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Shane sat in a Detroit restaurant, waiting for his best friend Rose, visiting family on her days off. The timing was perfect, as they were in Detroit to face the Red Wings.
That day, Shane returned to practice feeling adventurous. He kept thinking about Ilya's loon tattoo and its meaning. He knew what it symbolized, but the idea of getting his own tattoo now lingered in his mind.
Shane and Ilya often discussed the idea of Shane getting a tattoo, but Shane always said no. Deep down, he found tattoos extremely attractive—on Ilya. But every time Shane considered it for himself, he realized he just couldn't picture it, as if tattoos belonged to Ilya's story, not his own.
Another concern was 'branding,' as his mother called it, especially as more people noticed Shane's talent. Yuna valued his image and warned that tattoos might not look good. Now, Yuna likely wouldn't mind, even if she wasn't a fan of tattoos. Shane knew he was probably overthinking as usual.
"You're thinking really loudly there!" Rose said from the side of him, making him jump; he really must have zoned out since he didn't even see her come into the restaurant.
Shane stood and hugged her. "Sorry, hello! How are you? How's the time off?"
She sat across from Shane and sighed. "The usual chaos. My brother and dad are coming to the game tonight. They'll be in the box wearing Red Wings jerseys and will be very offended if you don't wave."
Shane laughed. Her family loved hockey and were huge Red Wings fans. He'd met her father after a game Montreal lost to Detroit, as he and Rose became closer.
"Well, I'll wave at them when I defeat them tonight," Shane remarked.
Rose burst out laughing, "I'm sure they'll love that, but how about you? How is Ilya?"
When Shane felt overwhelmed, Rose was the one who grounded him, especially during Ilya's recovery. His parents supported him, but people's focus was often on Ilya rather than on how Shane was doing. Though he felt guilty, Rose understood and reminded him that it was okay not to be okay, which helped keep him centred.
"He's doing well, you saw our game in Ottawa, right?" Shane asked.
Rose shook her head, "I couldn't production ran late as usual, but dad sent me highlights and Ilya on the ice made headline news. I am so happy he's doing well, and what about you?"
"I am doing fine, just thinking about stuff," he said. When Rose's face filled with concern, he added, "It's nothing, important, trust me!" He tried to change the subject, but Rose, as always, wanted to know what wasn't in the tabloids.
"Tell me, come on, how often do we see each other? I need to know what is going on in that hockey-crazed head of yours." Rose ruffled his hair, Shane pulled back and attempted to fix it, but realized he didn't even put in effort into his appearance anyway.
"I'm thinking of getting a tattoo." Rose squealed, leaning in as curious eyes watched them at lunch.
Shane ducked his head, trying to escape the attention. Quietly, he admitted, "I'm not planning to do it right now, it's just..." His thoughts tangled, and he stopped himself. "You know what, never mind, it sounds stupid." In that moment, he felt exposed, unsure if he wanted to share something so personal aloud.
"No!" Rose groaned. "Tell me why a tattoo. It's so out of character, and I love when you break your own rules."
Shane tried to change the subject again, but Rose was persistent. "Fine— Ilya told me the first time he said he loved me wasn’t at my cottage, but when he was in Russia." Rose yelped again, and Shane shushed her, not wanting to draw attention. "Ilya has a loon tattoo, and since then, I've thought about getting one too."
"Shane, that is adorable, and you should totally do it. Have you told Ilya?"
Shane shook his head. "No, because he'd drag me to the next shop and pin me down if he knew I wanted a tattoo, especially for us. He'd stare at me more than he already does in the locker room."
"I’m sure you wouldn’t mind your husband pinning you down and staring at you," Rose winked. Shane blushed, hiding his face. Rose took his hand. "If you’ve thought about it for a while, do it. You’re out now, in love, and don’t have to get it somewhere obvious—maybe just for him. I know locker rooms make things tricky. So, what are you thinking of getting?"
"I don't know. I considered a loon, but as a Canadian, it might not feel unique to us. His crucifix means a lot to him, but it doesn't hold the same meaning for me. I even researched native birds in Russia and their sounds. I know I want a tattoo, but I'm stuck on what to get."
"Wow, you’ve been spiralling. What about ‘I love you’ in Russian? That’s how he told you his feelings, and you’ve been learning Russian for him. It doesn’t have to match Ilya’s tattoos exactly—just something that connects you."
Shane's eyes widened. "Rose, how do you always know what I’m missing? I’ve been overthinking for weeks."
Rose giggled and shook her head. "You’re always overthinking, Shane Hollander, but I love that. I know what your brain is trying to say without all the clutter."
They ordered lunch. Rose gave Shane the idea to use his handwriting. Shane scrolled through his phone and found a handwritten letter in Russian that Ilya had written for their wedding anniversary.
Once they had completed their meals, they walked to the closest tattoo shop.
Shane had never felt more out of place in his life, and that said something, since his entire career was him hiding himself.
A few people turned their heads as seeing Rose Landry and Shane Hollander ever so casually come in for a tattoo was not on anyone's bingo card. Rose took photos with the artist and some people getting their own tattoos done. The receptionist had a very impressive collage of X-Squad faces tattooed up their arm, Shane very awkwardly asked to take a photo to show his teammate Wyatt.
After all the celebrity introductions were out of the way. (Ensuring everyone understood that Shane didn’t wish for this to be public knowledge, especially since this was meant to be a surprise for Ilya. For anyone who had spotted them in public, through Rose was getting ink done, and Rose didn’t mind having that as the cover story.)
Shane met their artist, Mykie, who was nothing like Shane had ever seen. Yes, Shane has met a variety of characters in his career, but nothing like Mykie, who was colourful and vibrant, with a punk-rock edge. ‘I would never look cool,’ Shane thought. Their hair was styled in a short orange-purple mullet, tattoos covering any visible skin, and facial piercings; Shane thought it wasn’t possible to have jewelry. On their torn jacket was a pin with They/Them pronouns, which instantly made Shane feel safe.
Shane must have been staring since he had made no attempt to introduce himself or even say what his intentions were. “Fuck… Sorry, I am not staring intentionally, Shane. Ahh, I’m here to get a tattoo for my Husband.”
Mykie just laughed and shook Shane’s hand, “Don’t worry, it takes me hours to look this amazing, I get it! Plus, I am a huge fan, just don’t tell the rest of Detroit.” Their confidence was fitting for their presence.
“Really?!” Shane didn’t know how to speak.
“Of course, anyone who carries confidence and pride in who they are, especially in such a toxic environment in sports culture, deserves their flowers!” Shane has never seen himself as confident, but thinking back to everything he has been through, he should start giving himself more credit.
“Well, thank you!” Shane beamed with the sudden confidence he felt.
They gave Mykie the image, which they traced, forming a heart at the end of Ilya's neat cursive and added a few original flourishes that were subtle nods to Hockey.
Shane was given a private, closed room, and Rose sat on the side to offer moral support.
“So, where is this going?” They asked with a printout of different styles and sizes.
Shane liked the idea of having it hidden for only Ilya’s eyes, having it high on his inner thigh without it being too uncomfortable for his game tonight. The artist mentioned it wasn’t recommended, but gave Shane opinions to minimize irritation and spoil the work.
The pain wasn’t bad at first, definitely a pinching and scratching feeling, but Shane had a high pain tolerance considering his career. It was 3 pm when they finished, which made Shane panic, since he had to be at the arena by 5 pm. But she applied second skin for protection, along with the recommended creams and care instructions, and got into Rose’s personal ride to make it to the arena with plenty of time to spare.
Getting changed stung a little, and he had mad intentions to itch the spot, but overall, it didn’t seem to affect his gameplay. Members of his team saw the bandage he had applied as a cover-up as he scratched himself along a gate, which no one believed. Shane was well known as a very bad liar. Ilya knows this very well since his bad lying ended with him nervously waiting for him in 1410 all those years ago. Thankfully, everyone kept to their own business and didn’t ask any more questions. Ilya, on the other hand.
