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For the past 5 months since moving to Ottawa, Ilya Rozanov has spent every Full Moon in the company of this boyfriend.
So when he found out a few weeks ago that Shane would be in New York for a magazine shoot during the Moon, he was understandably upset.
“I can pull out, or say that I have a conflict—“ Shane had offered when he’d told Ilya.
“No, no, it’s okay. It is one night. I will see you a few days after for the game anyway, yes?” Ilya told him, despite the pit of sadness in his stomach. I’d not like Ilya had never done a Full Moon alone; he was a grown adult and could handle it. But still — he’d grown comfortable having his boyfriend nea by, to race him in the woods or scratch behind his ears while they watched a movie. But he wouldn’t make Shane change his schedule for him, he wasn’t that pathetic.
“Are you sure?” Shane had said, squeezing Ilya’s hand, and he had nodded, not wanting to make the vampire feel guilty.
But now, just days before the Full Moon, he was regretting his decision. Shane would have made it work if Ilya had asked him.
When he moved to Ottawa, he knew from past games that there were two other wolves (and one vampire, Luca) within the Centaur’s roster. That had been relief to him, knowing he wouldn’t be alone after getting close with the wolves in Boston. Zane Boodram and Wyatt Hayes were more than welcoming to Ilya when he’d joined the team, despite his notoriously snarky on-ice personality. Both guys had invited Ilya over for shifts immediately, welcoming him into their tiny pack without question. It was sweet, more than Ilya thought he deserved, but he had always turned down their invitations. Aside from the occasional hushed joke in the locker room, Ilya barely acknowledged their not-entirely-humanness.
Today, that changed.
“Sunday Night…..are you and Hayes….?” Ilya whispered to Bood in the locker room after a particularly grueling practice.
He waited for his A to fill in the blanks of Ilya’s question. When it clicked, Bood’s eyebrows shot up. “Shit, man, yeah! You finally gonna join us?”
Ilya felt his cheeks go red. “Yes. I . . . do not have other plans anymore.”
Wyatt, still in a towel, practically rushed over, probably hearing their conversation from across the locker room. “Wait, seriously? You’ve never even shifted in front of us!” the goalie said, geeking out on this somehow.
Ilya flicked his eyes to the rest of the locker room, but no one was paying them any attention. “Yes, yes, I know, I am terrible werewolf captain,” he teased, his teammates grinning. “Come to my place, yes? I have lots of woods behind me and good setup for Moons.”
“Sick!” Wyatt said, finally shrugging on a clean pair of sweats.
“Thanks, Roz, looking forward to it.” Bood said, clapping him on the back before slinging his bag over his shoulder and exiting.
Sunday evening came and Ilya was admittedly a bit nervous. He had no real reason to be, he knew Bood and Hayes liked him well enough, but still. He’d been brushing off their wolf-related invitations for months and now here he was, hosting them because he couldn’t bear the thought of trudging through a singular Full Moon alone.
The guys showed up at his house an hour or so before sunset. Ilya was in the midst of cooking a feast for them, and both guys jumped in happily to help out, chopping vegetables and seasoning steaks. They talked while they cooked, and then ate, the sun setting beautifully above his backyard.
It was….nice. Being able to chat with other werewolves unabashedly. He hadn’t done so in nearly a year, really, not since last season in Boston. Ilya was grateful to have landed on a team with such welcoming and considerate wolves, even if it took him a few months to realize it.
“Almost time,” Bood said, checking his watch then squinting up at the sky.
Ilya followed his gaze. “I guess it is,” he murmured.
“What, you embarrassed of your wolf or something?” Wyatt teased as he stripped off his shirt.
Ily smirked, stepping out of his sweats. “Ah, no, Hazy. I am worried for your wolf. Might have some size envy.”
“Oh, fuck off, Roz!” Wyatt laughed.
“You’re going to be insufferable tonight, aren’t you?” Bood asked Ilya, shaking his head.
Ilya smiled wickedly then shrugged. “Consider yourself lucky I cannot chirp as a wolf.”
The guys cackled at that, Bood whacking Ilya with his t-shirt playfully.
In response, Ilya shifted, causing Bood to step back to make room. “Shit, man,” he whispered, patting his captain’s furry head. “You are big.” Ilya growled in response.
“Don’t say that aloud! He’s gonna hold it against us for eternity,” Wyatt grumbled before shifting as well.
“Well, I’m not wrong,” Bood grumbled as he took in the two wolves side by side, Wyatt slightly shorter and leaner. Bood jumped off the patio, shifting mid-air, and landed on the soft grass as a wolf. He looked back at his teammates and Ilya barked as he darted forward, taking the lead as they raced into the densely packed woods behind his house.
——
“The DP has food poisoning,” Farah told Shane over the phone. “They really want him for this, so we’re gonna push to next week.”
Shane had never been so grateful for food poisoning in his life. Even if he had just landed in New York a few hours ago, and it was nearly 7pm already. He didn’t care — because now he could go home, to Ottawa, to Ilya, and spend an extra day with him. Join him for at least part of the Full Moon, comfort him when he woke up tired and disoriented.
“I’ve already got a car coming to get you in 15 min and take you to the airport. Sending you your flight details now.”
“Thanks, Farah.” Shane hung up and checked his email, finding a flight confirmation in his inbox. He quickly gathered his unpacked bags from around the hotel room, and went downstairs to wait for the driver.
Luckily the flight was short enough, not even two hours. Shane didn’t bother calling Ilya since he knew his boyfriend had already shifted by now, and was giddy with joy as he drove from the airport to Ilya’s house. They rarely ever got to surprise each other, their schedules intense and fairly inflexible, so the thought of surprising Ilya tonight, during a Full Moon, was kind of exhilarating. Shane couldn’t want to see the look on his face when he saw Shane, the way he knew Ilya would nuzzle at him and whine in delight while Shane stroked his fur.
Around 10pm, Shane finally pulled into the driveway. He dropped his bag off, peaking around the house for signs of life but found none. There were some unfamiliar scents in the house, but nothing alarming. Maybe Ilya had some friends over earlier?
It didn’t matter to Shane; Ilya was likely outside, somewhere in the woods, so that’s where he went.
It only took him a few seconds to catch Ilya’s scent and follow it, speeding through the cool night air. He found Ilya, fur golden under the moonlight, lapping up water from a pond. Shane’s face split into a wide grin. “Ilya!” he called, and the wolf’s head whipped around immediately. He howled with joy then bounded for Shane, quickly tackling him to the dirt. Shane let him, overjoyed to see his boyfriend again, even if it wasn’t in his preferred human form. Ilya licked at his face, his version of sloppy kisses, and Shane was bursting with laughter as he succumbed to the adorable attack. He moved to sit up so that he was eye level with Ilya, one hand wrapped around his neck and buried in his fur. He kissed the tip of Ilya’s nose, briefly inhaling the familiar scent of his blood. “Hi, baby, I’m happy to see you too."
Ilya whined in question, nosing at him. Luckily for Shane, he was now fluent in Ilya’s wolf-speak. “My shoot was canceled last minute. I don’t have to leave till Tuesday, now.”
Ilya barked happily, leaning into Shane’s hand as he scratched him. “You wanna stay out here, or head ins—“ Shane started to ask but was cut off as he realized, suddenly, they weren’t alone.
Just a few meters away, two other wolves stood, watching with curiosity. They might have been here for a while, but Shane was too distracted by his reunion to have even noticed. Shane’s eyes went wide as he took in the pair, then Ilya practically on his lap. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry — fuck, Ilya — I didn’t know—“ Shane stuttered, slowly piecing together the reality of the situation.
Ilya looked back to the other wolves, then to Shane again. He whimpered as he nuzzled against Shane’s chest, his way of comforting Shane and saying it’s okay.
The other wolves were still just watching, silent, waiting for some sort of explanation. And Shane, being the only one with the ability to speak English right now, realized that explanation was up to him.
“Okay, so, um. Bood and Hayes I assume?” Shane asked, pointing to the two. One was stocky and more menacing, with jet black fur and bright eyes. The other had a rugged look to him, tawny brown fur covering his smaller frame. Ilya had told Shane, when he’d first joined the centaurs, about his fellow wolf teammates and their frequent invites to share Full Moons together. Shane hadn’t even considered Ilya might take them up on it with him out of town.
Bood and Hayes barked in response, heads tilted and eyes curious. “Well, this isn’t exactly how we wanted to tell anyone, but, uh, Ilya and I are together. We have been, for quite some time.” Ilya yipped in agreement, tongue out as he smiled at Shane.
The Centaurs padded over to them. Hayes nosed at Shane’s leg, and Bood did the same at his shoulder. Shane immediately understood: they accepted him. Despite being a Voyager, despite being Ilya’s sworn rival. Despite being a vampire, Hayes and Bood were okay with this news. No homophobia, no disgust, no hatred. Just the feel of two soft, fuzzy noses against Shane’s skin.
“Thank you,” Shane said, experimentally putting a hand on Wyatt’s head and ruffling his fur. “Sorry to crash your party. My shoot was canceled so I came back here to surprise Ilya….I thought he’d be alone.”
Bood yipped in response, which Shane interpreted as some form of “all good”. Then he turned towards Ilya and Wyatt to bark something at them. The three seemed to have a brief conversation Shane could not follow (in grunts and whines and howls) before Bood and Wyatt darted off, back into the woods, giving them some privacy.
Ilya licked the side of Shane’s face and he swatted at him, though he didn’t really mind. “Gross, Rozanov,” he grumbled.
Ilya whimpered, fakely offended, so Shane pressed a kiss between his eyes. “Go run with your pack. I can see you in the morning.”
The wolf whined at that, gesturing with his head for Shane to join them. Shane loved getting to run with Ilya on Full Moons - he was one of the few people he knew who could keep up with him at full speed. But Shane also knew how important this was, for Ilya to spend time with others wolves in Ottawa and create those bonds. He wanted to give them some space. “No, really, go. We have two whole days together. I’ll get some work done."
Ilya nosed at Shane’s neck, which Shane no knew to mean he wanted Shane to feed from him. “Tomorrow, мой волк. Once your guests are gone,” Shane promised, kissing between his eyes once again and then firmly pushing him away. “Now, go!”
Ilya growled in an annoyed way, his version of an eye roll, but took off after his teammates. Shane listened for a moment, waiting to hear as Ilya caught up with the others. It sounded like the three of them were wrestling, howling as they rolling around on the forest floor, and it made Shane smile to know that Ilya had this. He knew, realistically, he can’t be there for every Full Moon going forward, so it was reassuring that Ilya would be left in good hands.
Shane jogged back to the house and grabbed his iPad to watch some tape before bed.
——
Ilya sighed as he fell into bed in the early morning. The Full Moon had been great — he had forgotten how wonderful it was to run and play with other wolves. He hadn’t had that since Boston, where they had been more limited in their wolfish activities because of the city aspect. But here, in Ottawa, with Bood and Hayes? It was pretty perfect. And knowing Shane was waiting for him at home made it even more special. He didn’t even care that his teammates knew about them; he felt relief, actually, to just have some people of his own in the know.
Shane whined in his sleep as Ilya wrapped himself around the vampire, his hot skin cooling at the touch of Shane’s. He kissed the back of Shane’s neck before nuzzling closer and falling into a deep sleep.
——
Shane awoke with his werwolf practically clinging to him, an arm around his chest and a leg hitched over his hip. He didn’t mind at all; he could never get enough of Ilya. He was always extra possessive and touchy-feeling post-Moon, and Shane had come to love these mornings together.
What he didn’t love was the smell.
Ilya was famously bad at showering after a shift. He smelled like a mixture of his teammates, dirt, and hint of animal blood. Not the most disturbing scent but not exactly what Shane likes to wake up to.
“Morning,” Ilya rasped, kissing his shoulder. Shane twisted to face him, a soft smile on his face.
“Good morning,” Shane said. Ilya looked exhausted, as he often did after the Moon, but there was a spark of brightness in his eyes. “You have a good time?”
“Mmm,” Ilya hummed. “It was nice.”
“Good, I’m glad.” Shane said, running his hand over Ilya’s bicep. “I’m sorry about outing us….I didn’t think the whole surprise thing through, and—“
“Shanya, shhh. It is okay. I am happy about it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, моя любовь. It is good thing.”
“Okay, good. I….It feels nice for me, too. Even though I don’t really know them. But just like…knowing you have people here. That you don’t have to hide another layer of yourself with them.”
Ilya hummed in agreement. “They are good guys. I am very lucky to have them on my team.”
Shane smiled at that, leaning in to kiss Ilya properly for the first time in weeks. It was soft and unhurried, warm and simple.
“Go shower,” Shane said, pulling away. “I can make breakfast.”
“I’d rather be breakfast,” Ilya said, raising an eyebrow.
Shane would have blushed if he could. “Later, okay.”
Ilya whined, then leaned over Shane, pressing him against the headboard. “Can you at least join me in the shower? I have some very specific things I want to do to you—“
“Your teammates are downstairs, Ilya! Teammates that have supernaturally enhanced hearing!”
Ilya shrugs. “I do not care. They know we are together, now, and we are adults. Adults have sex and—“
“Later, Rozanov. Shower,” Shane laughed, shoving him away. “Let’s be decent hosts so your friends actually want to come back.”
“You are no fun, Hollander,” Ilya groaned, even as he rolled off the bed to obey orders. He squeezed Shane’s ass as he walked past him to the bathroom. Shane just shook his head, slipping on a t-shirt, and repeated “LATER!” before heading downstairs.
The two Centaurs were already downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Shane felt a little nervous—he’d assumed both guys would still be asleep—but he pushed his anxiety down.
“Hollzy! Good morning!” Wyatt said cheerfully, raising his coffee. “Hope you don’t mind we made a pot?”
“All good, thanks,” Shane said, pouring himself a mug. What exactly does one say to your boyfriend’s werewolf teammates who just found out you’re dating after spending their first Full Moon together? Shane didn’t really know. “Uh, you guys sleep well?”
“Yeah, great, thanks man. Roz okay?” Bood asked.
“Yeah, he’s just showering. He’ll be down in a few,” Shane said, grabbing some stuff from the fridge to make breakfast. It was silent for a few seconds, both wolves drinking their coffee while Shane cracked eggs into a bowl.
“Sorry,” Shane apologized as he whisked. “I don’t really know how to handle this situation.”
Wyatt just laughed. “You don’t have to ‘handle’ anything, man. Everything’s good.”
“Yeah, we’re not going to tell anyone or make it weird or anything,” Bood agreed.
“No, I know. I appreciate that—that Ilya can trust you. I just….we don’t have a lot of people that know about us, so it’s an adjustment.”
“I can’t imagine,” Bood said, watching as Shane warmed up a few pans on the stove. “I don’t want to make any assumptions but…I assume you’re why Cap moved to Ottawa?” Shane nodded. “So it’s pretty serious, then?"
“Very,” Shane laughed, smiling to himself. “We’ve been together for…well, kind of our whole careers? In some capacity. We want to come out, eventually, but we know it’s going to be a lot. Not just because we’re queer, but because we’ve been pitted as rivals our whole lives. Then factor in the vampire and werewolf aspect, and every superhuman in the NHL is probably going to throw a fit over that, too….We’re about as unexpected of a couple as they come. But we’ll get there eventually. Ilya’s it for me. He’s….everything to me.”
“Damn ,” Wyatt breathed. “This actually kind of makes sense.”
“Really?” Shane wondered as he added bacon to a pan.
“Yeah, I’m kind off like….recontextualizing everything I’ve ever known about you and Cap and it’s blowing my mind.” Shane laughed at that and Bood chuckled. Shane heard the shower upstairs stop running.
“I’m just shocked you’ve lasted so long with his annoying ass,” Bood joked, and Shane chuckled again. Ilya was right—these were good guys. He was happy they were in the know. “The Cens want to smack him at least five times a day.”
Shane smirked, shaking his head. “Sounds like Ilya.”
“Hearing you say his first name is kind of weird,” Wyatt said, then rushed to correct himself. “Not in a bad way! Just like…jarring.”
“You’re good. It’s an adjustment,” Shane assured him as he slid 4 slices of toast in the toaster just as Ilya came pounding down the stairs.
“Good morning, Cap!” Wyatt said, and Bood echoed him.
“It is a good morning,” Ilya smirked as he curled around Shane’s back and pressed a kiss into his neck. Shane squirmed a little, caught off guard by the PDA, but didn’t pull away. “I hope you are not interrogating my boyfriend.” His voice was half joking, half threatening, and Shane felt a warm wave of love rush over him. “Because if you are—“
“No, no, we, uh —“ Wyatt started but Shane saved him.
“Down, boy,” Shane teased and Bood spit out some of his coffee. “We were just talking.”
“Good. Bag skates for eternity if either of you are mean to him.”
“Heard, Roz,” Bood said, shaking his head. “Should’ve known you’d be hella possessive.”
“Yeah, that tracks,” Wyatt smiled.
“This isn’t even that bad,” Shane said. “The first time he met Rose he was all over me. Wouldn’t even leave us alone to go to the bathroom.”
“Damn, Rozanov, you’re down bad,” Bood teased.
“What can I say? I am dating hottest man on earth and second best hockey player in the world. I know everybody wants him, so I must mark my territory.” Ilya bit the shell of Shane’s ear to emphasize his point, to which Shane did push him away, but mainly so he could grab the finished toast.
“He’s all yours, Roz, promise,” Wyatt laughed. Shane grabbed the platters of eggs, toast, and bacon and set them ll down on the table. Ilya grabbed a stack of plates and silverware, and the wolves loaded up their plates.
“Thanks for making all this, Hollzy,” Bood said around a piece of bacon.
“Yeah, you really didn’t have to,” Wyatt agreed.
“I always make stuff for Ilya after a Moon, so it’s no big deal,” Shane said, biting into a piece of wheat toast.
“He takes such good care of me,” Ilya preened, kissing his cheek. “He feeds me, I feed him.” He wiggled his eyebrows and opened his mouth to flash teeth suggestively.
“Ilya!” Shane chastised.
“You’re a saint, Hollzy, for putting up with this gremlin,” Wyatt said and Ilya just grinned wider.
“Oh trust me, I know,” Shane smirked.
They talked a while longer as they finished breakfast, discussing their respective next games and complaining about long upcoming roadtrips. Shane felt good; it was nice to just talk to other hockey players without stressing about hiding either his relationship or his vampiric nature. He could just be himself, and Ilya could just be Ilya.
Bood finished the last of his toast and brushed off his hands dramatically. “I better get going. Cassie is probably due for a break from single parenting by now,” he said as he stood up.
“I should go too — Lisa’s shift starts in an hour and I want to catch her before she leaves,” Wyatt said, following Bood down the hall to grab their bags.
They came back seconds later, duffles slung over their shoulders. “This was really fun, Roz. We should do it again.”
“Yes. Next time Shane is not in town,” Ilya agreed.
“Or even if I am in town,” Shane suggests. “I don’t mind — you probably have a better time with them, than me, anyway.”
“Shane—“ Ilya protested.
“No, seriously. It’s important to spend time with other wolves. I’m not going anywhere,” Shane said, squeezing Ilya’s bicep.
Ilya looked at him for a second with gratitude, then turned to the guys. “Okay. Yes. Next Moon.”
“Great!” Bood said, pulling Ilya into a quick hug.
“You know, Lisa and Cassie usually hang out together on Full Moons. Watch a movie, drink some wine, that kind of thing. You could join them if you wanted to?” Wyatt suggested
“I . . .I don’t know,” Shane said, unsure. It sounded fun, but he wasn’t sure he wanted their wives in the know.
“I think it’s just an excuse to complain about us. Like, bitch about how much fur gets stuck in the lint filter,” Bood added, smirking.
“It is the worst,” Shane agreed, laughing. “Yeah, uh, sure. Why not. That sounds fun.”
“Awesome! Lis is gonna be so psyched to meet you. She’s kind of a fan, not going to lie, so just like…be prepared.”
Shane chuckled. “Sounds good.”
“Okay, I better go. Thanks again for hosting, and nice to, like, properly meet you, Shane,” Bood said, fistbumping the vampire.
“You will not tell anyone, yes?” Ilya checked, though it was more of a formality. He trusted them.
“Of course, man. Secret’s safe with us,” Wyatt said, clapping Ilya’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” Shane said, opening the front door. The two wolves went outside to their respective cars, and Ilya shut the door before pressing Shane up against it.
“Finally. I thought they’d stay the whole day,” Ilya teased, kissing Shane’s neck immediately.
“You have zero patience, Rozanov,” Shane said, though he wasn’t really complaining.
“Forgive me for wanting to fuck my very sexy boyfriend who I have not seen in a week,” Ilya said, kissing his way down his chest. “And you know wolves get extra horny around the Moon. Is not my fault!”
“Oh, trust me, I know,” Shane laughed as Ilya pulled the shirt off him. “I quite like how you get around the Moon.” Shane stripped off his own shirt and pressed himself back against Ilya, their mouths finding each other with ease.
“I was also promised something yesterday.”
“Hmm?” Shane hummed, faking ignorance as Ilya licked his nipple.
“Don’t act like you don’t know, Hollander,” Ilya said, lifting his boyfriend up to carry to the bedroom. Shane clung to Ilya, burying his face in his neck, as they went upstairs. Teasingly, Shane licked the skin there, and Ilya shivered. “Not on the stairs!” Ilya protested. “Cannot drop precious cargo.”
Shane pulled his head away, laughing. “You are ridiculous, Rozanov.”
“You love it,” Ilya said as he gently set Shane down on their bed.
“I do,” Shane agreed as Ilya crawled on top of him. “I also love breakfast in bed.”
“Mmm,” Ilya groaned as Shane bit into his neck, then suavely flipped them over so he was on top, hovering above Ilya as he drank. Ilya groaned in ecstasy, and Shane whined against him.
——
Later, Ilya would check his phone and see a string of new texts in his chat with Bood and Hayes, stupidly titled the WereCens.
Hazy: thanks again for hosting, Roz! Next time at my place :)
Bood: and next time maybe wait till we’ve driven away before pouncing on your boyfriend.
Bood: did NOT need to hear all that, man.
Hazy: yeah please give us like 5 minutes to get out of a hearing radius…..
Ilya: you are both homophobic
Bood: 🙄
Hazy: we kind of set ourselves up for that one, tbh
Ilya: 😉