Work Text:
Game day mornings in the Hollander-Rozanov always had a certain energy to them. Before the twins Shane would get up early and follow his exact same routine, like he'd done for all of his hockey career. He wasn't superstitious in any way, but following a routine did make him feel like he would play better. That routine was something he had always been strict about for himself. Now, however, with two energetic babies, he very quickly learned he had to work around their schedule and not vice versa.
So now here he was, lying in bed, his son laying on his chest with a pacifier in his mouth. They both were watching Ilya lift up Ava into the air and very dramatically blow raspberries into her stomach.
“Papa!” Ava giggled.
Ilya's face beamed at the word. They hadn't expected her to say her first word at only ten months old. It had already been a few days and the word still made both their hearts swell with pride. She was talking.
Ilya lowered her towards his face, giving her exaggerated kisses on her cheeks. That sent her into another laughing fit. She babbled before eventually saying the word Ilya loved to hear. “Papa!”
“Good job, printsessa,” Ilya encouraged. “Papa is so proud of you.”
Shane watched, a smile forming on his lips. Moments like this he couldn't imagine that this was the same man who had been known on the ice to be an instigating asshole. The man laying beside him had a look of pure adoration on his face as he watched his little girl babble at him.
Shane felt Dimitri shift slightly on his chest. He had started to get up, wanting to be with his papa instead. Shane sat up a little, Dimitri sliding slightly down his stomach. Dimitri took that as a sign to get off his dad and crawled to Ilya. He tapped on Ilya's shoulder and Ilya looked at his son, still smiling.
“Does little Dimi want to play now?” Ilya asked. Dimitri continued to tap his shoulder, big brown eyes looking at Ilya with curiosity. “Here printsessa go be with daddy.” Ilya leaned over and placed her on Shane's stomach. Ava looked at Ilya, watching as he had begun to lift Dimitri up into the air and play with him.
Shane could already see her face starting to shift into being upset. “Hey princess, it's okay. It's okay.” He soothed. Ava's attention now on him. Her little brows furrowed and a pout already on her face. “Let's be with dada right now.”
Ava looked at him, then over to Ilya who was blowing a raspberry into Dimitri's stomach. Dimitri letting out excited, loud giggles as a response. She watched for a minute, before crawling further up Shane's chest. She sat down on him just below his sternum, looking up slightly at him.
Shane leaned forward and gave her a kiss. “Okay Ava, lets try and say dada.” Now that she had said her first word, Shane was determined to have her second word be dada. Her and Dimitri had gotten very close yesterday, but no luck. But Shane was sure she was going to say it very soon. “Da-da.” He said slowly, emphasizing each sound.
Ava babbled at him as a response. Her tiny fist going into her mouth when she was done saying her piece. Shane let out a laugh. “Okay, very close but let's try again. Da-da.”
She blinked up at him and decided to lay against his chest, like her brother had been doing earlier. Shane let out a little sigh. They would try again later. Ava's little legs kicked as she watched Ilya and Dimitri, whose pacifier had fallen out of his mouth. Dimitri's loud excited giggles filled the room. Shane played with Ava's curls, watching along with her. He knew he should get up, start getting into the headspace for their game tonight. But ten more minutes of this wouldn't hurt.
—
The sounds of the twins babbling filled the kitchen while Ilya made breakfast. Shane had finished his morning yoga and was taking a shower now. Ilya knew that once his husband was in the kitchen he would want that gross green juice that he swore helped him play better on game days. Shane loved to say he wasn't superstitious, but Ilya would beg to differ.
Ilya made scrambled eggs, another one of Shane's game day routines. He didn't mind this one as much, mainly because it meant he got to enjoy it too. Shane could keep his gross green juice, Ilya would never like that. But eating eggs, that was manageable.
The twins babbled at each other while they ate breakfast. Today's breakfast for them was mashed avocado which both ate with no complaints. Now they were having some cheerios, both of their favorites.
Ilya listened to them, their own made up little language they had with each other. He thought about how Ava was officially talking now. Yes it was only one word, but it meant so much to him. When she had first said his name, he felt such a deep overwhelming sense of pride. His little girl could say his name now. The word being so new to her, she said it every chance she got. He was sure that Dimitri would also start talking soon, just based on the amount of babbling the twins did.
Ilya's train of thought was broken by a warm hand slipping under his tanktop. He felt Shane press a kiss into the nape of his neck. Ilya grinned at the touch of his husband.
“Thank you for making breakfast,” Shane said into Ilya's ear. He playfully bit at his ear, making Ilya's heart flutter.
“Anything for you, moya lyubov’.” Ilya said, focusing on the eggs.
Shane lingered for a moment before he went over to make his green juice. Ilya had left out all the ingredients for him, which Shane greatly appreciated. He moved quickly and out of habit, already knowing how much to put in. The sound of the blender going off made the twins pause their babbling, looking over at their dads with confused looks on their faces. By the time Shane finished blending, Ilya was grabbing plates for their food. They got everything ready and sat down at the table, the twins still working their way through the cheerios.
“Papa.” Ava said, looking at Ilya. He smiled at the word.
“Yes papa is here,” Ilya mused as he took a bite of his breakfast. “You are very, um-” Ilya's brain searched for the word.
“Chatty.” Shane offered.
Ilya snapped his fingers. “Yes! Our little Ava is very chatty today.” Truthfully she was chatty every day since she had started babbling. The only difference now was that she loved saying the only word she knew as well as the babbling.
Dimitri babbled at Shane, his little hands hitting the high chair table. Some cheerios fell to the ground, which Anya quickly ate up. Shane let out a small annoyed sigh at that, not loving the idea of Anya having people food. He turned his attention back to Ilya, who was feeding Ava some cheerios.
Once they finished breakfast, Ilya leaned back into his chair, letting out a deep sigh. Shane watched with a now furrowed brow as his husband sunk down into his chair slightly.
“I want to stay with them,” Ilya groaned. “I want to stay and listen to them all day.” Ilya looked over at the twins who were busy keeping each other occupied.
Shane leaned against his elbow, amused. “You want me to text that into the group chat? Or will you?” He asked. Ilya looked at him, a grin forming on his lips.
“They would understand.” Ilya insisted. “Their captain was busy with his very adorable babies. Very good reason to miss game.”
Shane rolled his eyes, smiling. “Definitely a good reason.”
They got up, putting the twins into the play pen in the living room. As they went back over to the kitchen the sound of toys and babbling immediately filled the space. They cleaned the table, gathering up the dishes and cups. The conversation turned back to their game tonight against Cleveland. After having the twins, home games felt even more like a blessing. Being away from their babies for a few hours was more welcoming than a trip that could last a few days at most.
While Shane was washing dishes, Ilya hugged him from behind, kissing his shoulders and the nape of his neck. Shane's cheeks felt hot at Ilya's sudden touch. Ilya kept kissing him all over until Shane was done with the dishes. Shane dried his hands with a nearby dish towel before he turned around, wrapping his arms around Ilya's neck.
“What was all that for?” Shane asked while Ilya kissed his cheeks.
“Nothing. I just like you.” Ilya said as he kissed Shane's lips.
Their kiss was interrupted by a loud “Papa!” That had come from the living room. Shane let out a small moan as Ilya pulled away. Ilya chuckled at hearing the noise.
“Papa is coming!” Ilya called out. He leaned in for one more quick kiss. Shane watched as he went into the living room, immediately being met with loud giggles and babbles.
—
“What's got you in such a good mood Roz?” Bood asked as he put on his gear.
Ilya's grin widened “Ava said her first word.” He said proudly.
Bood raised his brows. “No shit? Congratulations man.” He patted Ilya on the back.
“Do you want to see?” Ilya asked, already grabbing his phone. Before the twins were born, he never would've imagined he'd be someone who shows off videos and photos of his kids to teammates. Yet here he was, showing off his daughter's achievement to a teammate.
Ilya pulled up the video quickly. It wasn't the exact first time she said the word but it was a video Shane had recorded of them an hour after. In it Ava was sitting on Ilya's lap in the living room. Ilya was bouncing her on his knee, making her break out into loud laughs. When he would stop she would tap on his leg. “Papa!” She said loudly. He would bounce her again, making her laugh harder.
Bood watched, a smile on his face. “Ah man that's cute. I remember when Milo said his first word. Cherish it man. They grow up too fast.”
“What was Milo's first word?” Shane asked. He had been listening in from his stall next to Ilyas.
“Mama.” Bood said, fondly. “Did Dimitri say his first word too?”
Shane shook his head. “No. But he's been getting close to saying dada.” Shane thought back to yesterday when Dimitiri had almost said dada while Shane fed him at dinner. He had gotten so close but then decided that the mashed peas were more interesting than saying his first word.
They both chatted with Bood about dad stuff and swapped baby milestones while they geared up. It sometimes hit Shane all over again how odd this team was. How this type of conversation would've never happened on any other team. However for their team, it was just casual pre-game chatter. Bood showed them pictures of an almost three year old Milo. The same look of pride Ilya had while showing the video of Ava, now on his face as he showed off photos of his son.
Shane's phone buzzed in his stall. He picked up and saw a text from his mom in their family group chat. It was the usual good luck message she always sent before his games followed by photos of the twins sitting in their playpen while the tv was on for the pre-game interviews. He liked all the images quickly and put his phone away. He needed to focus on the game right now, not think about his adorable twins who were at home with his parents. Ilya had picked up his phone to look at the texts, turning to give Shane a look.
“What?”
“I miss them.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “We saw them an hour ago.”
Ilya sighed. “I know but is too long. Look at them.” He held up a photo of Dimitri and Ava playing with their toys. “I miss them.”
Shane wanted to pretend that Ilya was being ridiculous. But looking at the photo again, his heart tugged. They were so adorable even just when they were playing. Even though he knew he would be back home in a few hours, that time suddenly felt impossibly long to endure. He was thankful that this was their last game before they had their holiday break for Christmas and New Year's. It was twins first for both and he was happy he didn't have to worry about traveling or missing those special moments.
“We'll see them later.” Shane assured his husband, who was looking at more photos Yuna had sent. His facial expression was soft and loving. “After we win tonight then we can go home and tell them about it. Okay?”
Shane cupped Ilya's cheek into his hand. Ilya leaned into it, still looking at his phone. His eyes stayed on his phone for another few seconds before he let out an annoyed sigh. “Okay. Let's win quick so we go home faster.”
Shane smirked at that before removing his hand from Ilya's cheek. That was a good enough reason to win in his eyes.
—
They absolutely destroyed Cleveland six to one. The locker room was now buzzing, everyone's spirits high. They had been on a roll this season, having only lost two games so far. They were determined to make the playoffs again and everyone was going to make sure of that.
Shane had just finished doing post game interviews. The same round of questions he always got asked along with a few random ones. He answered them all quickly, and now was heading into the locker room to change and shower. Ilya had finished his interviews a few minutes before him and was most likely showering right now.
Shane stood in front of his stall, removing all his gear. Behind him he heard Wyatt saying something that made a bunch of the guys laugh. The energy in the locker room after a win truly was one of the many things Shane loved about the sport.
Once he took off all his gear, he checked his phone before he hit the showers. More texts from his mom, photos and videos of the twins. The most recent video being from a few minutes ago, which surprised Shane that the twins were still up.
Shane looked through the photos, all of them of the twins, some of Anya laying next to the twins as they played. He tapped on one of the videos which was of Ava loudly saying papa everytime they showed a close up of Ilya on tv. Another video was of David holding Ava on his lap. Ilya had just scored a goal and was being praised by Bood and Shane on the ice.
“Who's that?” David asked as they watched.
Ava blinked, putting her hand into her mouth as she did. She looked up at David. “Papa.”
David smiled. “Good job! That's papa sweetheart.”
Shane's heart melted at the video. He wanted to see his babies now. He clicked on the next video which was the most recent one. In it, both twins were now sitting on the couch, now in their matching onesie pajamas. Ava babbled at the tv screen while Dimitri watched with a pacifier in his mouth. They showed the post game interviews that they had just done. Ilya appeared on screen and her tiny legs kicked with glee.
“Papa!”
Shane could hear his mom behind the phone “Yes that's papa Ava good job.” She praised.
They showed Shane's interview next and both the twins' eyes lit up. They both wiggled on the couch watching as Shane spoke to the interviewers.
Dimitris pacifier fell out of his mouth, landing on his lap. “Da! Dada!” He said loudly.
Yuna from behind the camera gasped. David looked at the baby with a growing smile. “Who is that Dimi?”
Dimitris' eyes stayed on the TV. “Dada.”
“Oh my god. Good job honey!” Yuna praised from behind the camera, her voice wavering. “That's dada.”
The video ended. Shane's eyes were wide as he played that part back again. He heard it again, bringing the phone closer to his ear. He listened as his little boy said his name. Dimitri had just said his first word and it was dada. Shane's eyes suddenly stung with tears and he wiped them away. He felt an arm wrap around his waist.
“What's wrong?” Ilya asked, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. He had only a towel wrapped around his waist right now.
Shane didn't trust himself to speak right now, instead he chose to just hand Ilya his phone. Ilya watched the video, his face softening at the sight of the twins. He watched as Ava said papa, a smile appearing in his lips. He continued and his eyes grew bigger as Dimitri said dada. He replayed that part again, bringing the phone up to his ear, like what Shane had done. Shane watched as his husband heard Dimitri say his first word. Ilya pulled the phone away and immediately embraced Shane with a tight hug.
Normally Shane would've never wanted to show this much PDA especially in the locker room. Especially not while Ilya was only wearing a towel. However right now at this moment he didn't care. Their son just said his first word. Dada. He could care less if his teammates looked at them like they were crazy.
They pulled apart after a minute. Shane looked towards his stall still feeling overwhelmed.
“He said dada,” Ilya beamed, pride oozing from his voice. “Our son just said dada.”
Shane nodded. “He said dada.” He repeated back with a shaky voice. So many emotions overcame him all at once. Pride, joy, love, and a tiny bit of regret for the fact that he wasn't there in person to hear his little boy's first word. They both had been home for Ava's first word, when she randomly decided while she was playing in their playpen a few days ago that right there and then was a perfect time to reach a milestone.
They watched the video back one more time, both smiling at the phone. Dada. The word rang out so clearly. He said dada.
Shane could've stood there another hour, but he pulled himself away, going quickly towards the showers. The whole time while he showered his mind replayed the video in his head. Dimitri sitting in his little stars pajama onesie as he said his first word. Dada.
Shane got out of the shower and changed into his suit. He saw his and Ilya's gear already packed up, sitting on the floor in front of their stalls. Shane looked around for his husband, his eyes finding him at the center of a crowd. He had already changed, very half hazardly, into his suit. He was holding up his phone as people watched. Shane knew Ilya was showing everyone the video, but still he walked over.
“There he is,” Wyatt said, coming over to his side. He patted Shane's shoulder, a wide grin on his face. “Congrats dude!”
A chorus of congratulations came from the guys surrounding Ilya. Ilya watched with a smug grin as Shane's cheeks grew red.
“You didn't waste any time showing everyone huh?” Shane tried to sound annoyed but his tone was betraying him. He actually didn't mind at all his husband had shown everyone. He felt this overwhelming desire to show everyone the fact that his twins could talk now.
“Of course. Is very big deal that both our little babies can speak now.” Ilya said proudly. He went over to Shane and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his cheek. Shane felt his face grow even hotter.
“We should go.” Shane said quickly. He wriggled out of his husband's grasp, ignoring the amused looks of his teammates. “Its already late and I feel bad my parents have been watching them so long.” He went back over to their stalls and grabbed their gear.
Ilya followed along, both saying their goodbyes to everyone for the night. They made their way to the garage, packing in their gear with ease. Once they were sitting in the leather seats in the front they both let out a deep sigh. Shane sat with his head, looking up at the covered sunroof. He thought about his twins waiting for him at home.
“I can't believe he said dada.” Shane muttered. “He said his first word.” He looked to Ilya, who wore a similar expression of amusement.
“He is slowly becoming a big boy.” Ilya mused.
Shane sucked air from behind his teeth, letting out a disapproving tsk noise. “Don't say that. They're our babies.”
Ilya chuckled as he started the car. “You know is true.”
Shane did know it was true. Every milestone they had met so far, both Shane and Ilya had reacted just like this, if not even more excited than before. He couldn't even begin to imagine when the twins started walking. Ilya might actually throw a parade for them. The thought made Shane smile as his husband pulled out the parking space and towards the garage exit.
—
Anya greeted them first, like she always did. Her tail excitedly wagged as Ilya opened the front door. He bent down, kissing her head as she sniffed him. She sniffed Shane next with the same level of excitement. He pet behind her ears, which satisfied her enough. She walked towards the kitchen and they followed.
“Hi. Congrats on the win tonight.” Yuna said. She was washing up baby cups and the twins plates.
“Thank you.” Ilya said as he went upstairs to drop off their gear in their room.
“Thanks.” Shane said, leaning against the counter. “Are they still up?”
“One of them is, and not the one you think it is.” Yuna said, turning off the sink and drying her hands off.
Shane went into the living room to find his dad lying down on the couch, Ava fast asleep on his chest. She had her pacifier in, and a tiny fist clung to David's shirt. David had a hand resting on her back, which he rubbed absent mindedly.
“Hello,” David said in a lower tone.
“Hi,” Shane said. His attention immediately went to Dimitri, who was crawling towards his toy truck. Shane sat on the sofa arm watching very amused as his son played. Not at all realizing his parents were home. “I'm shocked he's still up.” Shane told his dad.
“So are we.” David chuckled.
Hearing his voice Dimitri looked to the TV, which was playing some cooking competition show. He turned to David and then adjusted his body, seeing Shane sitting there. A big gummy smile appeared on Dimitri's face. “Dada!” He started to crawl over but Shane got up and scooped him. Shane peppered his cheeks with kisses, making his little boy laugh uncontrollably.
“Hi Dimi.” Shane said once he was done. He held his son in his arms, Dimitri resting his head against his chest.
“Dada.” Dimitiri said in a small voice.
Shane kissed the top of his head. “Yeah bud, it's dada. I'm so proud of you.” Another kiss. He couldn't stop himself.
Ilya came into the living room, now changed into much more comfortable clothes. A t-shirt that had Goofy on it and some black gym shorts.
“My little Dimi.” Ilya praised. “Look at you. Everyone was very impressed at how big you and your sister are now.”
Dimitri reached out to be held by Ilya and Shane handed him over with ease.
“Dimi, who is that?” Ilya asked once Dimitri was in his arms. He pointed at Shane with his free hand.
“Dada.”
Shane smiled. Ilya kissed Dimitri on the cheek. “Good job Dimi. That is dada.”
Shane's chest felt so tight, the sight of his husband holding Dimitri while he said dada was almost too much for him at that moment. He turned his attention to his dad, who was trying to get up without disturbing Ava. Shane came over, carefully avoiding any toys on the floor. He picked up Ava from his dads chest. She stirred, eyes momentarily blinking awake.
Shane swayed back and forth with her, rubbing her back as he did. “I'm sorry princess. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”
“Papa.” Ava yawned.
“Yes, that's papa. Good job my sweet girl. Let's go to bed.” Shane started to go upstairs, thanking his parents in a rush as they said their goodnights.
Ilya walked with his in-laws towards their car in the driveway, Dimitri still in his arms. He had grabbed one of the thick blankets from the sofa and had very loosely wrapped up Dimitri in it. His baby boy hated the makeshift swaddle and was currently fussing as they went outside. A cold breeze hit both of them as they walked to the car and suddenly Dimitri was curled against Ilya's chest, the blanket doing its job well. To Ilya this type of cold was nothing. He has grown up with harsh, unforgiving Russian winters. But the baby in his arms hadn't, so he knew he couldn't be out here for too long to talk to his in-laws.
“Thank you for watching them. I know these two can be handful.” Ilya said.
“Oh you know it's never a problem. You know we love looking after them.” Yuna assured. She turned her attention to Dimitri. “You surprised us tonight,bud. I didn't expect you to say your first big boy word.”
Dimitri babbled a response at them before he let out a big yawn. Ilya adjusted the blanket, wrapping it around him again. Dimitri didn't fuss as he did so.
From the passenger seat David huffed out a laugh. “Hopefully he goes down quickly. He didn't want to go to sleep at all earlier.”
Yuna nodded in agreement. “I think he wanted to stay up to see you two come home.” She reached through the window and ruffled Dimitris' hair.
They spoke for a few more minutes before Dimitri started to get fussy. He shifted in the blanket and managed to get an arm free. It clung tightly to Ilya's shirt. Light snow had started to fall and Dimitri didn't like the flurries that fell on him. “Okay we say goodnight.” Ilya raised Dimitris' tiny hand and waved it as Yuna and David pulled out of the driveway. Ilya made his way back inside, glad to be back in the warmth of his house. Dimitris' fussing continued until Ilya took off the blanket and put it back on the sofa where it had originally been.
Ilya could hear Ava crying upstairs in the nursery. He let out a sigh and looked at Dimitri, who was looking up towards the stairs. “Your sister is driving your daddy crazy. Let's go fix.”
—
It took an hour before Ava had calmed down. Ilya had been the one to do it, warming up a bottle for her and feeding her. Now she laid in her crib, belly full of milk, sound asleep. Shane had been holding Dimitri, who had also started fussing when he heard his sisters' upset cries. Now he was calm in Shane's arms after having milk. His chubby cheek still had some milk in the corners of his lips, resting against Shane's shoulder. His eyes were closed and his breaths evened out. He was out like a light. Shane carefully placed him into his crib. Dimitri stirred for a minute before continuing to sleep.
They crept out of the room, carefully closing the door behind them. When they got to their room they flopped down into the bed. They laid in silence a few minutes before Shane let out a groan.
“I'm so tired.” Shane said into his pillow. He looked at Ilya, who was lying on his back. Ilya returned his glance with a tired smile.
“You still have to change.”
Shane let out another groan. “I can't. I'm too tired.”
Ilya shifted, now laying on his side. “Want me to help you out of your clothes?” Shane didn't need to look at him to know he was grinning.
With a lot of effort, Shane got up from bed. Ilya gave him a disappointed look as he walked towards their closet.
“I thought you said you were tired?” Ilya asked.
“I am but I know what would happen if you helped me change.” Shane said from the closet. The suit jacket had been abandoned long ago and was in the twins room draped over the plush rocking chair. His shirt was still unbuttoned from earlier when he fed Dimitri. There was a large mystery stain on his suit pants that he had no idea what it was or when he got it. He unbuttoned the last of the buttons on his shirt and put on an oversized t-shirt that had Snoopy on it. Ilya had gotten it for him for his birthday this year. It was worn in enough that it had become one of his favorite shirts. He took off his pants and just stayed in his boxers. Picking up the discarded clothes and putting them in the hamper.
“You think I would pull something right now?” Ilya asked, as Shane left the closet. He was already comfortable under the comforter.
Shane snorted out a laugh. “Please. The last time you helped me out of my clothes because I was too tired to do it myself I ended up getting pregnant.” He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Once he finished he crawled into bed joining Ilya under the comforter. Ilya curled closer to him and kissed his cheek.
“You say that as if we weren't trying to have kids.” Ilya said into his cheek.
“Kid. We were trying for one kid.” Shane clarified.
Ilya hummed at that. “Yes but two for one is very good deal.” He kissed him more, going down to Shane's jaw and neck. “Now both those babies can say our names.”
Shane gave a tired smile, enjoying his husband's kisses. “They can.” His eyes closed as they grew heavier. Ilya kept kissing him before delivering a final chaste kiss on the lips.
“Goodnight, lyubov' vsey moyey zhizni.” Ilya whispered into Shane's ear. “We finish this in the morning.”
Shane chuckled, snuggling against Ilya more. “If we have time, then sure. G'night.” He mumbled the last word as he fell asleep.