Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid, Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander & Hayden Pike & Jackie Pike & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Hayden Pike, Jackie Pike, Hayden Pike's Children, Arthur Pike, Lisa Hayes (Game Changers), Wyatt Hayes

Additional Tags:

Sick Fic, Supportive Ottawa Centaurs (Game Changers), Shane Hollander & Hayden Pike Friendship, probable medical inaccuracies, Author is not a doctor, But neither is Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov has Trypanophobia, That means fear of needles

Language:

English

Series:

Part 14 of Troublemakers

Stats:

Published: 2026-03-31 Words: 5,784 Chapters: 1/1

Chicken Pox

Summary

Babysitting for the Pikes takes an unexpected turn.

Notes

So, this was not meant to be the next story in the series. In fact, until this morning, this fic didn't even exist. I dunno where it came from. I am not a doctor. I am making shit up so I can put my boys Shane and Ilya through it and I am writing like the hounds of hell will rip me apart if I don't manage to type out several thousand words of it in a day. So yes, this is fast and not proofread (My work is never proofread anyway) and is definitely not great but it has parental Shane.

Also, if you have a fear of needles, firstly, so does Ilya. Secondly, there are mentions of needles in this.

It was supposed to be an ordinary day in the Hollander/Rozanov Household. Well, as ordinary as two pro hockey stars, at the top of their game and universally acknowledged as the ‘Kings’ of Ottawa could be.

But Ordinary was an apt description.

Shane and Ilya were on babysitting duty.

As honorary uncles (and in Shane’s case, Godfather) to the vast Pike brood, it wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

The day had started off normal. A free day for the couple which meant no stressful practices or games. No appointments or tasks.

Hayden and Jackie had arrived early with their four kids, the twins Ruby and Jade, their son Arthur and their baby girl Amber. The Pike couple had long had a strategy to keep their marriage strong which included alone time between them, not an easy task when they were the parents of four kids under the age of ten. So, Shane, being the good friend he was, was happy to take the kids off the two’s hands for a few hours every fortnight or so. (And Ilya was always happy to ‘correct’ the kid's behaviour, a code word he had pitched meaning, he was going to fill the kids with sugar and hand them back to their parents to cause chaos)

Shane and Ilya had already returned from their morning run and were ready for the day.

The plan for the day wasn’t too strenuous. When Shane and Ilya had first come out and Shane had officially moved to Ottawa from Montreal, the two had tried to fill their days with the kids with wacky adventures, taking them to zoos and museums and amusement parks. Anywhere they thought children would love.

Hayden had begged repeatedly for them not to go overboard. The kids didn’t need all these expensive things, even if Ilya had strongly championed it, since he was rich and could finally show off his husband to the world. Why not bring the kids with them?

Of course, Jackie had intervened eventually, telling Ilya to cool it and Shane had silently agreed. It was fun to take the kids out occasionally but not every time.

Eventually Ilya agreed. Once every few months or so, they would go out on an adventure but the rest of the time, they stayed home. Sometimes at the Pikes house but more often now, at their own home.

That wasn’t to say, they didn’t have anything fun for kids. Their collection of toys was vast for a childless couple, all designed to entertain their charges. Their combined DVD collection now included a vast number of children's movies, Disney and Pixar dominating the titles.

Even a small collection of half completed colouring books now sat on the lower ledge of their bookshelf, within easy reach of small hands.

Anya was great with the kids, had learnt how to play gently with the twins and loved to race after them. They had everything they needed for a fun filled day.

Besides, it was a beautiful sunny day. Perfect to play in the yard.

Once the kids had been safely delivered into their waiting hands with only mild rage baiting aimed at Hayden (Ilya would never admit it but chirping was his love language. He may pretend to dislike Hayden, but it was a thin mask and everyone saw through it. Ilya would go to war for all the Pike’s, Hayden included and they all knew it) the two had gotten to work, shepherding the kids out the back door and onto the perfectly trimmed lawn.

Ilya had pulled out a net and a few hockey sticks (His new chirp to Hayden was he was going to teach the kids how to play hockey properly) Ruby and Jade had run to get changed into the child sized Centaur’s jerseys Ilya had gifted them for Christmas and which Hayden had banned from his house, probably because they were both Rozanov Jerseys, ready to play, or more likely, hit the soft balls they used instead of pucks, at Ilya.

Amber was still too young to get in the middle of this chaos, so Shane had been content to hang around the edge of the makeshift ‘rink’, playing dolls with her while the kids (and Ilya) played. But then he noticed Arthur didn’t seem as excited as his sisters.

Arthur Pike was a quiet child. Very self-contained. Although he loved his sisters, he was more content to do his own thing than run after them. Hayden had told Shane he was looking at getting the boy assessed for Autism, which Shane thought was probably a little too much. According to his own parents, Shane had been similarly quiet at that age, and he had turned out fine. But Hayden knew his son better than Shane did and as long as it was good for Arthur, Shane was going to keep his opinion to himself.

Still, there was a certain quiet presence around Arthur that Shane found comfortable and he was sure Arthur felt the same around him. Definitely, when they baby sat the kids, the twins would run after Ilya and Arthur would cling to Shane. That was why they had so many colouring books. Shane had found it fun, sitting quietly with Arthur and colouring the sixth picture of Flynn Rider in a row.

And yet, even for Arthur, he was noticeably quiet. Jackie had mentioned something, when the kids had been handed over. Arthur hadn’t felt like breakfast that morning. Not exactly an odd behaviour, since Shane had heard Arthur was a picky eater but still, it would be good for the boy to get some calories in him.

So, as Rudy dropped the tiny stick and hurled the ball at Ilya’s head while Jade screamed in laughter and Amber clapped, Shane ducked down next to the boy.

“Hey Art. Your mum said you didn’t eat breakfast.” He said as Arthur stood on the porch near the back door, watching his sisters, a serious expression on his little face. The boy turned, frowning at Shane. HIs cheeks a little flushed in irritation.

“The oats didn’t feel good and the pear was too squishy.” He explained as if it was obvious. Shane nodded in understanding. Because he agreed. Over ripe pears were gross.

“Well, I have cucumber and hummus in the fridge. Would you like some of that?” He asked. It was one of Arthur’s favourite foods and Shane had always made sure to have healthy snacks on hand for when the kids came over. He knew Ilya had a stash of junk foods hidden away but he wasn’t going to say anything. They were babysitting for free so Hayden and Jackie would just have to deal with their choice of foods.

Arthur seemed to contemplate the offer for a moment before nodding.

“Skins.” He said, voice a little louder and Shane smiled. He agreed with Arthur that the cucumber skins were the best part. Ilya had teased him a few times for that, but he preferred a more solid texture over a squishy one. It had been hell for him, after he realised how many foods matched his diet which were squishy (Shane loved the taste of avocado but could not stand the texture. It had been hell trying to find ways to incorporate them into his strict diet)

“Of course.” He said, nodding his head. “Do you want to play or do some colouring while I make some cucumber skins?”

The boy didn’t bother to answer the question, simply turning and stepping back inside the open door, making his way to the bookshelf to browse the collection of colouring books. Shane quickly indicated for Ilya to keep an eye on Amber and make sure she didn’t get knocked over in her sister's game before following the boy inside. Arthur knew where the coloured pencils were kept so Shane made his way to the kitchen and pulled out the cucumbers and hummus from the fridge, carefully cutting the skin off the vegetables and making up a small plate. Then he pulled out a larger plate and loaded it with fruit and vegetables for the rest of the kids and lastly, he pulled out a bottle of apple juice. The other kids, including his husband, may get hungry and Shane wanted to be ready. Loading everything onto the tray, Shane carried it all out to the deck.

He and Ilya had finally gotten around to building a small dining area in the back yard. It was out of the way but a perfect place for Shane to sit with Arthur and watch the game. Behind him, he could hear the soft noise of little feet follow and knew Arthur was behind him, book and pencils in hand.

Once Shane had set the tray down, he turned and helped Arthur to climb into the seat which, despite his recent growth spurt, was still a little too tall for the boy to manage on his own.

Arthur didn’t seem bothered by Shane manhandling him, but Shane couldn’t help but frown a little. Was Arthur's skin just a little hot? It was a hot day so maybe that was it.

Pushing that thought away, Shane placed the small plate of cucumber skin with a scoop of hummus to the side where Arthur could reach it around his book.

Arthur, much to Shane’s relief, reached over and picked up a piece of cucumber, nibbling on it.

Quickly, Shane scanned the yard. Jade and Ruby were still running around, trying to push Ilya over, Anya giving chase to all three. Amber was seated on the grass off to the side, playing with a doll. And Arthur now seemed engrossed in his colouring book. All the kids seemed happy and safe.

Once he had assured himself that everything was well, Shane turned and stepped back into the house, grabbing his glasses and book.

The book, called ‘The Shots You Take’ was the autobiography of Adam Sheppard, the former Captain of Toronto. Ilya had gotten Shane a signed copy, much to Shane’s embarrassment, since Adam and his husband Riley, were semi-regulars at Ottawa’s games nowadays.

Hell, the last game they had attended, the two had even met Shane’s parents and Yuna Hollander had delighted in telling them both how, for two years as a child, Shane had become a diehard Toronto fan. She had even made a point of saying Shane’s interest in the team had mysteriously ended when Riley Tuck had been traded to Dallas.

Shane thought he was going to die of embarrassment, even as Ilya had grinned at that. He liked Riley’s style of play. It was as simple as that, even if both his husband and his parents seemed to think differently.

Still, both Adam and Riley had been nice about it and hell, Adam had even agreed with Shane. Thankfully, Shane’s embarrassment had ended when Luca had run over to Riley.

If Shane was a former fan of Riley, Luca was definitely a current fan. Shane had heard all about the game the rookies had played with the veteran during a visit the season before he came to Ottawa. It was one of Luca’s favourite stories, how he and Riley had managed to score a goal on Wyatt.

Thankfully, that conversation had drawn attention away from Shane’s embarrassment. Unfortunately, Ilya had gotten Adam to sign a copy of his book for Shane. He had even gotten Riley to sign it, much to Shane’s mortification.

Still, Shane now had a book and was determined to read it. And it was very interesting. Most hockey players used a ghost writer for their autobiographies, but Shane could tell Adam had definitely written at least part of this book himself.

So, with his glasses in place and book in hand, Shane settled down with Arthur to read in the warm midday light.

An hour or so passed, Shane deep in his book. Ilya had stopped play briefly to make sure the kids all had a drink but other than that, Shane had hardly paid attention. So, he had been startled when he felt a hand grab arm. He turned to glance at Arthur, whose face was looking a little flushed.

“Uncle Shane. I’m hot and itchy and my head hurts." The boy complained.

Placing his book down on the table, Shane reached over to press the back of his hand against Arthur’s forehead. The boy did seem hotter now. Now that Shane was looking, he realised the boy’s eyes were wet with unshed tears.

Shit. Arthur was really sick.

“Ok buddy.” Shane said, trying not to panic. He had babysat these kids a lot but had never dealt with an illness before. “Let’s go inside and cool down, ok?”

Arthur nodded, sniffling.

Standing up, Shane picked up the boy and carried him inside where it was a little cooler. Maybe it was just the sun, although Arthur hadn’t ventured out from under the decking which was covered in shade.

Placing Arthur down on the couch, Shane tried to figure out what to do. Lowering his temperature would be a good first step, he concluded.

Leaving Arthur to curl up in a ball, Shane went to the linen closet and grabbed a washcloth, running it under the kitchen tap before returning to the child.

Gently, he wiped down the boy's flush cheeks, silently agreeing as the boy cringed and complained at the texture of the fabric. Arthur, disgruntled, reached up to swipe at the washcloth and that's when Shane noticed the rash on the boy’s arm. An angry red patch of skin which spread up his shoulder.

Briefly, Shane contemplated what he should do. Should he call Jackie and Hayden?

No. He wasn’t going to do that. They deserved their break and besides, Shane should be able to handle this. It was one sick child.

Instead of calling the Pikes (Or his parents. Shane had to remind himself that it had been a long time since they had dealt with a sick child) Shane grabbed his phone and opened up Google. Ilya had told him time and again not to use Google for things like this, but Shane couldn’t help it. There was just so much knowledge out there, right at his fingertips.

So, Shane decided to check. He had all the standard medicines in his bathroom cabinet. Surely one of them was child safe and could make Arthur feel better. Shane was feeling worse and worse for the kid by the minute as Arthur started letting out small whimpering noises.

Typing in the symptoms, Shane waited the few seconds before finally glancing at his screen. He did a double take. He glanced back at Arthur’s arm and the rash which seemed to be growing larger by the second.

Arthur had said he was hot. His head hurt and he had a rash. Shane again glanced down at the screen of his phone and the answer there.

Chicken Pox. Shit.

Quickly, Shane scrolled through the information.

He knew Chicken pox was a childhood disease. He faintly remembered hearing Hayden talking about it a few years back, when the twins had come down with it. Had Arthur caught it then? Shane couldn’t remember.

Outside, he could hear Jade screaming and Ilya loudly calling her a cheater. He didn’t want to disrupt their play, but this seemed serious.

Beside him on the couch, Arthur had started quietly sobbing. Fuck, Shane was completely out of his depth here. But if he called Ilya in to help, that would leave the other kids unattended. And besides, if this was contagious, would that mean the others could get it?

Reaching over, he pulled Arthur into his lap, hoping it would comfort the boy. Arthur pressed his hot face against Shane’s shoulder and the man tried not to cringe as he felt something wet soak through his shirt.

Phone in hand, Shane managed to open the Centaur’s team group chat. It wasn’t the best option, but it was the only one he could think of.

Quickly, he typed out his message, the answers coming back immediately.

Shane:
Does anyone know a doctor? I need some help.

Harris:
OMG Shane! What happened?

Bood:
What did Roz do?

Barrett:
Ten bucks says it was something dumb.

Bood:
If he’s not bleeding, tell him to get over it.

Hayes:
My wife's a doctor, Shane. What’s up?

Shane blinked at the group chat, thankful for Wyatt Hayes. He had forgotten Lisa was a doctor. As Arthur tried to burrow further into his shirt, Shane carefully typed.

Shane:
We are babysitting for Hayden and one of the kids is sick.

Shane saw Wyatt’s name appear to show he was typing for a moment. A few of the others typing away, still trying to pin the blame for Shane’s question on Ilya. And then…

Hayes:
Lisa is on a day off. She will call you in a minute.

Shane was about to thumbs up the comment when his phone rang with an unknown number. Quickly he answered it.

“Hello?” He said, raising it to his ear.

“Hi Shane. It’s Lisa. Wyatt said you needed some help?” The voice said down the line. Shane felt his shoulders slump in relief. He had made the right call.

“Yeah, I have Arthur Pike here and he’s not well. I think it might be chicken pox.” He explained.

Lisa hummed.

“Well, he is the right age for it. What are his symptoms?” She asked, her voice kind and yet there was a hint of authority in them.

Shane listed the symptoms carefully, trying to make sure he had covered everything.

“I think you are on the money with chicken pox. Ideally, I would want to see him to confirm that diagnosis, but I trust you. But Shane, Chicken Pox is really contagious. Do you know if the other kids have had it?”

“Ruby and Jade definitely have. I remember Hayden talking about it. I don’t know about Amber.” Shane explained.

“And you? Have you had it?”

Shane vaguely remembered his parents saying he had caught it when he was four. He had no memory which, judging by how miserable Arthur appeared, was probably a blessing.

“Yes.” He confirmed.

“And Ilya?” Lisa asked.

Shane tried to think. He had never asked Ilya anything like that. Anything to do with Ilya’s childhood, Shane tended to leave alone. He knew it was painful for his husband to remember that time and he didn’t want to cause any pain. All he knew of Ilya’s childhood had been information Ilya had offered to him and it hadn’t included childhood illnesses.

“I don’t know.” He replied.

On the line, he heard Lisa sigh.

“Ok. Shane, I need you to ask him. Because if he hasn’t had it, it is really important that he does not go near the child. Chicken pox is fairly harmless in children but in adults it's bad. Ideally, if Ilya hasn’t had it before, he needs to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Shane felt his body turn cold at that, images of Ilya sick and suffering filled his head.

“So what do I do?” He finally asked.

“Find out from Ilya if he has had it. If he is uncertain, I would advise you to take him to his doctor and get the vaccination anyway. As for little Arthur, isolate him. Cool baths and lotion for the rash. Keep checking his temperature and get him to drink. If he gets worse or any of the other kids start showing symptoms, call me back immediately and we can reassess if you need to take them to the hospital.” Lisa replied. “If you need anything, I can swing by the house in an hour or two.”

“I don’t want to put you out. I am sure you have things to do today.” Shane replied.

“Shane, it's fine. You guys are basically Wyatt’s brothers. I am always happy to help out.” Lisa said and Shane knew there was no room for argument.

“Ok. Thank you Lisa.” Shane said before ending the call. Quickly he checked the group chat again.

Hayes:
Hazard alert. Bio Warfare at Roz and Hollzy’s house.

Rozanov:
Hayes, WFT?

Barrett:
HE LIVES!

Hayes:
Read the group chat Roz.

Shane signed. Of course, Ilya had his phone with him. Then he remembered Lisa’s advice, not to let Ilya near Arthur. He quickly tried to pull up Ilya’s number. It seemed silly since Ilya was just outside but Shane had to tell him not to come inside. But he was too late as he heard the back door open.

“Shane?” Ilya called. Shane glanced up to see his husband holding Amber, Ruby and Jade crowed behind him.

“Ilya, stay right there!” He called back as Ilya took a step inside the house. Ilya hesitated, noting the panic in Shane’s tone.

“What’s going on?” Ilya asked. The girls were peering around him, looking questioningly at Shane.

“Have you had chicken pox before?” Shane asked. He desperately needed to know.

“Huh?” Ilya asked, looking confused.

“Chicken pox, Ilya. Have you had it?” Shane asked again.

“Uncle Shane, Uncle Shane! I have!” Jade called.

“Me too!” Ruby added. Ilya reached down, trying to gesture for the girls to be quiet.

“I don’t know what that is. Maybe?” He replied. Internally, Shane sighed. If Ilya didn’t know, it was safer for Shane to treat him like he hadn’t.

“Arthur’s sick with Chicken Pox and it's contagious. You need to stay outside while I call Hayden and Jackie.” He explained.

Ilya frowned.

“And what if this chicken is outside?” He asked. Shane knew his husband was trying to make light of the situation but he was not in the mood for the Russians jokes. Not when his health could be on the line.

“Ilya! I am serious. Stay outside with Anya and the girls. I will call Hayden and deal with this.”

Thankfully, Ilya didn’t argue, stepping back out the door and closing it. Unfortunately, Arthur must have been disturbed by Shane’s tone, the quiet sobs of distress turning into wails.

“I’m sorry Arthur. I'm sorry.” Shane muttered, trying to soften his voice. Slipping his phone in his pocket, he rose to his feet, carrying the child with him. Almost unconsciously, he started to rock the child, hoping it would soothe the sick boy.

“I want mummy!” The boy sobbed.

“I know.” Shane said. “I’m gonna call her now and get her to come back, ok?”

That promise seemed to be enough for Arthur who quietened down again, only occasionally letting out a small sniff or wet sob against Shane’s neck, his little hands tangled in Shane’s shirt.

Carefully maneuvering the child, Shane managed to again open his phone, pulling up Hayden’s number. He knew Hayden and Jackie had planned to spend their childless day having a romantic meal (And doing some adult activities, according to Hayden. Shane wasn’t a virgin so he wasn’t afraid to know that Hayden and Jackie were having sex, even if Hayden seemed to still treat the topic like it was a secret). Shane just hoped they wouldn't be too upset at being interrupted.

Finally, the call connected, Hayden’s annoyance evidence immediately.

“Someone better be dead Shane.” He almost growled.

Shane would feel bad if he didn’t know Hayden would be more upset at him if he didn’t call.

“Not quiet but there is a very sick little boy here.” Shane replied, trying to keep his tone flat.

“...Shit.” Hayden said, the annoyance in his tone vanishing immediately.

“The doctor I spoke to thinks it's Chicken Pox.” Shane added. Arthur’s soft sobs were starting to get loud again.

“Mummy!” He whimpered, reaching for the phone as if somehow that would make his parents appear. Shane pulled the phone from his ear, keeping it out of reach of Arthur.

“It’s your daddy, buddy.” He said to the little boy.

“Daddy!!!” Arthur whined.

“Fuck. He’s really sick, isn’t he? I should have known when he didn’t want to eat anything this morning.” Shane heard Hayden say on the phone. Pressing the phone back to his ear, he managed to stop Arthur grabbing it again.

“I’m sorry to disturb you guys but I thought you would want to know.” He said.

“We do. Thanks man. We are home right now but will be there in about two hours. Can you manage until then?” Hayden asked.

“Yeah, Ilya has the girls outside. I’ll stay with Arthur. If anything changes, I will call the doctor back.” Shane replied.

“Ok, we will finish getting dressed and jump in the car. Jackie will have her phone on her. Call her if he gets worse.”

“I will. And sorry again for interrupting your day.” Shane said before hanging up.

Arthur had quieted down again but Shane could tell the boy was fighting back more tears. Shane couldn’t help but feel a little helpless but no, he needed to push that aside. Arthur Pike needed him.

Just over two hours later, Hayden and Jackie were walking through the door. Shane had been fighting battles on several fronts, Ilya and the girls getting bored and wanting to come into the house to play and Arthur, while not getting better, didn’t seem to be getting worse.

Shane had managed to get Ilya to agree to take the girls for a walk, although he had told Ilya not to let the girls go into any stores, just in case they also happened to be contagious.

Lisa had texted Shane a list of things which may help and Shane had been grateful to learn he could give Arthur some tylenol. That had seemed to help with the fever and some of Shane’s nighttime hand cream had helped with the itchiness. The rash on Arthur’s arm had spread up the boy's shoulder and down his chest.

Shane hadn't managed to get Arthur to eat anything, after he realised the little boy hadn’t finished the cucumber skins but he had managed to get the child to drink some juice.

And Shane had called his mum. Not to get help with Arthur but for an equally important reason.

Shane had been living in Ottawa for just over half a year now but he didn’t have a primary care physician. Back in Montreal, he used the team doctor but it didn’t feel right to call the Centaurs doctor and he didn’t want to take advantage of Lisa Hayes when she was on a day off.

And more importantly, he didn’t know if Ilya had a physician he went to.

Thankfully, Yuna, after Shane had explained the situation, had understood. As a child, Shane had always gone to a specific doctor for all his ailments. He hadn’t been the easiest child to deal with when it came to medical issues (His dad had called him an unholy terror) but Doctor Hooper had been great at dealing with his tantrums and distracting him with hockey facts. Shane hadn’t been to see him for years but was grateful to know that his parents still did. And that despite not taking on any new patients, his mum thought she could get an appointment with the man. Not for Shane but for Ilya.

Because any doctor able to handle a pre-pubescent Shane Hollander would have no problem with Ilya Rozanov.

Shane had been somewhat shocked to learn that Ilya, despite being a professional athlete who had dealt with broken bones and lost teeth, who had dislocated joints and terrible concussions, who had tattoos, was terrified of needles.

Shane could remember, back during his last few months in Montreal, he and Ilya had met up at the cottage. Shane had been doing some work in the back yard when he accidently cut his hand open on a piece of sharp metal while trying to move some outdoor furniture.

Ilya had been fine, helping Shane wrap up the injury and clear away the blood but the pale colour he had turned when Shane had mentioned he would need to get a tetanus booster had made Shane realise Ilya was terrified of even the thought of needles. Which didn’t bode well for him now.

Thankfully Shane didn’t have to think too much about it, since Hayden and Jackie had finally arrived to reclaim their children. Arthur had been dozing in Shane’s arms but the moment he saw his mum, it was like a switch had flicked in the boy's brain and all he wanted to do was to cuddle with Jackie.

Shane, despite everything, had been happy to hand over the sick child and even more pleased to see that the Pike’s had spotted Ilya, Anya and their girls walking back to the house and had managed to scoop up the rest of their brood, leaving Ilya to continue the walk alone.

The handover had been brief, the couple wanting to get their son home and to bed as soon as possible but Shane was fine with that. It gave him time to disinfect the house before Ilya got back home. He also checked his phone and saw that his mum had confirmed an appointment with Doctor Hooper. Now he just had to figure out how to get Ilya there.

Once Ilya had arrived home and finally allowed in the house, Shane had quickly checked his temperature, hoping that he wasn’t too late and Ilya hadn’t already caught the illness. Thankfully Ilya was his normal self. Still, he hadn’t looked pleased when Shane mentioned they had a doctor's appointment. Even less impressed when Shane mentioned there was a vaccine for chicken pox.

The man had turned pale and sweaty, immediately arguing that he hadn’t been near Arthur, that he was sure he had already had chicken pox, even though he couldn’t say when. That he was immune, that Shane was being over cautious. He tried everything he could think of to get Shane to change his mind.

Thankfully, before Ilya could get it into his head to try and run, backup had arrived in the form of Yuna and David Hollander. Ilya may happily sass Shane all day, but when it came to his parents-in-law, Ilya was a push over.

Yuna was always good at talking sense into Ilya but David was their secret weapon. If there was one thing Ilya couldn’t stand, it was the thought of disappointing David Hollander. No matter how many times Shane’s dad told his husband that Ilya couldn’t disappoint him, some deep seeded trauma from his past stopped Ilya from backchatting David.

So when David asked Ilya kindly to get into the car, Ilya sighed in defeat and complied.

The ride to the office had been silent, Ilya holding onto Shane’s hand the entire ride. Once they were there, Shane had made sure to stay at Ilya’s side the whole time, from the moment they checked in to when they were guided into the small examination room. During the conversation with Doctor Hooper, who agreed with Shane it was better for Ilya to get the vaccine and the tense moments when Ilya had to roll up his sleeve.

Shane felt Ilya shudder as the area of skin was wiped down with a sterile wipe and tried to engage his husband in conversation as the needle slid under his skin.

Hell, he had even pulled out his phone and pulled up Instagram, showing Ilya a video Scott Hunter had posted the day before of his tiny new kitten trying to attack him. Shane had thought that would amuse Ilya seeing the tiny creature stalk and pounce on the huge hockey player. Hell, Shane had hoped he would at least get a small chirp from his husband. Something about Scott’s age, but Ilya was too frightened to pay attention.

Once the needle was pulled free and shoved in the bin, Shane felt Ilya slump sideways. Thankfully, Doctor Hooper had made Ilya sit on the examination bed and it wasn’t too hard to guide him onto the bed.

“Happens to everyone.” Doctor Hooper had said as Ilya had blinked at the light, his face white. “You used to do it all the time Shane. Here, get him to eat this and it should help.”

The doctor handed Shane a lollipop which Shane dutifully opened and passed to Ilya. Then he placed a bandage on Ilya’s arm, covering up the puncture mark and with a nod and a quiet goodbye, left the room, leaving them to gather themselves and get back out to the front desk.

Thankfully, the sugar seemed to help, Ilya soon back on his feet and more than ready to leave. Shane took him outside for air while his parents finalised the paperwork and soon they were dropped off back at their home, Ilya swearing that the Pike kids were no longer welcome. Shane had just rolled his eyes. He knew Ilya loved those kids too much to not allow them back.

By the time they had returned home, it was getting late so Shane pulled out some leftovers from the refrigerator and heated them up before calling Hayden to check in. Arthur seemed to be doing ok and none of the girls were showing signs of being sick. It would take a few days but it looked like they were in the clear.

Once the call had ended and they had eaten and climbed into bed, Shane had made sure to show Ilya how brave he was, climbing into his husband's lap and riding him until he was sure Ilya had forgotten about his sore arm. Then when they were both satisfied, Shane flopped to his side of the bed and pressed a kiss to Ilya’s shoulder just above the Band-Aid.

Shane tried not to grin when, sleepily, Ilya had made a comment about being rewarded for the doctor’s visit but he definitely stashed that thought in the back of his mind.

A few days later, when Wyatt asked for an update during practice, of course Ilya had relayed the whole story, carefully omitting how terrified he had been when getting the jab. The guys had laughed and played along, making the usual comments about how if Shane and Ilya have kids and Ilya would be the fun dad.

Shane had just shook his head at the gentle teasing. But he did laugh when the team doctor, after hearing the story, had mentioned that Ilya was behind on his flu shots and Ilya had turned pale as a ghost. Immediately his mind turned to ways he could get Ilya to behave.

And let's just say, if the promise of sex could get Ilya to comply, Shane was ready to play dirty. It was good for his health.