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The game in New York City had been nothing short of amazing. The atmosphere was electric and even though the home team lost, the support for the four, count them, four OUT players in the league was phenomenal. Three with Ottawa, and one with New York, in their first match up of the season. What a night, and it wasn’t even an “official” pride night. History in the making on so many levels.
Ottawa had beaten New York 4-1, with both Rozanov and Hollander putting up points for their team. New York didn’t play badly by any means, and their captain, Scott Hunter, scored his team’s only goal. Ottawa just played better, harder. New York couldn’t catch a break with Ottawa’s defense even though you could tell that they tried their damndest.
By the time the final horn sounded, Alex was practically levitating out of his seat in their box. He had pretty much cheered himself hoarse, and Henry had clutched at his shoulder multiple times throughout the game when Ottawa was fighting hard, whether to score or to protect their own goal, leaving Alex’s ‘Rozanov’ jersey fairly rumpled.
With one look at their PPOs, they knew it was time to move. Coming down from the high of the game, they exited their suite, escorted by their team.
Rozanov was still on the ice, doing his signature Captain bit, telling each of his players “good job” or “I love you” as they came off the rink before heading into the locker room. Shane was having a moment to himself as he skated around waiting for his turn to head in. As he reached his husband at the edge of the boards, Ilya could read his expression like a book.
“It will be fine. Promise, моя любовь.” Ilya lowered his voice so only Shane could hear him. Lowering his helmet to Shane’s and making eye contact, Ilya tried to give him comfort with his words.
Shane nodded slightly, feeling his shoulders release a fraction from where they were a moment before. Shane passed by him silently and made his way into the bowels of the arena. They wouldn't get fully changed yet. It wasn’t the game that was turning Shane into knots. It was the next part of the night.
Alex and Henry would be coming down from the arena to meet them just outside of the locker room for a few moments. The optics of the meeting were not high on any of their priority lists, but their managerial teams on both sides had said that the public connection of the four men meeting would be beneficial for inclusivity and tolerance all around. The similar circumstances that followed each of their relationships couldn’t be ignored. It seemed silly to them, but they all understood the assignment. That’s also why they had different arrangements afterwards.
They had mutually agreed to meet up at The Kingfisher, the LGBTQ+ bar that Scott Hunter and Eric Bennett co-owned, after the “public” meeting. They all knew that this meeting would be for them, not the public. A safe place for them to get to know each other without cameras on them.
Ilya and Shane had reached out to Scott before the game to let him know, and he had promised that their staff would keep any press out should they show up. He also expressed an interest in meeting Alex and Henry himself at some point in the future, but ensured that no one would disturb them tonight.
Ilya followed Shane down the corridor. They headed into the locker room to get out of their skates and jerseys, keeping their compression gear on as there wasn’t enough time to shower before Alex and Henry made their way down. They would meet them, have a brief conversation, then they would move onto press before showering and heading out to the bar to meet up again.
In the locker room, the energy was over the top as the celebration had begun. The room erupted when Shane and Ilya stepped in, and their Captain and Alternate Captain welcomed the attention. Ilya more so than Shane, but both loved their team and their equally affectionate enthusiasm for each of them.
Shane had never experienced a locker room like this until Ottawa. The camaraderie was beyond anything he had with Montreal and that was saying something. Until the end of last season, he had loved his team fiercely. Then it all abruptly shifted and turned to shit when he and Ilya were outed. It hurt deeply that his former team had effectively turned their backs on him. But now, living with this new team, he can’t imagine having it any other way. Ottawa had welcomed him with open arms and he truly felt like they would have even without being romantically connected to Ilya. This was how a team should be.
They hadn’t been in the locker room more than five minutes before Coach Wiebe came in, made eye contact and said simply “they’re here, boys.”
Ilya and Shane looked at each other and made their way out the door. The slaps to the back and shoulders were consistent until they were out in the stark gray hallway.
Ilya stepped out first, an unnecessary line of defense between the unknown and Shane. Ilya knew Shane could take care of himself, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do anything and everything in his power to protect his husband. Shane secretly loved it, even though he rolled his eyes in response to the protectiveness more often than not.
When Shane got into the hallway himself and looked around Ilya’s shoulder, he could see both Alex and Henry waiting there for them, a few other individuals not far from them, along with a number of cameras staged further down the hallway. Far enough to get pictures and videos of them, but no audio. He was grateful for that.
He was still nervous about cameras when they weren’t in an after-game press situation. He was getting better, but sometimes it was hard to break the habit of wanting to hide what he and Ilya were, even though they were now publicly out and married. It was the fact that anyone and everyone could see them and after years of secrecy, it was weird to not have to hide in the dark.
Alex’s smile went meteoric when they saw them coming out of the locker room, while Henry’s smile was soft.
“Hey!” Alex exclaimed as he rushed over, hand extended, and headed straight for Shane.
Shane blushed a little as he made his way further out from behind Ilya’s back, extending his hand as well. The clicking of the cameras was consistent but faded in the background.
“Wow,” Shane said, voice cracking a little. He felt Ilya’s hand settle on his shoulder before he cleared his throat and continued. “It’s so nice to finally meet you both,” Shane said simply, switching his attention over to Henry while Alex moved to shake Ilya’s hand.
“Likewise,” Henry greeted, quieter than Alex had, but with a warm smile on his face.
“You enjoyed game?” Ilya asked.
“Oh yeah! It was awesome!” Alex burst. “You both are incredible to watch out there. What a game!”
“Thanks.”
“Nice jerseys,” Ilya teased.
“Ha! Well, it was a no brainer to support Ottawa tonight because obviously we are both big fans of the two of you. But it’s actually a funny story about these jerseys. You see, I wanted to get Henry a jersey for tonight, because why not, so I bought him Shane’s jersey. Unbeknownst to me, Henry got me yours. Kind of cool we didn’t buy the same one though.”
“So you bought our jerseys for each other?” Ilya tried to understand.
“You remind us of each other,” Henry offered. “So it seemed fitting.”
“That’s sweet, actually,” Shane said timidly. He tucked into Ilya’s side a little more, but not enough that the cameras would be able to see.
Alex noticed the movement, but Henry spoke first.
“Are you doing ok?”
Shane felt Ilya’s hand squeeze his shoulder. It grounded him.
“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed.” Shane took a deep breath. “It’s meant so much to me, to us, to have connected with you both, and now we are finally meeting. It feels a little weird because I feel like we already know you.”
“We get it,” Alex explained. “And the feeling is mutual, just so you know. We’ve wanted to meet you for a while now. We are really looking forward to later, without this added pressure,” He said, making a subtle gesture to the cameras not far from them.
Shane smiled wider, and Ilya pulled him closer, smile on his face as well.
Before they could continue, the locker room door opened and a few of the players headed down the hallway in the opposite direction, yelling a short “night Cap” or “see you Hollander” back at Ilya and Shane before continuing on their way.
When Wyatt came out, Alex caught his eye and called out to him.
“Wyatt Hayes. Well done man. Such a pleasure to watch you play. What a game for you tonight,” Alex said, reaching out to shake the goalie’s hand.
Wyatt’s face dropped in awe, realizing who was talking to him.
“Uh, thanks. I mean, I did let that goal in from Hunter, but yeah, um, I think it was a good game. They were really coming for it tonight.”
Ilya shook his head. “It was great game for you Hazy. And don’t mind Hunter. He is old.”
“That doesn’t mean Scott isn’t good, Ilya,” Shane reprimanded, smacking his husband on the shoulder.
“I didn’t say that,” Ilya defended. “I said he is old. Is why he only scored one. Wore himself out. No way he could get passed Hazy again. Was luck and he has no stamina.”
“Hilarious, Roz,” Wyatt said, holding out his fist to bump with his captain. “We’ll see you both at the airport in the morning.” He said to Shane and Ilya before turning back to Henry and Alex with a wink. “Don’t keep them out too late.”
They all nodded at each other and Wyatt followed the other guys down the hallway towards the exit.
“Well,” Henry began, knowing their time was up. “We don’t want to keep you from cleaning up.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. We know we stink,” Shane joked.
“Eh, no worries man,” Alex responded. “I played lacrosse and I know what it's like after games.”
“Polo isn’t much better. We’ve all been there,” Henry tacked on.
“Oh, yes,” Ilya said, sending Shane a sly wink. “We know about lacrosse and Henry’s horses, don’t we Shane?” Shane’s only response was to blush. He saw Alex and Henry glance at each other quickly, but luckily he was saved from further embarrassment by their coach returning to the hall.
“Sorry to cut this short boys, but the Admirals are done with their press and now you two are up,” Wiebe said, seemingly apologetic with the interruption.
“Right. Thanks, Coach,” Ilya called out.
“Well, it was nice to meet you,” Alex said, initiating the hand shakes once more. “We will catch you both later.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you,” Shane agreed.
Ilya shook both of their hands before whispering to Shane “Let’s go, муж.”
Shane looked admiringly at Ilya as he steered him in the opposite direction to meet with the press while Alex and Henry watched them go, warmth in their chests.
Henry and Alex removed their jerseys in the car, keeping their respective button down and long sleeve shirt in place, not wanting to draw more attention to themselves when they were at the bar. They knew it was a sports bar, and there were likely going to be other hockey jerseys being worn due to the game, but they figured this was the more lowkey approach.
Months had passed to get to this point. Messages sent via email, the back and forth correspondence building to this very night. They wanted it to go well, and the precursor meeting at the arena had. They would do whatever they could to help keep the night friendly and pressure free.
They were led to a booth near the back of the bar by a guy named Kip, their PPOs settling at a table nearby. Kip, Henry realized quickly, was the Admirals’ Scott Hunter’s husband. He explained that he had been told to ensure their privacy for the night and that it was an honor to meet them. They enjoyed a short conversation with Kip before ordering a few drinks for themselves, while they waited for their guests. It didn’t end up being more than 15-minutes later when they heard them before they saw them.
Alex had been telling Henry about one of his class readings when the cheers started up. They looked towards the door and saw Scott Hunter come though with Shane and Ilya in tow. The boos for the Ottawa players were lighthearted, and Ilya soaked it up like a sponge, moving his arms in a way that said “yes, give me more of this”.
Scott was met by a kiss from Kip by the door who quickly whispered in his ear. Shane was looking around before Scott tapped his shoulder and pointed towards the back of the bar, indicating where Henry and Alex were waiting.
Ilya, who was blowing kisses to the bar crowd, was snagged by Shane and the two men weaved through the tables and chairs to get to the back of the room where Alex and Henry stood to meet them.
“Hello again,” Henry greeted.
“Yeah, long time no see,” Alex added.
“Sorry about the wait. This one took longer in the shower than normal,” Shane gestured in the direction of Ilya.
“Didn’t hear you complaining. You seemed to enjoy view.”
“Ilya,” Shane said, putting his head in his hands.
“What. Is truth!” Ilya argued but was easily distracted by Kip coming by to take their orders. “Ah, Kip! Please, please, please tell me you got vodka I told Scott about.”
“Yes, Ilya. Scott ordered the vodka for you.”
“Ok, Hunter is not so bad anymore.”
Kip rolled his eyes before turning to Shane. “Ginger ale for you, Shane?”
“Uh, no actually,” he said shyly, watching Ilya whip his head around to face him. “I’ll have a beer please. Whatever Alex is drinking is great. No offense, Henry, but yours looks too dark for me. I’m not really a fan of beers that heavy.”
Henry held his glass up in a nodding gesture as he took a final sip.
“A beer, huh?” Ilya asked, nudging his husband slightly. “Must be special night.”
“Yeah, must be. I feel like celebrating a bit.” Shane leaned back into Ilya.
“Another round for you two gents?” Kip asked, turning on Alex and Henry.
“Actually, I’d like to swap to a gin and tonic, if you wouldn’t mind.” Henry replied, before turning to Shane. “The beer is a bit heavy for me as well.”
“I’m good with another of mine, thanks,” Alex supplied. “But what tequilas do you have on hand?”
Kip rattled off a few names that Shane recognized, but most he didn’t, before heading back to the bar to fill their orders.
They filled their conversation with idle chit chat until their drinks appeared. Things like where they played next, how they felt the season was going so far. After Kip dropped off the new drinks, Alex took his glass and raised it up.
“A toast,” he called out to the table. “To finally meeting the two greatest hockey players of this generation, and having the opportunity to get to know them.”
“Cheers!” All four men called out as Ilya banged his fist on the table. Alex carried on, a little more quietly.
“We just want you to know that we support you. What you both faced wasn’t easy, but we hope you know, like we found out, that you are better for it and there is so much ahead of you. It won’t always be easy, but we hope you know that you can always count on us for anything.”
“Well said, love,” Henry agreed. He held his glass higher. “To finally meeting and continuing to prove the bastards wrong.”
“Here here!” Ilya clinked his glasses with Henry, then Alex, leaving Shane for last.
“Thank you,” Shane said quietly, holding back some emotion but grateful they were there.
Thirty minutes later, Ilya and Henry were talking about Henry’s shelters while Alex was explaining what it was like to be in law school with Shane.
Scott Hunter drifted towards their table.
“Hey Scott. Nice to see you again!” Alex stood up and shook his hand.
“Again?” Shane questioned, as he watched Henry join in greeting Scott.
“Yeah. They stopped by the Admirals locker room as they had finished up with you. It was nice of you to greet the guys.”
“Of course,” Alex said.
“Did anyone freak out?” Asked Ilya.
“No, Rozanov. Everyone was cool.” You could tell Scott was trying to hold back any additional comments before turning back to Henry and Alex. “Again, it was really great to see you both at the game tonight.”
“It was our pleasure. Truly. That was a great game,” Henry replied.
“Yeah, great for Ottawa,” Ilya interjected. “Hunter, why didn’t you score more?”
“Fuck off, Rozanov.”
“No thanks. Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
“Sorry, Scott,” Shane mumbled out as an apology.
“I’m used to it. I won’t interrupt you any further. It was nice to meet you both, and thank you for coming in tonight, even though your company is a bit suspect.”
“Hey!” Shane called out.
“Shane excluded of course.” Scott apologized, before continuing with a sarcastic whisper. “It’s the other one you can’t trust.”
“Watch it, Hunter,” Ilya grumbled, but the older man was already walking away.
“Later fellas! See you again in a couple of weeks.” Scott called back over his shoulder.
Shane whipped back to Ilya and smacked him on the shoulder.
“I don’t know why you can’t leave Scott alone.”
“Hunter is boring,” Ilya said simply, raising his glass of vodka to his lips.
“Yeah, well, you call me boring too, you know?” Shane said shyly.
“You’re boring and beautiful. He’s boring and old. Very different.”
“I’m flattered, I guess.”
“You should be,” Ilya winked.
“You two are fun to watch interact,” Alex observed.
Another hour passes along with two more rounds of drinks to go around.
“We wanted to invite you to the wedding,” Shane said suddenly. His blush taking over his face even more.
Both Alex and Henry looked at him, both in shock and awe. Shane continued.
“We know we didn’t really ‘know’ you yet but there was something about a shared trauma bond that made us feel that you should have been there.”
“Shane kind of birded out,” Ilya murmured.
“It;s chickened out, Ilya,” Shane corrected. “And hey, you did too!”
“Right, chickened out. And I was nervous, yes,” Ilya admitted.
“Well, it was a lovely thought,” Henry began. “Really. And truthfully, we would have loved to have been there for you. It was probably best that you could really focus on your friends and family that have supported you throughout this rather than any distraction we may have caused.”
“But we would have been happy to attend, for you both,” Alex followed up, seeing Henry’s emotions starting to come through.
Shane sniffed quietly, and Ilya pressed a kiss to his temple while pulling him in tighter to his chest.
“Hey,” Alex interjected. “Maybe for a future vow renewal!”
Ilya and Shane both laughed.
“Or you can come to our wedding!”
The words were out before Alex could think about what he was saying.
The other three men quieted quickly, before Alex regained his composure, looking at Henry specifically. Shane’s hand gripped onto Ilya’s leg.
“I mean, it’s bound to happen eventually…right?” Looking for some chance of backup, but finding multiple men giving him deer-in-the-headlights looks, he pressed on. “But one day,” Alex says, again looking directly at Henry for assurance. “One day, if Henry and I get married, we would love to have you there.”
Henry looked at Alex with so much emotion before cutting in, slightly choked up. Shane felt like he was intruding.
“It’s not an if. It’s a when,” Henry agreed, reaching for Alex’s hand on the table. “And when it happens, look for an invite from the two of us. We would love you to be our guests at our nuptials.”
“Dear god, Henry. Don’t freak me out like that,” Alex said, forehead to Henry’s shoulder. “And also, nuptials? Really? Repeat after me: wed-ding.” Alex was sure to enunciate each syllable. Henry rolled his eyes, before turning to Ilya.
“Is Shane like this with you?” Henry asked Ilya.
“No. He corrects and moves on. Very sweet,” Ilya replied, winking at Shane.
“Alex could learn that, rather than insulting my use of the English language, as if he doesn’t speak the same language himself.”
“Oh sod off!” Alex exclaimed.
Henry’s eyes bulge.
“Sod off?!” Henry replied.
“See,” Alex has a devilish grin on his face in line with his retort. “I can learn from you too.”
“Wanker,” Henry said, under his breath, but no less lovingly.
“What is wanker?” Ilya asked Shane quietly.
“I think it’s something like idiot?” Shane answered back.
Alex laughs. “It’s what Henry calls me when he thinks I’m being a dick.”
“Ah. I like this,” Ilya said approvingly before testing it out. “Wanker.”
“Great,” Shane replied with a sigh. “Look what you taught him!”
They all laugh, raising their glasses to drink more.
Another hour passes. Alex has ordered a round of tequila shots. Shane tried to say no initially, but Alex assured him just the one and that it would be smooth. He didn’t believe anyone should indulge in bad tequila.
Ilya brought his chair closer to Shane’s after the shots were ordered and promised that he could try a sip and if he didn’t like it, he would finish the shot for him.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Shane countered. “I just haven’t had tequila since the end of our rookie season.”
“What? That can’t be true,” Ilya said in disbelief.
“I had just won Rookie of the Year and Scott invited all the rookies to do shots with him and some of the older players.”
“Where was I? How did I miss this?” Ilya couldn’t remember this.
“You were on the roof,” Shane said simply, leaving it at that.
Ilya was silent. He remembered that night vividly. Mad to not win Rookie of the Year award. Sad knowing he would be going back to Russia to watch his father deteriorate further. Confused dealing with his growing feelings towards a rival hockey player with freckles.
The shots were delivered to the table as Alex interrupted his reverie, defusing the tension that had sprung up.
“Damn. That was over a decade ago. You haven’t even had a margarita or anything?” Alex asked, handing each of them a shot.
“Shane is well-oiled machine. Treats his body like a temple and all that,” Ilya retorted. He waited for Shane to take his shot before speaking again. “I treat his body like temple too, if you know what I mean.” He wiggled his eyebrows as Alex and Henry, who laughed and then took their shots with Ilya.
“Ilya!” He coughed out while trying to not choke on the tequila he just swallowed. His chest felt warm.
“What? I’m sure Alex understands. He’s probably like, who is guy’s name? Casanova? Wooing Henry, right?”
“Ah, see. The Casanova is actually over there,” Alex said, pointing to Henry.
“Look, I had my fair share of dalliances but that doesn’t make me a Casanova,” Henry said, blushing.
“Really? Weren’t you scared about people finding out?” Shane asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He had been scared out of his own mind that he barely had any relations, especially outside of Ilya.
“Terrified. But I had a little rebellious phase in university, which is what Alex is likely referring to. I got more careful as I got older.”
“Hey, I benefitted in the long run, sweetheart,” Alex nudged Henry’s shoulder with his own.
“In fact,” Henry continued, “when Alex and I started our relationship…”
“Hooking up, babe.”
“Fine, I’ve been corrected. Hooking up,” Henry rolled his eyes affectionately at Alex, but continued. “When we began to hook up, I thought that would be all I would ever have. I never in my life thought I would come out, or that I would or could have an open relationship with anyone, let alone someone I loved beyond life itself.”
Henry looked back to Alex and then back to the other two men at the table.
“Alex says that I’m brave, and I know I have been, but he’s the one who fought for us first. My bravery comes from his strength.”
“I know exactly how that feels,” Shane said quietly, looking longingly at Ilya and resting his hand on his knee.
“Я тебя люблю,” Ilya whispered, lips against Shane’s temple. Shane quietly responded in kind.
“Я тоже тебя люблю.”
“Damn. You know Russian, Shane?” Alex looked impressed.
“I’m learning,” Shane admitted. “It’s a tricky language.”
“He’s modest. He’s quite good for Canadian,” Ilya agreed.
“Shut up. You’re Canadian too now. By marriage at least.”
“Yes, but I’m not learning French, am I?” Ilya taunted.
“Tu devrais,” Shane quipped.
“J'ai essayé d'apprendre le français à Alex, mais sans succès. Cependant, je travaille actuellement à apprendre l'espagnol pour lui,” Henry interjected.
Shane sat there in shock for half a second before immediately responding in french.
“Vraiment? C'est incroyable! Je n'aurais jamais cru apprendre une autre langue. À Ottawa, on apprend le français dès l'enfance, alors c'était évident que je maîtriserais au moins deux langues.”
“Et le japonais? Je crois comprendre que c'est la langue d'origine de votre mère. Le parlez-vous aussi?” Henry asked genuinely interested.
“Je ne le parle pas couramment, mais je parlais un peu avec mes grands-parents quand j'étais plus jeune. J'ai un peu perdu l'habitude après leur décès.”
“Je suis désolé,” Henry said cosolingly.
“C'est bon. Vraiment. Je pense qu'apprendre le russe compense largement cela,” Shane smiled.
“Now that’s just not fair.” Alex’s voice interrupted their thoughts and both Shane and Henry turned to face their partners.
Alex and Ilya sat there utterly gobsmacked at the conversation Shane and Henry were having in french.
“Used to be turn off for me because I would watch interviews and thought Shane was showing off, but now I see appeal of French,” Ilya said, matter of factly, pulling Shane closer to his side.
Shane was feeling warm and content and began to yawn, the game and alcohol catching up with him. Ilya took the cue and went to close out their tabs at the bar while Alex and Henry chatted with their PPOs to coordinate transportation back to the hotel where Ottawa was staying.
“There’s no need. We can get back ourselves,” Ilya said, returning to the table and immediately wrapping his arm around Shane’s waist.
“No, please. Let us drop you both off,” Henry pleaded. “It’s the least we can do for keeping you both out so late after you played a game.”
“Thank you. Is nice of you,” Ilya nodded.
Ilya could admit that while he could get Shane back on his own, it would be nice to have a car drop them off instead. Having to hail a cab in New York wasn’t as easy as the movies made it seem and he really did not want to deal with Uber at the moment.
They all climbed into a black SUV that pulled up to the curb outside The Kingfisher. It was quiet for a few minutes, with Henry tucked into Alex and Shane leaning against Ilya.
“Can we do this again, maybe?” Shane asked, sleepily next to Ilya.
“Anytime you’d like,” Henry readily agreed.
“And you should come see hockey camp,” Ilya stated.
“Yeah. That would be awesome,” Shane agreed, perking up but only barely. His words were slightly slurred, mostly from exhaustion rather than the drinks, although the drinks weren't exactly helping his exhaustion. “The kids I’m sure would love to meet you both. We host them in Montreal and Ottawa in the summers.”
“From what we’ve read, they sound amazing,” Alex chimed in. “I’m sure we can make the time to visit, right Henry?”
“Either would be great, obviously.” Shane kept jabbering on. “But if you are able to come to Ottawa, we could invite you to our cottage before or after the camp. It’s our retreat, but we would be happy to host you.”
“We wouldn’t want to intrude on that safe space for you,” Henry quickly responded, not wanting Shane or Ilya to compromise any of their personal time.
“We are offering,” Ilya agreed. “Besides, we’re sure you have to get off board sometimes too.”
“Yeah, off the grid,” Alex corrected gently. “We have a place like that for us. My dad’s lake house outside of Austin. If we come to your cottage, you need to come to the lake house. It’s only fair.”
“We can find time,” Ilya looked to his shoulder where Shane was half knocked out. “Would love to visit. Only ever been to Dallas for hockey, so would be happy to see someplace else in Texas.”
A few minutes later, they pulled up to Shane and Ilya’s hotel. Ilya exited the SUV first, and helped Shane out next, before pressing his half-asleep husband next to him to ensure he didn’t drop to the pavement.
He turned back to Alex and Henry.
“I want to thank you, from me, for what you said to us earlier this year. We felt alone and isolated after that video got out. For me, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that he is mine, but he was so scared. I only ever worry about Shane. He is everything to me, and you made him breathe again. You made him relax, with your words. So for me, for him, thank you.”
“We couldn't sit by and watch something like that happen again and not do anything,” Alex said quietly, holding onto Henry’s hand tightly.
“Well, it meant everything. So thank you for reaching out. And thank you for tonight. He needed this. I don’t think you understand how rare this is for Shane,” Ilya said softly, trying not to fully wake his husband. “He’s sometimes too disciplined and I love when he feels comfortable enough to relax. Something about you two lets him do this.”
“We meant it,” Alex urged. “Anytime you would like to get together, we’ll make it happen.”
“Now, you better go and get him in bed,” Henry encouraged. “Hopefully he’s ok in the morning for your flight.”
“He’ll be ok. I make sure of it,” Ilya said, stroking Shane’s cheek lightly. “Is travel day tomorrow. He’ll be good to go for game next day.”
Ilya said goodnight and waved as the doors closed and he cajoled Shane into walking in the hotel lobby.
As the SUV pulled away, Alex and Henry relaxed further into each and each thought about the new friendship they had formed tonight. It had really been building for months, but tonight solidified what they both had already thought. They would enjoy being friends with these men, and felt extremely close and protective of them already.
Shane collapsed on the bed in their shared room.
“Shane,” Ilya called. “You will not be happy if you don’t do your routine.”
“Mmmmm,” was all Shane could reply.
“Малыш,” Ilya crooned softly. “I will help you.”
He coerced Shane up and into the bathroom for him to at least brush his teeth and wash his face. Ilya knew he wasn’t going to get much else out of Shane, so once he finished, he gently pulled him back towards bed and began to undress his husband.
“I can’t tonight,” Shane mumbled.
“Can’t what?” Ilya asked, focused on the task at hand.
“Sex,” Shane said simply.
“I’m not having sex with you tonight,” Ilya said softly, looking into Shane’s eyes.
“Why not?” Shane pouted. Ilya laughed.
“Because you are half dead on your feet and I want my husband, who I love very much, to be awake enough to enjoy sex with me too.”
“Okay,” Shane’s voice came out in a sing-song manner.
Ilya got Shane stripped down to his boxers, pulled back the sheets and got his husband situated in bed. Ilya then took their phones and got them plugged into their chargers, setting their alarms for the morning, and then undressed himself.
Shane’s eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply when Ilya climbed into bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around Shane, coaxing him to lean on Ilya’s chest.
Ilya was half asleep himself when he heard Shane whisper.
“I really liked them.”
Ilya smiled and kissed Shane’s head.
“I know. I did too.”
Shane let out a contended sigh before curling closer to Ilya and drifting off into a deep sleep.