I need a fic where Haydenās youngest, Amber Pike, is Shaneās flavor of autistic, and as soon as they realize, Ilya is like, oh, step aside, Iāve got this.
Like, heās generally fab with kids anyway but he has a near lifetime of knowledge figuring out what makes Shane tick (and twitch) and this is just a child who isnāt able to control their environment or modulate their responses to things in the way that Shane can.
So when theyāre having dinner with the Pikes and Jackie is tiredly recounting the ongoing process of getting Amber tested and how lost theyāre feeling, Ilya is like, oh, I have been training my whole life for this. And when 3yr old Amber inevitably starts having a meltdown, Ilya jumps up and says, āHere. I will fix. You stay.ā
And theyāre like, you know what, sure, have at it.
Within a few minutes of Ilya disappearing with Amber, the crying stops. When they track the two down a half hour later, theyāre in the basement on the rug with all the lights off. Amber is wearing a pair of Christmas Pjs (notably a bamboo/cotton mix) despite the fact that itās February, and sheās laying on Ilyaās chest, ear to his sternum, alternating tapping along as he hums, spinning his ring on his finger, and rubbing his shirt (also a Nice Fabric since obviously Ilyaās whole wardrobe is Shane-approved).
And when Amber sees the family + Shane trooping down the stairs and starts to get riled up again, Ilya is immediately like, āTurn off hall light. It is Dark Floor Time. Only quiet people allowed to join, okie?ā And Amber lets out this relieved, shuddery little breath because she has someone who understands and can advocate for her which nearly ends Ilyaās life but also Shane is like, oh shit, yeah, Iām the the best at floor time, I love being quiet and grounded and aimlessly touching my husband, lets fucking go.
So even when the other Pike children get antsy after a few minutes, and their parents take them upstairs, Shane and Ilya stay, letting Amber crawl all over them and get chill before they get her ready for bed.
Afterward, Ilya gives Hayden and Jackie an exhaustive rundown of all the various things they might want to consider for clothing and food and overstimulation and regulation and theyāre very grateful but Shane is listening to this going, okay some of this I obviously knew about myself but some of these things I didnāt even notice? Holy shit? He pays such close attention to me?? Hold on, some of these things I havenāt done since middle school. Ilya, did you talk to my mom about my childhood behavior?? And yes, Ilya gives Jackie Yunaās phone number for additional consult until they get Amberās official diagnosis and are provided with more resources.
(And maybe at first Shane wants to be annoyed about the fact that Ilya has been, what, researching and compiling some sort of manual on how to handle him? Right up until Ilya reminds Shane that Shane has an Ilya Spreadsheet that now contains over a dozen tabs of Ilyaās likes and dislikes, injuries and recovery protocols, training and diet and supplements, depression treatment with behavioral red-flags and mitigation techniques, and even sexual preferences. And Shane is like, oh yeah, okay, thatās fair)
But anyway. As the Pike kids grow up, Ilya tries not to be obvious about it, but itās just Known that Amber is Uncle Ilyaās favorite. And everyone is mostly okay with that.
His doting is so quietly impactful for Shane, though, because here is a child who reminds Shane of his own younger self: a little odd, who struggles to articulate what she feels and needs, who gets overstimulated easily and has obsessive interests, but even so, Amber is a favorite and so loved and accommodated by his husband. Thatās gotta be healing.
Also, as much as they try to get Amber to hyperfixate on hockey, I think itād be hilarious if she became a horse girl and Ilya literally buys her a pony.
(Hayden: Oh my god, Ilya. Do you know how expensive horses are??
Ilya: Yes, yes, maybe for 15th best player on the Metros with one hundred other children, horse is big cost, but not for best player in the league married to second best player in the league with Yuna Hollander in charge of sponsorship deals. I set up fund for board and train. Is couch money.)
(Shane is unavailable for comment because he is feeling a velvety horse nose for the first time and realizing that maybe he is also a horse girl).
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