Work Text:
Early March 2018
"Sorry boys, no one’s getting into Boston today, there's ice on the runway and they can't keep it thawed long enough to stay safe. Flights cancelled until tomorrow."
Ilya heard the airport staff announce the news over the intercom and could only feel annoyed that he was now staying in Montreal for another night, which he would typically be happy about except Shane had left on a plane over an hour ago heading to Detroit for their next game.
"Hey cap, at least now you can go see Jane again tonight." Marly said with a grin, coming over to where Ilya was sitting.
"No. Jane left earlier today, she is not here now."
"Damn that's bad luck."
And the bad luck kept coming. The hotel the team had checked out of earlier that day wasn't able to accommodate the whole team again.
"Rozanov, over here," called Coach LeClaire. "Listen, we have enough rooms between the two hotels for everyone except five people so we need to figure out who's triple bunking. As captain, can you help me decide?"
"Five people you say,” Ilya’s started turning over a quick plan that wouldn’t have been an option this time last year, “do you trust me, Coach?"
"Yes of course, Rozanov, what do you have in mind?"
"No triple bunking, I will take Marly, Connors, Hammy, and Vicks with me. We'll be back in the morning. Send text with updated flight information."
"Uh, sure ok, you positive about this?"
No, he wasn't but Shane wasn't in town and Ilya didn't want to be alone in a hotel room or in a hotel room at all if he didn't have to be so what he said was, "yes sure thing, Coach, is no problem."
After rounding up the group of men, they proceeded to get a taxi to take them to the condo. Thankfully, Ilya knew the front door code by now and didn't have to lead his teammates up through the back alley door.
"Uh Roz, where are we?" Connors asked as they entered the condo. Ilya was just finishing up turning off the alarm and getting the lights all turned on as he rounded the corner from the doorway to fully inside the condo.
"Is this Jane's place?" Hammersmith said as he placed his bag on the floor near the table.
"Ok boys, yes this is one of Jane's homes, and there are ground rules: first, no shoes, take them off by the door. Next there are three rooms, you'll be sharing king beds but we've slept in worse places. Last, you touch nothing you do not need to, Jane is very particular and will know if things are out of place, yes?"
"Soooo, who are you sharing a bed with Roz?" Marly grinned at him, "do we finally get to meet Jane?"
"Marly I tell you already, Jane is not here, she left already so no you will not meet Jane. Also I will be sleeping alone because none of you get to sleep in Jane’s bed."
"Now let's find something to eat, there's nothing but coke and ginger ale in the fridge here," St. Simon said finally adding to the conversation.
"Pizza it is boys!" Connors yelled, pulling up DoorDash on his phone.
***
On the other side of the city
Shane entered his penthouse and before he even was able to put his bag down, his phone was alerting him that the alarm at the condo was now disarmed which didn’t make sense as he knows only two people know the code to the alarm. He mentally groaned that he hadn't put up the doorbell camera yet that he'd been meaning to get to for months now. Pulling out his phone, he dials Ilya's number, thinking maybe for some reason it would be him, though why he didn't come to the penthouse Shane didn't know. The two of them hadn't used the condo since being at the cottage last summer. Shane couldn't even remember when he was last at the condo.
"Hi this is Ilya, I'll never listen to your voicemail." No answer. Well, at least that made sense, Ilya's on a plane back to Boston. Checking the alarm notification again, Shane notices that it says disarmed, not tripped. It had been a long day, playing an afternoon game, getting ready for the plane to Detroit, sitting on the plane for over an hour before being told that there was a malfunction and they would have to deplane and then the flight being cancelled all together, and now Shane just wanted to take a hot shower and then call his boyfriend who should be home in a couple hours himself.
Instead, he pulled his shoes back on and headed out the door to go figure out what was happening at his other building.
About 40 minutes later he pulled up to the parking lot behind the condo building relieved to be out of the Montreal traffic. Taking the stairs up the back entrance, he let himself in through the laundry room.
"Ilya, are you here?" He called out, hoping to not startle the man if he was there.
"Hollander? Wait-" he heard Ilya's distinct voice coming from the direction of the living room.
Next thing he knew, he also heard what seemed to be a struggle and a lot of shushing and grunting noises. "You all will shut up and wait here until I say, if not I will tell Coach that you need to do bag skates and passing drills until you pass out or puke for the next week."
Ilya then came around the corner into the kitchen where Shane had stalled his walk into the condo.
"What are you doing here?" He spoke quietly like trying to keep a secret.
"Me? What are you doing here? Who else is here? Oh my god, Ilya, what is happening right now?" Shane hissed back at him.
"Breath солнышко, it's ok. Our flight was cancelled, ice or something, hotel had no rooms, I brought some guys here to stay for the night. You're supposed to be in Detroit." Ilya rushed to get as many of the straight details out knowing that Shane needed to be able to process the direct information before his panic attack could set in. "Just breathe, it's ok."
"Do they know?" Shane asked, panic still on the edge of his voice. "About us, I mean?"
"They know this is Jane's condo, that is the only thing I have told them."
"You just yelled out my name Ilya, I think they know I'm here." Shane took a deep breath in. "Who’s here?”
“Marly, Hammy, Connors and Victor.” Ilya answered quickly.
Only four people, that wasn’t that many and they had to start somewhere, Shane had people that knew, Ilya deserved that too. “Ok, you know what, this is fine. We were going to tell people right? These guys are good, yes?"
"The best, Shane, they are good men, and I trust them." Ilya was practically vibrating with excitement but trying to contain it so that he wouldn't spook Shane. There was nothing more that Ilya wanted than to be able to tell his team about the love of his life and if Shane was on board, he wasn't going to stop it now. Before he realized what was happening, Shane was slipping by walking into the living room.
"Hello," Shane said tentatively, "I hear your flight was cancelled?"
"Uh, what the fuck?" Connors said while pulling a slice of pizza away from his mouth where he had clearly been about to take a bite.
"Hollander, what are you doing here?" Marly asked with a little more tact but still with a look of shock on his face.
"Hi Jane." Victor just smirked, making Shane's mouth drop open.
"You knew!?" Ilya cried, coming into the room.
"Well I didn't until you just announced him before telling us all to shut up, but I've had my suspicions," Victor said now with a smile. "And by the way, my brother's gay and I honestly don't care. Thanks for letting us stay here, Hollander."
"Uh yeah, sure, no problem I guess," Shane stammered out, looking back at Ilya and then at the four other men sitting on the couch in front of him.
"Ok, well, pizza's getting cold, Hollander. You're welcome to join us," Hammersmith noted, grabbing another slice of pizza like nothing out of the ordinary has happened in the last five minutes.
"Uh no Hammy, my Jane does not eat pizza." Ilya said with a laugh.
"He's right, I don't typically eat pizza, but you know what? Today has been weird enough and I'm too exhausted to care." Shane grabbed a piece of pizza that seemed to have vegetables on it and sat down.
No one was saying anything, just staring at one another, not sure how to act in this situation.
"I'm sure you have questions yes?" Ilya finally broke the silence.
"My only question is what the actual fuck?" Marly said, still looking somewhat gobsmacked.
Shane couldn't help it. The laughter bubbled out of him unbidden and louder than he normally was in the company of near strangers. The laughter became contagious and soon enough, everyone was laughing.
"Ok, here's what I'll tell you right now. Ilya and I have been together officially since last summer but something for a long time. You all seem to know about Jane so… Jane is me. I've always been Jane."
"Yeah alright, but Roz has been texting Jane since his rookie season," Hammersmith noted after taking a drink of soda.
"Da, yes, and Shane has always been my Jane, keep up Hammy."
"Since rookie season, really?" Victor asked.
"Summer before," Shane and Ilya said in unison and then started laughing again at the joke.
Suddenly, with a serious tone, Marly spoke again, "You're leaving Boston, aren't you Roz? That's why you haven't signed a new contract yet even though the regular season is almost over." Cliff looked over at them both, now with glassy eyes.
"Ah Marly, you're right. I will be free agent this summer, and I am thinking of looking at other options, not only because of our relationship though. I will not be going back to Russia and I am looking at ways to no longer have Russian passport. Yes, I could stay in US, but US is also not best for queer people overall, so I think Canada is a good idea for me for a long time now, probably yes."
"You're going to go to Montreal?" Connors said, almost pained.
"NO," both Ilya and Shane said again at the same time. "No, not Montreal, nothing is decided yet but Montreal wouldn't have cap space for me anyways, something about another somewhat important player already being paid too much there," Ilya said, trying to keep the affection out of his voice.
"Shut up asshole, you know Montreal wouldn't want you anyway," Shane quipped back at him. Continuing his thoughts out loud, Shane spoke again. "And nothing is being decided tonight either. Thanks for the pizza, and for being as good about this as you have been. I know it was not how you all expected the night to go, but now, Ilya, let's go home. You can pick these guys up in the morning." Shane stood and grabbed Ilya's hand to get him to follow.
"What do you mean home? Aren't you just staying here?" Hammersmith spoke the question on seemingly everyone's mind.
"No, this is just the sex condo, Ilya and I will go back to my penthouse because we get a surprise extra night together and I'm sure you all don't need to be around for it," Shane said as he walked out of the room but loud enough they could still hear him.
"Bye boys! I will see you tomorrow, don't call me," Ilya called out with a huge grin as he followed Shane toward the back door after getting his shoes and bag from by the front.
"Sex condo?"
"What the fuck?"
"Ilya, come back here!" they yelled after the retreating form of their captain as they heard the back door shut.