idk how yall feel about autistic shane on this site but i feel very strongly about him!!!! especially when he goes over to the centaurs and it’s a place that is so unbelievably kind that he doesn’t even realize they’re accommodating him.
like…. young, spry, starry-eyed luca haas who is already thanking his lucky stars for getting into the NHL playing with ilya rozanov (who he had posters of above his bed) and he’s absorbing as much information as he can from him. until suddenly he gets to play on the same line as shane fucking hollander?!!!!! the man whose religion is hockey - he who eats and breathes it. ofc he’s going to ask questions. and shane, sweet wonderful shane, will just ramble and ramble and ramble about things like his stick taping routine, the waxes he uses, and his skate sharpening technique. and luca would just listen and absorb every word like a sponge until shane realizes he’s rambling and he apologizes with a lil blush on his face and luca doesn’t understand why he’s apologizing because he loves to listen to the shane hollander talk for hours. and so luca makes it a point to always ask shane questions even about the smallest things just to see the way his eyes sparkle as he info dumps about hockey.
or shane who is having a few back to back very bad no good days at practice. and one day it’s just too much and the lights are too bright and his skin feels like it’s stretched too tight across his bones and his equipment is heavy and it’s wrong on his skin. and ilya, his perfect beautiful husband who always knows what to do, isn’t around (he has to meet with the coaches). and shane can’t catch a breath and he’s fighting with his gear and his skates. he closes his eyes so tight it hurts and his lungs feel like they’re on fire because he can’t get a good deep breath. until suddenly everything is muffled. there’s a pressure over his temples and when he looks up, the light is being eclipsed by wyatt hayes who is pressing noise cancelling headphones over shane’s ears. he’s taking exaggerated breaths so shane can match him. and the knot in shane’s chest loosens just enough for everything to be bearable for a few minutes. he asks wyatt how he knew what to do and wyatt says his nephew is the same. he noticed it a while ago but ilya was always there to help, but he’s glad he was here now. and shane will thank him and wyatt will usher him off to the showers where the hot water will loosen more of the knot in his chest until he’s back with ilya. suddenly, though, shane feels like crying because he’s never had someone else, besides ilya, to bear this weight with and it feels a little liberating.
or shane and ilya who are late to a classic Boodram BBQ™ and now they don’t have time to stop at the store to grab some ginger ale for shane. and he is so disappointed at the prospect of having to drink water all night because he doesn’t drink during the season and he’d rather die than drink a coke, but alas it is what it is. when they get there, they make their way greeting everyone. ilya giving bro hugs and fist bumps while shane politely waves and smiles and no one feels offended for not getting a bro hug in return. all just content to give shane his space. and when they finally all gather around to eat, shane asks where the non-alcoholic cooler is so he can get a drink to sip on while he eats. he opens the cooler and is almost brought to tears when he sees cans upon cans of his favorite brand of ginger ale. he didn’t have to ask… everyone just knew.
or when they’re on a roadie, a few guys decide to get dinner together at a japanese place not too far from the hotel. and shane is staring at the silverware with so much malcontent because it’s literally the ugliest fucking fork he’s ever seen and it should burn to hell. and the chopsticks aren’t even japanese, they’re chinese (and yes they’re different). he texted ilya asking if he’s almost done with his meeting because the travel utensils he carries around are in his duffel bag, but ilya lets him know it’ll be another 20 minutes. but troy barrett, noticing his discomfort, pipes up and says something about a video he saw online about certain sushi’s that are meant to be eaten with your hands and without utensils of any kind and they have them on the menu. and so in true centaurs fashion they ditch the silverware and chopsticks, and eat with their hands. and shane has a soft gentle smile on his lips the entire time.
but, most importantly, is that shane can show love in his own way. like one day, when shane is out shopping with rose at some LA mall, he stops at the lego store to get one of the pike kids some birthday present or something. while he’s looking around, he sees a lego set that was in the shape of the batman logo and he instantly buys it. once he’s back in ottawa he places it in his duffle bag before practice and when he’s walks into the locker room, he goes over to wyatt and hands it to him. he’s rambling on and on, with a gentle blush and avoiding eye contact, saying “i saw this when i was in LA and i thought of you… i wasn’t sure if you preferred DC or marvel, but most of the comics you’ve mentioned are DC so i hope i chose right” and wyatt is staring at the lego box in his hands with his mouth open and his brain short circuiting. because wdym shane hollander listened to him talk about super heroes and actually payed attention?? enough to know his favorite franchise, and he took time and money out of his day to purchase something so silly simply because it reminded him of his goalie. and he’s looking back and forth between shane and the box of lego’s with a smile so wide, too big for his face, and he stands up and pulls shane into a bone crushing hug before releasing him quickly and apologizing for the embrace before telling shane it’s the best gift he’s ever received.
