I can't stop watching Heated Rivalry

- Very fat, jiggly baby that makes Yuna look tiny when she holds them. Everyone who meets this baby comments on how huge they are. Ilya is constantly squeezing and kissing those rolls. Baby powder bill through the roof. Maximum giggles.

- Serious baby who is Always Watching with a look reminiscent of the Slavic stare. Deep thoughts. Not noisy but when they do babble, it's one loud shout and pointing at something. "Ba!" *points at Shane* "Yes, baby, that is Dad."

- Long-limbed, wiggly baby who stretches *so big* like a frog mid-jump. Personal grudge against the swaddle, smacking and grabbing everything. Ilya and Shane wear this baby on their runs, and that kid kicks their legs like crazy in excitement. This one may require a leash when they learn to walk.

- Clingy, shy baby who cries a lot when not being held. Constantly has their face in Shane's neck. VERY attached to Shane which makes Ilya happy but jealous. Eventually grows just as attached to Ilya and reaches for them both so they're constantly passing them back and forth. Snuggle champion, warm and nuzzly. Inexplicably terrified of Hayden Pike (which Ilya loves).

- Baby who babbles and sings constantly, loves to have conversations with their dads about hockey stats, dogs, and reality TV. Will pick up cadence and rhythms from adults, but all the words are nonsense. Once saw Yuna on the phone with a sponsor she was chewing out and held a block up to their ear and began to angrily babble into it. Social butterfly with everyone, will hand over toys and food to share.

- Baby who is obsessed with Grandpa David to the point where they get them matching hats. The baby screams with joy from the front door when David and Yuna are walking up for a visit. David lets this baby "help" with cooking by banging spoons on bowls and making a mess with the flour. When the baby is upset, Ilya and Shane video call David and let them talk to each other from the ipad.

- Baby that looks exactly like Irina which makes Ilya cry with bittersweet joy. Feels like a gift directly from Mama.

And sure, Shane tells him "love you" every time he leaves the house or before they go to bed, it's a habit. And Ilya knows Shane loves him, he feels loved, that is not the question. It's just sometimes Ilya gets in his head, especially on bad days, and hearing Shane promising his love again would just help sooth Ilya's restless mind.

The only thing is, despite getting better thanks to therapy, sometimes Ilya still struggles asking Shane directly for favours, especially for these stupid little things that Ilya thinks he should know already and not be such a baby about it.

One of these days they bicker in the kitchen, as they always do, and Ilya loves that Shane has such strong opinions on how to load the dishwasher and how he doesn't hold back telling Ilya about it, where he'd hide his irritation under a mask of politeness with everyone else. "Ilya, I love you, but if you put the olive wood bowls in the dishwasher again, you gonna sleep on the couch", Shane grumbles halfheartedly. Ilya, feeling a little rough and untethered today, doesn't realise what he is saying when he quitely asks: "Oh. You do?"

And Shane, so finely tuned to Ilya's tone and moods, immediately turns around to him, concern written all over his face as he tilts his head. "Of course I do. You know that, right?" Ilya scoffs and waves a hand, "Yeah, yeah. I know," and tries to tease Shane in an attempt to diffuse this moment that suddenly got too emotional for his liking.

But it wouldn't be Shane if we would let Ilya get away with his bullshitting, and in just a few steps he crosses the room and cups Ilya's face, gently urging Ilya to look at him. "I love you, Ilyusha. So fucking much." Ilya rolls his eyes, but he can't quiet disguise how he he begins to tremble so he buries his hands in Shane's sweater. "Yeah, okay. Love you too. Shall I do  dishes now or what."

"Ilya. Ilyusha." Shane, forever the unstoppable force, doesn't let himself be deterred. His thumbs caress the stubble on Ilya's cheeks and Ilya leans into the touch, soaks in the warmth and calm radiating from Shane. "Я тебя люблю", Shane says, quiet and so certain, and something in Ilya gives in, his body going limp. 

Finally he is able to meet Shane's gaze and Ilya is drowning in these deep brown eyes, overwhelmed by all the love pouring out of Shane, the silent strength in his husband's expression. Always so steadfast, always so earnest. And there is not one single one of the dark, insecure thoughts left in Ilya's head. He sinks in Shane's embrace, let's himself be craddled while crying softly,  and hearing those wonderful words over and over again. "I love you. I love you. Я тебя люблю."

These thoughts won't be gone forever, and again, Ilya will feel silly for feeling so desperate. But again, it wouldn't be Shane if he didn't realise what his husband really needs. So he makes sure to take amoment every single day to take Ilya's hand and makes him look in Shane's eyes, when he calmly tells Ilya how much he loves him, just like he did on their wedding day. And no matter how often Shane says it, Ilya always melts against him.

Ilya is in a depression low and the fact that his hockey persona is still “biggest asshole” no matter what he does has been getting to him even if he won’t admit it. So Shane posts a photo compilation titled “Every Reason Ilya Rozanov Is NHLs Biggest Asshole”

-“Bullies his teammates” with a picture of Ilya doing a celebratory fist pump next to Haas with his face in his hands, in front of a tv showing Ilya getting first in Mario Kart

-“Bullies his competitors” with a picture of Ilya laughing and Scott Hunter looking like he wants to set him on fire with his mind as he holds a birthday card labeled ‘Woah! You made it to 100!’

-“Bullies Hayden Pike” with a picture of Ilya and Jackie in the lake doing the Dirty Dancing lift while Hayden stands by with his hands on his hips and glaring

-“Stealing” with a group of pictures of Ilya wearing a Hollander 24 hoodie, wearing the Canadian Olympic fleece, and wearing one of Shane’s old jerseys

-“Dramatic” with a picture of Ilya in a feather boa at a karaoke night at a gay bar, eyes closed as he is clearly belting out some song

-“Takes jobs away from janitors” with a picture of Ilya in an arena post-game and picking up litter people dropped in the hallway

-“Bad role model to youth” with a picture of Ilya and a kid at one of the camps sticking their tongues out at each other

-“Child abuse” with a picture of Ilya playing paintball with a group of young boys

-“Animal abuse” with a picture of Ilya bathing an unhappy Anya in a kiddie pool in the backyard

-“Disturbing local wildlife” with a blurry picture of Ilya running away from a Canada goose

-“Encourages cavities” with a picture of Ilya letting trick or treaters take handfuls of candy from a bowl

-“Unfair sales tactics” with a picture of Ilya taking pictures with people at a Girl Scout cookie sale table, the table surrounded by a crowd of people waiting and holding cookie boxes

-“Trespassing” with a picture of Ilya shoveling a neighbors driveway

-“Fashion crimes” with a picture of Ilya in a pink baseball hat, a neon orange tank top, jorts, and neon green crocs

-“Not helpful at puzzles” with a picture of Ilya and David in front of a one thousand piece puzzle, both with their faces in their hands, pieces everywhere