Work Text:
“Dog!”
Shane turns from where he’d been correcting Haas’s squatting form to find the infamous Ilya Rozanov barrelling towards him, leaning forward and already cooing at Ruby where she was standing at Shane’s side.
“Oh.” Rozanov stops as he gets closer to Ruby and drops his hands. “Sorry, I did not realise she was working.” Rozanov has obviously noticed Ruby’s harness splashed with the words SERVICE DOG in bold letters.
Rozanov finally looks up at Shane and Shane feels a spark of something flicker low in his stomach. He swallows on nothing and shares a shy smile, more a tilt of his lips than anything.
“It’s ok you can pat her, you just have to announce it. She’s not a seeing eye dog so the rules are a bit different.” Shane looks down at Ruby who’s looking up at him, tongue lolling.
“Ruby sit.” Ruby does as she’s asked and Shane leans down to her “Ruby pat.” Ruby’s tail starts wagging as Shane scratches behind her ears.
Shane looks up at Rozanov as he steps closer and nods at him, gesturing him closer. Rozanov reaches a hand out saying “Ruby pat” as he does before reaching forward and patting Ruby. Shane moves his hands away and Rozanov’s other hand quickly replaces it. Rozanov drops to his knees in front of Ruby and starts fawning over her as he pats her. Shane feels another small smile form on his face.
“Rozanov! You stole my coach.” Shane hears from behind him and turns to find Luca reracking the bar he’d been squatting with.
Ilya looks up from Ruby and reluctantly stands, Shane looks down at her and says a quick “Ruby finished”.
“These were squats with coach helping you Haasy? Could have fooled me.” Rozanov smirks at Luca. Luca huffs angrily before walking over to the treadmill.
“You are coach?”
Shane turns back to Ilya, who’s watching Shane now with inquisitive eyes.
“Strength and conditioning coach, yeah.” Shane answers.
Ilya’s eyes track Shane up and down, slowly. “Hm yes makes sense.”
Shane feels a blush paint his cheeks, Shane’s sure it looks ridiculous under his freckles and he ducks his head.
“I’m Ilya.” A hand appears in Shane’s vision and Shane reaches out to shake it. Ilya’s hands are calloused but soft, warm.
“Shane,” Shane pauses and forces his eyes up again, “Hollander. Welcome to Ottawa”
Ilya’s move to the Centaurs had been controversial, after being at the Raiders for nine years and winning them a cup his move to the Ottawa Centaurs had been steeped in curiosity and conspiracy. Ilya had declined to answer any media questions about the move and it was still unknown to the public why Ilya had made the change.
“Ruby is yours yes?” Ilya asks nodding down at the dog as he drops Shane’s hand.
“Yeah, I’ve had her for a few years now.” Shane braces himself for the inevitable follow up question but it doesn’t come.
“Hm she is almost as cute as her owner then.” Ilya winks at Shane before turning to walk towards one of the weight benches.
Shane’s blush that had not fully cleared and returns tenfold, he chokes a little on his own spit as Ilya walks off. Shane has never been so blatantly flirted with, well except for his few semi-successful traipses through Ottawa’s gay bars.
“Yo Hollzy can you spot me?” Shane turns and walks over to where Bood is waiting for him, hoping that the flush has cleared enough to not be noticeable to the rest of the Centaurs, Ruby following close beside him.
Shane watches as Ilya manages to seamlessly merge his way onto the Centuar’s. Shane is envious. The social interactions and jabs that come with so much difficulty to Shane Ilya seems to move through like it’s as easy as breathing.
Shane can tell the team loves him already, despite how Ilya presents himself, one of the biggest chirpers in the league, Shane and seemingly the entire team can see he cares for them and the team already. Shane has noticed that he seems to have particularly taken Luca under his wing, giving the boy pointers on how to improve his form and how to navigate the life that comes with being a professional hockey player. Luca looks at Ilya like he hung the moon, Shane tries to keep his jealousy about this at bay.
Ilya continues to flirt with Shane (Shane had confirmed with Rose that it was flirting). Shane wonders if Ilya had clocked him and is mocking him but he hasn’t seen him be cruel to any of the other men on the team, although they are not quite as obviously different as Shane is.
Rose has been trying to persuade Shane to flirt back and see what happens but when Rose had seen his practice flirting attempts she had laughed so hard her drink had come out of her nose. So, no, Shane would not be flirting back.
It wasn’t like it was just the flirting as well, Ilya had come in one day with a chew toy for Ruby and a Ginger Ale for Shane. Ilya had said he’d notice Shane drink one with his lunch on training days and he’d found the brand at a fancy brewery and was curious to hear Shane’s opinions as what Ilya had deemed a ‘Ginger Ale expert’.
The Ginger Ale had been delicious and when Shane had told Ilya as much Shane had got to watch as a gigantic grin had taken up Ilya’s face.
“Just as delicious as you I’m sure solnyshko.”
Shane had been too flustered to ask what the Russian word meant and proceeded to choke on the Ginger Ale before going into a coughing fit that had led him to awkwardly needing to walk out of the lunch room.
So essentially in the three weeks it had been since Ilya had joined the Centaurs and the 2 weeks and 5 days it had been since Shane had subsequently met him Shane found himself quickly falling for a man he wasn’t even sure was interested in other men.
It was the day after a Centaurs loss, Shane was demonstrating one of the exercises he wanted the team to do in the circuit he’d set up when Ruby suddenly sat up from where she had been laying beside Shane. Ruby came over to Shane and poked her nose aggressively into his leg repeatedly. Shane groaned and set the weights down quickly.
“Sorry guys, I’ll show you the rest later.”
Shane leaned down and patted Ruby “Ok, thank you Ruby. Good girl, good girl.”
Shane moved quickly, Ruby was usually able to give him a few minutes notice but Shane never really knew how long it would be from Ruby alerting him to when his seizure would start. Shane started walking quickly from the room.
The Centaurs management knew about Shane’s epilepsy and had been able to reserve a small room for him to go to when he needed. Ruby followed close behind him as he quickly walked there.
“Shane!” Shane didn’t stop walking but turned his head to see Ilya quickly walking up to him. “What’s happening?” Ilya asked worriedly.
“I’m about to have a seizure.” Shane didn’t have time to fluff around with half answers or keeping secrets. “Can you please call Lucy, she’ll know what to do.” Lucy was the Centaurs on site doctor and had helped him numerous times before. Shane usually called her himself but sending Rozanov to get her was just as good.
“Fuck. Da, yes ok I can do that.”
Shane nodded as he entered his reserved room, the room alone was enough to put him in a sour mood in some form of morbid and depressing pavlovian response.
Shane hears Ilya’s phone ringing as he lays on the ground in the middle of the room, resting on his side. Ruby comes up under him and wiggles under his head. Shane reaches out and pats her shushing her and saying it will be ok, he’s not sure if he’s saying it more for her benefit or his.
“Shane.” Ilya suddenly appears in his vision, sitting down cross legged in front of him. Shane moves his eyes up to meet Ilya’s. “Shane, sladkaya. Lucy is getting lunch but she told me what to do. She’s going to get back quickly ok?”
Shane nods and shuts his eyes, brain too overwhelmed to try and discern the look on Ilya’s face. Shane feels a hand come and carefully and gently card through his hair.
“I know I can not touch when seizure starts but just for now da?”
Shane nods, keeping his eyes closed.
“I hate this.” Shane mumbles and feels a tear escape his eyes. He turns his face into Ruby’s fur so he can hide from Ilya.
“I know Shanya but you will be ok. I have you. Ruby ha-”
Shane doesn’t hear the rest of what Ilya says before he blacks out.
Shane wakes confused, he can hear voices, soft and reassuring but it’s like they’re speaking another language. His vision is gone but he can feel himself crying, can feel the drool pooled down his face. He calls out but it comes out as more sound than any semblance of a word.
Shane hears more soft voices, a hand reaches out and works slowly over his head. Shane whines and makes another garbled noise.
“I- I’ can’t see.” Shane manages to stutter out and can feel his tears get heavier. The voices continue and slowly start to make more sense. Shane hears platitudes and reassurances, words that he knows aren’t english but sound affectionate.
Shane’s vision comes back to him slowly, blurry vision coming into focus after minutes. After Shane starts understanding words and his vision clears the aches and pains of his body start to make themselves known.
Shane groans, “Hurts.” He mumbles.
“Sh, I know, I know.” An accented voice says and fingers scratch across his scalp.
When Shane feels like his vision is mostly back to normal he looks up, groaning as his neck twinges. He sees Ilya still sitting in front of him looking worried and Lucy behind him, crouching so she can see Shane.
“Hello solnyshko” Ilya says softly to Shane.
“Can you help me sit up?” Shane asks.
Ilya nods and reaches out, gently pulling Shane up. Ilya is careful but it still hurts and Shane clenches his teeth. Shane starts shuffling towards the wall to lean against but Ilya quickly gets up and moves the couch in the room to Shane’s back so he can lean against it. Shane slumps into it and sighs in appreciation.
Ruby comes to sit beside him and he pats her, “Good girl Ruby, good job.”
“She is best girl.” Ilya says as he comes and sits next to Shane. Shane nods.
“How long was I out?” Ilya checks his phone and shows Shane the screen, 4:12, not his longest seizure but not great, close enough that he’s sure Ilya and Lucy were getting worried they might have to call an Ambulance.
“I’ll go get you some medication ok Shane?” Lucy says and Shane nods. Lucy leaves quickly.
“Sorry you had to see that.” Shane says after a beat of silence.
Ilya almost growls, “Shanya you do not apologise for this. You can not help. I wanted to be here. To help.”
Shane leans into Ilya, “Thank you.” Shane’s body feels tired and he feels his head fall onto Ilya’s shoulder.
When Shane wakes again it’s to a voice he knows calling his name. Shane opens his eyes and sees his mum in front of him.
“Hi mum.” He says groggily.
“Hi sweetheart, Lucy called. Lets get you home, Dad’s waiting in the car.”
Shane nods and goes to stand up, using the couch as leverage. Shane doesn’t have to push himself up for long before there’s an arm coming around him, lifting his body up with an ease that shouldn’t be possible considering Shane works out for a job. It’s only then that Shane remembers Ilya.
“I will help you to car.” Ilya says, Yuna gives him a strange look but nods and they slowly start to make their way to the car.
Before whoever he’s messaging can reply Shane’s doorbell rings. Shane gets up slowly to answer, his body still aches and complains at him. He groans as he stands and Ruby comes over to support him to the door.
Shane answers the door to see a bored looking delivery boy standing with a large hamper in his arms.
“Are you Shane Hollander?” The boy asks as he chews through a mouthful of gum.
“Uh yes.”
The boy shoves the hamper unceremoniously into his arms, Shane’s arms complain at him as he quickly moves his arms up to wrap around it.
“Signature.” The boy shoves a clipboard at Shane and Shane somehow manages to sign it before the delivery boy walks off without another word.
Shane moves slowly back into the house and places the hamper on his kitchen bench to examine it, he unwraps the cellophane and feels his heart skip a beat. Pajamas, food delivery vouchers, a massage voucher, chocolates, ginger ale, a wheat bag heat pack, sleep mask, some fancy tea and a Centaurs branded sleep mask.
Shane’s emotions are always all over the place after a seizure and he finds himself tearing up as he goes through the thoughtful package. He doesn’t have to wonder who it’s from for long, as he reaches the bottom of the hamper a signed headshot of none other than Ilya Rozanov appears before him. Shane laughs and pulls it out, flipping it over to find a message on the back scrawled in messy handwriting.
Shane
I hope you feel better soon. I miss seeing your face (and ass) at work.
I thought you may also be missing my face so I included this authentic, signed Ilya Rozanov headshot. Is probably worth a lot of money but do not sell. Is just for you.
I hope some of these things can help you start feeling better.
See you soon.
Kisses, Ilya xoxo
Shane smiles for a ridiculously long time at the message before grabbing his phone.
Shane huffs a quiet laugh at his phone, he knows he's got a stupid grin on his face and as much as he’d like to keep messaging Ilya his body has started complaining and his eyes are growing heavy.