Archive of Our Own

Day 1

The sounds of the two crying toddlers was one Ilya and Shane never wanted to hear. Unfortunately that's all that they were hearing as Ilya drove to the airport to get on a plane for an away game in Boston of all places. Ilya had gone to plenty of away games this season, but with the birth of their third baby happening next month, both toddlers had become even more clingy to both parents. Shane had read how that was completely normal for kids who were about to go through the big change of gaining a sibling. When he read that a few months ago he had tried to mentally prepare himself for this inevitable phase. But listening to his baby's sob because Ilya would be gone for a few days was shattering his heart into a million pieces.

This wasn't even going to be the longest Ilya had been away during this pregnancy. Three days, barely, and Ilya would be back home with them, as if he'd never left. Shane knew the schedule by heart; Ilya's flight landed at eight thirty, they'd get to the hotel, and from there on he had the rest of the day to himself. Tomorrow he had his game against the Raiders, then the next day his flight back was at six am. Normally Shane would've been fine with that, had he not been eight months pregnant, slightly feeling nervous that the baby could arrive a month earlier than expected.

They pulled into the drop off lane at the airport. It was an early morning flight that was taking off at seven am. When Shane had been traveling for games he always liked morning flights like that because he liked watching the sun rise from the windows. Ilya turned off the car, sitting there for a minute as they both looked at the time on Ilya's phone. It was almost six.

Both the twins' cries eased up when the car stopped, but they both knew that wasn't going to last long.

“I don't want to go.” Ilya groaned as he placed a hand on Shane's stomach. Their daughter gave a strong kick next to his hand, making Shane wince slightly. “See. Our baby wants me to stay too.”

“Ilya,” Shane rested his head against the headrest, glancing back at their toddlers. Both of them watching their dads talk with skeptical looks. He sighed, wishing Ilya to stay home with them instead. “You have to go.”

Ilya raised an eyebrow, giving Shane the same skeptical look their twins currently had. “Do I? Everyone knows you're pregnant, they would understand why I can't go.”

Shane snorted. “Ilya you're the captain.”

Ilya rolled his eyes at that. “Bood can take over for a game.”

“This is to get into the playoffs.” Shane said firmly.

The baby girl gave two swift kicks and Ilya gave a sad, tired smile. “I know. But I still want to stay with you and them.”

“Papa's stayin’?” Ava asked hopefully.

Ilya's eyes lingered on Shane's stomach before turning to the toddlers in the backseat. “No, I'm still going.” His voice didn't sound too convincing as he said that.

Ilya unbuckled his seatbelt, getting out of the car and going to the backseat to undo Dimitri's carseat seat belt. Shane did the same, feeling their daughter give annoyed kicks at the sudden change of position. Once Ava was unbuckled, she lingered by Shane's side, clinging onto his sweatpants and watched as Ilya got his bags out of the car. One hand holding Dimitri, the other his hockey gear. He brought the bags over to Shane's side, and set it down next to them before going to get the small luggage in the trunk.

The airport was relatively empty, save for a few stragglers and employees. Shane was thankful for that, because right now both toddlers were absolutely losing it as they tried to say goodbye to their papa.

“Papa, don't go.” Ava had started to cry again. She sniffled as Ilya wiped tears from her freckled cheeks.

“I have to, printsessa.” Ilya picked her up, hugging her as tight as he could. “I won't be gone long. Is only for little while”

“Thats too long.” Dimitri mumbled into the crook of Ilya's neck. “You gotta stay papa.” He leaned away slightly looking at him with his big warm brown doe eyes. He was making it almost impossible to say no to.

Ilya let out a wet chuckle, feeling his gut twist at how badly his babies wanted him to be home with him. “I wish I could stay Dima but papa has to go win.” He kissed his cheeks and squeezed him in a tight hug. Dimitri squeezed back, a little cry escaping from him as he did so.

Ilya put Dimitri down, the toddler joined his sister in clinging onto his gym shorts. Picking up Ava, he gave her a hug and kissed her damp cheeks. Their daughter made no effort to try and hide her cries as Ilya put her back down. She practically fused to his leg the second she was out of his arms. He ruffled both of their heads to comfort them but it only made them cling tighter. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned his attention to his husband, who stood with one hand resting on his belly, the other on his lower back. That sight alone made him want to stay. They would make the playoffs next season with Shane back in action.

Shane stepped closer, leaning in for a kiss. It was harder to kiss Ilya now that his stomach was at its largest, but Ilya always found a way to make it work. This time was no different as their lips pressed together. A slow and yearning kiss, the two of them silently wishing they weren't at the airport right now sending Ilya off. Shane pulled away first, knowing if he didn't they would've been standing there for another hour making out.

“I'll miss you so much.” Ilya said, pulling Shane in for a hug.

Shane gave a weak laugh as he hugged him back. “It's only for three days. We'll survive that.” He reminded his husband.

“That's too long to be away from you.” Ilya whined.

“We did long distance for three years.” Shane said.

“Yes but we weren't having a baby back then.” Ilya rested his hand onto Shane's stomach. For once their daughter was calm, choosing not to kick or wiggle inside of him. Ilya bent down slightly, both twins refusing to leave his side as he kissed Shane's stomach. “Be extra nice to daddy while I'm gone.” Ilya said in Russian. A tiny kick came as a response, making Ilya grin.

He felt his toddlers squeeze his legs tighter, trying to weigh him down so he couldn't move. With some effort and a lot of protest he pried both of them off, guiding them to Shane's side instead. He grabbed his bags, giving everyone one final kiss before he went into the airport.

“I miss papa.” Dimitri whimpered as he clung to Shane's side.

It hadn't even been five minutes yet Shane couldn't agree more.

◇◇◇

Shane pulled into the driveway feeling like he needed to go to bed. The drive home had been quiet. That was mainly due to the fact both toddlers had passed out the second Shane buckled them into their carseats. Turning off the car, he looked in the rear view mirror at his sleeping babies. Ava slumped to the left, drool coming out of her mouth and onto her carseat. Dimitri settled into his carseat with his mouth slightly open. He smiled from the cute sight.

Shane leaned back into his seat, feeling his baby girl kick his bladder hard. “So much for being extra nice to me.” he mumbled to himself.

Sitting in his driveway he thought back to what he told Ilya at the airport. They had been in a long distance relationship for years before they got married. It had just been a two hour drive, but the thought of even doing that now made Shane feel sick. He was so used to Ilya being here. Ilya had been traveling the whole season, sometimes for over a week just going city to city. Three days should've been a walk in the park for everyone. Yet Shane felt this deep ache for Ilya beginning to build in his chest. He was sure a lot of that was enhanced by the pregnancy hormones. But another, larger part of him was sure that it was just him missing his husband deeply.

Sighing, he got out of the car and went to the backseat. As he unbuckled his seatbelt, Dimitri began to wake up.

“Papa?” Dimitri asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

“No bud, it's daddy.” Shane said softly as he lifted his little boy out of his seat. He closed the door and went to the other side where Ava was still knocked out. Shane put Dimitri down, feeling him tug on his sweatpants as he undid Ava's seatbelt. His daughter didn't even slightly stir awake to the sudden movement. Instead she wrapped herself around him as he settled her against his hip.

They went inside and Anya greeted them as usual and Dimitri went to her, petting behind her ear just how she always liked. Her tail loudly thumped against the floor as she was patted. Once Dimitri stopped, she nuzzled her nose against his hand, trying to urge him to continue. He did, giggling as she licked his cheek. Normally Shane would say something, but he had no energy right now.

Shane shifted Ava in his arms, feeling in desperate need of a nap. He hadn't even done anything but go to the airport but that was enough for him. He was at the stage in pregnancy where everything made him feel exhausted.

“Dima,” Shane said quietly to not wake Ava. Dimitris' attention turned to him. “Are you still sleepy,bud?”

Dimitri gave a slight nod. “A little.”

“Do you want to take a nap with me and Ava?” Another nod. Shane let out a small sigh of relief. The two made their way upstairs, Anya following them. Before he went to his dad and sister for a nap, Dimitri went into his room to get his stuffed dinosaur, Buster. The stuffed toy was on his pillow, right where Ilya had put it before they'd left that morning. He grabbed it, he scurried back to Shane's side to go to his parents room. Shane sat down onto the bed, carefully placing Ava next to him. Dimitri crawled onto the bed, taking his spot in-between Shane's pregnancy pillow and Ava. Once he was settled in, Ava wrapped around him, cuddling him close. Shane's heart warmed as he put Ilya's blanket over the twins, watching them get cozy under the familiar scent of their papa.

Shane laid down, cuddling against his pillow. He didn't think he would fall asleep as fast as he had but within a few minutes he was out.

◇◇◇

Shane felt a tiny hand nudging him awake along with the distinct sound of a facetime call. He groaned awake, blinking as he saw his toddlers looking down at him, Ava holding his phone.

“Daddy here.” Ava pushed the phone into his hand.

Shane rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to wake up. From the corner of the screen he saw it was almost eleven. Had he really slept for four hours? He still felt tired but that was just because of his pregnancy, he knew that. Yawning, he picked up the facetime call.

Ilya's face filled the screen and both toddlers squeezed into view so they could see their papa. His eyes immediately softened upon seeing his babies.

“Papa,” Ava's voice wavered and Shane began to rub her back. “I miss you.”

Ilya's brows upturned and Shane could see in his eyes how desperately he wanted to be there to comfort his babies. “I miss you more.” Ilya said back, in Russian.

“Papa, can you come home now?” Dimitri asked.

Ilya chuckled. “I just got here, Dima. We haven’t even played yet.”

Dimitri pouted, not loving the answer his papa gave him. Shane decided to chime in finally. “How was the flight there?”

Ilya shrugged. “Fine. I missed having my handsome, gorgeous, sexy husband next to me so I can look at his freckles.”

Shane felt his cheeks grow warm, a smile forming on his lips. “You did?”

“I did. I missed hearing him do his Russian lessons. I missed watching movies with him.” Ilya let out a genuine sigh.

Shane's eyes felt misty at the simple memory of all the flights they'd taken together over the years. Little things he did that he assumed Ilya wasn't paying mind to, but apparently was.

“I miss you so much Ilya.” Shane said honestly.

They all spoke, Ilya telling the twins about the flight and being in Boston. He mentioned how a few of the guys wanted to hangout around the city later on, trying to relax before their game tomorrow. They had asked Ilya to join them, but he denied the offer.

“Why don't you go with them?” Shane asked.

“I don't feel like going out.” Ilya said flatly. His eyes widened slightly after saying that. “God, I'm getting old.” That made Shane laugh.

“Papa, do you like it there?” Ava asked, ignoring her dads laughing.

“Is alright. I played here for a long time.”

“How long?” Dimitri asked next.

“Ten years.”

That made both twins gasp, shocking both their parents in turn. Ava turned to Shane, a serious look on her face. “Daddy, papa's really old.”

Dimitri didn't look away from Ilya. “Papas really really old.”

Shane tried to hold in his laughs, but the look of genuine disbelief on Ilya's face was too good. He laughed hard, both twins joining in. Ilya tried to say something, but was inevitably cut off at his family's laughter. He watched, heart eyes on full display, as his husband and two toddlers enjoyed poking fun at him. He wished at that moment that he could time travel and skip ahead a few days just so he could be back home with everyone he loved.

◇◇◇

The weather had been dreary for the rest of the day. Shane had originally planned on taking the twins to the park but the unrelenting rain said otherwise. He held out some hope, thinking the rain would be gone by late afternoon, but now it was dinner time and there was a distant rumble of thunder starting to join the mix.

Instead Shane had spent the day trying to distract himself around the house, doing chores that needed to be caught up on. The twins followed him from room to room, acting as two extra shadows for him. They stuck to his side, offering to help and do little things for him. Shane didn't mind, enjoying his toddler's company and help.

By the time dinner time rolled around, Shane couldn't stomach the idea of staying on his feet for any longer. He had caught up on the chores, and was sitting on the couch, both twins cuddled against his sides as they watched Bluey. He was only half watching thinking about what they should have for dinner that night.

Shane paused Bluey. “Do you two want pizza?”

Dimitri sat forward, giving him a nod. “Mushrooms?” He asked.

“Yes it'll have everything, including mushrooms on it.” Shane confirmed. Dimitri gave him an appreciative smile and sat back, curling up even more against him. Shane looked down at Ava, who had been unusually quiet the whole day. Their daughter was loud in every way. When she spoke, when she laughed, when she played, she was loud. That was one of the many things they adored about her so much. Today she had been letting her brother do most of the talking in her place. “Ava?”

Ava looked up at him, her brown eyes looking impossibly sad. “Yeah?”

“Is pizza okay for dinner?” Shane asked again, attempting to comb a few stray curls down with his hand.

She gave him a small nod before asking. “Can we call papa soon?”

“We can after dinner.” Shane promised. He quickly placed the order on his phone and looked at the two sad toddlers next to him. They had managed to get through most of the season avoiding this very scenario. Shane's parents were a big part in that, distracting the twins from their sadness of missing their papa. Currently they are on a week-long cruise to celebrate their anniversary. Shane hadn't realized how big of help they had been until right now. As silly as it was, he found himself wishing they were here.

“Daddy?” Dimitri looked up at him. “Is Bluey done?”

Dimitris' question pulled Shane away from his thoughts. He looked at the remainder of the episode, and then the toddlers. “Do you two want to watch videos of papa?”

That made both twins sit up. Both gave him eager nods of confirmation. Shane pulled up his phone, going to a playlist he had made of just Ilya hockey highlights. He had made this back during his first pregnancy and was very much missing his husband. Being alone at home, heavily pregnant with twins had been an absolutely miserable time for Shane, especially near the end, so he made this playlist to help combat that. Over the years he had added to it, more game highlights, wins, interviews along with some clips of them together on the ice.

Shane linked his phone to the tv, and clicked on a video of Ilya he loved to watch. It was a highlight video of some of Ilya's best goals spanning across his career. The video played and the twins watched, looking at their papa absolutely dominating on the ice. One particular highlight played of Ilya scoring a winning goal against Toronto, the camera zooming in on his smug grin. They'd been together for so long, but the sight of that grin still drove Shane crazy.

“Is papa good?” Ava asked.

“He's one of the best.” Shane said earnestly.

“Oohhh.” Ava leaned her head against Shane's stomach, feeling the baby girl kick around wildly inside him. “Baby sister thinks so too.”

They watched the video in full, letting another one auto play. Before Shane knew it thirty minutes passed and the pizza arrived. He got plates and took it over to the coffee table, where the twins hurried over, their eyes barely leaving the tv. Shane went back into the kitchen to get himself a plate and to get some juice for the kids and water for himself. Anya let out a whimper as she looked up at the plate in his hand.

“I'm sorry girl, you know you can't have people food. Ilya would kill me if you had some of this.” Anya let another whimper. Shane set his plate down and went to refill her semi empty bowl. He poured her favorite kibble and Anya ate, forgetting about the pizza she wanted a minute ago. Grabbing his plate and the drinks with practiced balance, he went back to the living room.

A new video had started, showing a video of Ilya and him the season after Shane had the twins. There had been a lot of build up for that, people speculating if Shane was still a good player or if his time off the ice had dulled his skills. They ended up winning the cup that year so he hoped those speculations had been put to rest.

“That's you daddy.” Dimitri pointed, looking over to Shane.

Shane had a mouthful of pizza, opting to just nod in acknowledgement at what his son had said. They watched the interview, listening to the questions that all sounded the same but with different wording. Eventually it started to wrap up, but the interviewer asked one more question.

“One more question for you both. How's dad life been treating you two so far?”

Shane watched as his past selfs shoulders relaxed slightly, a smile forming on his lips. Ilya was next to him beaming at the question. It was such a simple question and yet it had managed to make them both shift from professional athletes into dads who adored their babies.

“Is best thing to ever happen to us.” Ilya responded confidently. Seeing his husband so confident, so resounding in his words made Shane's cheeks blush slightly. For the first time that day, he was glad Ilya wasn't there to see him like this. He could imagine his husband poking fun, lightly teasing him before kissing him.

Another video auto played of him and Ilya both at a different press conference after a game. This was from the same season as the previous video. Shane watched the video forgetting why exactly he had saved this particular video when he heard the very distinct sound of a much younger Dimitri call out around the three minute mark.

“Dada!” Baby Dimitri said loudly.

Ilya laughed and Shane couldn't help but smile at their son's interruption. A few reporters laughed, going back to their questions before they were cut off again.

“Papa!” Baby Ava joined her brother.

Yuna and David gently shushed both babies but the young twins were babbling for their parents. The reporters laughed at the cute interruption, taking photos of his and Ilya's amused expressions.

“I'm sorry they're really chatty right now.” Shane half apologized, a smile on his face.

Both twins turned to him, Dimitri with a mouthful of pizza and Ava with sauce on the corner of her lip.

“Daddy, that's us?” Ava asked.

“That was you two, yeah.” Shane said fondly. He watched as the twins were placed onto each of their laps by his parents, quieting down once they were in their arms. The questions continued as usual, only now there was an occasional baby noise that would come from either twin before they could answer. Shane watched Ilya's face soften as he held one year old Ava close to him. The sight of the large intimidating Russian man holding their adorable daughter dressed in a pink and purple Hello Kitty outfit with short little pigtails was still cute to Shane even after all these years.

The video ended and another video auto played. The twins had eaten their pizzas and finished their juice, now joining Shane on the couch where he was eating the last bite of crust. The toddlers watched the video of him and Ilya highlights, seeing them do plays almost in perfect unison. This was one of the newer videos Shane added, so he hadn't seen it in full yet, but seeing how ruthless they were together on the ice tugged at his heart.

“Daddy you're good too.” Dimitri said in awe as Ilya passed him the puck and Shane scored a last second goal, breaking the tie they had been in. The buzzard went off and the Centaurs won the game. Ilya had skated over, wrapping an arm around Shane's shoulder as be brought him in for a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you baby.” Shane didn't take his eyes off Ilya, celebrating by his side. His hand rested on his stomach feeling their baby girl give a strong kick. He reminded himself that he would be back on the ice playing side by side with his husband again. Winning another Stanley Cup as if he hadn't taken a season off to give birth to their third baby.

◇◇◇

Thankfully both twins' mood had greatly improved by the time their bedtime routine started. Normally bathtime was either a hit or miss. Sometimes both twins loved it, sometimes one loved it and the other hated it, and on a terribly rare occasion they both hated it. Luckily for Shane both twins had decided they loved it that night, still talking about the videos Shane had shown them earlier.

“Does papa always win?” Ava asked as Shane poured water over her.

“Not always, no.” Shane answered. “He’s lost plenty of times before.” A grin started to form as he added. “Sometimes he even lost against me.”

Both twins' eyes grew wide at that, making Shane's grin grow bigger.

“Was papa mad?” Dimitri asked. He was holding one of their dinosaur bath toys close to his chest.

Shane leaned back, rubbing his stomach as he thought back to every time they had ever faced off. There had been many times when Ilya won and he had been the one who would get annoyed at the loss. Ilya never said anything, but the unspoken silent pride was hard to ignore even as they fucked. Shane would be mad at first, but they both felt that added to the hookup, so it was never an issue. On the occasions where Shane had won, Ilya had never seemed publicly annoyed that he had lost. Behind closed doors, however, when they would be hooking up after the game Shane could definitely tell he was taking out some of the frustration of losing out on him. Using him as a source of stress relief. In a way, it was like a second victory of the night for Shane.

“Maybe a little. But we'd kiss and it would be all better.” Shane didn't elaborate further on that.

Shane finished with Ava and washed Dimitri next. He listened to the twins' idle chatter, hearing them gush about the new discovery at how cool they thought their papa was.

Soon enough bathtime was over and Shane was draining the tub. Both twins lifted their arms up out of habit for Shane to pick them up.

“Do you miss playin’ with papa daddy?” Ava asked as he lifted her up with some effort. His lower back was now killing him from sitting on the tiled floor.

“I do miss playing with papa.” Shane set her down and picked up Dimitri next. “But once the baby's born and they're a little bigger, we'll be back on the ice together.”

“Are you gon’ win lots with papa?” Dimitri asked as Shane dried him off.

“Of course we are. That's what we do.” Shane said casually.

◇◇◇

Ilya had texted him that he would FaceTime them in a few minutes so Shane took the opportunity to start getting ready for bed. The twins sat on the floor in the bathroom, playing with the toys they had brought in from their room. Shane brushed his teeth leaning against the counter watching them play.

“You know you two can go play in your room right?” Shane asked after he finished rinsing out his mouth. The twins stared up at him, giving him a look as if he had just said something crazy. He shrugged and continued to brush his teeth. “Okay, geez, sorry. It was just an idea.”

As he finished his phone went off and both the twins got up and were jumping by his legs in an instant. He guided them to the bed, where they all got settled. Picking up he saw Ilya laying down, cheeks only slightly flushed.

“Papa!” The twins said in unison, making Ilya flash a goofy drunken smile.

“My little angels,” Ilya gushed in partially slurred Russian. “I miss you so much it's making my heart hurt.”

“You're drunk?” Shane asked, furrowing his brows.

“Only a little.” Ilya pinched his fingers close together, a tiny space remaining in between them. “Hazy ordered some drinks, then someone said I couldn't do shots anymore and obviously I still can.” He waved his hand at the thought. “Anyways, only had a few drinks.”

“How many is a few?” Shane already knew whatever number he heard wasn't going to be great.

A sober thought must have reached Ilya as he registered Shane's annoyed face. “Don't worry about it.”

Luckily for Ilya Ava gave him a way out of the conversation. “Papa we saw you!”

Ilya blinked. “I know printsessa you're seeing me now.”

“No daddy showed us you playin’.” Dimitri chimed in. “You and daddy are good.”

A slow smile of realization spread on Ilya's face. “You showed them videos of us?” He asked playfully.

That was enough for Shane to start feeling his ears get hot from the simple question. “I have a playlist I made a long time ago. I watch it sometimes when you're traveling.” Shane confessed. He couldn't even look at Ilya right now, his husband's amused smile was something he couldn't handle.

“Papa you and daddy are gonna play after baby sister comes.” Ava told him as if Ilya wasn't aware of that.

Ilya chuckled. “I know he will Ava. But is not for a long time.” He looked at Shane, his blue eyes looking momentarily sober as he said. “Playing without him has been boring. I miss daddy so much.”

For the rest of the conversation Shane was painfully aware of how red his cheeks looked on camera. Ilya didn't say anything about it, silently taking pride in the fact he made his husband flustered. Eventually it was time for Ilya to tell the twins their bedtime story, like he did every night. Shane tucked them into the bed next to him, reusing Ilya's blanket from earlier. They listened as Ilya told them the plot of Shrek. He barely spoke for ten minutes before they were completely knocked out.

Shane poked both of them lightly, making sure they were fully asleep. Neither flinched at the touch and Shane let out a deep, tired sigh.

“How's our baby girl been today?” Ilya asked.

“She’s been kicking the shit out of me all day.” Shane groaned. “I can't wait for her to be out so my ribs will finally have some peace again.”

Ilya laughed lightly, wishing he could do more to ease his husband's discomfort. “And how have you been, moya lyubov?”

Shane gave him a tired half smile. “Tired. My whole body hurts. I've got heartburn that refuses to go away. My chest feels so fucking tight and sore.” He paused, realizing he was just complaining. Ilya listened, a look of genuine care on his face as he heard Shane air out his woes of pregnancy. He ended that train of thought there, not wanting to make Ilya worry. Instead he added. “I wish you were home.”

“I will be soon.” Ilya said, his voice cracking slightly at the last word. He chewed his lip for a second before asking. “Can you send me your playlist you made?”

Shane snorted. “Why do you want that?”

Ilya was blushing now, looking away from the camera. “I just want to see it. I'll send you mine. Is like a trade.”

Shane's brows furrowed. “Jesus, you made a playlist of highlights about yourself?”

“No, is a playlist of your highlights.” Ilya's cheeks were as bright as Shane's now. “I watch it to go to sleep when I'm away.”

Oh. “You made one for me?” Shane asked. “Is it all just highlights and interviews?”

“Yes, mostly interviews to help me sleep since you give boring answers during them.” Ilya teased.

“Fuck off.” Shane let out a low laugh, careful to not wake up the twins sleeping next to him. He glanced at them, seeing Dimitri cuddled against his stuffed dinosaur Buster, and Ava curled tightly against him.

Looking at the time in the corner of his phone he realized it was getting late. Ilya still had his game tomorrow and should be going to bed soon.

“I should let you sleep.” Shane said after a minute. “You have your game to win tomorrow.”

“I do.” Ilya mumbled. His night out was catching up to him. “Just send playlist before you go to bed.”

“I will.” Shane promised. “I love you.”

“Love you more.” Ilya blew a tired kiss to the camera and then hung up.

◇◇◇

Shane had sent him the playlist before he took a shower. By the time he got out and settled back into bed, Ilya had sent his own in return. To his surprise, Shane noticed almost the whole playlist was just interviews spanning from Shane's rookie season to last season before he got pregnant. Shane scrolled, looking at himself at different ages, answering more or less the same questions. Seeing himself with the Montreal jersey, knowing how they would eventually treat and betray him felt very bittersweet.

He tapped on one where both of them were being interviewed. Looking at the date, Shane saw it was from four years ago, just before they found out Shane was pregnant.

He watched and processed how different they had been before fatherhood. Shane had remembered this interview because immediately after they were done he had to run to the bathroom to throw up. They had assumed it was food poisoning at first, but when it persisted for longer than a week, Shane finally took several pregnancy tests per Ilya's request. It felt weird watching himself back then, completely unaware that his life was going to change for the better in nine months.

The video played, and Shane felt his eyes grow heavier and heavier. Eventually he fell asleep to the sound of his husband laughing.

—

Day 2

Shane knew his free time was a very limited and precious thing. Having moments to himself were truly a gift that he treasured more and more recently. For the next few months he knew he would basically have zero time for himself. Between taking care of a newborn and the twins, training for the upcoming season, and just spending any stray moments one on one with Ilya, Shane knew he had to take advantage of peace and quiet right now.

He had woken up groggy and with his phone at half battery. He normally was good about making sure to put it to charge before bed, but he must have forgotten last night. By his standards, eight wasn't early at all and he had slept in. By his husband's standards anything before eleven was early. He took advantage of the fact that his toddlers were still sound asleep, and had come down to the gym to do some morning yoga before they woke up. For one serene hour, he did his stretches, focusing on his breathing and trying to relax.

With his eyes closed, he got into bridge pose, feeling the weight on his lower back momentarily relieved. He inhaled, choosing to ignore his baby girl kicking his ribs again for what felt like the twentieth time within that hour. He exhaled, feeling another sharp jab, this time to the side of his stomach.

He knew his peaceful yoga time was up when he heard the sound of the basement door open and the sound of his toddlers coming downstairs to the gym.

“Daddy.” Dimitri said in a sleepy voice.

Shane's eyes opened, getting out of the pose, and sitting up to see his kids standing beside him. Ava had inherited Shane's love of waking up early, much to the dismay of her papa and brother. She stood in front of her dad, holding her very much half asleep brother's hand. Despite the fact that she had probably just woken up, she looked at Shane with curiosity from the sight of him doing yoga.

“Morning you two.” Shane said. The baby girl gave him another sharp kick to the ribs making him wince.

‘Hi daddy.” Ava said cheerfully, not at all matching the energy of the room. Ava abandoned her brother's side, choosing to sit next to her dad instead. “Hi baby sister.” She gave his stomach a quick kiss.

Shane glanced at Dimitri, who had sat against the mirrored wall, slumped over as he tried to stay awake. “Ava why didn't you let Dimitri sleep more.”

Ava looked at him confused that he would even ask that. “You get papa up.”

Shane opened his mouth and then closed it. That was true. He had done that since they got married and had started living together. Ilya often joked that he didn't need to set alarms anymore because he had Shane. He'd never realized that their daughter was picking up on that same habit.

“Daddy what're you doin’?” Ava asked him.

“Im doing yoga, princess. Do you want to try it with me?” Shane asked her.

Ava flashed an excited smile. “Yeah!”

Shane did very basic poses so that Ava could follow along. Ava tried her best, wobbling slightly with some of them. Whenever she stumbled or fell she would laugh, filling the once silent room with her infectious joy. Shane couldn't stop smiling at every attempt she made, successful or not.

“Daddy look.” Ava said proudly as she copied his pose.

“I see, baby. You're so good at this.” Shane encouraged her.

The compliment made her beam, her smile big and proud. At that moment her smile was nearly identical to Ilyas. Shane changed poses again, this time doing the bound angle pose. Ava copied him, rocking back and forth slightly as she sat there.

“Daddy this is just sittin’.” Ava said.

Shane chuckled. “Yeah it is, but it's good for the baby.”

“How?” Ava asked before her eyes grew big. “Can lil’ sister do this too?” She looked down at the current sitting pose they were in, suddenly impressed.

Shane fixed his words. “No, it's better for me than the baby.” He answered. “The baby can't do anything like this yet.” He added.

Ava looked sad from that answer. “Can I show baby sister when she comes?”

Shane nodded. “Sure. When the baby's bigger you can teach them some poses.”

The idea made Ava giggle as she rocked harder back and forth. “I'm gon’ show baby sister lots.”

Shane got out of the pose, his eyes going to Dimitri, fully asleep as he was propped up against the mirror. He listened as Ava was listing off all the things she was going to teach the baby once they arrived. Looking at the two toddlers, seeing how different their personalities were, his mind started to wonder what the baby girl inside him would be like, and how she'd blend into this.

◇◇◇

Shane kept lunchtime simple and made them grilled cheese sandwiches. He flipped over the second sandwich, pressing it down with the spatula. He waited a minute, letting this side get more toasted.

While he waited he listened to the sounds of his kids playing in the living room. Shane couldn't exactly tell what the game was from just listening. It sounded like those complicated made up games that the kids conjured up out of nowhere. Making its rules up as they went along.

The sandwich was finished and Shane put it onto the second plate by the stove.

“Ava, Dimitri, lunch is ready.” Shane called out. He brought the plates over to the kitchen table, then went to the fridge to get them juice and some sliced strawberries as a snack.

By the time he set everything up, he waited another minute before calling out again. “Ava, Dimitri.”

Ava's loud laugh came from the living room, followed by Anya's bark. Whatever game they were playing they clearly were showing no signs of pausing, even for lunch.

Shane went over to get them but paused at the couch at the sight. They had emptied out the small baskets that usually held their crayons or makers, instead now they were on their sides on either end of the coffee table. Stuffed animals and dolls were sporadically put onto the table along with a few lined up on the side. Ava was holding her Cinderella doll and Dimitri held a Jasmine doll, both pretending to zip around the table, avoiding the other toys as they did so. Anya sat just off to the side, watching with her tail wagging.

Ava narrated the game with enthusiasm. “And then papa has the thingy.” She said, making Shane realize that they had a ripped piece of crumpled up all black construction paper that the dolls were seeming to kick. “And he passed it to daddy.” Ava picks up the paper and gives it to Dimitri, who put it in front of Jasmine.

“An’ then daddy did this.” Dimitri pretended to kick the rolled up paper, but then rolled the paper into the goal. “An’ then they win.” He said cheerfully, making Ava giggle.

The two joined their dolls together, pretending to make them kiss, wild giggles coming from the both of them.

Shane cleared his throat, an amused smile on his face. The toddlers looked up, finally realizing that their dad had been standing there the whole time. Ava ran over to him first, her arms wrapping around his leg.

“Daddy.” Ava nuzzled her face into his sweatpants. “We're playin’ like you and papa.”

“I can see that now.” Shane patted her head. “I was trying to call you over for lunch.” Dimitri came over now, following his sister's actions and wrapping himself around Shane's leg. “Were you two pretending to play hockey?”

“Yeah.” Dimitri squeezed tighter. “I’m you daddy.” He held up the Jasmine doll.

“I'm papa.” Ava announced as she showed him the Cinderella doll.

“I noticed.” Shane laughed a little at the dolls they picked out. “Why am I Jasmine,Dima?”

Dimitri looked at the doll, then back up to Shane, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. “‘Cause your hairs the same color.”

“I see,” Shane nodded. “Why did we kiss after the goal?”

“‘Cause you won. An’ you and papa kiss when you win.” Ava beamed, her face full of delight as she told him.

Shane blushed slightly. “We don't kiss every time we win, baby.”

Ava's head tilted slightly at his words. “Yeah you do. We saw it.”

Shane thought about the videos he showed them yesterday, running through the videos of them playing together on the ice. He played them over in his mind, realizing that yes, in some small way, they did show some kind of affection after a win. Whether it was a simple quick kiss on the cheek, a hug, or on more bolder, rare occasions an actual kiss, the twins were right. They did show their love to some capacity after a win.

The thought circled his mind as he guided the twins to the kitchen, where they started to eat their lunch. He only was half listening, thinking about how Ilya and him did that without even meaning to, without thinking. Years of hiding and denying, but now they didn't even think twice to show any kind of love to each other after a win. It wasn't anything flashy, more of a blink and you'll miss it show of affection. Their team would be celebrating and at some point, one way or the other they would single each other out for a victory kiss or hug.

The more he thought about it he wondered if Ilya even realized they did that. Or if he had been the one who was solely oblivious to the whole thing.

◇◇◇

Usually the twins paid very little attention when Shane had a game on. That didn’t surprise him, he knew there was only so much he could expect two three year olds to care about. Tonight was different. For most of the game, the twins' attention was solely on Ilya, watching him as he played. Whenever he wasn't on the screen, their attention would turn to Shane instead, asking him questions about what was happening.

The Centaurs were up by one point in the third period. They had only two minutes left on the clock before the game was finished. So far they were doing a good job of playing keep away with the puck, and if Boston did manage to steal it away, Troy or Ilya were quick to get it back.

Shane watched with hyper focus, the twins tucked on either side of him. All three watched with baited breath as Ilya managed to get a last minute goal, seconds before the buzzard went off. The team crowded around him, celebrating the victory with their captain. The Boston crowd booed and the camera did a close up of Ilya, flashing his infamous smug grin.

“Papa won!” Ava squealed. Her smile was almost identical to the one her papa had just shown.

The baby girl gave a flurry of light kicks at that moment, seemingly matching the energy of her big brother and sister.

“Baby sister's happy papa won.” Dimitri giggled.

Shane didn't say anything, watching both his kids and Ilya enjoy the victory. Ilya had won plenty of games before, and the twins had definitely been in the room for that. This time felt different though. This time they were actually watching, trying to follow along with some interest. His kids cared, even if it was just for this one game, and that made Shane's heart burst with pride.

◇◇◇

“Papa, do you like goin’ really fast?” Dimitri asked, currently holding Shane's phone while he brushed his teeth.

“Of course, is one of my favorite parts.” Shane could tell from the response that he was grinning.

“Why do they do a hit sometimes?” Ava asked him.

“Is part of the game. But if you do too big of a hit you go in the penalty box. Is like time out when you and Dima are bad.”

“Oohhh,” The twins said in unison.

“Have you ever been in the box papa?” Dimitri asked him, a slight giggle in his voice.

“A few times but it was never my fault.” Ilya answered. Shane couldn't help but laugh at that. Ilya, one of the most well known players to chirp, was telling his kids it was never his fault. It was so ridiculous Shane had to laugh. “I can hear daddy laughing at that.”

“Yeah, because you know it's not true.” Shane called out. He rinsed his mouth out for the final time and went over to the bed. He made himself comfortable next to Dimitri, now seeing that Ilya was laying down in his hotel bed.

“Have you been in the box before daddy?” Ava asked him.

“No.” Shane and Ilya answered at the same time.

Shane let them talk for a few more minutes, listening to them tell Ilya about the videos Shane showed them the day prior, and how they played with their dolls today. The conversation eventually started to wind down and both of the toddlers were fighting to stay awake. Shane started to make them cozy, tucking them under Ilya's blanket. They tried to let out small protests to no avail.

“Daddy I wan’ talk more to papa.” Ava let out a tired whine.

“I'm not sleepy daddy.” Dimitri yawned.

“Papa has to wake up really early so he can fly back home tomorrow.” Shane picked up the phone where Ilya watched with a half smile. “So let's hear the bedtime story your papa's going to tell you guys tonight.”

Ilya jumped right in to telling them the plot of Shrek 2. The twins tried to stay awake, tried to resist falling asleep, but eventually they fell asleep. They'd lasted longer than either of their parents expected.

Ilya talked about the game while they waited for the twins to be in a deeper sleep. Shane listened and told Ilya what he needed to work on. His husband pretended to be annoyed, but Shane saw him fighting a smile. Ten minutes later Shane poked both of the toddlers lightly and got no response. He sighed.

“I wish I was home already.” Ilya said.

“I know.” Shane watched Ilya yawn, feeling bad for keeping him up. He would let him sleep as soon as he asked one thing that had been on his mind. “Do you ever notice how we always kiss if we win a game?”

Ilya blinked. “We do?”

“Yeah, not like anything wild but, you kiss my cheek or I kiss yours. It’s always something quick and small.”

Shane could see Ilya thinking about it, remembering every victory they'd shared together since playing for the Centaurs. A look of realization crept onto his face. “I guess we do. I didn't realize that until you said.”

“The twins pointed it out to me while they were playing.”

“And they made us kiss.” Ilya let out a tired laugh.

“They made us kiss.” Shane repeated.

Ilya changed the subject, asking Shane his go to questions. How was their baby girl doing? Shane gave the usual complaints of how she has been kicking him nonstop and how she was resting low on his pelvis. He added how he'd felt some Braxton Hicks pains just before the game started, which made Ilya's face shift with worry. Shane reassured him it was fine, that they still had time and that this was just false labor. It was nothing to worry about, but he knew Ilya wasn't convinced. His husband asked how he was doing and Shane gave him a tired smile.

“Exhausted, but I'll live.”

Shane wanted to keep talking even though he knew he had to let Ilya go. Morning flights were always brutal for Ilya and he knew that. The conversation dwindled down, eventually the two were saying their goodnights.

“I love you.” Shane yawned.

“Love you more.” Ilya mumbled, his eyes closing from how tired he was.

The facetime call ended and Shane was left alone, the sound of Anya's snores only filling the room. He looked at the twins beside him, fully knocked out and tangled into each other. Buster had escaped Dimitris' arms, so Shane placed her back where she belonged, his little boy immediately snuggling it in his sleep.

Shane turned off the bedside lamp, opening his phone as he did so. He opened Ilya's playlist scrolling before finding the video he watched the night before. He didn't even make it to the ten minute mark before he fell asleep.

—

Day 3

The Uber ride home had felt impossibly long to Ilya. He knew it was only forty minutes but he wanted to be home more than anything right now.

Shane had texted him a few minutes ago saying he was up and he would open the door for him. Ilya told him it was fine, he had his own keys and Shane needed to rest. But Shane was stubborn, insisting on being up to welcome him home.

Ilya saw peaks of the sun starting to rise as they turned into familiar streets. He fired off a quick text, letting Shane know he was nearby. Shane liked the response almost immediately and had a simple red heart as a response.

Seven minutes later Ilya was getting his bags out the trunk of the Uber. He thanked the nice older woman before she drove off. Opening the gate, he saw Shane standing at the door, leaning against its frame with a mug in his hands. Anya was at his side, her whole body shaking with excitement at the sight of Ilya. Ilya dropped his gear bag and luggage on the dewy grass, opening his arms out for her. Anya bolted towards him, barking excitedly to see her dad.

“Anya sshh shhh, you can't bark.” Ilya laughed as she licked his face. She let out an excited whimper as Ilya petted her and peppered her head with kisses. “Were you a good girl for daddy and your siblings?” She licked his nose and Ilya took that as a yes.

Getting up from the grass, he picked up his bags and went to Shane, who had been watching the whole time. To the best of his ability Ilya wrapped his arms around his husband, feeling their daughter give rapid powerful kicks against him. He really didn't know Shane was able to go through with this a second time, this time with an even more active baby.

Their lips met, slow and comforting with the familiar taste of home. Anya nudged at Ilya's legs as they kissed, clearly still wanting more attention from her papa. After a moment Shane pulled away first, looking into his husband's lovely blue eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Ilya kissed his freckled cheek, playfully biting it as he did so. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” At that moment the baby girl gave another strong kick that Shane sucked in a breath at. “She's missed you a lot too.”

Ilya bent down, kissing Shane's stomach. “I missed you too, my little angel.” He purred in Russian. Another kick, this time much lighter. “She's just missed her papa.”

Shane let out a soft laugh and rolled his eyes at that. Ilya stood back up, and the three went back inside. Ilya dropped off his bags at the bench by the front door. He would get those later, focusing on taking a shower and sleeping in his own bed.

◇◇◇

Ilya made sure his shower was quick, but even in that short time frame of barely ten minutes, Shane had fallen asleep. The still warm mug of tea on the bedside table. He cuddled against the pregnancy pillow, already lightly snoring. Ilya knew better than to wake him up.

He looked at his toddlers, tangled together with his blanket only half covering them. Carefully he scooted them closer towards the middle of the bed, near where Shane's pillow lay. Dimitri was completely dead weight, not so much as flinching as Ilya tucked Buster back under his arm and closer to the oversized pillow. Once that was done he started to move Ava. He was almost done with their little girl's eyes squinted open, sleep still crusted in them.

“Papa.” Ava's voice was small, barely awake

“My printsessa.” Ilya said softly in Russian, kissing her forehead. “Let's go back to sleep okay?”

“‘Kay.” She snuggled against him as he got comfortable in bed. “Love you papa.” She mumbled before going back to sleep.

“I love you too.” Ilya yawned. He missed being home so much.