Work Text:
"You know, I was thinking," Shane says as he leans against Ilya in bed after that first appointment. His head is swimming with a list a marathon long of things they would have to do in the next seven-ish months. It's completely overwhelming, but there's one thing he thinks might help.
"Should I call the authorities?" Ilya quips back, looking up at Shane from his phone where he's already researching the best strollers and cribs. It makes Shane's heart twist in the most painfully perfect way.
"Fuck off," Shane replies, rolling his eyes as Ilya laughs lightly.
"Shane, language. The babies."
He lets out a huffy breath, deciding to let the comment go because if he doesn't they'll spend the next ten minutes bickering, and he really wants to say what's on his mind.
"About the babies," he says, picking at a loose thread on the duvet cover. "What if we didn't tell anyone?"
Ilya looks skeptically at Shane's mid-section. "I think that might be a little difficult in a few months, yes?"
Shane's hand comes up to rest over his midsection, grateful that the motion isn't indicative of oncoming nausea this time. "No, not keeping it a secret entirely, just the twin thing. Obviously people would know we're going to have a baby, but they wouldn't have to know it's twins, would they?"
Ilya places his phone down on the bed, looking fully at Shane, his warm hazel eyes searching Shane's face. "This is what you want?"
Shane shrugs and lays back against the pillows. He looks away from Ilya, his gaze fixating on a particularly interesting piece of ceiling. "I dunno. I just feel like we have to share so much of ourselves with everyone. It'd be nice to keep this once thing just for us, you know?"
He feels Ilya shift, and suddenly his vision is full of his husband smiling with a mischievousness that can only mean trouble. "How dramatic am I allowed to be when we finally tell everyone?"
The laugh that leaves him is as inevitable as the surge of love he feels, and the answer comes easily as he thinks about the future that's spread out so wonderfully in front of them filled with the family he knows Ilya never really thought he'd have. "As dramatic as you want."
[Shane Hollander lies in a hospital bed, a tiny bundle resting in his arms as his parents enter the room. Yuna heads straight toward the baby, her arms outstretched as she takes the newborn into her arms as David sits on the edge of the bed next to his son. He kisses the top of Shane's head and Shane closes his eyes wearily as Yuna gently bounces the baby as she stands next to them.]
Yuna: Shane, she's perfect, honey.
David: How are you, kiddo?
Shane: Really tired, but good. It all went well, and Ilya was fantastic. Glad it's over, though.
Yuna: Now the real fun begins.
[David looks around while Yuna smiles at the baby, running one finger down her forehead to the bridge of her nose.]
David: Where is Ilya?
Shane: Oh, uh, he just went to go grab some coffee.
Yuna: She looks just like you did when you were born, Shane. And goodness, all that hair! I wonder if it'll be curly like Ilya's. He'd love that so—
[The door to the room opens and Ilya steps in. He's beaming with pride and carrying his own bundle in his arms.]
Ilya: What does a baby have to do to get some attention around here, hmm?
[Yuna freezes, her eyes going wide as her head moves from Ilya, to the baby she's holding, to Shane and back again. David's brow furrows for a brief moment before a grin so wide, it rivals Ilya's starts to take over his face. His arm comes out to wrap around Shane as he squeezes him to this side.]
Yuna: Ilya. Dear. Where did you get that baby?
Ilya: Oh, they just give them away here, did you know? It's like a two for one special they have going on. Why only take home one daughter, when you can have two?
[He walks over and offers the baby in his arms to David, who now has tears in his eyes as one of his new granddaughters is placed in his hold. Shane smiles at Ilya and his dad before his gaze travels to his mother, still standing stunned next to the bed.]
Shane: We had twins, Mom. We wanted to surprise everyone.
[Yuna practically collapses into the chair that's thankfully behind her, though her hold on the baby never falters. She turns pale and her voice is weak when she speaks.]
Yuna: Twins.
Ilya: Twins.
Yuna: Oh. Goodness. [Something in her seems to switch on.] Boys, we have so much to do. You need two of everything. We've only set up one savings account. And…and we only got you the one car seat and one crib. How are you going to leave the hospital? Where will the other sleep? You can't leave without two car seats. And clothes and blankets. David, we have to go shopping. If we hurry we can just make it to—
Shane: Mom. Relax, we have everything we need. We knew we were having twins, we just didn't tell anyone else. Just enjoy your granddaughters, okay?
[She stares at him for a moment, her mouth opening to speak, but nothing comes out and she nods and swallows. She glances back down at the granddaughter she's holding, her nose wrinkling as she tries to hold back tears. David stands and walks around the bed, coming to stand next to her, holding a baby in one arm as his other hand comes to rest on Yuna's shoulder. He looks at Shane and Ilya, smiling warmly at them.]
David: You did so good, you two.
[Jackie Pike hugs Shane and kisses his cheek, and Hayden ruffles his hair as Shane hands the baby off to an already cooing Jackie. She sits in the chair and admires the baby while Hayden examines from above.]
Jackie: She's beautiful, Shane.
Shane: Thank you. We're pretty partial to her.
Hayden: [Glancing around the room warily.] Where the hell is your husband?
Shane: He'll be back in a minute.
[Hayden eyes him suspiciously, but Shane watches Jackie with the baby and when she senses his eyes on her, she looks at him somewhat sheepishly.]
Shane: What is that face for?
Jackie: Well, I was just waiting for Ilya to pop out with another baby or something. I was convinced you were having twins with the way you were carrying and how sick you were at the beginning.
Hayden: Well, you know not everyone is meant to have twins. Jackie's just a superstar, you know?I don't think we would have—
[Ilya's entrance into the room cuts him off, and Hayden's eyes widen at the second baby in Ilya's arms.]
Ilya: So, you think you are the only one who can have twins?
[Jackie quietly gasps while Hayden gapes at Ilya and Shane grins at his friends' reactions.]
Jackie: I knew it.
Shane: Surprise.
[Ilya moves to where Hayden is standing. Ilya holds his daughter in one arm, and he grabs Hayden's limbs and tries to arrange them so he can hand over the baby while Hayden continues to look on in disbelief.]
Ilya: Here, Pike, let me show you how to hold a baby. You have to support her head and most importantly, don't drop her. I'm not sure you can handle this. Do you think you can manage?
[Hayden seems to snap out of his trance, and lightly swats at Ilya's hand before he hesitantly reaches out to take the offered bundle.]
Hayden: Fuck off, I know how to hold a baby.
Jackie: Language, Hayden.
Ilya: Don't worry. The language Shane used in labor was much more colorful than this.
[Hayden peers down at the baby he's holding. His mouth sets in a thin line as long fingers brush at dark hair on the baby's forehead. He lets out a long stream of air, and his eyes seem glassy as he takes in the room around him, finally landing back on Shane.]
Hayden: They're perfect, guys.
Shane: Thanks, Hayd.
Ilya: We know.
[Hayden turns to Ilya, his prior emotion now replaced with something that looks slightly smug.]
Hayden: I guess that means you'll be coming to me for dad advice, now, huh?
[Ilya recoils at the suggestion, his face fixing into something close to disgust, while Shane sighs and Jackie snickers as she adjusts the baby onto her shoulder.]
Ilya: Ah, no. I have this handy thing on my phone called 'google.' Much more reliable. Never had to mark it's non-identical twins with a marker to tell them apart, you see. I cannot take any chances with my girls. I'm sure you understand.
[Hayden turns to glare at Shane, who has the decency to look slightly apologetic.]
Hayden: You fucking rat. I told you that in confidence.
Ilya: Language, Hayden.
[Troy Barrett and Harris Drover step into the room and Harris is already on the verge of tears before he even reaches the bed. Troy lingers by the door, but Harris walks right to Shane. He doesn't ask for the baby, just stands beside Shane and gushes over her until Shane offers her to the excited man.]
Shane: You want to hold her?
Harris: Are you sure?
Shane: Absolutely.
[Shane hands off the baby, leaning back into the pillows behind him while Harris goes to where Troy is standing, smiling brightly as Troy takes in the baby with wide eyes. He reaches out a hesitant hand, and seems surprised when the baby latches onto his finger with a tight grip.]
Harris: She likes you.
Troy: Yeah.
[Ilya enters then, once again holding his other daughter, and Harris loudly squeals at the sight while Troy looks at Ilya as if he's grown a second head.]
Ilya: Is there room for one more in here?
Harris: You're kidding.
Ilya: Nope.
Troy: Roz, you know you can't steal people's babies, right?
[Ilya's grin grows as Harris turns to Shane and Troy, who's finger is still held by the first baby, seems to grow more concerned by the second.]
Harris: This one, too? You really had—
Shane: We did.
Troy: Ilya. Seriously. That's not your baby, dude. Your baby is right here.
[He lifts up his finger as much as he can and points at her with his other hand while Ilya begins to laugh, and Harris nudges Troy with his knee.]
Harris: Babe, they had twins. These are both their babies.
[Troy's shoulders sag in relief and he exhales so hard his cheeks puff out with the air.]
Troy: Oh, thank fuck.
[Rose Landry comes into Shane's room hauling a teddy bear so large, it's almost as tall as her. She struggles with it and breathes heavily as she collapses onto Shane's hospital bed, narrowly missing the IV pole next to him. She smiles at him, and he shakes his head at her antics.]
Rose: Hi, cutie.
Shane: Rose, what the fuck is that?
Rose: What I can't spoil the heck out of my own goddaughter? [She glances at the baby slumbering on Shane's chest and starts to tear up immediately.] You have a baby. What the fuck?
Shane: Don't cry. I'm already hormonal as hell, I can't deal with you, too.
[She laughs and leans her head on his shoulder, sitting in quiet for a few moments until Ilya walks into the room.]
Ilya: Knock, knock. Here's further proof Shane Hollander loves me more than you.
[Rose sits up. Her head ping-ponging back and forth between Shane and Ilya as the smile on both men's faces grows as the news soaks in. She finally lands back on Shane, and whacks his arm. He winces at the contact.]
Rose: Bitch, you didn't tell me you were having twins!
Shane: Ow. That hurt! And we wanted it to be a surprise.
[She continues to admonish him as she lies back down next to him, and Ilya brings her the baby to hold. When she's set and comfortable, her eyes get teary again and she grabs Shane's hand that's closest to her and squeezes it. Her voice is wobbly when she speaks.]
Rose: Look how far you've come.
[Shane bites his bottom lip in an effort to hold back his own tears. He nods.]
[Wyatt Hayes, Zane Boodram, Evan Dykstra and Luca Haas enter the hospital room as quietly as they can considering their size and the amount of space they manage to occupy. They each take a turn giving their congratulations, and when it's Zane's turn, he grasps Shane's shoulder.]
Zane: Nothing better than a new baby, man.
[Ilya squeezes into the room then, their teammate's heads swiveling toward him.]
Ilya: Yes, but what about two babies?
[There's a flutter of 'holy shit!' and 'no way!' and Luca begins to tear up as he watches Ilya proudly pass a baby to Wyatt and Shane easily hands his to Zane. Luca peers over Wyatt's shoulder, and looks for a long time at Zane next, examining each baby closely. He then speaks to Ilya.]
Luca: They look nothing like you.
[Ilya beams at the younger man, and then gazes lovingly at Shane.]
Ilya: Yes. It's wonderful, isn't it?
[Ilya sits in the chair next to Shane's bed as each twin takes a bottle from one of her fathers. It's peaceful and calm until the door to the room opens and Svetlana Vetrova steps in. She looks between the men, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the two babies. Ilya glares back at her, clearly miffed she's ruined his surprise.]
Svetlana: You motherfuckers.
Ilya: You were supposed to call before you came!
Svetlana: Oh, so only you are allowed to spring things on people?
[She gestures towards the babies, and Shane's face breaks into a grin.]
Shane: Come meet your goddaughters.
[Svetlana rolls her eyes at him before she walks towards Ilya and holds out her hands, making grabbing motions at him expectantly. He places the baby in her arms, and then she looks him up and down, clearly waiting for him to get up. It's Ilya's turn to roll his eyes, but he rises and goes to sit in the windowsill. She takes in the baby in her arms and smiles. She turns to Ilya, her expression soft and her eyes full of something hopeful and sad as she speaks to him in Russian.]
Svetlana: Your mother would be so proud of you. [She then turns to Shane.] Both of you.
[The video ends with a photo of Shane and Ilya in the hospital bed with their daughters. Soft light pours in the adjacent windows, and Shane's head is leaned on Ilya's shoulder. Ilya kisses his forehead as the babies rest in their arms.]
@ilyarozanov81 and @realshanehollander Welcome to our littlest loves. We couldn't ask for anything more ❤️
Posted May 30th at 3:49 PM
***
Comments on this post have been turned off
Ilya climbs in next to Shane, the hospital bed barely big enough to hold the both of them, as they each hold a baby against their chest. Exhaustion settles deep in Shane's bones, taking over for the soreness for a while, and he struggles to keep his eyes open, even though he knows he has to. All those safe sleeping articles he's read pinging at the back of his mind.
So, he talks, and the baby on his chest yawns, completely satiated from the bottle she's just consumed. The sight of it makes him feel like his body isn't an adequate enough vessel to hold all the love he feels.
"Was it everything you wanted it to be?" he asks, turning his head toward his husband. "The reveal?"
"It was perfect, yes," Ilya says quietly, his voice slightly reverent as he trails a finger over their baby's hair. "Thank you for indulging me."
Shane shakes his head, glad that they have every reaction saved to show their girls one day the excitement that surrounded their entrance into the world.
"I loved it, too," he replies. "They're already so loved."
The daughter he's holding starts to squirm, and he adjusts her, her already chubby cheek flattening out adorably against his bare chest. He glances at Ilya and their other daughter, resting comfortably on under Ilya's chin, her tiny eyelashes fluttering lightly against smooth, newborn skin, and once again, he's struck with a feeling of absolute and overwhelming love and adoration that he's not sure how he'll manage to live with it the rest of his life and contain it.
And it's not just the babies. It's the man next to him. The one who's been there through everything. The one who shook his hand at seventeen. The one who boldly knocked on his hotel room door at nineteen. The one who has loved him through every single up and down life could possibly throw at them. Shane Hollander will never not be in awe that he gets to do this with Ilya Rozanov.
"Hey, Hollander?" Ilya asks after a long beat, interrupting the fond musings in Shane's head.
"Mmm?" Shane hums, sleep starting to call to him deeply. He knows he'll have to lay the baby in her bassinet soon, but he hangs onto Ilya's voice that's keeping him in a state of consciousness.
"Can you believe they're going to just let us take home two babies?"
It takes a moment for the words to register, and then he's laughing so hard, he's nearly crying as the absolute absurdity of the situation washes over the both of them.
"Truly, what the fuck are they thinking?" he agrees, and Ilya begins to laugh even harder, and they barely manage to quiet themselves enough to not wake their slumbering daughters.
"Hey, Rozanov?" Shane asks when they've finally calmed and are looking at each other with sleepy and love soaked gazes.
"Yes?"
"There's no one else in the whole fucking world I'd rather do this with."
Ilya's eyes close, his breathing deepening, and Shane almost wonders if he's fallen asleep, the chaos of the day finally taking it's toll. But then his lips curl into the most beautiful smile Shane's ever seen. The one that's reserved for him and him alone.
"Me neither."