Chapter Text
Shortly after Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov got married, two very important things happened:
1. Ilya had changed his legal surname to Hollander, although he knew he would continue to be known professionally as Ilya Rozanov or, on good days, Ilya Hollander-Rozanov.
2. Ilya had added Shane’s name to the deed on the house.
Ilya had spent the whole summer renovating the house to make it more Shane-friendly, despite Shane’s insistence that it had been fine as it was.
Ilya wanted only the best for Shane. He had the driveway extended so there was room for both of Shane’s cars, since he didn’t like parking in the garage with all of Ilya’s sports cars. He renovated the kitchen so that everything was in an order that made the most sense to Shane. He changed every light switch to a dimmer and had a sound system installed which could play soothing sounds in every room.
Ilya’s favourite weekend had been the one where he framed and hung all of the new decor he had acquired. In their front hallway, he hung their jerseys from their rookie years - Boston 81 and Montreal 24 - in silver frames. Next to those jerseys, was one of Ilya’s jerseys from his first season with the Ottawa Centaurs. He had kept a spare frame and a spot on the wall for Shane’s Ottawa jersey to hang there.
Around the rest of the house, Ilya put up as many framed photos of him and Shane as he could find, scattering them on every bookshelf and side table in the house.
He regretted that there weren’t many photos from the first few years of knowing one another, but he contented himself with official photographs taken at events, an outtake of the photoshoot they had done the first time they hooked up, and the selfie Ilya had taken onstage at an awards show. Beyond that, there were countless photos of the last few years of their life together which, before they had been outed, had lived in a secret folder on Ilya’s phone.
He also had framed a few photos of him and Svetlana over the years, one of Shane and Rose, a handful of them with David and Yuna, a few of Shane and Hayden, Ilya and Jackie, and several of the Pike children who Ilya adored despite their paternal figure, and a stack of photos that Yuna had given him of Shane growing up.
And, of course, there were about thousand photos of Anya.
Shane had tried to insist on being allowed to help with the renovations but had been turned away at every point because Ilya adored surprises. Nearly every day, he showed Shane something new he had bought or had installed.
Today, they were in the home gym.
‘Look at this.’ Ilya pointed at the ceiling and flicked on the light switch. A warm glow emanated from a series of globes.
Shane squinted at the lights. ‘Mood lighting?’
‘Is for your yoga and meditation,’ Ilya explained. ‘You can adjust on here,’ he showed Shane the dial on the wall. ‘Will be good for when you are feeling overwhelmed, too. I asked them to put in when they came to do the ones in the bedroom.’
A lump formed in Shane’s throat. ‘‘That is so thoughtful.’
Ilya beamed at him. ‘You like?’
Shane wrapped his arms around Ilya’s neck. ‘I love it. I love everything about this house.’
‘I like that it is ours.’ Ilya kissed Shane’s cheek. ‘Not just mine, or yours. Our home.’
Shane shook his head as he pulled away, turning back to look at the lights properly. ‘I can’t believe the season starts in two days.’
Ilya groaned and wrapped his arms around Shane’s waist, burying his face in Shane’s neck. ‘I can’t believe we have to leave tomorrow.’
‘I know.’ Shane fiddled with the dimmer dial. ‘Feels like with the camps we barely had any time to relax this summer.’
‘At least we get to stay together during the season now,’ Ilya reminded him.
Shane smiled gently. ‘Mm, that is true.’
Ilya squeezed Shane gently. ‘You are nervous?’
‘A little,’ he admitted.
‘It’s just training camp, Shane.’
‘I know but it’s weird.’ Shane spun around to face Ilya again. ‘We’re married, I don’t really know any of them. What if they have had time to think about it all and have decided they actually don’t want me-…’
Ilya cut off the spiral before Shane could get stuck. ‘Listen to me. You have a personal guard dog that also happens to be captain of team. They should fall to their knees and kiss your skates, moya lyubov.’
‘And another thing,’ said Shane. Ilya groaned dramatically. ‘Why are we doing training camp in Saskatchewan?’
Ilya shrugged. ‘Wiebe has a thing about it. He says team bonding should happen away from home so there are fewer distractions. Lucky for us, we take our distractions with us.’ He pressed another kiss to Shane’s neck, but Shane seemed determined not to be distracted in the current moment.
‘I’ll miss Anya.’ He pouted.
Ilya sighed and straightened up. ‘Me too, but your parents love having her and she loves being spoiled by her grandparents. Is okay for short while, yes?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I promise, will be a good time. I make sure of it.’
‘Okay.’
‘Besides, it will be fun to be back there.’
Shane frowned. ‘Yeah?’
‘Da.’ Ilya grinned. ‘Is where we first met. Remember?’
Shane melted. ‘Mmm. How could I forget?’
The doorbell rang and Ilya moved to open the door after pressing a final kiss to Shane’s skin. He came back a few moments later with a package.
‘Is for you.’
‘What is it?’
Ilya shrugged. ‘You think I can see through cardboard? Open it.’
Shane ripped into the box and smiled down at it. His eyes flicked over to Ilya.
‘It’s my jersey.’
Ilya stiffened immediately. ‘Put it on. Wear nothing else. Wait for me upstairs.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Shane replied, already a little breathless.
~
Ilya gave Shane twenty minutes to prepare physically and emotionally.
By the time he entered the bedroom, Shane had cleaned himself, stripped, and was kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed.
He wore, as instructed, only his Centaurs jersey.
‘Mmm, good boy,’ Ilya hummed. ‘Know your place, don’t you?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Know that you should always be on your knees for your captain.’ The word made a shiver blow through Shane and he tipped his head back without even realising he had done it.
Ilya chuckled and put his hand on Shane’s throat. He didn’t squeeze it, not yet. He just cupped his hand there to steady Shane.
‘Let me look at you.’ He used his other hand to push Shane forward so that he was bent at the waist, his face pressed into the floor. ‘All that yoga, so useful.’
Ilya released Shane’s throat and stood above him. He ran his fingers over the back of the jersey, spelling out HOLLANDER 24. Shane writhed beneath him.
‘You’re going to play such good hockey for me, aren’t you, baby?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Shane’s voice was muffled by the carpet.
‘Going to listen to every fucking order you are given, yes?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Going to let everyone see how obedient you are? How hard you work for me? Only for me?’
‘Fuck. Yes, Daddy.’
Ilya was rock hard. ‘Fuck. Good boy. Sit up and open your fucking mouth.’
~
Shane panted, trying desperately to catch his breath. He made a face at the jersey now covered in sweat, cum and his tears of pleasure and desperation.
‘Thank god they sent a few of these.’
Ilya returned to the bed with a damp washcloth and gently cleaned Shane’s skin, and then the worst of the debris on the jersey. ‘We wash. It will survive.’
Shane shook his head. ‘I can’t wear this around other people. I’ll just think about this and get hard.’
‘What is problem?’
‘Ilya!’
Ilya smirked. ‘Fine, this is home jersey. Is okay.’
‘Good.’
‘Maybe this is the one I frame?’
Shane rolled his eyes and moved to get off the bed to go and shower. ‘You are impossible.’
‘Mm, yes. Should be impossible to fuck you that well and yet, here I am.’
~
The next morning, after dropping Anya off with Shane’s parents, they met the other Centaurs at the airport.
Shane was surprised to see that they all hugged each other hello. Ilya even ruffled the hair of Luca Haas, their youngest player, who Shane knew he thought of as a little brother.
Shane was still a little shy around the Centaurs, which wasn’t hard to believe. It had taken him years to grow comfortable around his old team. And a few minutes to shatter that comfort. He was learning to trust again.
It was made a thousand times easier through having Ilya there. Everyone adored him, even when they teased him or rolled their eyes at his teasing. He was so clearly their captain, their leader. Shane was incredibly proud to be with him.
In the departures lounge Shane sat with Troy, Harris and Evan, and kept an eye on Ilya’s backpack while the latter made the rounds.
‘How was your summer?’ Troy asked Shane.
‘Pretty good. Busy. We had the camps and then went straight into moving the rest of my stuff from Montreal and getting the house straightened out.’
‘Right, yeah, you said.’ Troy nodded. He had helped out at the hockey camps and had seemed to really enjoy it. ‘Before that though you guys were at your cabin for a bit?’
Shane nodded. A vague smile crossed his face as he thought of the time they had spent there. ‘My cottage, yeah. It’s so peaceful. We can just exist there, it’s so nice.’
‘God, that sounds great.’ Evan whistled. ‘Gotta get me one of those. Fuck Canada though. I’m gonna put mine in Ibiza or something.’
‘Good plan, Ev,’ Harris laughed.
‘How were your summers?’ Shane asked all three of them.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ilya grab Luca Haas around the shoulders and hold him in a headlock. He messed up Luca’s hair like an annoying big brother. Luca didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was grinning like a kid.
‘Pretty good.’ Evan nodded. ‘Just relaxed the whole time.’
‘That’s the way to do it.’
Troy stretched his hands over his head, stifling a yawn. ‘Harris works through the summer so we were pretty normal. I slept a lot, did the hockey camps. Went to New York for a weekend to catch up with Hunter and Bennett.’
Shane perked up. ‘How are they?’
‘Great. Scott and Kip are getting married soon. They’re so excited.’
‘Are you two gonna have a proper wedding so we can actually party?’ Evan nodded at Shane’s wedding ring.
Shane blushed. ‘Eventually. We’re just focusing on the season for now.’
‘Lame.’ Evan rolled his eyes. ‘I wanna get drunk with your mom. She always seems so cool when I see her at press stuff.’
Shane chuckled and nodded. ‘She is pretty cool.’
When the calls to board the plane started, Ilya reached for Shane. ‘Were they being nice?’
Shane chuckled, caught off-guard by the question. ‘Of course they were.’
‘Good. Just checking.’
Shane tugged gently on Ilya’s elbow, holding him back from the others for a moment. ‘Ilya, we talked about this,’ he said gently.
‘I know, I know.’
‘You can’t be protective over me when it’s with our team,’ Shane continued. ‘I have to be able to hold my own, especially since you’re the captain.’
‘I know, I will get better.’ He pressed a kiss to Shane’s temple. ‘Is only first day, moya dusha.’
That was Shane’s new favourite pet name. He had always enjoyed Ilya calling him my love, and beloved and, of course, sweetheart. But when moya dusha, my soul, had slipped out on their wedding night, it had quickly become Shane’s favourite.
‘The first of many, mon âme.’