Chapter Text
Shane immediately reaches out to take Ilya’s hand, intertwining their fingers together as they get out of the jeep and head towards the Centaurs practice facility doors.
“Did you get the mail this morning?” Shane asks as Ilya opens the doors for them.
“No, wasn’t there when I took Anya on her walk.”
Shane nods, chewing his lip as they walk inside and head towards the locker room.
At the end of last season after much discussion, and research on Shane’s part, They’d decided to fill out the needed paperwork to try for international adoption from Russia. Ilya had told Shane one story of Russian orphanages in passing when the idea of kids became a little more concrete and that’s all it took for Shane to bring it up as a serious option a few days later. They both know it’s a long shot, and Ilya insists they not get their hopes up, but Shane is itching for the response letters they know won’t start to come for a few more months according to their point person in Canada.
Ilya glances over at him, scrunching his face in confusion before he realizes why he’s asked. “Моя любовь,” he sighs, squeezing Shane’s hand, “It will be months before we get anything. And -“
“Don’t expect an approval,” Shane states, “I know. But I’m still kinda excited, Roz. What if they accept us?”
Ilya gives Shane a small, sad, smile before he pulls him closer to press a kiss to his temple. “I still think we should finish the paperwork for here,” Ilya states as they round the corner to the locker rooms, “Is the better chance.”
Shane huffs, but doesn’t contest the statement as they walk into the locker room - being met by the usual Centaur chaos.
Ilya grins at the atmosphere as the team gets ready for their first practice of the 25/26 season.
Wyatt and Bood are chatting about Wyatt’s time with his nephew over the summer while Chouinard, Lapointe, and Young argue over their chances at winning the cup this year - as if they hadn’t won it the last two years, and made the finals the year before that.
Troy, being one of the two people they’d told they’d decided and filled out paperwork and the other being Harris by default, immediately makes his way over to their cubes. “Hear anything back yet?”
Ilya gives him a slightly annoyed glance, “You are worse than Shane.”
“Technically, Harris told me to ask as soon as I saw you, blame my fiancé.”
“Oh, so you are whipped then, yes?” Ilya quickly retorts.
“Oh, and you aren’t?” Troy snorts.
“Yes, he is and no, we haven’t,” Shane states.
Ilya frowns at Shane while Troy snickers.
“It’s been, what?” Troy says, leaning against the wall, “Two and a half months? And you’ve heard nothing?”
“Maybe quick responses aren’t great,” Shane tries weakly.
Troy clocks the tone immediately and nods. “Hey, right! Maybe it’s a great thing!”
Shane gives him a small, grateful smile.
“Or they are drawing out the refusal,” Ilya says sardonically as he digs through his bag, “Would be most likely.”
Shane sighs dejectedly, turning his attention to his gear. Troy gently smacks Ilya’s arm, nodding towards Shane, making Ilya look at Shane and feel the smallest twinge of guilt, but before he can say anything -
“Cap, weigh in!” Haas finally yells across the locker room, clearly having enough of their banter.
Ilya shrugs. “We have good team!” He states, “Me, Shane, Hayes, Barrett. Adding in the fourth best forward in the league.”
Shane turns to smile at Ilya.
“Do not tell Pike I said this.”
“I won’t tell your best friend you think he’s a good hockey player.”
“Best friend?” Ilya scoffs, “No, no, no. Not even close. Hayden is not even my favorite Pike.”
“Right,” Troy chimes in, “Because you and Hayden didn’t spend the entirety of the Montreal camp coaching one age group together, willingly.”
Ilya gives Troy a highly unamused glare. “Was teenagers, they need two coaches.”
Hayes tilts his head to the side, “Didn’t you and him assign yourselves that age group?”
Ilya choose to ignore them, turning back to Shane. “He is like, sixth favorite Pike. Moves down if Jackie has more babies.”
“And you’re my fourth favorite Hollander, Rozy,” Hayden states as he walks in, patting Ilya on the shoulder as he heads to hug Shane - both Ilya and Hayden grinning at each other as he goes, making Shane chuckle. “Moves down when you and Shane have kids,” he adds just to be an ass, which makes Ilya bark out a laugh.
“Do they actually not like each other?” Haas whispers, making Hayes snort, but no one else gives him any form of an answer.
“And this is the locker room,” Harris announces as he rounds the corner just as Ilya finishes putting on his gear for practice, with their new rookie - Jacob Wilmoth - in tow.
Ilya decides he looks like a scared 10 year old. He glances at Luca, mostly for a comparison, but raises a brow when he catches Luca staring at Jacob like he's water in the middle of a drought before Young nudges him to ask a question and Luca quickly wipes the look off his face for his usual pre practice expression, and Ilya files that away for later.
“Hayden! You’re here enough, you don’t need a tour,” Harris waves a dismissive hand at him as he shows Wilmoth to his cube, “Wilmoth has already endured a morning of me, so, Pike, your turn!”
“I’ve spent the last three days packing, moving, and then unpacking with four children,” Hayden announces - Ilya snapping his head towards him in utter offense.
“As a welcoming gift, I’ll make you take your headshots tomorrow.”
“You’re the best, Harris!”
“My nieces and nephew are already here?” Ilya asks - Luca furrowing his brow and mouthing niece and nephew? To Lapointe, who shrugs - “And you didn’t tell me?”
“Well,” Hayden says slowly, “I already had four chaotic children unpacking and trying to decorate their rooms, I didn’t really want a fifth in the mix.”
“Four?” Bood whispers to Dykstra, both their eyes widening in shock, “Jesus Chris.”
Ilya huffs indignantly as he turns to head out of the locker room. “I hope the - uhhh,” he pauses to look back at Shane, mimicking scissors with his fingers.
“Vasectomy,” Shane supplies, seemingly happy to help his husband antagonize his best friend, which gets him a few glances ranging from amused to confused.
“Yes! Thank you,” Ilya says, “I hope the vasectomy fails.”
Hayden gasps like Ilya’s just tried to kill him. “Yeah, well, I hope a condom broke thirteen years ago!”
Ilya stares at Hayden for a second before he shrugs and walks out of the locker room. Shane and Troy both snicker.
Shane starts to follow Ilya, pausing to look at Hayden. “You realize if that had happened, that kid would be Ruby and Jade’s age, right?”
Hayden snarls his nose. “Oh. Right.”
Shane shakes his head as he goes to follow Ilya to the rink, quietly laughing.
“Is this gonna happen all season?” Young quietly asks.
“Nah, they’ll slack off after a few days,” Troy states, unbothered.
Ilya heads for the rink, with every intention of starting to stretch for practice early - until he hears, “Uncle Ilya!” He turns towards the voice immediately, grinning at Susie Dykstra whose already trying to climb out of Caitlin’s lap to, most likely, throw herself over the barrier between the seats and the tunnel in hopes Ilya will catch her.
“Малышка!” Ilya nearly yells, making Susie and Caitlin laugh as he rushes over, leaning over the barrier to pluck her out of Caitlin’s lap, “I take her around the rink, yes?”
Caitlin sighs. “Once, then we are not interrupting practice anymore,” turning her attention to Susie, “We are just here to watch daddy, not hang off uncle Ilya.”
Susie and Ilya both cheer as Ilya heads to the ice rink to skate a lap around the edge as Susie shrieks giggles.
“Oh, you’re not getting her back until it’s time to leave,” Shane jokes with a smile as he sits on the bench, watching as they race around, starting a second lap.
“Sorry,” Caitlin says, and she does genuinely sound sorry, as she crinkles her nose.
He shrugs. “We love when you and Cassie stop by with her and Milo.”
Caitlin leans against the barrier, watching as Susie continues to laugh. “So, when are you two gonna contribute to the small army of baby centaurs?”
“Oh,” Shane forces a laugh, because they decided not to tell anything until it was actually happening. “We uh - haven’t really talked about any real plans, you know?”
Caitlin gives him a look that says she doesn’t believe a word he’s said.
Shane momentarily thinks he’s saved when the rest of the team filters in.
He quickly realizes he’s mistaken.
“I’ve been trying to get them to join us in the adventure of parenting for years,” Hayden states, getting a death glare from Shane which makes him grin, “But it’s nice to know I have more conspirators now.”
“He stresses us out as Uncle Ilya,” Shane states dryly, “Imagine him as a dad.”
“No, he stresses me out as an uncle,” Hayden quickly corrects, “The thought of him being a dad turns you into a freckled puddle of goo.”
Shane sighs, watching Ilya skate up - both he and Susie grinning - and he doesn’t have even the smallest rebuttal to Hayden’s statement because it’s true.
“Caitlin I am sorry,” Ilya says gravely, making Caitlin shake her head as she bites back a smile as he balances Susie on the barrier and she turns to smile at her dad when he walks in. “But, we have decided Susie’s mini captain today and has to help with practice.”
“Did you now?” Shane says, smiling at them.
“Mmhm,” Ilya nods, Susie nodding along exaggeratedly.
“Next thing you know, Uncle Ilya’s gonna have you on skates,” Dykstra jokes as he steps on the ice.
Susie turns her excited grin back to Ilya.
“Tell your daddy to buy you some and we will start teaching you!”
“Daddy, skates!” Susie dutifully repeats, making Caitlin and Shane laugh while Evan just nods.
“We’ll look into it this weekend, Princess.”
“Between him and Ilya she is the most spoiled child I’ve ever seen,” Caitlin comments.
“Oh, you haven’t met Hayd’s kids yet,” Shane states as everyone makes their way onto the ice and Ilya skates off with Susie in his arms - yelling out orders in her adorable five year old voice, “I swear, I had to stop Ilya from buying them a toy store for Christmas last year.”
Caitlin covers her mouth to keep from laughing.
“And Jackie and I thank you immensely for that,” Hayden comments before he steps on the ice.
“Uncle ‘Ane!” Susie yells as Ilya’s shoulders shake with poorly concealed laughter, “Hurry up.”
Shane laughs as he steps onto the ice. “Am I late, mini Dykstra?"
“Very!” She states seriously, making Shane smile and Evan laugh.
Ilya carries Susie the whole practice, Coach Wiebe shaking his head but not stopping it as Ilya whispers orders for Susie to bark out to the team, everyone immediately following said orders. Ilya tries to participate the best of his ability while toting a toddler.
“Seriously,” Hayden starts as they head off the ice, watching Ilya return Susie to Caitlin before he heads back towards the locker room smiling, “You two would make amazing parents.”
“Drop it, Hayden,” Shane huffs, rolling his eyes, “Please.”
“You would! I know you don’t think you’re like, ready, but me and Jackie weren’t!”
Shane shoots him a death glare as they trail after the rest of the team. “Hayd, I don’t know if you know this, but it takes more than a forgotten condom for us to have a kid.”
Hayden makes a disgusted face that he quickly schools, while beside him Troy huffs in quiet agreement. “Yeah, okay,” Hayden agrees, “But come on, it’s just putting your names on a list right? Filling out a paper?”
“Jesus, Hayden, it’s more than just filling out some papers,” Shane snaps, “It’s-! We both play hockey -“
“Not an argument, Shane.”
“We have busy and - and kind of dangerous jobs! We need like, actual plans of who will be our support system and help us!” Shane continues like Hayden hadn’t said anything - pausing to finish their conversation before they make it to the locker room entrance, Troy stopping with them as he gives Shane an almost apologetic look that Hayden’s even pushing the issue, which brings Shane some comfort because he knows he and Harris started looking into adoption as well. “Plus, It’s - we have to figure out what route we’re gonna go! Domestic or international or - I don’t know, foster care! Each thing has different stuff and rules, then there’s paperwork and home assessments and whatever else comes with adopting a kid. And, the season's fixing to start,” Shane finishes lamely, feeling his cheeks heat under the weight of what he’s unloaded on Hayden and Troy - which neither look particularly bothered by the outburst, Hayden even has the decency to look sad for Shane - for a second.
“Doesn’t it take a while for paperwork to process though?”
“Yeah,” Troy butts in, “Sometimes years. Me and Harris looked into it, but it is a lot, Pike.”
“So, fill out the papers then deal with it when the season ends!”
“Okay, maybe we’ll work on deciding if we want go domestic or international and get them filled out this summer,” Shane sighs, reaching up to scrub the frustration from his eyes, just wanting the conversation to stop there, “But, for the record, we agreed to talk more about it closer to retirement so we could actually be present parents. So, please drop it?”
Hayden’s face scrunches up in confusion as he glances at Troy for back up - receiving absolutely none. “Why?”
“Unlike you, we don’t have a wife to turn into a stay at home mom -“
“Yeah, no shit you’re gay,” Hayden quips, making Troy laugh in spite of the awkwardness, “You don’t have to retire to be a present parent! I mean, I’m an involved dad!”
“Hayd,” Shane sighs, feeling the exhaustion of practice and the conversation falling over him like a blanket, “Can we not do this right now?”
Hayden looks like he wants to say something, eyes flickering towards the locker door entrance and back to Shane before he heaves out a sigh. “Okay,” he finally concedes.
Before Shane can wonder why he gave up so easily, Ilya clears his throat.
“Bood says he has something to tell everyone.”
Shane and Barrett exchange a confused glance as the three of them head inside where Bood is standing in the middle of the room, grinning.
Shane glances at Ilya, who appears to be just as clueless.
“Okay, we’re all here,” Young helpfully states after a second.
He whips out a black and white picture of - something, Ilya squints as the locker room remains deathly quiet. “Bood,” Ilya says carefully after a moment, “Is that-?”
“Cassie’s due mid February,” He announces with a grin, making everyone yell at once.
Ilya’s the first to slam into Bood in a celebratory hug, Wyatt being a close second, as Barrett and Shane join the dogpile while Bood laughs.
Shane and Ilya share a look, if they’re remotely lucky, they could have a baby close to the same age as Bood and Cassie’s, which spurs on more laughter and smiles.
It takes a while for the celebration to die down and for everyone to shower off their practice before they can throw on their street clothes.
As they head towards the parking lot, Shane catches Hayden’s poor attempt to hide his grin, giving him a weird look and getting a head shake in return.
As soon as Ilya walks outside and heads towards their car Shane sees Hayden’s sensible four-kid-SVU’s door fling open and Amber bails out, rushing down the parking lot with little care for her safety as she forgoes looking both ways before crossing. “Dyadya Ilya!” She screeches.
Ilya pauses, barely having time to dump his bag on the ground before Amber is all but tackling him, and he scoops her up with ease.
Shane looks at Hayden who grins, shrugging.
“Amber,” he happily says.
“We live in the same city now!” She nearly screams in his ear, making Ilya grin as Ruby, Arthur, and Jade make their way much more calmly across the parking lot, “We can have sleep overs every weekend now!”
“Amber,” Hayden says, warningly, like they’d had this discussion already, “Just because Dyadya Ilya and Uncle Shane are ten minutes away instead of two hours doesn’t mean you can bother them all the time.”
Shane shoots Hayden an appreciative smile at his use of the Russian term and Ilya’s smile brightens as well. Jade had started it shortly after Shane traded to Ottawa, and Ilya being her blatant favorite she’d googled how to say uncle in Russian, and the others simply followed suit. Ilya secretly loved it even if he was nervous Hayden would have an issue with it.
“Do not listen to dad,” Ilya states, waving his hand dismissively at Hayden, “You can come stay any time you want.”
“This weekend?” Amber asks with a grin.
“I happen to have over stock of popcorn, cookies, and hot chocolate,” he loudly whispers, looking at Shane who simply smiles at them both.
Amber looks at Hayden, who simply shrugs, knowing better than to try and fight with Ilya over his fun uncle sleepovers they try to host twice a season and at least once a month in the summer when the distance was two hours.
“Hey Dyadya,” Jade greets him, quickly accepting his offer for a one armed hug before he moves on to Ruby and Arthur.
Hayden elbows Shane, nodding towards Ilya and the kids as if to say see I have a good point. Shane ignores him as Jackie walks up, giving Shane a tired smile.
“My husband already made plans to steal your kids this weekend.”
“Dyadya Ilya is my favorite Centaur,” Jackie comments - making Shane and Ilya laugh while Hayden looks offended - “Thank you guys, between those four and this one,” She jerks her thumb at Hayden, “I don’t think I’m ever going to get unpacked. I forgot how much I hate moving.”
Shane scrunches his face in sympathy. “Hey, at least here you have us and my parents to help with the kids now!” He tries to sound positive, since their main selling point to getting the Pikes to trade Montreal for Ottawa was the support system after Hayden’s mom passed at the end of last season and Jackie’s parents lived in Toronto.
Ilya on the other hand, grins. “Pike annoying fifth child?”
Jackie rolls her eyes, stating dryly, “He’s worse than the other four.”
Ilya turns his shit eat grin to Hayden. “Hear that, Pike?”
Hayden glares at Ilya.
“In fact, do you want him this weekend, too?”
“No, no, no,” Ilya shakes his head, “You married him, he is your overgrown man child, these four are our honorary children. We will take them anytime.”
“Don’t make statements you don’t mean,” Jackie jokes, “I’ll send them to live at your house.”
It’s an empty threat, obviously, but Ilya and the kids all smile at Jackie like they wouldn’t mind that happening a bit, and Shane’s heart stutters a beat.
He can’t wait to get the response letters, impending doom or not.
“But, tonight, they have to finish unpacking their rooms,” Jackie states, “So, you need to return my children, Rozanov.”
Ilya pouts, looking at Amber whose equally as dejected.
“But mom! I’m almost done!”
“Almost is not done, Amber.”
Amber snarls her nose and looks at Ilya, half expecting an override of her parents statement. Ilya heaves out a sigh.
“This weekend,” he promises as he returns Amber to the ground, “Promise.”
“And we’ll watch Disney movies?”
“All night.”
“We absolutely will not,” Shane interjects, “You can stay up until midnight.”
“Two,” Ilya bargains, Amber looking at him hopefully.
Shane sighs, staring at Ilya who - for lack of a better term - is giving him puppy eyes bigger than Amber is. He purses his lips, trying not to smile.
“Oh, we’ve totally got him,” Ruby observes as Jade nods long.
“Hook line and sinker,” Jade agrees.
“Fine,” Shane relents, “Two, but no sugar after midnight.”
Hayden leans into his space to whisper, “Freckled puddle of goo.”
Shane ignores him, smiling back at Ilya when he and Amber absolutely beam at Shane over having ‘won’.
Hayden laughs and Jackie tries to herd her small army of children and one man child to the car - not at all succeeding.
“Oh!” Jade stops, turning around to walk backwards to their car, “Dyadya!”
Ilya hums in acknowledgment as he reaches down to pick up his bag.
“Since we live closer now, can you mentor me in hockey?”
Ilya freezes for a split second. Shane can tell he wants to say yes, but he’s trying to decide if it would bother Hayden. Ilya glances at Hayden for confirmation, who gives him the smallest nod. “Sure,” Ilya says with a shrug, “Why not, will be fun.”
Jade grins, rushing to give Ilya a hug again before she gets ushered into the SUV. “Спасибо!”
Hayden watches her get in her seat along with the other 3 in theirs with the door closed before he looks at Ilya. “Why do I feel like I’m going to get cussed out in Russian when she’s a teenager?”
Ilya nonchalantly shrugs. “I only teach normal twelve year old words. Not my fault if Нефрит pick up others.”
Hayden looks at Shane, highly unamused.
“I don’t let him teach her the swear words.”
Hayden narrows his eyes like he doesn’t exactly believe him as he makes his way to the driver's side door. “Fine,” He relents after a second, “Only because I trust Shane though.”
“Goodbye, Hayden,” Ilya says flatly as he turns to head towards the car - Shane saying his goodbyes and rushing after him.
“You don’t teach her swear words, right?”
“Блять is very important word, Shane.”
Shane deeply inhales, nodding. “Of course it is, Ilya.”
Ilya grins as he puts his bag in the back. “She is hockey player!” He reasons as he gets in the car - Shane already glaring at him. “Is important!”
“No its not.”
“Yes!” Ilya insists, “Is important on ice conversation.”
“No it’s not.” Shane levels Ilya with an unimpressed glare.
Ilya makes a face as he waves his hand, scoffing. “Boring.”
“You’re not teaching our kids curse words, Ilya.”
“No, no!” Ilya agrees as he shakes his head, “Only Niece’s and Nephew’s.”
“Ilya.”
“Just Pike’s children,” he amends, “For entertainment.”
Shane snorts out a laugh. “Fine, but only Ruby and Jade.”
“Ruby taught herself,” Ilya defends.
“Ilya!”
“Okay, I may have helped a little.”
Shane shakes his head, smiling as Ilya pulls out of the lot.
Ilya reaches over to hold Shane’s hand while they make the short drive home, Shane smiles as Ilya’s thumb rubs gentle circles on the back of Shane’s hand.
“I think we should tell Hayden.”
“About what?” Ilya asks with a furrowed brow, “He was at the wedding, I think he knows we’re pretty serious, Солнечный.”
Shane tries to glare at him, but his small smile throws off the effort. Ilya grins at the response. “About us trying to adopt,” Shane explains.
Ilya sighs, pulling their joined hands up to press a kiss to Shane’s hand.
“I know, we probably won’t get approved!” Shane rushes to explain, “But, I want to tell Hayden we’re trying.”
”Why?”
Shane shrugs. “I knew when they were trying for Arthur,” He states, “I was first to know about the twins and Amber.”
”They tried?” He asks flatly.
”Ilya.”
Ilya stares at the road as he turns onto their road. “Fine,” he mumbles, “We can tell Pike and Jackie. But, not Mom and Dad. Don’t want their hopes up, too.”
Shane leans over to kiss Ilya’s jaw. “I agree, just Hayden and Jackie.”
Ilya wants to ask why the sudden want to tell the Pike’s, they’d really only told Troy and Harris because Harris let it slip they were filling out paperwork and frustrated over the lengthiness of it. Shane and Ilya sympathized with enthusiasm, sharing that international paperwork was somehow worse. But, he doesn’t ask, deciding to leave it be.
They wave to their neighbors as they pass, and Ilya hits the button to open the gate so they can drive down their driveway.
“I’ll get the mail,” Shane offers, already half way out of the car before Ilya can put it in park.
He heaves out a sigh before he gets out and gets both their hockey bags to take them inside - dumping them right in the walkway in favor of greeting Anya.
“Hi!” He coos as he sits in the floor, letting Anya climb in his lap, “Did you miss us?”
Anya answers by wagging her tail, rhythmically hitting the floor.
“Ilya,” Shane scolds as he walks in, stepping over bags and around Ilya to shut the door as he heads towards the kitchen as he glances through their bundle of mail.
“I’ll put them up in a minute,” he calls, getting no response. So, he gently relocates Anya back on the floor and gets up to put their bags away before he joins Shane in the kitchen.
Shane is staring at an envelope, glancing up at Ilya as he walks in. Ilya scowls, nodding towards the mail.
Shane holds one out wordlessly.
Ilya slowly takes the envelope, looking down at the mail addressed in Cyrillic from an orphanage Ilya remembers is a few hours outside Moscow.
He takes a steadying breath before he opens it and pulls out the single piece of paper, his eyes dancing over it as Shane reads over his shoulder.
As Ilya expected, they’d been denied. The letter sites their jobs and sexual orientation as their reasonings. Even if he’d been expecting it, it still feels like a physical blow to the chest as he reads it over again, just to be sure.
“I can’t understand all of it,” Shane nearly whispers, “I mean, I can assume, they denied us.”
Ilya nods. “Yes,” He says quietly before reading the letter out loud, his accent thickening, “After careful consideration, it was determined that—in light of the nature of Mr. Hollander’s and Mr. Rozanov’s professions, combined with their homosexual orientation—this home does not provide a safe, stable, or traditional family environment for our children; accordingly, we have declined Mr. and Mr. Hollander-Rozanov’s application.”
Shane lets out a shaky exhale.
Ilya resists the urge to rip the paper into tiny pieces or ball it up and chunk it in the trash can, instead, he folds it back up and puts it back in the envelope.
“That was just one agency,” Ilya says with a shrug, trying and failing to keep his voice even, “We have many more chances.”
“Ilya.”
Ilya swallows against the sudden emotion welling up in his throat. Shane slips his arms around Ilya’s waist, hugging Ilya to him as he presses a kiss to Ilya’s shoulder. “Maybe we get better news next week,” Ilya mumbles numbly as he stares at the envelope.
“Yeah,” Shane readily agrees, “We shouldn’t worry about it, right?”
Ilya nods once before he drops the letter on the counter in favor of turning in Shane’s arms and hugging him.