
“Yes, sure.” Luca answered with a nervous focus, but determined to be good.
Ilya smiled. “Good, almost done. When was the last time you dropped?”
Luca tensed up at that, not wanting to have to admit the real answer, when he and Ilya both knew he should be dropping biweekly, per the doctor’s orders.
Ilya noticed and softened his face, “Is okay Luca, I will not judge. I just want to help.”
Luca relaxed slightly and stared down at the table. “It’s been a few weeks.”
Ilya nodded thoughtfully and shared a concerned look with Shane. “Okay. That is okay, here is what we will do. Tomorrow is an off day from hockey, both you and Shane will drop tonight and we will have all of tomorrow in headspace. Then I want to get both of you on a regular schedule, dropping at the very least once a week. During travel time we can do nights and mornings at hotels. Good?”
Shane and Luca both nodded, echoing his confirmation together.
“My good boys. Now we have some time, what do you guys want to do?”
Luca blushed fiercely at being called a ‘good boy’, but in all honesty he was excited. He missed his mom a lot, and he was sure that would shine through the second that he dropped, but for now he was very grateful to Shane and Ilya for letting him into their home.
---
The afternoon had been spent playing card games, and gradually getting Luca to open up. He was still pretty closed off and shy, but that’s kind of just his nature. He won five times in a row at uno, though he looked like he felt bad about it, and Shane and Ilya were very impressed. They should’ve known he would dominate at games, he was just nineteen, and he was already a pro hockey player, they should’ve expected he would dominate in all sorts of things.
When dinnertime rolled around, Ilya could tell he did a good job of wearing the boys out.
Luca was sitting slumped on the couch, his thumb resting on his lip, looking like he wanted to suck on it any minute now.
Shane was laying on his belly on the floor, happily playing with his toy trucks and making sounds for them while Ilya cooked dinner. It seemed like it would be an easy night to get them both down.
Typically, Shane would drop to a slightly older headspace. Maybe three, four, or five years old. It depended on how tired he was. Luca would be a change from what Ilya was used to, with the boy dropping much younger. His specialist said his range was from three years to even as young as ten months. Since Luca would be anxious in a new house, without his mom, Ilya anticipated the younger side, and had done his research.
He made mac and cheese and chicken for him and Shane, and a bottle with a meal replacement shake for Luca, like his doctor had recommended for younger headspaces.
He tried to call the boys to the table to eat, but Shane seemed unhappy with that idea, obviously not done with his trucks, and Luca just stared at Ilya blankly.
Ilya nodded and went with it. It was the first night, things needed to go smoothly. He brought Luca’s bottle over to the couch and manuvered the boy onto his lap.
Luca seemed startled at first, but warmed up a little when Ilya leaned in to kiss his hair.
“Mm, good boy Luca. I bet you are hungry, yes?” He cooed, trying to get the kid to relax before offering him the bottle.
Luca looked around a bit before settling deeper into Ilya’s arms and whispering, “Mama?”
Ilya’s heart just about broke in half. This poor baby hadn’t dropped with anyone else nearly his whole life, and he was too young right now to realize why his mom was gone. He knew it would most likely get brought up, but he didn’t expect it so soon, or like this. He needed to be gentle with him.
“Just me and Shane here, malysh. Why don’t we have some drink, yes?” Ilya said softly, brushing his fingers through Luca’s curly blonde hair.
Luca just shook his head and frowned, his big eyes and innocent face staring up at Ilya.
“Okay. That is okay, we can try again later,” He said, placing the bottle on the coffee table before leaning back again and pulling Luca close to his chest. “Just cuddles for now, okay.”
The boy didn’t say anything, just gave a single huff and nuzzled into Ilya’s shoulder, his thumb making it’s way towards his mouth.
Ilya should have said something, would have said something, to stop him from sucking his thumb, but he didn’t. It was only for a little bit, and it was his fault for not having a soska, a pacifier, nearby. He would need to start doing that probably. Shane only needed his soska for sleeping or if he was feeling extra little that day, so Ilya kept them mainly in one spot, but Luca seemed to need one on the regular.
Ilya sat with Luca for awhile, holding him tight and rubbing his back, not doing much of anything, besides watching Shane play on the carpet in front of them.
“Shane, sweetheart, is dinner time. Come on.” He instructed, shifting Luca to sit on his hip and standing.
“Papa, I wan’ bring trucks.” Shane requested, looking up at Ilya from his seat on the floor.
Ilya nodded, “Okay, bring the small ones only.”
Shane grinned and picked his favorites, then scurried over to his seat at the dining room table.
Ilya followed and set Luca down across the table from Shane, leaving for a second to get the plates and Luca’s soska.
When he came back, Shane was rambling to Luca about literal nonsense, but the baby seemed to like it. He didn’t have that sad look on his face anymore, and he looked like he was listening attentively. Maybe this would be good for both of them.
Ilya set down a plate in front of Shane and himself, and placed the soska in Luca’s mouth.
Shane ate pretty good. He was distracted heavily by both his trucks, and Luca, but he finished half of the plate.
Luca sat there nicely, sucking on his paci, staring at Shane then turning to Ilya every once in awhile. It was adorable. Ilya was sure he would have his fussy moments, and his tantrums, but right now he was acting so sweet.
Shane was also looking cuter by the second. Acting like a true big brother to the new little, and being sweeter towards Ilya, even if it was only to seek attention.
Eventually they finished dinner, and Ilya needed to clean up. “Shane, moy lyubov, can you please take Luca and show him the playroom? We will have bathtime after.”
Shane nodded eagerly and awkwardly climbed out of his seat. Luca looked apprehensive about getting down so Ilya lifted him up and to the floor. Shane dragged him down the hall to the playroom and Ilya finally had a moment of peace to himself. Not that he needed it, this was probably the most fufilling day he’d had in awhile.
---
The rest of the night had been pretty smooth. Ilya had done the dishes, and walked into the playroom to see the boys giggling over blocks that Shane had knocked down. Well, it was mostly Shane giggling, but Luca looked pretty happy.
Ilya took them to the bath next and fit both of them into the large tub in the master bedroom. Luca was a bit unsure of the water, but Shane was more than happy to show him the way. Ilya dried them off after and wrestled Shane into his hockey puck printed jammies. He leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Shane, will you be such a good boy for Papa, and go play in the playroom for a few more minutes? Then we can do our special bedtime?”
Shane nodded, a little less enthusiastic than Ilya was going for, but it had been a long day.
“Mm, thank you so much sweetheart. Papa will come get you soon.” He praised, dropping a kiss on Shane’s head and guiding him out the door.
After that, he focused completely on Luca, trying to get him as comfortable as possible so he would sleep well. He dressed him in some familiar pajamas that he had brought, helped him brush his teeth before giving his soska back, and put some product in his messy curly blonde hair. Who knows, it might turn out to look just like Ilya’s if styled right.
Ilya carried Luca to the kitchen next, warming up the bottle from earlier, hoping he’d take it now that he was tired.
He whispered to the baby the whole time waiting for the bottle, reassuring him that he was safe and wanted, and promising to take care of him as best he could.
When it was ready, Ilya took Luca to his room, letting him look around for a minute before settling in the rocking chair. He stripped his shirt off and adjusted Luca to rest against him. He read somewhere that skin to skin helped with bonding for littles, so he hoped it would make it easier for Luca to trust Ilya, especially when feeding him.
Luca seemed to like being this close to Ilya, and he hummed softly around his paci as Ilya rocked them in the chair. When Ilya offered him the bottle however, after taking away the soska, Luca refused. Lips locked, hands pushing the bottle away, refused.
Ilya sighed. “Luca…you need to eat, malysh. Is not good to go hungry.” He tried again with the bottle but Luca arched away from it, letting out a deep whine.
“Okay, okay. Hm… Ah, let me get something.” Ilya stood, taking Luca with him to the bed, where Luca’s blanket and bear were sitting. He grabbed them and returned to the chair, adjusting Luca once more and handing him the two comfort items.
The boy latched on to them immediately, sitting the bear on his chest and hugging the blanket to his face, rubbing it against his cheek to self soothe.
Ilya breathed a sigh of relief and praised the baby as he reached for the bottle again.
“Such a good boy, you just wanted your bear and your blankie, huh?”
Luca gave a tiny nod and it was like a switch had been flipped when Ilya offered him the bottle. He latched on and eagerly drank, his hands busy fidgeting with his blanket.
By the time Luca finished, he was blinking hard to stay awake. Ilya quickly replaced the bottle with his soska, and lifted him higher on his chest as he stood. He tucked the boy in carefully, and sat quietly next to him as he slowly drifted off to sleep under the pressure of the weighted blanket, his comfort things tucked under his arm. Ilya gave him a final kiss to his forehead before exiting, leaving the door cracked open just a little bit.
---
Before Ilya went to the playroom to retrieve Shane, he set up everything for the little’s bedtime routine. Which had to happen every night, with little variety, or else Shane would not sleep good. Of course things changed if the boy was sick or younger/older than usual, but it remained pretty consistent. After a bath and jammies there had to be one book and one song, some quiet time in the rocking chair, and then his soska before bed. Simple, but surprisingly hard to accomplish if Shane was fussy, or even if they were in a hotel on the road for a travel game.
Ilya also threw on a new shirt. He had tried the skin to skin thing with Shane previously, and it didn’t have much of an effect. Plus, Ilya probably smelled like Luca, and he didn’t want to upset Shane during their one on one time.
When he had everything laid out, he walked down the hall to the playroom. Shane was sat on the floor, a puzzle spread out in front of him.
“What are you working on, malysh?” Ilya asked, sitting down next to Shane.
Shane’s head whipped around to look at Ilya and his face broke out in a grin. “Papa! I make puzzle.”
Ilya smiled back and ruffled the boy’s hair. “It is looking very pretty. How about I help you finish, and we can do bedtime, yes?”
Shane nodded and climbed into Ilya’s lap, clearly more focused on his papa now than the puzzle lying on the floor half finished. Ilya chuckled, but hugged Shane close to him and finished the puzzle mostly by himself.
When it came time, Ilya stood with Shane sitting on his hip, and walked them to their bedroom.
“Which book will it be tonight, Shanya?” He asked, brushing hair away from Shane’s eyes.
“I wan’ the doggy book.” Shane replied, staring up at Ilya adoringly as he sat them down in the rocking chair and grabbed the book from the shelf.
“Mm, of course. It has been two months straight with this book though, malysh, you do know this?”
Shane shook his head, “No, it’s my doggy book.”
Ilya raised an eyebrow, but dutifully read the book to his boy. This was longer than books usually lasted for Shane. It was normal for them to read the same book for a couple of weeks throughout his little time, but they had been on ‘Doggy Daycare’ since November.
After the book, Ilya rocked Shane in the chair and turned off the lamp, leaving the room dark save for the nightlight on the dresser. He sang him a song, a russian lullaby Ilya had remembered from his mother singing to him, and then let the boy gradually get sleepier the longer he held him.
He took Shane to their bed, handed him his George (a crocodile stuffed animal Shane had begged for at the zoo years ago), and tucked him under the covers. The boy was half awake, but he closed his eyes and settled when Ilya gave him his soska.
Ilya sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Shane’s back until he could tell the little would be okay if he left, before getting up and taking a shower. He finished his own night routine fairly quickly, wanting to get in bed and cuddle with Shane as soon as possible.
Ilya was happy with how the day went. Everything was nearly perfect. Luca had been sweet and accepting of his care, even if he took a minute to warm up. Shane had been equally as sweet, and was actually being very patient and kind towards Luca. This was probably beginners luck, but Ilya was going to take it as a good sign for the future, that this could work out, and be fulfilling for all of them.
When Ilya came back to bed, Shane was awake. He was staring blankly at the bathroom door, sucking steadily on his pacifier, hugging George to his chest, and probably waiting for his papa to come back. That wasn’t unusual at all, but Ilya was always thankful when he didn’t fuss over it, simply waited patiently for his papa.
“Are you so sleepy? Yes, Shane is bedtime, I am coming.” He whispered, making his way over to their bed and sliding in beside Shane, letting the little adjust to rest his head on Ilya.
“Night-night, Papa.” Shane murmured, grasping Ilya’s t-shirt and deciding not to let go.
Ilya chuckled. “Goodnight, Shanya. You were so good today, thank you sweetheart. Did you have fun with Luca?” He asked, combing his fingers through Shane’s hair.
The little nodded and smiled a little around his soska before mumbling, “He is nice.”
Ilya hummed, “That is true. I think we will all be very happy with him here, yes?”
Shane nodded once more and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep next to his papa.