Archive of Our Own

Shane sighed. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself now that the Centaurs had been knocked out of the playoffs. He’d obviously hoped it would have gone differently, especially as defending champions, but as everyone always said, you can’t win them all. There were some perks though to the earlier start to the off season. He’d spent his birthday with Ilya, his parents and a small group of friends at the cottage a few weeks back. It had been nice to not be thinking about winning games on his birthday, even though the voice nagged at the back of his mind that if only they’d done x better, they would have won.

But now as May was melting into June, the weather was warmer and Ilya’s birthday was approaching. He’d been thinking about Ilya’s birthday a lot, actually. He really wanted to do something special for his husband, to celebrate him in a way that he hadn't experienced when he was growing up, or ever really. Even when his mother was alive, his father had cast a dark shadow over everything in their house Shane had learned. So he wanted to give Ilya a good, old fashioned birthday party like he should have had when he was a kid. 

He needed their friends onboard if this was going to work so his mind went, of course, to the de facto social leader of the Cens, Zane Boodram. He would be the most likely to say yes, and the most likely to help Shane rally the rest of the guys.  Shane pulled out his phone and stared at it for a moment, steeling himself. He didn’t know why he was still shy about DMing his teammates, even after playing with them for two seasons. They talked in the group chat all the time. He just didn’t want anyone to think he was annoying or weird. He took a deep breath and sent the text. 

Shane: Hey, what do you think about throwing a party for Ilya’s birthday before everyone disappears for the summer?

He waited a few minutes before seeing the telltale dots at the bottom of his screen.

Bood: I’m down for it. What are you thinking?

Shane let his breath out, feeling more at ease now that Bood responded positively. 

Shane: I was thinking of a surprise party in our backyard.

Bood: :rubbing hands together: Now you’re talking. What can I do?

Shane: Still trying to figure it out, tbh

Bood: You know you’re going to need like…chairs :laughing face:

Shane: Yup. Got it. :check : 

Bood: What about food?

Shane: Was going to do burgers and hot dogs on the grill.

Bood: You call that a grill?

Shane: It’s a perfectly good grill! 

Bood: For some people… Anyway. Do you know when you want to do it? 

Shane thought for a moment. Of course he needed practical things like a date for the party.  It was good of Bood to remind him, honestly. Sometimes he got lost in the details of things like this, and forgot to look at the big picture. It wasn’t that way with hockey. Just everything else. Shane considered as he stared at his phone for a moment then opened his calendar app.

Even though he didn’t know it, Bood and his family had actually been the inspiration for this idea when Shane and Ilya attended Bood’s son Milo's second birthday party. 

Three Months Ago

“Blow out the candles, buddy,” Bood said, holding Milo up to the cake. The little boy blew a raspberry and grinned widely at the assorted Centaurs, family members and kids, looking proud of himself. 

Shane had hung back, letting the little cousins and other kids have space. Ilya had his arms wrapped around Shane’s middle, his chin on his shoulder. This was sort of the default for them these days. Shane twisted around to look at him, thinking he’d be smiling at the kids’ antics but he caught a wistful expression on his husband’s face instead. He raised his thumb to run it along Ilya’s jaw for a moment. Ilya blinked, clearly coming back from whatever memory he was lost in. 

“Ok?” Shane whispered. 

“Yeah,” Ilya replied, squeezing Shane a little around his waist and tucking his nose into the space between Shane’s neck and shoulder. Shane recognized both of these things as grounding gestures. He threaded their fingers together and leaned back, letting Ilya know he understood. 

Cassie came around a few minutes later, offering slices of vanilla cake with thick white frosting and colorful sprinkles to everyone. Ilya took a plate. Shane didn’t. 

“You should try it, it’s delicious,” Ilya said, offering Shane a forkful of cake. Shane raised his eyebrow at his husband, but opened his mouth, letting Ilya feed him the cake. The sticky sweetness almost made him reach for his own piece. Almost. 

The rest of the party passed in a blur of balloons, wrapping paper and face paint. Later, when they were heading home, Ilya said, “Milo is lucky to have parents to celebrate him.”

Shane wasn’t sure if Ilya was talking more to himself or to Shane. “He is,” Shane said softly, looking over at his husband, who was staring straight ahead. Shane went back and forth in his head for a moment, debating whether he should ask Ilya what was on his mind or wait for him to be ready to share. Curiosity got the better of him though. “What were your birthdays like when you were a kid?”

Ilya shrugged and turned away. Shane didn’t push. They were almost home when Ilya said, “Yuna and David made your birthdays nice for you when you were a kid?”

Shane bit his lip. “Yeah. They did. It got harder as I got older though because of hockey.”

Ilya nodded but didn’t say anything more. Shane was sure he was thinking about his own mother so he reached over and took his hand. Ilya gave him a small grateful smile and Shane got an idea.

***

Present

Shane: Yes. The second weekend in June?

Bood: More people might be around before that though.

Shane: Yeah, but it’s considered bad luck to wish people a happy birthday before the actual day in Russia.

Bood: …that’s one I haven’t heard before. But ok. Should we bring some of the other guys in on it?

Shane: Can they keep a secret?

Bood: No. What’s your point? Lol.

Shane: Yeah, let’s do it.

Shane Hollander added Wyatt Hayes, Troy Barrett, Harris Drover, Luca Haas, Nick Chouinard, Evan Dykstra to the chat. Shane Hollander renamed the chat.

Secret Birthday Chat

Shane: Hi all…I just wanted to let you know to save the second Saturday in June for Ilya’s birthday party. And it’s a SURPRISE so don’t tell him.

Bood: Hence the name of the chat.

Wyatt: We would never.

Bood: Maybe you wouldn’t, Hazy…but y’all are a bunch of gossips.

Harris: Why do I feel like that was pointed at me?

Troy: If the shoe fits, babe…

Harris: Shut up.

Troy: Make me.

Bood: Annnyyywayy… Hollsy, this is your show. What do you need from us?

Shane: Thanks, @Bood. Would some people be ok to come early the day of the party and help me set up? Maybe Wyatt and Luca?

Wyatt: We got you, Hollsy. Right, Haas?

Shane: Does anyone have extra folding tables and chairs?

Chouinard: We have some. I can bring them over next week. 

Wyatt: No, moron, he’s trying to surprise Roz. 

Chouinard: Fine, I’ll bring them over the day of the party. Happy, @Wyatt?

Wyatt: I’m always happy, bud.

Dykstra: We’ve got some tables and chairs too.

Shane: Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. 

Bood: Anything for you guys!

Shane had to put his phone down for a moment. He blinked away the sudden tears that had appeared unbidden. He continued to be blown away by the Centaurs’ easy acceptance and affection, even after two years. It was just so different from how things were in Montreal, especially at the end. Most of the time he was fine but sometimes, like now, it hit him out of nowhere.

He picked his phone up again. 

Chouinard: How many tables we talking, Hollsy?

Shane: We’ve got the table on the deck to lay out the food, but that’s about it. I think my parents have 2. It’s really only going to be the team, my parents and maybe our neighbors. 

Chouniard: I can bring over 4 tables. What about you, @Dykstra?

Dykstra: We’ve got 3. 

Shane: Sounds good. : check: 

Dykstra: Tell me you have an actual checklist.

Shane: Um, yes? I was raised by the checklist queen. Screenshot of checklist.

Dykstra: Wow, Hollsy, that’s…involved. But if that’s what does it for you…

Bood: No, it’s clearly not what does it for him. Roz’s name is not on that list. 

Shane: Oh my God…

Wyatt: LMAO

Dykstra: Screenshot of Shane’s checklist with ‘Roz’ scrawled across the image in red.

Bood: Much better.

Luca: Sorry, Just saw this. Yes, I will help you set up. 

Wyatt: Haasy! 

Luca: Hi Wyatt.

Shane: Thanks, Luca. 

Bood: Oh, you’re doing him the favor, Hollsy…he gets to go to your house.

Luca: I can see these messages, you know.

Chouinard: :laughing:

Shane: Seems like we have most things covered…I just need someone to distract him while we set up. @Troy, @Harris, can you guys do that? Maybe go to the dog park?

Dykstra: Where did they go?

Bood: Well… screenshot of earlier texts:

         Harris: Shut up.

        Troy: Make me.

Shane: It’s fine, get back to me whenever guys.

Troy: :middle finger: (not for you @Shane, for everyone else) But yes, Harris and I can distract him while you guys set up. 

Harris: Chiron will be happy to see his bestie.

Luca: I thought I was his bestie.

Harris: You’re cute, Luca. 

Harris: Does the party have a theme, @Shane?

Shane: Umm, kinda?

Harris: You’re gonna have to commit, buddy.

Chouinard: Wouldn’t the theme be Roz’s birthday?

Harris: Oh, honey. 

Chouinard: Is this a gay thing I don’t know about?

Harris: *Queer*

Harris: Yes and no.

Chouinard: Thanks for clearing that up.

Shane: It’s like… a kid’s party. 

Troy: Well, Roz is a big kid so it fits…

Shane: There’s that.

Shane knew there was more to it, but he wouldn’t share Ilya’s private business without his permission.

Bood: So like…face painting, water balloons, that kind of stuff?

Shane: I don’t know if I trust you guys with water balloons, but yeah.

Wyatt: hey 

Dykstra: Hey!

Troy: hey

Shane: See? Lol

Bood: You need a face painter? Cassie can send you info for the one we had for Milo’s party.

Shane: That would be good, thanks. Kids and dogs are welcome. If anyone sees a Cars tablecloth and plates, let me know.

Chouinard: See that @Luca, you’re invited.

Luca: :middle finger: I’m not even the youngest on the team anymore.

Wyatt: Gotchu - link for Cars party items.

Shane: Thank you, everyone.

***

Shane looked at his checklist again which thankfully had more things crossed out than not, which was good because the party was that weekend. The balloons and most of the food were ordered, set to show up the morning of the party. The only thing he still needed to deal with was the cake. 

In order for it to be a proper kid’s birthday, Shane wanted that vanilla sheet cake with frosting and sprinkles like Bood and Cassie had gotten for Milo’s birthday, and that they’d had a pretty much every kid’s party they’d ever been to. Bood had already done a lot to help him plan though and Shane didn’t want to keep bothering him, no matter how nice Bood always was to him. No, he’d have to figure something else out.

He was sitting on the front porch, watching Andrew run around the driveway across the street with his plastic hockey stick, trying to hit a plastic puck into the tiny goal. He and Ilya had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party a couple of months back and to the delight of all the kids, had shown up for a while. He knew Ilya was friends with these neighbors especially, that they had supported Ilya when he and Shane were outed. He just was always nervous talking to people he didn’t know that well but he could do this. Shane took a deep breath and walked across the street. He waved to Kate, who was sitting on the porch, reading a magazine. 

“Shane! Shane! Guess what!” Andrew said, running up to him excitedly. Shane froze for a moment, then smiled down at his smallest neighbor. Ilya was much better with kids than he was, so he often tried to act how he knew his husband would in these situations.

“What?” Shane asked, trying to match Andrew’s enthusiasm. 

“Daddy signed me up for hockey in the fall!”

“That’s great!” Shane said as Kate approached. 

“Where’s Ilya?” the little boy wanted to know. 

“He had to take Anya for a haircut,” Shane said. More like a full spa treatment, Shane thought with a smile.

“Hi Shane,” Kate said, joining them. “I hear Andrew told you the news?”

“He did! Listen, I had kind of a random question,” Shane said, looking at her shyly now that she was standing there with him. 

“Sure,” she said brightly. 

“Where did you get that birthday cake? The one you had at Andrew’s party?” Shane asked. 

She laughed a little. “Nowhere special, I assure you…I got it at Costco.”

“Ah. Ok,” Shane said, watching Andrew swatting at the plastic puck in the middle of the driveway. He huffed in frustration. “Ilya really liked it, is all,” he said lamely. 

“If you go into the bakery section, they usually have them in the case and they’ll write on it if you want,” she said. Shane thought she wanted to ask more questions but she didn’t. Of course, it must seem weird for him to come over to ask that. Before he could spiral too much though, he turned his attention back to Andrew, who still hadn’t managed to move the puck sitting in the middle of the driveway.

“Andrew, can I see?” Shane asked after he watched the little boy struggle for another moment. He came over and dejectedly offered Shane the plastic hockey stick. Shane crouched down to his level, like he’d seen Ilya do numerous times, and adjusted Andrew’s grip on the stick. “Make sure you look where you want the puck to go, alright?” he said. “And just push it. You don't always have to hit it hard.” Andrew nodded solemnly. Kate watched them with a small smile.

“Is it Ilya’s birthday soon?” Kate asked neutrally as they both watched Andrew practice with the puck with more accuracy, clearly taking Shane’s advice seriously. 

Shane chuckled. “Yeah. I- the team…we’re throwing him a surprise party,” he said in a low voice, so Andrew wouldn’t hear and spill the beans next time Ilya came over.

“I bet he’ll love that,” Kate said. “Wish him a happy birthday from us.”

“I will. Thank you,” he paused uncertainly for a moment. “You guys are welcome to come. I can text you the details.”

Kate looked surprised. “We’d love that, Shane. The kids will be really excited.”

***

Shane: Do you still have a Costco membership?

Mom: I do…why?

Shane could imagine his mother’s expression as she typed her response. 

Shane: I want to get Ilya’s birthday cake from there.

Mom: …ok

The phone rang like Shane expected. “I have questions,” Yuna said. 

Shane chuckled. “I figured.”

“It’s for the surprise party? He doesn’t want…I don’t know, something fancier?” Yuna wondered, sounding dubious.

“No, mom…the whole point is it’s supposed to be like a kid’s party,” Shane explained. “He didn’t really get to have fun birthdays when he was a kid, you know?”

Yuna was quiet for a moment. She did know. Then she said, “Of course. Shane, that is really sweet of you.”

“I just…want to do this for him,” Shane said softly. There was a brief pause and he was sure he heard Yuna sniff.

“Ok, when can we go to Costco?” Yuna asked, all business again. Shane imagined she’d taken out her color coded planner. 

“Friday morning?” Shane said. “Can you take the cake home and bring it when you come for the party?”

“Of course.”

***

Shane tried to ignore the stares as he and Yuna made their way through Costco that Friday morning. No one came up to them, but Shane could feel people watching him. He pulled nervously at the ball cap he was wearing. Yuna could feel his discomfort, but didn’t comment on it.

“Several of the guys are bringing beer but we should probably get some just in case, along with Coke, ginger ale and flavored seltzer,” he said, looking at his list. Yuna nodded and maneuvered the oversized shopping cart into the drinks aisle. 

“Do you need snacks too? Chips and stuff?” she prompted after Shane had hauled the cases of drinks into the cart. Shane made a face but nodded. Yuna gave him a flat look, probably thinking about his diatribes about empty carbs and saturated fat. “Other people like that stuff. You need it for a party.”

“I know, I know,” Shane muttered. Sometimes being around his mother made him feel like a little kid again. 

They approached the bakery counter, where a high school aged kid was leaning on his elbows, bored. The kid’s eyes widened as Shane approached. Shane squared his shoulders, knowing what was coming, and walked up to the counter. “Hi,” he said. “I’m here for the order for Hollander.”

“Yes. Yes, of course,” the kid said, scurrying away. Shane braced himself as he came back carrying a large white box. Shane opened it to make sure it was the right cake and that it had “Happy Birthday!” written in red frosting across it. 

“Thanks,” Shane said, taking the box from the kid. The kid’s eyes flicked to his nervously. Shane waited a moment.

Then the question came. “D’you mind taking a selfie with me? No one is going to believe I met you working at Costco,” the kid said, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. 

Shane took pity on him and set the cake box down on the counter. “Mom, could you…” he asked, gesturing toward the phone the kid had fished out of his pocket. 

“Of course.” Yuna tried to suppress the proud grin on her face as she took the kid’s phone and snapped the picture. 

“Thanks, Shane,” he said. 

“Of course. The cake looks great,” Shane said, passing the phone back to the kid. He picked up the cake box and he and Yuna made their way to the front with their full cart. 

The other thing that had been nagging at him was an actual gift for Ilya. He had one idea, but he’d need to enlist help for that too. He sighed and pulled out his phone.

Shane: Hey

Svetlana: Ilya’s better half! How are you, baby?

Shane: I’m good.

Svetlana: Don’t lie to me - he told me you were still sulking about the loss.

Shane: Yes, and?

Svetlana: And nothing…I get it. So what’s up?

Shane: I was wondering if you could help me with something.

Svetlana: Anything as long as it’s not illegal. And if it is…well, I’ll never tell.

Shane: So I was thinking about a gift for Ilya

Svetlana: Sex toys are always a winner.

Shane chuckled. 

Shane: Noted. I was actually thinking of something else though.

On the morning of Ilya’s birthday, Shane woke up to an alarm he’d set to a low volume so only he could hear it. He extracted himself from their tangled limbs with some difficulty, settling Ilya on his own pillow, making sure his husband was still deeply asleep. He threw on some shorts and got up to let Anya out in the backyard. She usually wanted to run around a bit in the mornings, so Shane stood and watched as she took care of business, ran in circles around him, and sniffed in the grass.

He let her back inside, fed her breakfast and filled her water bowl. Once she was content, he went back upstairs. Ilya had burrowed under the blankets with only an arm visible from the doorway. Shane smiled to himself as he slid back into bed next to him. Ilya was curled on his side, facing away from Shane, the sun glinting off his honey colored hair. His lips were parted invitingly, his back and shoulder rose and fell with his breath. Shane was sure he’d never seen anything so beautiful. He spooned Ilya from behind, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his neck. Ilya hummed in his sleep, snuggling closer to Shane, who slid his arms around him. Shane was determined not to wake him on his birthday but he also knew that Harris and Troy were coming to kidnap him fairly early. As Shane was thinking about whether or not to wake him, Ilya rolled over and blinked sleepily at Shane. Shane smiled at him, and ran his fingers through his messy curls. 

“Happy birthday,” Shane murmured, wrapping his arms around his sleep warm husband, who hooked his leg around Shane’s, pulling their bodies flush. 

“Thank you,” he said, kissing Shane’s chin, then the corners of his mouth, then finally catching his lips and holding to them. Shane opened up to him easily, letting any worries about morning breath or time leave his brain. They kissed languidly as Ilya rolled them and pressed Shane into the pillows.

***

Ilya knew something was happening when Troy and Harris showed up after breakfast to take him to the dog park without texting first. Shane had studiously avoided eye contact as Ilya reluctantly agreed to join them. He didn’t especially want to be separated from Shane on his birthday, but he soon realized Shane had set this up, so the least he could do was play along and go with them.

He got into the back of Harris’s truck with both dogs. Come to think of it, this wasn’t a bad way to spend his birthday, he thought as the dogs greeted each other. Well, that and the hour he and Shane spent in bed before breakfast. Chiron licked his cheek so he stopped thinking about that to refocus on the dogs. Anya was curled in his lap, looking at Chiron with a possessive expression. “It’s ok, baby girl,” he murmured in Russian. “We belong to each other.” Chiron looked back at her guilelessly, his long, pink tongue lolling out. Ilya scratched both of their ears. 

Harris stopped at Starbucks for coffees, waving Ilya away when he offered to pay for his own. The three men sat on a bench sipping their coffee as the dogs chased each other, chatting easily. 

 After a couple hours at the dog park, the dogs were thoroughly exhausted. Troy’s phone buzzed and he glanced at it causally; too casually, Ilya thought. “Ready to go?” he asked Ilya. 

“Yes. I forgot sunscreen. Shane will never leave me alone if I get sunburned.” Ilya said with a small smile. It was annoying sometimes, but Ilya really appreciated being cared for like that. Shane cared enough about his skin and his health to give him a hard time. Before Shane, he hadn’t had anyone who cared about him in that way after his mother died. Troy and Harris both laughed because they knew Shane well enough by now to know what he said was true. They rounded up the dogs, got into Harris’s truck and drove back to Ilya and Shane’s house. 

There was a large bunch of red and black balloons tied to the mailbox. Ilya raised his eyebrow but Troy studiously avoided making eye contact as they headed into the backyard. 

“Surprise!” came the cry as they entered. Ilya blinked and looked around, surprised and a little shellshocked. There were a lot of people in their yard. He could see the majority of their team, the Hollanders, a few neighbors, the Pikes.

Ilya couldn’t help the strong emotions that slammed into him as his friends shook his hand and slapped him on the back, wishing him a happy birthday. He didn’t have many happy memories of his birthday from when he was a kid, especially after his mother died. He had some from his adult life, like winning the Cup in Boston on his birthday, but nothing like this. He wasn’t used to being celebrated by the people he loved. He was overwhelmed. 

His eyes sought Shane, who was standing a little further back, looking gorgeous in a teal Hawaiian shirt with white flowers that his stylist sent, black shorts (regular length, not the tiny ones he wore when they were alone) and his Pride Reeboks he’d gotten from a recent shoot, leaning on the rail of the deck, watching him. When their eyes met, Ilya blinked quickly to keep from crying in front of everyone. Shane rushed forward and caught him in a tight hug, letting Ilya hide his face in Shane’s neck, understanding quickly that he was overcome with emotion.

“Happy birthday. I love you so much,” Shane murmured as Ilya clung to him. He sniffed once, to a deep breath to compose himself and glanced at Shane who was looking concerned, as if worried he did something wrong. But then Ilya smiled and Shane smiled back. They kissed briefly but didn’t get too involved since their friends started whistling and heckling them. 

“Is this why I had to leave this morning?” he asked, amused.

“Well…yeah,” Shane said, as if it was obvious. “It wouldn’t have been a surprise otherwise.”

When he was sure he was composed, he let go of Shane and turned back to the assembled group, grinning widely. He held up his arms as if he’d just scored a goal. The guests whooped and whistled at him. A few people snapped photos with their phones. David, who had been tending the grill, came over for a hug. 

Once everyone was satisfied that Ilya was surprised, the crowd dispersed a little. Shane stayed next to him, holding his hand as Ilya took in the balloons, the Cars decorations, the face painter who’d set up on the deck and was currently turning Amber Pike into a unicorn. “You did all this,” Ilya murmured, squeezing Shane’s hand. 

Shane blushed a little, squeezing his hand back. “You deserve to be celebrated by your family,” he said softly. Ilya just had to kiss him again and again. He forced himself to stop kissing Shane though when his phone buzzed. He stepped back, accepting the FaceTime request. Soon Svetlana’s face filled the screen. 

“Happy birthday, asshole,” she said in Russian, beaming at him. “I’m sorry I can’t be there! I’m being held hostage in Boston.” She turned her phone around to show her messy Boston bedroom, littered with team paraphernalia and paperwork.

“It’s the off season, isn’t there less to do?” Ilya wondered, his answering grin splitting his face in half. 

“You’d think,” she snorted. “So cute for Shane to throw you this party.”

“It really is,” he admitted. 

“He offered to pay for a plane ticket so I could come, you know,” she continued. No, Ilya hadn’t known. He glanced up. Shane had drifted away to give Ilya some space to talk to Svetlana. He was currently filling a platter of hamburgers and hot dogs. 

“I didn’t know. It would be nice to see you in person,” Ilya said.

“I should be able to get away soon. It’s been crazy here.” Ilya nodded in understanding. Boston had made it to the Finals but had lost to Arizona. 

“We’re leaving for the cottage in a couple of days. You should visit us there,” Ilya said, wandering with his phone over to the table. He held it up so she could see what was happening. Bood and Wyatt waved to her. She blew them kisses as Ilya made his way back to Shane’s side.

“She wants to talk to you,” Ilya said, holding his phone in front of him so Shane could join him in the window. 

“Looks like a success,” Svetlana said, switching to English. 

“I think so,” Shane said, sneaking a glance at Ilya, who pressed a kiss to the side of his head. 

“It is,” Ilya confirmed. 

“Good. Shane, you got what I sent you, right?”

“I did. Thank you,” Shane said. 

Ilya looked back and forth between them. “So you’re conspiring now?”

Svetlana grinned. “Yup. Anyway, I have to go. Happy birthday!” She disconnected the call. 

“What did you ask her for?” Ilya asked. Shane shrugged and went to refill the drink cooler. 

Yuna was sipping a beer and chatting with Jackie Pike and Selena Chouinard when Ilya joined them. “You helped him with this?” he asked Yuna at a lull in the conversation.

She shook her head. “This was all his idea. He just used my Costco membership.”

Ilya chuckled. “I can’t picture him at Costco.” It was true. The image of Shane among gallon sized bottles of salad dressing or cases of a hundred rolls of paper towels didn’t compute.

“It might never happen again,” Yuna laughed.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, sincerely. He wondered vaguely if his mother had somehow made sure Yuna was here with him today. The thought made his chest ache, but the ache was smaller than it used to be.

Yuna smiled at him. She pulled him closer, hugging him tightly, kissing his cheek. “We wouldn’t have missed it, honey.” Ilya nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He let his mother in law hold him for another minute before grinning at her. 

“Do you need another drink?” he asked, still emotional.

“Don’t worry about me, go enjoy the party,” she said, waving him off. 

Ilya grabbed a beer and a hot dog as he scanned the yard. He joined Wyatt and a very pregnant Lisa at one of the tables. “You’re just getting younger, Cap,” Wyatt said, clinking his beer bottle against Ilya’s. 

Ilya chuckled. “Yes, is true. I’m still Luca’s age.”

“Hey!” Luca said from the other table. 

“Yes, yes, you’re very grown up,” Ilya said, winking at him. “You feeling ok, Lisa?”

Lisa rubbed her belly and grinned. “Great, actually.”

“You name the baby after me, is very flattering.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Right. Ilya Hayes sounds…”

“Too Canadian,” Ilya said. 

“Who’s too Canadian?” Shane wondered as he perched on Ilya’s knee. He wasn’t sure Shane would ever know how happy this easy togetherness made him. 

“Obviously you, Hollander. You’re Mr. Canada, right?”

Wyatt snorted. “Good party, Shane…I’m glad it worked out.”

“Thank you for the help earlier,” Shane said. Ilya looked between them, surprised. He’d assumed Shane had only asked his parents for help, not that he’d enlisted their team’s help too. 

“Anytime,” Wyatt said. 

“Wait, you knew?” Ilya said, clarifying. 

“Um, yes? A bunch of us did?”

“And you kept it a secret?”

“Hey now, I can keep a secret. I can’t speak for these gossips,” Wyatt said, waving his hand at some of their other friends. He was promptly booed for his suggestion that they couldn’t keep a secret.

When they brought out the cake, everyone gathered around to sing. Ilya smiled, seeing Shane had even gotten that white cake with sprinkles. Shane put it on the table, looking pleased with himself. Then Arthur Pike was tugging at Shane’s leg saying, “Uncle Shane, Uncle Shane, I can’t see.” So Shane picked the little boy up and settled him on his hip as they sang. Ilya felt something twist in his chest as he watched Shane talk quietly to Arthur as they finished singing. 

“There are so many candles, I think I need help blowing them out,” Ilya said when everyone stopped singing. “Come, kids, I need your help.” Willa, Andrew and Milo ran over to him.

“You want to get down?” he heard Shane ask Arthur.

“No,” was the decisive answer. “I want to stay here with you.”

“Ok, buddy,” Shane said. The other kids gathered around Ilya.

“Ready? One, two, three,” he said and they all blew out the candles together. Everyone cheered and Arthur covered his ears. 

“It’ll be quiet in a minute,” Shane said reassuringly to him. Ilya felt someone squeeze his shoulder. He turned to see Lisa watching Shane with Arthur too.

“He’s going to be such a good dad,” she said. 

Ilya nodded slowly. “He is.”

Later on, Ilya was comfortably full and a little buzzed as he sat in the grass, watching the kids tirelessly chasing each other as the sun began to dip below the horizon. All of the Centaurs had gotten the face painter to draw a simple version of  the team logo on their cheeks and Harris had snapped many photos for the team socials. They’d even tried to make a pyramid for a photo op but Harris made them stop, saying he didn’t want to be responsible for any off season injuries. Shane joined him, sliding between his legs, settling with his back to Ilya’s chest.  Bood was perched on the arm of one of the Adirondack chairs, sipping a beer. Luca had his sketch pad open and was drawing. Chouinard, Dykstra and Dillon had set up a makeshift beer pong table on the deck. Ilya wrapped his arms around Shane’s waist and sighed in contentment. 

Cassie came over, carrying a sleepy Milo, and whispered to Bood, who nodded. He stood, stretching as he approached Ilya and Shane. “We gotta get this guy home,” Bood said. “Happy birthday, Roz.” 

Ilya and Shane stood up and Ilya gave Bood a hug. “Thank you,” he said, sincerely.

“Good party, Shane,” Bood said with a grin.

“Thanks for your help,” Shane said, thumping him on the back a little.

Bood shrugged. “It was your show, man. Anyway…we’re leaving for vacation but I’ll see you in July at the camp.”

“Sounds great,” Shane said. “Enjoy your trip.”

The Centaurs had agreed not to buy each other birthday gifts after one particularly competitive year where they’d bought each other increasingly ridiculous and expensive gifts in effort to one up each other. So Ilya was surprised when Luca gave him a small flat package. He looked at Luca questioningly, and he just shrugged. So Ilya unwrapped the gift to reveal a drawing of himself as Spiderman. 

“Oh wow, that’s so cool,” Ilya said. 

Luca smiled, a flush creeping up his neck. “I am glad you like it.”

“Thank you,” Ilya said sincerely, as he wrapped Luca in a hug. 

“Hey buddy, if you need a ride home…” Wyatt said, as he and Lisa made their way towards them. 

“Yes, yes, I am coming,” Luca said. “Happy birthday, Ilya.”

It didn’t take long for the party to break up after that. Yuna and David stayed to help them clean up, and they’d promised to deliver the various borrowed tables and chairs the following day. They headed inside once they were satisfied that they’d collected all of the party trash and put some leftovers in the fridge and sent the parents home with the rest. Ilya flopped on the couch, tired but in a good way. In a way that meant he’d spent his day exactly as he wanted to.  Shane sat down next to him, and he curled into Shane’s side. It took scarcely any time for Shane’s fingers to slip into his curls, rubbing soothing circles into his scalp. He rested his head on Shane’s shoulder. 

“All good?” Shane asked, giving him a searching look. 

“All good,” Ilya confirmed. “It was good birthday…even if we didn’t win the Cup this time.”

“I guess nothing can compete with that,” Shane conceded. 

Ilya huffed and climbed into Shane’s lap. “I can think of a few things,” he said, kissing Shane behind his ear. Shane sighed a little then wrapped his arms around Ilya’s back, pulling them flush. They kissed again. 

When they were getting ready for bed, Shane put a wrapped box on Ilya’s pillow. He looked up at his husband, questioningly. “You didn’t think I’d give you a birthday present?” Shane said, amused. 

“The party was not my present?” Ilya asked, sliding into bed. He picked up the gift, turning it over in his hands.

“Part of it,” Shane said with a shrug. As if it was no big deal. Ilya unwrapped the box, taking out a rectangle. “Here.” Shane took it from him, pressed a button on the back of it and handed it back to him. Ilya felt his throat close for the second time that day.

It was a digital frame with pictures from when he was a kid. He remembered some of them as he flipped through them, but some of them he’d never seen before. One where he and Svetlana were running down the street with a kite. Another where they were holding cones with ice cream dripping down their chins. Another where Ilya was grinning and he was missing his two front teeth. “Is this what Svetlana sent you?” he asked, his voice thick.

“Yeah,” Shane said, his cheeks pink. “These were just the ones she had around her place. She said there’s probably more, but they’re in Russia.”

Ilya nodded as he looked at the pictures on the screen, a flood of memories accompanying each one. “This is perfect.”

“Yeah?” Shane said, still watching him.

“Yeah,” Ilya replied, pulling Shane close and kissing him deeply. He hoped the kiss said everything he wanted to but couldn’t quite express. Shane seemed to understand, kissing him back with equal enthusiasm.