Work Text:
June 15, 2018. Montreal.
Shane checked his bag one last time, making sure he had everything he needed. It was about six in the morning. Early enough to have plausible deniability that he was up for his morning run, when in reality, he was planning a secret trip to the airport.
Shane:
Good morning! Happy birthday!
I hope you have a great day. I love you!
He made sure his boarding pass was tucked safely into his front pocket when he heard his phone ding.
Ilya:
Morning :)
Thank you moya lyubov
I miss you
Shane smiled to himself, knowing what surprise he had in store for the day. He didn’t want Ilya to be alone on his birthday while he packed up his apartment. He grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and toed on his shoes, typing out his response.
Shane:
I miss you too.
Wait, why are you up this early?
Ilya:
Couldn’t sleep
Had soooooo many messages wishing me happy birthday
The people love me, I need to answer them
Shane laughed to himself and rolled his eyes, locking the door to his apartment and heading downstairs. His Uber was already waiting for him outside to take him to the airport. He climbed in, and they sped away, already ahead of schedule.
Shane:
What do you have planned for your special day?
Ilya:
Nothing fun :(
Not without you
Just packing to move to Ottawa in a couple of weeks and maybe a nap
All very boring, you would love it
Shane:
Sounds fun.
Ilya:
See you are already excited
I will probably make Marley take me to dinner
What are you doing today?
Shane’s Uber dropped him off at the departures section of the airport, and he got checked in and through security. He looked up at the board of flights, seeing that his flight to Boston was still marked as ON TIME.
Shane:
My parents drove up today, we are going to go to brunch and maybe one of the museums
Some time passed, and Shane watched planes taking off and landing out of the large windows. He was pleased with himself at how well his plan was going. He even had time to grab a coffee nearby and return to his gate before it was time to board the plane. Just as he was called to line up, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Ilya:
I think I am going to take nap now
Woke up too early, need my beauty sleep
Shane smiled to himself. This is perfect! He thought. I’ll arrive right around when he wakes up! He gave the flight attendant his boarding pass and found his seat on the plane, bringing out his phone one last time to reply to Ilya.
Shane:
Okay, get some good rest. I’ll talk to you later.
Ilya:
<3
Shane’s flight was a quick, hour-and-a-half, uneventful flight. He arrived in Boston, called an Uber, and was on his way to Ilya’s house, practically vibrating with excitement. He couldn’t believe he managed to pull this off.
He got out of the car, walked up the pathway to the door, and knocked. Nothing. No worries. He may still be asleep. He waited a beat and rang the bell. Still nothing. It looked like all was still in the house, actually. And it seemed like no lights were on either. It was almost noon now, but usually, Ilya had at least a lamp on. Brows furrowing, Shane decided to call Ilya. The phone picked up just as it was about to go to voicemail.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Shane started. “Are you home?”
A long pause. “Ah, no…” Ilya answered.
“Where are you?”
~~~~~~
June 15, 2018. Boston.
Ilya raced around his house, grabbing last-minute items he had forgotten and making sure he had enough socks for his trip, when his phone vibrated.
Shane:
Good morning! Happy birthday!
I hope you have a great day. I love you!
His heart fluttered in his chest at the messages. Shane was always up so early and beating everyone to the day. He was probably getting ready for his morning run. Ilya knew he could possibly blow his cover if he responded at six in the morning, but he couldn’t resist a chance to talk to his Shane.
Ilya:
Morning :)
Thank you moya lyubov
I miss you
It was true. Being so far apart, in separate cities, across two countries, was normally hard. But being apart on either of their birthdays was even harder. He missed Shane and didn’t want to be alone on his birthday, even though they were going to be closer starting next month. He slipped his tennis shoes on and locked the front door, his phone vibrating in his pocket.
Shane:
I miss you too.
Wait, why are you up this early?
He chuckled to himself. I knew he’d catch onto me, he thought.
Ilya:
Couldn’t sleep
Had soooooo many messages wishing me happy birthday
The people love me, I need to answer them
It wasn’t a lie; he had gotten other birthday messages from Marley and some of his other teammates on the Raiders since he had gotten up.
Shane:
What do you have planned for your special day?
Ilya:
Nothing fun :(
Not without you
Just packing to move to Ottawa in a couple of weeks and maybe a nap
All very boring, you would love it
He got in his car and started his drive to the airport, swinging through the McDonald’s drive-thru on his way for his favorite breakfast. His phone vibrated again as he continued his drive to the airport, parking in the garage. He checked it as he walked to the departures area.
Shane:
Sounds fun.
He checked in and went through security, the lines taking a little longer than usual for this early in the day.
Ilya:
See you are already excited
I will probably make Marley take me to dinner
What are you doing today?
Shane:
My parents drove up today, we are going to go to brunch and maybe one of the museums
Ilya wandered through the airport before going to his terminal, already having checked that his flight to Montreal was coming in ON TIME. He grabbed a coffee at a Dunkin Donuts and meandered down to his terminal just in time for the boarding processes to begin.
He gave his boarding pass to the flight attendants and made his way down to the plane, picking out whichever seat he wanted and typing out one last quick message to Shane to cover his tracks.
Ilya:
I think I am going to take nap now
Woke up too early, need my beauty sleep
Shane’s reply came a few minutes later, just before they needed to turn their phones off.
Shane:
Okay, get some good rest. I’ll talk to you later.
Ilya:
<3
Ilya’s flight landed an hour and forty-five minutes later in Montreal. They ended up having to circle the airport a couple of times due to other traffic in the sky. He was just pulling up the Uber app to type in Shane’s address when his name popped up on the screen. Ilya debated answering it for a couple of rings before ultimately answering it before it went to voicemail.
“Hello?” He asked.
“Hey,” Shane’s voice came down the line. “Are you home?”
Fuck. Ilya paused, probably too long. “Ah, no…” He answered.
“Where are you?” Shane asked.
“...Montreal.”
“What??” Shane asked incredulously.
“Surprise!” Ilya exclaimed, leaning against the wall, waiting to hear Shane’s reaction.
“No, you can’t be in Montreal,” Shane said, sounding confused.
“Why, where are you?” Ilya asked, looking at the time. It was not quite noon yet.
“I’m in Boston, on your front porch!” Shane half-yelled, half-laughed.
“What?!” Ilya shouted, his turn to be confused.
“Surprise!” Shane mimicked Ilya from earlier. “I didn’t want you to be alone on your birthday.”
“I didn’t either, and I didn’t feel like packing,” Ilya laughed into the phone, drawing a hand down his face. “Now what?”
“I’ll get a flight back to Montreal. Let yourself into the apartment. I’ll text you the code,” Shane said. “We have all weekend, it’s a short flight.”
“I’ll pick you up from the airport in your very sensible car,” Ilya laughed.
~~~~~~
Later that evening, when they were both back together in Shane’s apartment and fully sated from celebrating Ilya’s birthday, Shane was lying across Ilya’s chest. Ilya’s hands were running absent-mindedly through Shane’s hair.
“I can’t believe we both had the same idea,” Shane laughed. And then Ilya was laughing, Shane turning over to look at him. He looked like he had stars in his eyes. Shane reached up and kissed him, and they kept laughing at each other and at how neither of them could tell what the other was up to that morning. They fell asleep in each other's arms, completely content. It was one of Ilya’s favorite birthdays.