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The invitation didn’t feel like anything important at first.
It came in the middle of a normal afternoon.
Jackie’s voice over the phone, slightly breathless, with kids shouting in the background and something loudly falling over.
“Hey… can you guys come over tonight?”
Shane glanced at Ilya while he held the phone.
“Why?”
Jackie hesitated.
“The twins want to ask Uncle Shane something.”
A pause.
Then Ruby yelling in the background:
“DON’T TELL HIM!”
Jackie sighed. “Yeah. Just come.”
Shane looked at Ilya again.
Ilya was already putting his jacket on.
“Sounds serious,” Ilya said.
Shane frowned. “It’s five-year-olds.”
“That is serious,” Ilya replied.
The Pike house was loud before they even opened the door.
Not chaotic in a bad way.
Just full.
Full of sound and movement and life spilling out of every room at once.
Arthur was running in circles with something that might’ve been a toy or might’ve been a spoon.
Amber was asleep against Jackie’s shoulder, completely unbothered by the world.
Hayden opened the door like he was bracing for impact.
“They’ve been WAITING,” he said immediately.
“We told you NOT to tell them!” Ruby’s voice came from somewhere inside the house.
“We didn’t!” Hayden shouted back. “You just live here!”
Shane stepped inside.
Ilya followed behind him, quietly watching everything the way he always did when the world got too loud.
Ruby appeared first.
She didn’t walk.
She arrived.
“UNCLE SHANE!”
She grabbed his hand immediately like she’d been holding that moment in all day.
Shane blinked. “Hi.”
Jade came right behind her.
She was quieter.
But serious.
“We have a school thing,” Jade said.
Ruby nodded aggressively. “A BIG thing.”
“A show-and-tell,” Jade added.
Ruby leaned forward. “And we have to pick a place or like a country or like where someone is from in our family.”
A beat.
Then Ruby said it.
“So we picked YOU.”
Silence.
Shane paused.
“…Me?”
Both twins nodded so fast it was almost violent.
“Yes,” Jade said.
“YES,” Ruby confirmed.
Shane exhaled slowly.
Then smiled.
“Yeah,” he said. “Okay.”
That was all it took.
The twins screamed like the universe had just aligned correctly.
Hayden buried his face in his hands.
Ilya just murmured, “Of course,” like he already knew this was where it was going.
Dinner didn’t really stay dinner.
It turned into questions.
Very fast.
Very loud.
Ruby kicked her legs under the chair.
“So,” she said, like she was starting an interview, “where are you from?”
Shane leaned back slightly.
“My mom is from Japan,” he said. “So I’m half Japanese.”
That landed immediately.
Both twins froze.
Then—
“WHERE IS THAT?” Jade demanded.
Hayden didn’t even wait.
He grabbed his phone.
The map opened.
The twins leaned in so hard they almost fell off their chairs.
“THAT FAR?” Ruby shouted.
“That’s across the ocean,” Shane said calmly.
“LIKE PIRATES?” Jade asked immediately.
Shane paused.
“…Sure.”
Ilya nodded. “Pirates exist there.”
Shane turned slowly to look at him.
Ilya looked back completely serious.
“I like pirates,” Ilya added.
Shane exhaled a laugh.
After that, everything became construction paper and chaos.
The twins decided Shane had to “sit on the floor because it was important.”
So he did.
Ilya sat on the couch behind them, watching like a very calm referee of disaster.
Hayden hovered between helping and regretting everything.
Jackie tried to organize supplies but gave up within ten minutes.
Arthur tried to “help” three times.
He was gently removed three times.
Amber slept through all of it.
At some point, Shane pulled out his phone and opened a photo album.
He didn’t announce it.
He just placed it on the table.
Ruby saw it first.
“WHAT IS THAT?”
“Japan,” Shane said.
That was enough.
Everything stopped.
The twins didn’t even blink.
They both leaned in so fast Ilya shifted slightly just in case someone fell.
“PICTURES?” Ruby demanded.
“Yeah,” Shane said.
“OF YOU?” Jade asked, like this was the most important clarification in history.
“Yes.”
Ruby gasped like she’d been personally gifted treasure.
“SHOW.”
Shane unlocked the phone and set it down in the middle of the floor like an offering.
Ilya leaned forward too, one arm resting loosely on his knee, watching quietly as the girls immediately took over.
The first photo made Ruby scream.
“THAT’S YOU???”
It was baby Shane in a tiny kimono, sitting very stiffly beside Yuna.
“Yes,” Shane said again, already resigned.
“You were SO SMALL,” Jade said, offended on his behalf like the world had done him wrong.
“I was a baby,” Shane replied.
Ruby squinted at the screen.
“You look like a baby potato.”
Hayden snorted.
Jackie choked on a laugh.
Shane just pointed at her. “I’m not arguing with that.”
The next photo was Yuna holding him.
Both twins went quiet for half a second.
Then Jade, softer:
“Who is that?”
“My mom,” Shane said.
Ruby tilted her head.
“She’s pretty.”
“She is,” Shane said quietly.
Ilya looked at the photo longer than the rest.
Not saying anything.
Just watching Shane’s face when he saw it.
They kept going.
Picture after picture.
Tiny Shane at festivals.
Tiny Shane in front of buildings.
Tiny Shane clearly being held in place by a very patient Yuna while he looked extremely unimpressed with life.
Ruby gasped every time like it was a new discovery.
Jade kept pointing and asking questions in a steady stream.
“What is that?”
“Why is that there?”
“Did you eat that?”
“Did you cry?”
“Did you like it?”
Shane answered all of them.
Patient.
Soft.
Like he didn’t mind being studied like this.
At one point Ruby suddenly stopped.
She zoomed in on his face.
“Why are your eyes like that?”
Everything shifted.
Not dramatically.
Just subtly.
Like a room noticing it had gone quiet.
Hayden paused mid-motion.
Jackie looked up.
Ilya’s gaze immediately went to Shane.
Shane froze for half a second.
Not long.
Just enough that someone who knew him well would notice.
Then he leaned back slightly.
“My mom is Japanese,” he said. “So I got some things from her.”
Ruby studied him very seriously.
Like she was deciding something important.
Then she nodded.
“I like them,” she said.
Jade nodded immediately after.
“Yeah. They’re pretty.”
The air changed again.
Easier.
Warmer.
Shane let out a small breath.
“Thanks,” he said.
Ilya’s hand brushed his lightly.
Just once.
They didn’t stop there.
They never do.
“Can you speak Japanese?” Ruby asked suddenly.
“Yeah,” Shane said.
“SAY SOMETHING,” Jade demanded immediately.
Shane hesitated, then said something simple and soft in Japanese.
Both girls froze.
Then exploded.
“AGAIN!”
“WHAT DID HE SAY?”
“DO IT AGAIN!”
Ilya leaned back slightly, watching Shane get immediately drafted into a full-time language lesson by two five-year-olds.
Hayden muttered, “This is your life now.”
Shane didn’t even look up. “Apparently.”
Somewhere between glue sticks and chaos, the poster board started taking shape.
Maps first.
Then pictures.
Then flags that were slightly uneven but carefully chosen.
Ruby insisted everything had to be “BIG IMPORTANT.”
Jade insisted everything had to be “NEAT IMPORTANT.”
Arthur contributed by moving things slightly to the left every time someone turned around.
Amber remained asleep.
Ilya stayed on the couch the entire time, occasionally correcting a piece of tape that was
“technically not structural.”
The questions didn’t stop.
They just evolved.
“Do you like Japan more or Canada more?” Ruby asked at one point.
Shane blinked.
“That’s not a fair question.”
“YES IT IS,” Jade insisted.
Shane sighed. “I like both.”
Ruby accepted this like a serious diplomatic answer.
“Okay.”
Later, the question came again.
Different moment.
Quieter room.
Glue drying.
Shane sitting cross-legged on the floor while the twins worked.
Ruby looked up again.
Same question.
But softer.
“Why are your eyes like that again?”
Not curiosity this time.
Just remembering.
Shane paused.
He didn’t freeze this time.
Just answered.
“Because my mom gave them to me.”
Ruby nodded.
“Okay.”
Then, after a beat:
“I like them.”
Jade echoed immediately.
“Me too.”
Shane smiled.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Both twins nodded hard.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Ilya watched that without interrupting.
Something in his expression softened in a way he didn’t say out loud.
By the time Hayden and Jackie started cleaning up, the poster was already basically finished.
It was messy.
Crooked.
Full of uneven writing and slightly over-glued pictures.
But it was complete.
Ruby stood back proudly.
“LOOK,” she announced.
Jade pointed. “It’s Japan.”
Ruby added, very seriously:
“And Uncle Shane.”
Ilya glanced at Shane.
Shane looked like he didn’t quite know what to do with that sentence.
So he just nodded.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Looks like it.”
That night, after the kids finally collapsed into sleep, the house changed completely.
The noise was gone.
Only soft movement remained.
Hayden sat at the table longer than usual.
Jackie quietly wiping counters that didn’t need wiping.
Shane and Ilya still there.
Like neither of them wanted to leave yet.
Hayden finally spoke.
“They really picked you, huh.”
Shane exhaled.
“Yeah.”
Ilya didn’t look away from him.
“They did,” he said simply.
Hayden looked at Shane for a long moment.
Then:
“Why didn’t I know any of that?”
Shane shrugged slightly.
“Didn’t come up.”
“That’s not—” Hayden stopped, then sighed. “We’ve known each other since rookie year.”
“I know.”
Silence again.
Not uncomfortable.
Just heavy in a quiet way.
The silence didn’t last long.
It never did in the Pike house.
Hayden leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face like he was trying to process something that had always been there but somehow never said out loud.
“I just… didn’t know that,” he repeated more quietly.
Jackie stopped wiping the counter for a second.
Shane shrugged again, softer this time.
“It’s just me,” he said.
Ilya’s hand rested near his on the table.
Not grabbing.
Just there.
Like a reminder.
The next day came faster than anyone wanted.
Because five-year-olds didn’t believe in pacing.
They believed in NOW.
The school gym was already loud when they arrived.
Too many chairs.
Too many voices.
Too many parents holding coffee like survival tools.
Ruby immediately grabbed Shane’s hand tighter.
“THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE,” she whispered loudly.
Jade nodded very seriously.
“Don’t drop the poster.”
“I won’t drop the poster,” Shane said.
Ilya leaned slightly toward him.
“You might drop the poster,” he murmured.
Shane glanced at him.
“I’m not dropping the poster.”
Ilya nodded once.
“We will see.”
They were not subtle.
They were never going to be subtle.
People noticed immediately.
Whispers started like ripples.
“That’s Hollander.”
“And Rozanov.”
“Why are they here—?”
Ruby overheard.
“ARE YOU FAMOUS?” she whispered at Shane.
Shane hesitated.
“…Kind of.”
Ruby’s eyes widened like that was the coolest possible answer.
“THAT’S SO COOL.”
Ilya shrugged.
Hayden muttered, “This is going to be a disaster.”
Jackie said, “It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.”
It was not fine.
When their turn came, the twins practically ran.
The poster was carried like a national treasure.
Crooked.
Too much glue in one corner.
A slightly tilted map.
Pictures taped on with serious determination.
Ruby started immediately, without even waiting for quiet.
“This is JAPAN!”
Jade pointed.
“It is VERY FAR.”
Ruby continued fast, words spilling over each other.
“And Uncle Shane is from there because his mom is from there and her name is Yuna and she is Japanese and she lived there and it is an island and there is ocean and airplanes go there.”
Jade nodded firmly.
“Yes.”
Then she pointed at the map again like she needed to make it extra official.
“And there are mountains,” she added, very serious. “And trees. And villages.”
Ruby immediately jumped back in.
“And Uncle Shane went there when he was little and he saw his grandma and he has pictures and he speaks Japanese sometimes but not all the time because he lives here now.”
Jade nodded again.
“He says hello.”
Ruby added proudly:
“And thank you.”
A few kids in the front row giggled.
A teacher smiled.
Shane stood at the back, suddenly very aware of how small five-year-old logic made
everything sound so simple and so huge at the same time.
Ruby suddenly turned slightly toward the audience like she was remembering something
important.
“Oh! And the village is called…” she paused dramatically.
Jade whispered urgently, “You remember!”
Ruby squinted.
“YAMA—YAMA—”
Shane didn’t even have to help this time.
Ruby lit up.
“YAMASHIRO VILLAGE!”
Jade pointed like she had just solved something in a textbook.
“Yes! That one!”
Ruby nodded hard.
“It is very pretty and it has houses and snow and mountains and Uncle Shane went there when he was a baby baby so he remembers a little bit.”
Jade added seriously:
“Not a lot. But a little bit.”
That made a few adults chuckle softly.
Then Ruby stepped forward again, bouncing slightly on her feet.
“And this is Uncle Shane.”
She pointed at the photo of him on the poster like it was a museum exhibit.
Jade followed immediately.
“He plays hockey.”
Ruby nodded.
“VERY GOOD hockey.”
A couple of kids whispered again.
More heads turned now.
Because they were starting to recognize him.
The teacher stepped forward gently.
“And who is Uncle Shane?” she asked.
Ruby answered instantly.
“He is our uncle.”
Jade nodded.
“And godfather.”
Ruby added quickly:
“And he is also a hockey player and he is nice and he helps us with our homework and he knows lots of stuff.”
Jade corrected softly:
“And he is from Japan a little bit.”
Ruby nodded again.
“Yes. A little bit Japan.”
A few adults smiled at that phrasing.
Shane exhaled quietly at the back.
Ilya leaned slightly toward him.
“She is technically correct,” Ilya murmured.
Shane gave him a look.
Ilya looked completely unbothered.
The teacher smiled a little at that.
Like she understood exactly what kind of story this was becoming.
“And what did you learn about Japan?” she asked gently.
Ruby bounced immediately.
“That it is VERY FAR.”
Jade added quickly:
“You go on a plane and then more plane and then ocean.”
Ruby nodded.
“And there are mountains and villages and food and his mom makes rice and it is very good.”
Jade added seriously:
“And snow sometimes.”
Ruby pointed at the poster again like it proved everything.
“And the village is called Yamashiro Village.”
She said it carefully this time.
Like she didn’t want to mess it up.
Jade nodded in approval.
“Yes. That one.”
The teacher glanced at the class again.
“And who helped you with this project?” she asked.
Ruby turned instantly.
“Uncle Shane.”
Jade nodded.
“He showed us pictures.”
Ruby added:
“And he told us the names.”
Jade said softly:
“And he sat on the floor with us.”
Ruby thought about that for a second.
“And he didn’t even leave when Arthur was annoying.”
Hayden, from the back, muttered, “Accurate.”
Jackie elbowed him lightly without looking away.
There was a pause then.
The kind that felt like the room was waiting for something without knowing what.
Ruby shifted her weight.
Jade looked at her.
They didn’t plan it.
Not really.
But they always ended up moving together anyway.
Ruby looked out at the room.
Then back at Shane.
And said it.
Simple.
Clear.
Five-year-old honest.
“We picked Japan because…”
Jade stepped a little closer.
Not rushing it.
Just standing next to Ruby like they always did when something mattered.
Ruby swallowed, like the sentence was suddenly bigger than her and she needed to carry it
carefully.
Then she finished it.
“…we love Uncle Shane.”
A beat.
Jade nodded, very serious.
“And learning about Japan helped us learn more about him.”
Silence.
Not empty.
Just full.
Like the room didn’t quite know where to put that kind of answer.
Then it happened.
The applause.
Soft at first.
A few scattered claps from somewhere in the back.
Then more.
Then it filled the room completely.
Not loud in a rushed way.
Just steady.
Warm.
Like everyone had decided at the same time that this was the right response.
Ruby lit up instantly, like she had just been told she did it perfectly.
Jade looked proud.
Properly proud.
Like she had completed something important.
Shane didn’t move at first.
It didn’t feel like something to react to quickly.
It felt like something you had to let land properly.
Ilya was already looking at him.
Not smiling now.
Just present.
Like he was making sure Shane didn’t disappear inside it.
Hayden had his head down, rubbing his face again, laughing a little through it like he didn’t know what else to do with his emotions.
Jackie was openly crying now, not even trying to hide it anymore.
Shane finally exhaled.
Slow.
Careful.
Then he blinked a few times like he was grounding himself back into the room.
And he gave the smallest nod.
Not dramatic.
Just real
Ruby grabbed Jade’s hand immediately like she needed to share the moment physically.
“We did it,” she whispered loudly.
Jade nodded.
“We did it good.”
The teacher let the applause settle naturally this time.
No rush.
Just letting the moment exist.
Then she glanced down at Ruby and Jade with a soft smile.
“That was wonderful,” she said again, quieter now. “Do you think Uncle Shane could come up and help answer some questions?”
Ruby’s head snapped up immediately.
Like she had been waiting for permission to do exactly that.
“YES,” she said instantly.
Jade nodded hard.
“Yes. He knows everything.”
Shane, from the back, gave a small helpless look like that is not accurate information.
Ilya, very calmly, murmured, “You are now an expert.”
Shane shot him a look.
Ilya didn’t move.
Just blinked slowly like he was innocent.
Ruby turned around and started waving both arms wildly.
“UNCLE SHANE! COME!”
Jade grabbed his sleeve as soon as he stepped closer.
“Come help,” she said seriously, like this was an official role.
Shane exhaled once, shaking his head slightly—but there was no real refusal in it.
“Alright,” he said.
And let them pull him forward.
The class shifted immediately when he stepped up.
Whispers again.
Phones lowered.
Attention tightening in that curious, excited way children and adults both do when something familiar suddenly feels a little unreal in front of them.
Shane stopped beside the poster.
Ruby and Jade positioned themselves on either side like guards.
Very serious.
Very important job.
The teacher smiled warmly.
“We have some questions for you,” she said. “From the class.”
A hand went up immediately.
“Do you really go to Japan?”
Shane nodded.
“Yeah. I have.”
Ruby leaned forward instantly.
“He went when he was small,” she added, like it needed clarification.
Jade nodded.
“Yes. Baby small.”
A few laughs from the room.
Another hand.
“Do you speak Japanese?”
Shane nodded again.
“A bit,” he said.
Ruby jumped in immediately.
“He says hello and thank you and the village name!”
Jade added proudly:
“Yamashiro Village!”
Shane gave them both a small glance.
Like you two have been studying this too hard.
Ilya, from the back, looked mildly entertained.
Another question.
“Do you miss it?”
Shane paused.
Long enough that the room noticed.
Then nodded.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Sometimes.”
Ruby immediately turned to the class.
“But he likes here too,” she said firmly. “Because he has us.”
That got a soft laugh again.
Shane looked down at her for a second.
Then away.
Like that answer hit somewhere quieter.
The teacher glanced around the room.
“Any more questions?” she asked.
A pause.
Then a small voice from the front.
“Are you famous?”
Ruby answered instantly.
“Yes.”
Shane exhaled a quiet laugh through his nose.
“I guess,” he corrected gently.
Ilya added, completely deadpan from the back:
“He is slightly famous.”
Shane turned his head slowly.
Ilya looked very satisfied with himself.
The room warmed with laughter again after that.
The kind that makes kids relax and adults forget they’re supposed to be formal.
Ruby took that as permission to continue.
She stepped forward a little.
“ASK HIM HOCKEY QUESTIONS,” she announced, like she was opening a press conference.
Jade nodded immediately.
“Yes. He knows hockey.”
Shane blinked.
“…Apparently I’ve been promoted to expert on everything today.”
Ilya’s voice from the back was calm.
“You are.”
Shane didn’t even turn this time.
Just sighed.
A hand shot up.
“Is hockey hard?”
Shane nodded.
“Yeah. It can be.”
Ruby added quickly:
“He gets very fast on ice.”
Jade nodded.
“And hits people.”
Shane immediately corrected:
“Gently.”
Ilya, from the back:
“Not always gently.”
Shane finally turned fully this time.
Ilya met his gaze completely unbothered.
Ruby gasped like this was breaking news.
“YOU HIT PEOPLE?”
Shane pointed at Ilya without looking away.
“Ask him.”
Ilya nodded once.
“Yes.”
Shane exhaled.
“I’m surrounded by liars.”
A bigger kid raised their hand next.
“Are you better than Ilya Rozanov?”
The room went very quiet very fast.
Not tense.
Just curious.
Ruby’s eyes widened like this was the best question she had ever heard in her life.
Jade looked between them like she was waiting for a scientific explanation.
Shane paused.
Then glanced back at Ilya.
Ilya didn’t move.
Just waited.
Shane answered carefully.
“No.”
A beat.
Then:
“We are equally good.”
A few kids in the room visibly processed that like it was a math problem they didn’t fully agree
with.
Ruby did not accept neutrality.
She immediately stepped forward again.
“But who scores more?” she demanded.
Jade nodded, very serious.
“Yes. Goals. Who gets more goals.”
Shane exhaled through his nose, already feeling the trap forming.
“That changes every season,” he said carefully.
Ruby frowned.
“That’s not fair,” she declared.
“It’s accurate,” Shane replied.
A hand shot up from the middle row.
“Do you pass to each other a lot?”
Ruby answered instantly, like she was narrating highlights.
“Yes. Always.”
Jade nodded.
“They know where each other is.”
Shane corrected gently:
“We play on the same team, so yes.”
Ilya added, completely calm:
“He passes better under pressure.”
Shane turned his head slowly.
“I do not.”
Ilya blinked once.
“You do.”
Ruby gasped like this was incredible information.
“YOU ARGUE TOO??”
Shane sighed.
“Not on the ice.”
Ilya nodded.
“Sometimes on the ice.”
Shane pointed at him.
“That’s not helpful.”
Another kid leaned forward, clearly invested now.
“Are you friends?”
Shane didn’t even pause this time.
“No, we are married” he said simply.
The kid who had asked the question looked stunned.
"Oh."
The teacher pressed her lips together, very clearly trying not to laugh.
Ruby looked between them repeatedly.
Like she was suddenly deciding what to say.
"We were the flower girls."
Silence.
Then every adult in the room immediately turned toward Shane and Ilya.
Shane closed his eyes.
Of course.
Of course that was information Ruby would volunteer.
"YOU WERE?" another kid gasped.
Ruby nodded proudly.
"Yes."
Jade nodded too.
"We had dresses."
"Very pretty dresses," Ruby added.
"With flowers."
"Lots of flowers."
The teacher looked delighted.
A parent in the back actually made a soft aww sound.
Shane wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
Ruby wasn't done.
Not even close.
"We walked down the aisle."
Jade nodded.
"And Uncle Shane cried."
The room exploded.
"JADE."
"Ilya said you cried."
"Ilya is a liar."
"I am not," Ilya said calmly from the back.
Ruby's eyes widened.
"YOU DID CRY."
"I did not."
"You did."
"I was emotional."
"That's crying."
"It is not."
"It literally is."
The teacher had given up trying not to laugh.
Hayden looked like he was having the time of his life.
Jackie had both hands over her mouth.
Another kid immediately raised their hand.
"Were there rings?"
Ruby pointed dramatically.
"YES."
Jade nodded.
"They said vows."
The room got even quieter.
The twins had clearly reached the part of the wedding they considered Extremely Important.
"What are vows?" a little boy asked.
Ruby looked at Jade.
Jade looked at Ruby.
Then both looked at Shane.
Shane immediately knew this was a trap.
"Don't."
Ruby ignored him.
"They promise stuff."
Jade nodded seriously.
"Forever stuff."
A collective aww moved through the room.
Shane rubbed his forehead.
"This has become a very different presentation."
The teacher smiled.
"I think it's wonderful."
Ruby beamed.
"Me too."
Then she looked at the class.
And announced proudly:
"They danced together too."
Shane actually covered his face.
"No."
"YES."
"Ruby."
"You did."
"We are not discussing this."
The twins looked completely unconcerned by that instruction.
Jade tilted her head.
"But it was a wedding."
As if that explained everything.
Honestly, it kind of did.
Ilya, traitor that he was, added from the back:
"There are photographs."
Shane dropped his hand and stared at him.
The entire class gasped.
"PICTURES?"
"NO."
"Pictures," Ruby repeated immediately.
"No."
"Pictures."
"No."
"Pictures."
The teacher laughed outright.
Hayden looked seconds away from falling out of his chair.
Jackie was openly crying with laughter now.
Shane pointed at Ilya.
"This is your fault."
Ilya considered that.
Then nodded once.
"Probably."
Ruby looked extremely satisfied.
The mystery had been solved.
Not friends.
Married.
And apparently, in her opinion, that was much more interesting.