Chapter Text
Summer 2022–Ottawa
Shane adjusted the collar of his blue shirt in the mirror, smoothing it once, then again. Then he immediately started messing with his hair for the third time that afternoon, because apparently nothing wanted to cooperate today.
Behind him, the closet door rattled.
He turned to find Ilya on his hands and knees, rummaging through the closet like a Russian raccoon.
“What are you even looking for?” Shane asked.
“My black T-shirt,” Ilya said without looking up. “The one that makes me look hot.”
Shane blinked. “Ilya… they all make you look hot.”
Ilya paused, glanced over his shoulder, and smirked. “Yes. But this one makes me look extra hot.”
Shane rolled his eyes but felt his cheeks heat. “Okay, fine, but I don’t want to be late. It’s my first social event with the team and I want everyone to like me.”
“They will love you,” Ilya said, walking over to give Shane a kiss, with what was presumably the hot black T-shirt, clutched in his hand. “Everyone is very happy to not have to play against you this season.”
Shane smiled at him. “All right, how much time do we have?” He reached for his phone on the table behind him to check, and noticed two new messages from their agent Farah.
Farah: Are you and Ilya together right now?
Farah: Can you FaceTime for 5 minutes?
Shane inhaled sharply.
“Ilya,” he said slowly, “Farah wants to talk.”
Ilya froze mid-motion, with his shirt halfway on and still covering his face. He came to and finished pulling the shirt all the way on. Oh. That was the hot one. “She did not say why?”
Shane shook his head and tried to stop his mind from racing. “Should we just call her right now? I don’t know if I’ll be able to relax tonight if we don’t find out what she wants.”
Ilya sat down on the edge of their bed and patted the space next to him.
Shane settled in beside him and took his hand, exchanging a resigned glance before pressing the call button.
Farah’s face filled the screen. “Hi guys! Great, you’re together.”
Ilya nodded.
Shane swallowed.
“Okay,” Farah said, brightly. “So. CCM reached out.”
Shane straightened instinctively. He and Ilya were both sponsored by CCM, they had been for years. Would CCM pull their sponsorships now that they were publicly out? Would they only want to keep working with one of them now that they were married and would be playing on the Centaurs together this season?
“They want you two for a new ad campaign,” she continued, eyes sparkling. “A twelve-year retrospective referencing the one you shot together the summer before your rookie year.”
Shane’s breath caught.
Twelve years.
He glanced over at his bedside table where a still from that day sat framed. It showed Ilya and Shane staring into each other’s eyes in a simulated face-off position, but instead of the intensity the director had wanted, they were laughing. Ilya had somehow tracked down the photographer and gifted it to him last Christmas. It was Shane’s favorite photo.
They were so young. That version of Shane still had so much to learn about himself.
That shoot had been… intense. Confusing. Electrically charged in a way he hadn’t had words for at the time. And afterward… Shane remembered how he wasn’t able to look away from Ilya in the showers. He had never felt such a magnetic pull toward someone before. It was the first day they'd kissed. The first time they'd hooked up.
“Wow. I cannot believe it has been twelve years,” Ilya said wistfully, as though his mind had gone to the same place Shane’s had.
Shane squeezed Ilya’s hand. “So… what exactly did they have in mind?”
“They want to do a modern follow up showcasing you both now with callbacks to where you started. It would highlight your historic and record-breaking careers, of course. They also want to build a narrative around what you mean to the league and its fans now. Not just as veteran players but also as a married couple, and as–” she paused and smiled softly. “–Icons.”
Shane flushed.
“You think it is a good idea for us to do this?” Ilya asked Farah.
“I do.” She responded. “The league is changing. They want to be a part of that change. It would be good for their brand and I think it would be good for you two as well. You wouldn’t have to do or reveal anything that you don’t want to. A lot of people are interested in your lives outside of hockey and this would give you an opportunity to control the narrative a bit.”
Ilya set his hand on Shane’s thigh and leaned forward to look into his eyes. “What do you think?”
Shane held his gaze, not yet sure how to put his thoughts into words.
“Take your time. You don’t have to decide right now,” Farah said gently. “Just think about it. I truly think it would be a positive thing for you both but you are absolutely under no obligation to say yes to this.“
“Okay.” Shane nodded, throat tight. “Thanks, we’ll let you know.”
Farah ended the call and Shane slowly lowered his phone.
Ilya slid to his knees in front of Shane and reached up to caress the side of his face with one hand. “Sweetheart. We do not have to do this.”
“Ilya, they’re going to ask us about our rivalry, about that first shoot. What if, when people find out how long we’ve been together, they look at all of our accomplishments differently. Like we didn’t actually earn them. After the way Montreal reacted to you knocking us out of the playoffs–”
“Screw Montreal. You are here now, and no one in Ottawa was dumb enough to think that you did not put everything you had into that game,” Ilya interjected. “And we don’t have to tell them anything we are not comfortable sharing. Farah said that. We will have some control.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be open about us,” Shane clarified quickly. “We are open. The league knows, the fans know, everyone knows... Thanks to Brad.”
“Yes. Happy Birthday to Brad.” Ilya smiled softly, patiently waiting for Shane to continue.
“I’m so happy we don’t have to hide what we are to each other anymore. I love you so much and I love that the world finally knows it.” Shane paused. “But doing a CCM commercial about the details of our story? About everything we kept secret for years?” He felt his throat get tight. “We had to keep our relationship separate from hockey for so long, it just seems weird to put it all out there for public scrutiny in an advertisement for hockey gear now. I don’t know… It’s like we would be putting a spotlight on something that’s always been just ours.”
Ilya nodded, looking away thoughtfully. “We hid for a long time. Then everything was public. Very public. It is a lot. Let’s not make a decision right now.” He gathered Shane’s hands into his own and leaned down to kiss his fingers. “We will figure it out together, moy krasnyy velosiped.”
Shane’s eyes flicked upward as he racked his brain for the words. “Red bicycle?”
Ilya smiled brightly. “Yes. Good job. Now come on, we should head to Bood’s house for the BBQ. Harris said he is bringing the cider that his sisters make. It is amazing. Everyone is excited to see you.”