Hollanov in 10 years freshly retired and still coaching the Game Changers hockey camps, and there is one 8 year old kid who [not so secretly] immediately becomes Shane's favourite kid to coach because her hockey IQ is off the charts. She absorbs every single word that Shane and the other coaches say and practices drills with a single-mindedness that makes Shane sooo proud because This Kid Gets It.
When Shane waxes poetic about this kid's hockey IQ for the umpteenth time over dinner, Ilya smiles his 'I am endlesslely endeared by my hockey robot husband' smile and replies, "Ok, Yuna," making fun of Shane for picking favourites and reminding him that the other kids at camp exist.
The thing is, she also secretly becomes Ilya's favorite kid at the camp that summer. One day before practice, Ilya overhears some of the older kids chirping a younger kid a little too harshly as they skate around him. Before Ilya can skate over to diffuse the situation, this girl zooms over, stops on a dime, and chirps the older kid so fiercely and catches him so off guard that he trips and falls flat on his back. Instead of lauging, she takes the younger kid's hand and skates him away as she throws one sassy word over her shoulder, "...Karma."
On the drive home after practice, Ilya gleefully retells Shane the story as Shane smirks and imitates Ilya in a sassy Russian accent, "You know there are other kids at camp, moy lyubov, you should not pick favourites."
After one practice towards the of camp, their favorite kid is the last to exit the ice, and Ilya pauses the story he was telling Shane in order to tell their favourite player how impressed he was with her passes today. She smirks and chirps, "Better than Coach Hayden," Which makes Ilya cackle with glee. (Hayden had fumbled a pass to her at the start of practice and she clearly wasn't about to let it go anytime soon.)
Shane, instead of feeling annoyed at the obvious bad influence Ilya was being, feels an inexplicable fondness at the sight of the two of them grinning at each other and fist bumping. He rapidly blinks a few times and clears his throat before clapping the kid playfully on the shoulder. As they start to walk in the direction of the locker rooms, Shane says that he'd like to tell her parents how well she's doing, glancing at the stands and suddenly realizing that he couldn't recall which parents belonged to her.
Not breaking stride, she points over to where the parents are gathered and says, "John- my foster dad- is the one with the glasses," and then she's gone. Her reply pulls both Ilya and Shane up short for a second as they immediately lock eyes.
"Ilya..." Shane says hesitantly, an unreadable expression on his face. But Ilya is already pivoting, Shane immediately following. They find the guy she's pointed out, re-introducing themselves and shaking the guy's hand in turn. Shane spends a minute doing what he said he would: praising her progress and hockey sense. But at the first pause in conversation, Ilya cuts in without finesse or preamble and asks, "She says you are her foster dad? So, she is orphan?"
"Ilya," Shane admonishes his husband's lack of tact, but John waves it away. He confirms Ilya's assumption, tells them briefly about her story, and explains that she had recieved a scholarship to attend the camp. They thank him, greet other parents, and wrap up their day, not speaking of it again until their car doors are shutting in the empty parking lot, echoing through the Range Rover for one short moment before Ilya immediately breaks the silence:
"You are thinking same thing as me-"
"She is orphan, moya lyubov, orphan like me-"
"She is Baby Scott Hunter, Shane!"
"She is Baby Hollander! Best player we have seen in all these camps. You cannot lie to me- you are also thinking-"
Shane heaves a longsuffering sigh before turning forward. Ilya gives Shane one single minute to chew the inside of his lip and drum his fingers on the steering wheel before Ilya reaches out and takes Shane's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together.
"Shanushka," he says, softly, imploringly, squeezing his husband's hand.
Shane turns back to Ilya, gaze going from their joined hands up to Ilya's face. Seeing the imploring expression on Ilya's face, Shane sighs again and nods once.
The smile that breaks out on Ilya's face is blinding, and Shane responds with a smile to match before Ilya is diving over the center console and peppering kisses all over Shane's face. Once Ilya settles down, Shane starts the car and puts it in gear as he muses under his breath about not even knowing where to start. Ilya rolls his eyes and replies that yes, actually, they do know where to start, and eagerly jabs the blutooth call button.
"Hey, honey, I was just-" Yuna barely has a moment to answer before Shane is interrupting her.
"Mom- what you know about adoption?"
"Congratulations, Babushka!" Ilya cuts in. "We have found your granddaughter. She is Tiny Shane. She is even better at him than hockey. And also chirping. You will love her."
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