Chapter Text
The screen opens to a slightly shaky view of the kitchen counter before settling against a fruit bowl. Ilya comes into frame on the top half of the screen, wearing a casual red t-shirt and a backward baseball cap, his curls peeking out from underneath. In the background, the soft sound of chicken sizzling in a pan fills the audio.
Ilya: "Okay. Hello everyone. I am cooking lunch and I had twenty minutes, so I thought I would turn this on. I am making chicken and rice. Very exciting. Very original hockey player meal."
[The chat begins to scroll rapidly on the screen]
Cents_girl_613: ILYAAAA HI!
softfor74: the domesticity omg 😭 daily_puck_99: wait where is shane??
hollanov_fever: look at his hair he looks so soft
Roz_wife: I think Shane is in NY
Ilya: [Moving a wooden spoon around the pan, squinting at the screen] "Yes, Shane is in New York. He is doing a photoshoot or a meeting for a brand. I don't know. He left me alone so who cares."
Suddenly, a little pink notification pops up at the bottom of the screen: @SHollander24 has requested to join your live video.
Ilya stops stirring. He blinks at the screen, a genuine, surprised smile breaking through his usual stoic expression. He hits accept.
The screen splits vertically. On the bottom half, Shane’s camera connects from a hotel room, looking comfortable and casual in a white undershirt and an unbuttoned dark plaid flannel, his dark hair messy but styled. He leans back, looking up toward Ilya's frame on the top screen.
Shane: “left you? Seriously? We’ve talked about this, Rozanov. Don't exaggerate on the internet."
Ilya: [The smile stays on his face, though he tries to look disapproving] "You are supposed to be in a meeting. Why are you on Instagram?"
Shane: "The photoshoot literally just wrapped, I just got back to my room to change and picked up my phone to call you. I saw the notification that you were live and I had to defend my honor. Also, you're burning the garlic."
[The chat goes completely wild]
2481_supremacy: SHANE!!!!! THE FLANNEL IM CRYING
hollanov_updates: HE WAS WATCHING THE NOTIFICATIONS FOR ILYA puck_thoughts3: "defend my honor" girl that’s your husband
protect_captains: wait shane's commentary on ilya's cooking is everything
Ilya: [Quickly moving the pan off the heat, muttering under his breath] "The garlic is fine. It is supposed to be brown." [He looks down toward Shane's feed] "How is New York?"
Shane: "Hot. Loud. I miss the quiet back home, honestly. And the hotel food is fancy, but it doesn't beat whatever you're throwing together over there. What questions are they asking?"
Ilya taps the screen to bring up the fan question box.
Ilya: "Okay, here is one from @puck_propaganda: 'How do you guys handle being apart during the off-season press trips?' We don't. It has been twenty-four hours and he is already interrupting my lunch."
Shane: [Laughs, looking completely relaxed now as he watches Ilya on his screen] "Hey, communication is key for team chemistry, right? captains duties and all. No, but seriously, we’re not used to long distance anymore. We just FaceTime when we can. It’s only two days."
Ilya: [Nodding as he plates the food] "Yes. It is fine. But the house is too quiet. No one is here for me to annoy"
Shane: [Grinning widely up at him] "Wow. You miss me. You basically just admitted you miss me to eigh thousand people."
Ilya: [scoffs] no Anya misses you
Shane [ double down laughing]
[The chat explodes]
hollanov_fever: HE MISSES HIM IM SLIDING OFF MY CHAIR
ottawasens_girl: blaming the dog, stable marriage behavior
dailyrozanov: look at shane's face he is so fond
lisaaaa: the house is too quiet 😭❤️
Ilya: [Coughing slightly, shifting the camera so it focuses more on his plate of chicken] "Let's do a hockey question. @CensArmy_613 asks: 'Are you guys watching the draft prospects tape together?' Yes. Shane has the laptop in New York and we have a shared folder. We talk about the rookies a lot."
Shane: "Yeah, we actually went over some tape last night on the phone. We're really aligned on what the team needs for depth next season. Even when I'm doing these brand partnerships, my head is still mostly in Ottawa. We want another deep run."
Ilya: [Sitting down at the table with his fork, looking at the screen] "He says his head is in Ottawa, but look at him. He looks like a model, not a hockey player."
Shane: [Slightly flushing, ducking his head with a laugh] "Shut up, Ilya. Anyway, you need to eat your lunch before it gets cold. I have to go get ready for this dinner."
Ilya: "Okay. Don't lose your watch."
Shane: "I won't. Bye, everyone! Go Centaurs. See you tomorrow, Ilya."
Ilya: "Bye."
Shane's side of the screen drops off, leaving Ilya alone on the top feed. He looks at the camera for one more second, looking a lot more energized than he did when he first started the live.
Ilya: "Okay, I am going to eat now. Thank you for checking in. See you guys soon."
[The live stream ends.]