Chapter Text
Officially, there were no Littles allowed in the MLH. Even with a regular drop schedule they were seen as a liability on the ice.
Most players were Neutrals. They were seen as the perfect athletes who could build “normal” families and concentrate on their sport.
If a player was a Caregiver, it was their own responsibility to be able to focus on their career while caring for a Little. That made it extremely difficult for them. They either had to have another Caregiver as a partner or they volunteered in centers in their free time to balance their designation.
Shane and Ilya often used their baby-sitting time with the Pike children to settle themselves, but it just wasn't the same as caring for a Little. But so far neither of them was ready to give up hockey to take in a Little on their own.
Most of their teammates were Neutrals, but that didn't stop Ilya from letting his designation bleed into his captaining style. Of course, it was often used for chirping in the locker room, but in reality they quite enjoyed being babied a bit by their captain.
It also made Ilya more perceptive to noticing anybody struggling in their team. And these days it was mostly their rookie Luca who was on his mind.
Luca had started out strong when he had arrived in Ottawa. Always one of the first people to arrive for training, always eager to impress the others - mostly Shane and Ilya to be honest.
The first time he had shown some signs of struggling, Ilya had thought that he might have been homesick for his family. Even though it had been a completely different situation, he could remember very well how it had been moving so far away at such a young age.
Luca had seemed tired and slightly cranky, but he had been still performing well on the ice. After the Christmas break he had seemed stabilized after all.
That was until their ‘almost’ plane crash a few weeks later. The whole team was still in shock and everybody was glad when they finally returned to Ottawa. Luca, however, didn't turn up for training the next day.
Even though the current situation could easily explain Luca’s absence, Ilya still had a bad feeling about this. As soon as the training was finished, he tried calling Luca, but all he got was his voicemail.
Staring at his phone after hanging up again, Ilya frowned, his inner instinct screaming at him that something was wrong.
“You want to check on him in person, right?” Shane asked. After all these years he could read Ilya like an open book.
“If you don't mind… You can just drop me off at his place. I can take an Uber back home.”
“Bullshit… You're not the only one who wants to make sure that Haasy is okay.”
Ilya's only answer was a kiss and a soft smile.
Seeing Luca's car in the driveway made it obvious that their rookie was home, but nobody opened the door, even after ringing the bell several times.
“You think police will believe me when I’ll tell that I kicked in the door for wellness check?”
“I wouldn't be so sure about it… Ilya, wait a fucking moment, alright?!”
Holding back his husband, Shane took a look around, before kneeling down by the flowerbed near the front door. He moved a few stones and brushed away some dirt, soon finding what he was looking for.
Reaching for the spare key, he could sense Ilya sticking out his tongue at him behind his back, but he didn't care. Shane quickly got up and unlocked the door.
They surely hadn't been prepared for what was waiting for them inside.
Luca’s bag from the roadie was still lying by the door, opened but not yet unpacked. The distinct odor of urine hung in the air and from somewhere in the house they could hear whimpering.
“Fuck…” Ilya muttered as he made his way towards the living room, Shane immediately following him. What they found broke their hearts. In front of the muted television, which was showing a colorful kids program, Luca was lying on the floor. He was crying silently, a pacifier hanging from his lips, hugging a stuffed dog in his arms.
Despite the chilly air of the room he was just wearing a T-shirt and a diaper, which had already spilt over, leaving a wet spot on the carpet.
“Oh, malysh…”
It was only when Ilya stepped around the couch that Luca realized he wasn't alone anymore. Eyes wide with shock, Luca tried to crawl away, only to bump into the sofa behind him.
“It's okay, malysh. No need to be afraid. We're here to help,” Ilya said softly while lowering down to Luca’s level.
From up close he could see the red rimmed eyes and the blotchy face - a clear sign that Luca had been crying for quite some time. Ilya wished he could scoop up the baby and hold him close, but he knew better. If he didn't want to frighten him even more, he had to be careful.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ilya could see Shane emerging from the kitchen, holding a wet cloth in his hand. Luca noticed him as well. He let out another wail, his paci falling from his mouth as a result.
“Bah… bah…”
“Oh, malysh, it's okay. Here is your soska,” Ilya cooed as he picked up the paci and held it out to Luca. The baby stared at it for a long moment before he finally took it and plopped it back inside his mouth.
“See? Better al-” Before Ilya could finish, Luca pushed himself into his arms, burying his face into the older man’s neck.
Ilya's instincts flared up immediately as he pulled the baby even closer.
“All good, malysh… and look! It's Shane! Can he clean your face for you, baby?”
Shane knelt down next to them, showing Luca the damp cloth. For a moment Luca hesitated, staring at it as if he didn't know what it was. Only when he nodded slowly, Shane leaned in, carefully wiping Luca's face until the dried snot and the traces of tears were gone.
“Oh, look at that… such a sweet baby…” Shane cooed and booped Luca’s nose. Luca couldn't help himself, but giggle at that.
The sound eased the pain in Ilya’s and Shane's hearts.
“Pa… pa… Da…da…?” Luca asked, looking
at them with big eyes.
“If you want, malysh… We could be your Papa and Dada.”