Imagine with me if you will:
In any which case it happens, maybe they adopt a teen from their hockey camps or just in general adopt a child who turns into a great Hockey player too, Shane and Ilya find themselves in Regina again.
They are waiting outside the Ice rink to pick up their kid from training, who is there for a junior competition.
Some parts of the arena have changed since 2008. A lot of them actually. But Shane has this sort of sixt sense for building layouts, and that hasn't really changed in almost 20 years. So he takes Ilya by the hand and pulles him with, all the way to what seems to be a side exit to the building now. And it looks exactly the same. This part has not changed. Even the "No Smoking allowed" sign is the same, just weathered and sketched on.
They both stand there for a second, in shock and awe, unsure what to do. Then Ilya lets Shanes hand go and puts on his hat, which he had protested against all day.
He leans against the wall next to the sign and takes one of the glucose-lollipops their kid likes from his pocket. He grins at Shane and it takes his breath away.
The years fall away and all Shane can see is that very first meeting. So he takes a few steps back, puts on his worst 'Axious teen shane' face and turns around. When he sees Ilya again their eyes catch. He reaches out a hand. "Ilya Rozanov? I'm Shane Hollander. I wanted to introduce myself. You're an awesome player to watch." Ilya smiles around the stick in his mouth, before forcing a frown that makes Shanes heart ache.
"Yes." He says heavily accentuated.
Shane can't help but smile as he points to the sign on the wall. "I think, you're not supposed to smoke here."
He can see Ilyas brain work, he probably has some dirty innuendo about other things he could do in mind, but instead he sticks to the script. "Okay."
Something warm blooms in Shanes chest. This was it. This was how it began. He's sure their words arent the same, sure the mixed something up but this is the important part.
He leans next to Ilya for half a minute, silent, before he says "I should go, they're waiting for me."
He reaches out his hand again and Ilya takes it. But instead of letting go he holds it. Shane feels the flush in his cheeks rise. "Good luck in the turnament." hw wispers.
"You will not ne sk nice when I beat you." Ilya smiles as he pulls Shane in, letting the stick fall from his mouth.
"That wont happen." Shane wispers against his lips before Ilya kisses him, softly.
When they pull appart Shane knows he is blushing and Ilya looks extremely pleased with himself. Shane licks the sweet taste of the lollipop off of his lips.
"I wanted to do that back then as well." Ilya says quietly between them and tears well up in Shanes eyes.
"I love you." Ilya leans his forhead against Shanes before he answers.
Voices echo across the parking lot and they carefully pull appart. Just that second Shanes phone buzzes in his pocket. He takes it and answers.
"Yes, we're outside. If you go around the building, left from the main entrance. Yeah you need to go all the way until you see us. We want to show you something."
Ilyas face lights up with glee. When Shane ends the call he smirks. "You want to..."
"It's where we met. It's a very important place to show our kid."
"Hm yeah. Place of Hockey history. There should be a plaque."
Their kid is of course a little annoyed by their parents sappy behaviour. When a few days later theres a sharpy scribble on the no smoking sign proclaiming "the place where IR and SH met" they dont know anything about it.