Chapter Text
Ilya's Saturday off could be considered perfect. He woke up peacefully around noon after an undisturbed night of sleep, went for a run around his beautiful Ottawa neighborhood with Anya, and had McDonald's delivered to his house for lunch as he curled up on the couch to watch his incredibly handsome boyfriend attempt to look interested while answering questions from reporters during his pregame press conference.
"Shane, how would you describe the energy in the locker room coming up on this highly anticipated matchup with Boston?" Ilya barely needed to listen to the question to guess what the response could be. He could already hear Shane's media trained voice talking about positivity and how he views this as just any other game, despite his earlier comments that Boston hadn't been the same team since the departure of their sexy, handsome, incredibly talented captain. Well, he may not have used that many expletives, but no one was here to scold Ilya for complimenting himself besides Anya; but if she could speak, Ilya believes she would agree.
"We've been preparing for this just as any other game, our guys are focused on keeping a positive attitude and just treating this like any other matchup." Ilya would normally laugh at his predictability, but today he mostly just feels a warmth in his chest. For all he teases Shane about being the most boring man on the planet, its really what Ilya loves most about him. With Shane, there is a certain security in the boring-ness of it all. Ilya knows that before his game, Shane put his right sock on before his left and drank his disgusting green smoothie, and Ilya knows that, win or lose, he will end up curled up in his hotel bed going over game footage, analyzing every move he made. He also knows that through all of this, the weight of a ring will sit on a chain around his neck. While its a seemingly newer addition to the boring routine, its a reminder of Ilya's favorite constant in Shane's life; the fact that through every step in his day for the past 11 years he has loved Ilya Rozanov.
The knowledge that he is loved by this boring, predictable, gorgeous, handsome man, and that he will be for the rest of his life gives Ilya an air of sunshine that he never thought would be possible. And he wouldn't trade that comfort for anything in the entire universe.
The only thing that could make his Saturday more wonderful would be the weight of Shane Hollander next to him on his couch, his fiance. But for now Anya, McDonald's, and the promise of an evening Barbecue hosted by one Zane Boodram would have to do. A Barbecue Ilya is currently five minutes late for after managing to get distracted by his fian-. The thought of the word and the idea of a summer wedding surrounded by friends and family nearly knocks him off track.
After getting Anya settled, surrounded by her favorite toys, and nearly forgetting to lock his door, Ilya is striding through the back gate of the Boodram household only 11 minutes late. If Shane were here he would scold him for completing a usually 10 minute drive in 6 minutes, but if the broadcast on the living room television was correct, Shane was currently bending down to face off against Ilya's former team and their third new center in two seasons.
"Rozy, nice of you to join us!" Bood calls from across the yard, sporting a gaudy apron, probably with some phrase like 'kiss the cook', but Ilya doesn't get a second to check before he feels the weight of an arm settling around his shoulders.
"Someone keeping you busy?" The head attached to the arm that belongs to Evan Dykstra asks. If only he knew.
"Yes Dykstra, your mother told me to tell you hello." Ilya responds "and to delete all forms of music from your phone before you make your captains ears bleed and take him out for the season."
"Fuck you Roz, Tyler Childers is Rad." Dykstra Combats "His songs are like deep and shit."
Ilya didn't care who sang Dykstra's ridiculous hilly billy music, all he cared about was Shane's first goal being blasted onto the television, and— "Chiron!" but mostly the fluffy ball of cuteness who was currently being held hostage by one third of the Ottawa Centaurs queer community (For now at least).
"Barrett, give me dog. Look at that sad puppy face, he can only handle so much boring asshole at one time."
Troy glares at him over the head of Chiron, who had, sadly, grown too much since the last time Ilya had seen him. "First of all, I am a reformed asshole now, and second, he is my boyfriend's dog."
"Blah, blah, all I hear is gay, Harris, apples, puppy, now give him to me Mr. Reformed Asshole." Troy begrudgingly hands over the dog while his much more pleasant boyfriend's laughter fades into the background with the sounding of another Hollander goal from the TV speakers.
"Wow, can't wait to play him next week." Wyatt Hayes remarks "Maybe Rozanov over here can get his charity bestie to give me a break." The goalie states sarcastically.
"Yeah Roz, how about you give your bestie, Hollander a call after the game and let him know he needs to let us have this one." Troy says with a knowing glace in Ilya's direction. Right… Ilya probably needed to let Shane know that Troy Barrett was getting very close to their secret. Maybe he could even tell him ahead of time before the summer. Reveal it in some insanely drastic and confusing way, maybe just start making out with Shane in front of him, that would really wipe that smirk off of his disgustingly smug face.
"Um no, we do not need Hollander to do anything because you have me. You seem to forget you have best playing in the NHL on your team. Have you really been hit in heads with so many hockey pucks that you have..uh what is it called? The mind thing that the little blue fish has?"
The team stares back at him with varying expressions of confusion. "Argh, you all know her. She is the fish in this movie that sings this little song. Keep on swimming…swimming…swimming…swim—"
"Ohhhh! He's talking about Dory! From finding Nemo." Luca Haas chimes.
"Ahh yes little lost fish movie, is very moving. He is lost, then found, then lives happily ever after." Of course Ilya remembers. After all he had spent most of his past Saturday off on a Pixar movie spree with the army of Pike children.
"Well they don't actually live happily ever after, because in Finding Dory…"
"Come on Haas, we've got Caprisuns inside for the children" Bood announces "…with the food, which is ready by the way. So get your asses inside so we can keep watching this nightmare we have to face next week." He says gesturing at the Voyageurs game, whose score had somehow increased even more in the past five minutes. His former team really had begun to go downhill without him, he would've been at least tied with them if he wasn't beating them already.
Regardless of his Fiance's incredible performance he knew he would find something to nitpick once he got back to the hotel, Ilya was excited to hear all about it later. Maybe even convince him to engage in some more fun activities. So with a smile on his face and a pep in his step, he threw an arm around Luca's shoulder and began the trek inside to eat some delicious Boodram Barbecue.