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Shane and Ilya stood side by side in the Pikes kitchen. Washing the dirty dishes from dinner as they playfully bumped into each other and stole kisses when the other one wasn’t paying attention. Hayden and Jackie were on a date and Shane and Ilya never hesitated when saying yes to babysit.
A quirky instrumental track blared through the television speakers. Ilya looked over at Shane and gasped.
“What?” Shane asked with a laugh.
”Is my favorite cartoon, malysh.” Ilya kissed Shane on the cheek before he walked into the living room and plopped down on the love seat.
“Uncle Ilya, you like the Rugrats?” Jade asked. She and her twin sister Ruby were laid out on the large sectional. Arthur was on the floor playing with his toys and Amber was already in bed.
”I LOVE the Rugrats. Was my favorite cartoon when I was your age.”
”They had Rugrats when YOU were a kid?” Ruby asked. She didn’t look convinced.
“Yes. The Rugrats first came out when me and your Uncle Shane were babies.”
”Wow,” Ruby said before looking back at the television. “That was like… forever ago.”
Shane chuckled as Ilya shot him an incredulous look. He dried his hands on a dish towel and made his way over to the living room. He stood behind the sectional, resting his forearms on the back of the couch as he leaned forward.
“Who is your favorite baby, Uncle Ilya?” Jade asked.
”Chuckie is my favorite.” Ilya said with a smile.
”Chuckie?!” Both girls squeaked and then laughed. “He’s such a scaredy cat.” Jade continued.
Ilya laughed. ”Yes. Sometimes he is scared and very anxious. But he has reasons to be, yes? The babies go on big adventures. Chuckie just wants to know everything is going to be okay. Also, Chuckie is very funny even when he is not trying to be. And I think his little glasses and freckles are very cute.” The twins giggled and Ilya looked over at Shane, who was already watching him with a soft smile, and winked.
”That’s why he’s best friends with Tommy,” Ruby said. “Tommy helps him be brave.”
“That is right.” Ilya nodded his head, his eyes still on Shane.
“Sometimes Chuckie is sad because he doesn’t have a Mama like the other babies.” Jade added.
Ilya looked back at the girls and then focused his attention on the television. “Ah, yes,” he said softly. “That is true too.”
Shane watched Ilya as his demeanor changed. He could read him better than any play on the ice. He watched Ilya as he started to self soothe; pulling at his ear and shifting in the love seat. He wanted to go over and comfort him but he knew Ilya wouldn’t want him to do anything that would cause attention or make the girls sad.
Shane had grown up with the Rugrats too. And he remembered something in vivid detail.
”Chuckie gets another Mama later, though,” Shane said. The twins and Ilya both turn to look at him.
“He does?” Ruby asked.
Shane nodded his head. “Yup. His Daddy gets married and Chuckie ends up with a sister as well. Here,” Shane said while grabbing the remote off the couch. “I’ll show you.”
He navigated to YouTube on the smart tv and typed in “Rugrats Chuckie New Mom” in the search engine. He clicked on the first video that popped up. It was a scene from Rugrats in Paris when Chuckie’s Dad married his new Mom, Kira. Chuckie’s Dad asked to dance with his new step-daughter, Kimi. Then Kira, Chuckie’s new step-mom, asked to dance with him.
“Rugrats in Paris! I remember now!” Ruby exclaimed.
They all watched the clip and then Shane turned back to the episode they were originally watching. Ilya stood up and headed back to the kitchen. Shane watched him go. He could hear the sniffles and watched him swipe furiously at his eyes as he tried to stop tears from falling.
”Finish this episode and then it’s time to get ready for bed, okay?” Shane said to the twins and Arthur. They all answered and then he went to find Ilya in the kitchen. “Hey,” he said softly as he stood in front of Ilya and pulled his hands down from his face. Ilya’s face was flushed and his eyes were bloodshot. “Talk to me.”
”Chuckie’s Mama,” Ilya choked out after a moment. “She is… is she…” Shane smiled softly at him when he realized what he was getting at.
”Yes.” He nodded his head. “She’s Japanese.”
Ilya’s face crumbled and he fell into Shane’s arms. Shane wrapped his arms tightly around him as Ilya tucked his face into the crook of his neck.
“I think Chuckie was showing you that everything would be alright,” Shane said before pulling back just enough to softly kiss Ilya’s wet cheek. Ilya held onto him tighter. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Ilya was able to calm down. Eventually, he pulled away from Shane and turned to the sink so he could splash water on his face.
Shane pulled his phone from his pocket and immediately called his Mom. “Hey, Mom.” Shane watched as Ilya turned back around. A look of confusion plastered on his face. “We’re good. Just babysitting the little Pikes. Hey, Ilya wants to say hi. One minute.” Shane handed Ilya the phone and softly kissed his lips. “Talk to Mom. I’ll start getting the kids ready for bed.”
Then he turned around and walked away, knowing Ilya was in good hands.