Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, David Hollander/Yuna Hollander, Shane Hollander & Hayden Pike, Hayden Pike & Ilya Rozanov, Alexei Rozanov's Daughter & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Jackie Pike, Troy Barrett, Harris Drover, Andrei Rozanov's Daughter, Original Child Character(s)

Additional Tags:

Married Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Uncle-Niece Relationship, Adoption, Autistic Shane Hollander, Anxious Shane Hollander, Andrei Rozanov Dies, Minor Character Death, not shown, ilya adopts, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Blow Jobs, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Social Media, News Media

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-01-12 Updated: 2026-01-16 Words: 6,744 Chapters: 2/4

Growing Family

Summary

A few years after Shane and Ilya's wedding, Andrei Rozanov dies and leaves his young daughter, Katerina Andreiovna Rozanova, parentless. She's supposed to go to her next-of-kin, but the Russian government is making it hard for the husbands to gain guardianship.
They have to fight to get their niece, and they will do whatever it takes to bring her home.

Notes

I don't know how old Ilya's unnamed niece is on the show, but if she was a baby during his rookie year, then she would be about 11/12 now? That is what the timeline I am working with.

If anyone notices any mistakes with the Russian names/diminutives, please let me know. I am trying my hardest to make them correct.

I do not know anything about the adoption process in Canada, so this might be a little unrealistic but it works for the plot.

language key:
<< Russian >>
I will write Russian only when the character reiterates/translates what they say.

Chapter 1: Investigation

Transcription of In The Goal podcast:

Adam: The Ottawa Centaurs have put a statement out this morning that Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, infamous husbands who both play with Ottawa, reportedly are out on an undisclosed Family Emergency.

Dan: It's sad to see those two power houses out, especially so close to playoffs. Ottawa needs all the points they can to qualify, and without their two top centers, I don't see how Ottawa manages without them.

Adam: It certainly does bring some merit to the argument some of the NHL have been making, which is having two people on a team in a relationship causes issues. Instead of just missing one person, which is bad enough, now Ottawa is missing two strong players on their first and second lines. Of course, teams have the same issues when they sign siblings.

Dan: Which is why many teams refuse to sign family members together. I know the backlash waiting for them will probably be intense, but I hope they get back into the game soon with their heads on straight.

Shane sits in the waiting room. His hands are red from wringing them the last ten minutes. He checks his phone again for the time, ignoring the long list of texts he hasn't opened. Or trying unsuccessfully to ignore them.

Hayden: Hey, I heard you and Roz are out. Are you okay?

Luca: Hey, I don't know what's going on, but I hope you and Ilya are okay.

Troy: Harris said you're out until further notice? Can you even do that?

Hayden: Call me back. I just want to make sure you're okay

Harris: Troy meant to be comforting, ignore him. I wish you two the best.

JJ: What the fuck is this?? You okay man?

Coach W: Hope to see you both back soon. If you two need anything at all, let me know.

Mom: Deep breaths Shane. It's just a formality. They're going to love you both.

Hayden: Shane call me back

Jackie: Ignore Hayden blowing your phone up. I hope both you boys are okay. We're here for you both, we love you guys.

Shane's gaze gets torn away from his phone and he looks up at his husband who has a concerned look on his face. "Shane? I have been saying your name."

"Yeah," Shane mutters and shakes his head. "Um, my phone is blowing up."

"Don't look at it." Ilya softly takes the phone out of Shane's hand. "Yuna said this is formality, yes? Is fine. We practiced this morning."

Shane takes a shaky breath. His brain is too loud, the lights too bright. He can feel his socks inside his shoes. He can feel his hair follicles on his head where his hair is pulled back into a bun a little too tightly. His breath comes out more jagged now. His chest hurts and his lungs don't want to cooperate with him. He needs his lungs to cooperate.

"Shane, you cannot panic." Ilya rubs a large hand on his back. "We talked about this. You cannot panic in here. Is okay, everything will go good. Take breaths with me."

Shane knows he's right. They cannot risk Shane panicking in this office with possible eyes and phones on them. God, he'll be surprised if a picture of them doesn't get leaked in an hour. Shane listens to Ilya, following his breathing and trying to ignore other stimulus.

"Good. Is there one thing we can take away?"

Shane started seeing a therapist a few months ago. It helped Ilya and it has been helping Shane with his anxiety. His therapist's tip for his panic attacks and overstimulation is to try to get rid of anything bothering him.

That works at home. He can shut the blinds, turn off the lights, put headphones on, and basically shut out all stimulus. But in public, there's not much he can do. It's not like he can turn the sun off or wear his ear buds during meetings.

His goddamn socks.

"My socks are fucking irritating me."

Ilya looks down at their feet. Shane has on his Adidas tennis shoes — like he does ninety percent of the time when he's not in skates. But Ilya…

"Take off your shoes and socks. Switch with me."

Shane's eyes pop open. "What?"

"I have flippy things on."

"Flip flops," Shane corrects weakly. "I'm fine-"

"No, you are not. We need you to be, so fucking hurry."

"Asshole," Shane says but he starts taking his shoes off. Ilya somehow knows exactly how aggressive his needs to be to get Shane out of his own head.

They change shoes and fuck, it does help drastically. Shane's able to take a few deep breaths and compartmentalize his thoughts before their names get called.

"Mr. Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander? The investigator will see you know."

Both of the men shuffle into a private room where a shorter lady in a professional suit and her hair pulled up into a curly bun sit waiting for them. They sit in separate chairs which were a little too small for their large athletic bodies. Not that either of them let the lady in front of them in on the awkward seating.

"Mr. Rozanov, thank you for coming in today, and thank you for bringing Mr. Hollander with you," the lady says pleasantly as she nods at each of them respectively. "I am Margret and I will be doing this interview with you today." Interview, both men catch. Not investigation like they both know this is. "Mr. Rozanov, I wish to offer my condolences on your brother's passing."

Ilya nods stiffly. There's no love lost between the brothers, but he had been reminded in the car that saying so might not be in their best interest today. "Thank you. It was surprise for sure."

Andrei Rozanov. Ilya hasn't spoken to him since their father's own funeral. Andrei Rozanov, who was found dead in a pile of his own cocaine four days ago. Andrei Rozanov, who Ilya hasn't shed one tear for.

Andrei Rozanov, who left his young daughter without a parent.

"You did not attend his funeral yesterday, am I correct?"

Ilya nods stiffly. "Yes. I am not welcome back in Russia. It would be…" Ilya purses his lips as he thinks of the right word. "Reckless. I would get arrested, maybe killed. Russia is not as welcoming of homosexuality as Canada."

"You're English is good," Margret says, moving on without commenting on what Ilya said..

"Yes, Shane helps teach me more every day."

"You may not know, but Katerina doesn't know English." Margret gestures to Shane. "Taking in a child who can't speak the language of one of her guardians can be really tough, especially for the child. How will you two combat this issue with Katerina Rozanova if she is placed in your home?"

So it begins. Shane clears his throat and tries to thicken his Russian accent he's been practicing. "Я довольно хорошо говорю по-русски. Илюша учит меня уже много лет." Shane offers the investigator a small smile, meanwhile Ilya is gazing at Shane with those heart eyes of his. He can never help himself when Shane calls him Ilyusha. "Ilya's been teaching me Russian for years. I'm pretty good at it."

"He is almost fluent," Ilya corrects. "Just the, um, random words we are learning now."

"Would you say your Russian, Shane, is better than your English, Ilya?"

"Shane is master of languages." Ilya turns his focus back to the lady. "He picked up Russian faster than I picked up English."

Margret makes a note of something on her notepad. "Would you say your struggle with English will negatively impact your ability to raise your niece?"

Ilya frowns and tries to go over what he said. Did he accidentally insinuate that he struggled? Shane beats him in saying anything though: "That is not what he said. He just meant that he has had more than ten years to learn English, while I've only been learning Russian for three years. Ilya's english is fluent by this point."

Margret levels an even look at Shane. "I am doing my job, Mr. Hollander, asking these questions. There is no need to get defensive."

Shane opens his mouth, but ultimately chooses not to say anything. Even Ilya understands what's happening; everything they say can get turned around on them. They need to choose their battles.

Margret continues as she flips through some papers. "I think our main concern is your work schedules. I understand hockey is a very taxing sport, and being a professional athlete can take up a lot of time. Just this upcoming month, you have sixteen games to play, only half are home games. That means you will spend half the month traveling, playing games, and I am sure there are practices and meetings you have to attend as well."

Margret reads through a few more pages while the husbands stay silent. "That's a lot of time not at home. Children need stability, not empty homes."

"Other players have children," Ilya comments carefully. "Hayden Pike with the Metros has four."

"Yes, but they have wives who stay at home with the kids. You both play hockey; it is a different situation that needs to be taken into consideration."

Shane's body floods with cold. He can't tell if the wife comment was meant to be homophobic or not, but she's not wrong about their busy schedules. "My parents live ten minutes from us. They're planning on keeping her when we are on the road."

Margret raises a thin eyebrow. "Do your parents know Russian?"

"No, but-"

Ilya interrupts his husband with a hand extended out to him. "If we need to hire a Russian nanny, we will. If I need to take family leave, I will. This will not be problem. She is family."

"Family?" Margret flips to a different page. "From my understanding, you have not seen your niece in three years, since she was a toddler. Is that how you treat family, Mr. Rozanov?"

Ilya has to force his hand to not curl into a fist. This lady is starting to remind him of that lady he hates from Harry Potter. Dorcus Umbrich, or whatever her name is. "As I say earlier, I cannot reenter Russia as a gay man without risking my life. Being estranged from her is not something I choose." Estranged. Thank God for Shane teaching him that word yesterday. Is good word.

"It's hard for him," Shane verifies. "He's set up trusts and sends packages to her, but we've never heard anything back about it."

"There's always a choice, Mr. Rozanov, but since you bring up Russia, let's move on to a big topic." She puts down her papers and folds her hands together. "The Russian government is trying to put an injunction in place so Katerina cannot be placed into your house."

"What?" Shane sits up in his too-small seat.

Ilya is not surprised. The Russian government is hard, firm, and unrelenting. Ilya embarrassed them when he openly came out as gay; Ilya Rozanov, son of medal decorated General Grigori Rozanov. Ilya used to mingle with ministers and high-profile politicians; these people knew his name and followed his games in juniors. Now, he's seen as a traitor, a turncoat.

They would not want a Russian nationalist to defect to Canada to live with her gay uncle.

"Family goes to next of kin," Ilya says with false calm. "I am Katyusha's next of kin. I am her only family member left. They cannot change laws to keep a child without family."

"They are claiming special circumstances." Margret sighs and flips to a new page in her notepad. "I am not saying that their tactics are working, but their opposition does bring up more issues."

"Such as?" Shane asks. "We will do whatever we can. Like Ilya said, she is family. We're not going to give up on her."

"What about your medical history, Mr. Rozanov? You take duloxetine, correct? For depression."

"I don't think you're allowed to ask about that," Shane says quickly. His brows are deeply furrowed.

Ilya puts a firm hand on Shane's arm. "It helps me," Ilya says and Shane can tell he's trying to sound causal. This isn't a type of question they'd expected to be asked. They didn't anticipate this.

"Would you say your mental health makes you a danger? On the ice, at home? Do you ever feel the need to do something drastic?"

Shane stands up from his seat. "Okay, I know you can't ask that. Are you serious? How did you even get those records?"

"Mr. Hollander, your defensiveness again is concerning. I am simply restating what the Russian government is questioning. They worry about the homosexuality, but they also worry about the mental stability of two men — who both attend therapy — and whether they are capable of raising a child."

Ilya pulls Shane's arm down until Shane takes his seat again. Only then does Ilya say, "Russia does not approve of mental health. I know this. But that doesn't make mental health fake. I found my mother's dead body after she committed suicide in Moscow; I am gay from a country that would rather see me behind bars than happy; we both got outed very publicly without consent; I was on plane that lost engine and almost crashed. These are hard things, yes? Therapy is to talk these things out. Is all it is."

If Margret is surprised or moved by Ilya's small speech, she doesn't let on. "We will be doing interviews with Mr. Hollander's parents, your coach, and a few of the players on your team. Tell them to look out for our call." She puts on a smile that Shane swears would be condescending if she had her choice. "Now, tell me about how you would parent Katerina."

Half an hour later, Ilya is driving Shane's boring car to Yuna and David's house because Shane is shaking too much to drive his boring Jeep.

"That was all fucking bullshit!" Shane shouts in the car. "It felt like she didn't want us to take guardianship. Isn't she supposed to be on our side?"

Ilya takes a quick glance at his husband and slides his arm over to firmly squeeze his thigh. "Is bullshit, yes. But it was not terrible, yes? We answered the questions right, we did our best, yes?"

Shane takes a deep breath. "We shouldn't have to fight to have Katerina, «Ilyusha». That's not how it works in Canada. We should have gotten a home inspection and maybe a few questions to ensure her safety. This is a fucking circus."

"Yes," Ilya agrees simply. "Is circus, but we are team, yes? If we need to fight for Katyusha, we will fight."

Shane looks over at his husband. "Did you mean it? You would go on family leave for her?"

Ilya frowns slightly. Shane knows the look; Ilya is trying to figure out the English of what he wants to say.

"«You would go on family leave»?" Shane repeats in Russian. He could use the practice if he's going to use it with Katerina.

"«I would retire for her»," Ilya says softly. "«It is a little scary to think, but I would give up hockey to have her in our house. I got my Canadian citizenship finalized last summer. I don't have to play hockey to stay in Canada. We have enough money. If retiring is what it takes, I will do it»."

Shane can feel his eyes burning. Almost no one knows, but Ilya is a huge softie. His heart is pounding. Yes, it is scary. Their lives are about to change and Shane doesn't like change, but this one seems like a very, very good one. "Fuck, Ilya."

Ilya gives his husband another quick glance before focusing back on the road. They're about to turn onto Yuna and David's street. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Is last resort. I will crush you at hockey."

"We're on the same team, asshole."

"Are we?" Ilya parks in the driveway and turns fully to hold Shane's face with one hand. "Shanyusha," he begins.

"That's not a real diminutive," Shane protests.

Ilya raises an eyebrow. "Shanyusha, this is no problem. Is just, how you say, bump in road. Do not worry what future is. I play, I don't play, I take break, it doesn't matter. We will take in Katyusha. That is our game plan. We focus on that."

Shane nods and smiles at his husband. "You're right. We focus on getting her, then we can worry about the details."

"Good." Ilya turns off the car and jumps out. "Now hurry, I want Yuna's pasta and you are holding me back."

"I think you should get let your agent know what happened in that interview," Yuna says as she cleans up after dinner, Ilya and Shane both helping with the dishes.

"Mom-"

"She shouldn't of said half of what she did. There are laws in place to stop discrimination like that. Your agent can get a lawyer involved."

Shane stares at the plate he's washing for a long moment as he sorts his thoughts. "We can't."

"No?" Ilya questions.

Shane shakes his head. "If we get a lawyer involved now, it might hold up the process of getting Katerina here. They might put a hold on her passport until everything is settled."

Yuna pauses her wiping of the counter and looks over at her son. "You think they were intentionally trying for that to happen, don't you?"

Yes, he wants to say, but he's been trying to be more positive lately. His therapist tells him he catastrophizes. "All I am saying is that we don't want to give them the opportunity to postpone this. Katerina is stuck in Russia alone, and I want to make sure she's safe before we make a move."

Ilya frowns. "She must be so scared," he whispers softly. "So sad."

Yuna places a motherly hand on Ilya's arm. "Yes, but not for long. We'll get her here soon. What's the game plan?"

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter Summary

The home inspection + bonus of torturing Hayden

Chapter Notes

So I had to change the rating on this fic, so recheck the tags and rating because they're updated.

I hope everyone enjoys :)

Andrei Rozanov, Hockey Center Ilya Rozanov 'Estranged' Brother, Found Dead

by Harper Chavez

Monday night Andrei Rozanov was found dead in his Moscow apartment, police report says. The apartment used to be owned by Ilya Rozanov, Andrei's brother and NHL star for the Ottawa Centaurs. The two were reportedly 'estranged' as Ilya claimed, source says. The police have not disclosed a cause of death yet, but it is currently under investigation.

Andrei, a Russian nationalist, has been vocal against his younger brother. "[Ilya] is embarrassment on our family," Andrei said in the last interview he did before his death. "He speaks about mental health and homosexuality. These are not values of Russian men. He is a disgrace."

Ilya Rozanov is openly bisexual and married to Ottawa Centaurs' center Shane Hollander. Together, both of them founded The Irina Foundation, which is a charity advocating and raising runds for mental health institutions by hosting hockey camps. Neither were able to be reached for comment at this time.

Andrei Rozanov, who's wife died in childbirth, leaves behind a young daughter. Her living situation is unknown.

NHL Twitter

@nhlofficial

Our thoughts are with the Rozanov-Hollander family at this time.

Ottawa Centaurs

@Ottawahockey

We wish the best for Ilya and Shane Rozanov-Hollander as they navigate this difficult time together. They will return to the ice when they are both ready.

BBC News

@worldbbcnews

Andrei Rozanov, brother to Ilya Rozanov, death ruled an overdose, but suicide allegations still persist.

Andrei Rozanov's Death Officially Ruled Overdose

by Piper Adams

Andrei Rozanov, police sergeant and brother to Ilya Rozanov, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Monday. Earlier today, the Russian government released a statement saying that investigations ruled the death an accidental overdose.

"It is an unfortunate loss," a Russian spokesperson commented. "We wish it was not this way, but accidents happen."

Despite — or maybe because of — the statement, rumors of suicide have increased. Ilya Rozanov, NHL star and philanthropist, made a statement in 2018 about how their mother committed suicide when he was a kid. "They called it an accident," Ilya had said. "But it was not an accident. She took her own life."

Based on family history, this could have been a suicide-by-overdose. Could Andrei, who was outspoken against "woke" mental health, have taken his own life? Is this further proof that ignoring mental health doesn't make it go away?

Ilya was going to murder him. He was woken up at six this morning for no reason. He's been yelled at at least three times in the last hour. He's at his wit's end.

"Shane, stop. The house is perfect."

Shane, who is wiping the coffee table for the second time this morning, shoots his husband a glare. "They will be here in an hour to inspect the house. If anything is out of place, they could use that as ammunition against us."

"I do not know what ammunition is," Ilya says while waving a hand. "The house is clean, is neat. No sex toys are laying on table. They will not look for dust on second shelf of coffee table."

"Ilya."

"Shane." Ilya bites his lip. Time to poke the bear. "You are anxious."

"I haven't noticed," Shane says sarcastically.

"Are you anxious because inspectors or…" Ilya splays his hands out in front of him, trying to think of the right words. "We never talked about this."

Shane frowns. "What do you mean?"

Ilya sighs. Thank God Shane picked up Russian so fast, even if he's a show-off. "«We never actually talked about taking in Katyusha. We just dove into the process. This is what you want, right»?"

Shane puts his cleaning supplies on the table and sits beside Ilya on the couch. "«How can you ask that? You think I don't want her»?"

Ilya shakes his head. "«Not that you don't, but I know it's sudden and happening so fast. We never managed to have a conversation about what this would look like for us»."

Shane smiles slightly and reaches out to brush his thumb against Ilya's cheek. "«You are sweet, Ilyusha. You're right, it's a lot all of a sudden. I feel like I have…»" He struggles with the Russian word. "Whiplash."

"хлыстовая травма," Ilya supplies.

"«I feel like I have whiplash, but it is not bad»."

"«You do not like change»."

"«I don't»," Shane allows. "«But that does not mean that the change is bad. I want Katyusha to live with us. She's your niece, our niece. I think I am mostly anxious»," Shane muses and picks his words carefully, "«for her to be here. I worry she will not like me, or she will hold Russian values»."

"«You worry she is homophobic»?"

"«She is a child. I worry that she believes what she has grown up with. I worry that she will struggle to be happy here if that is the case»."

That's something Ilya surprisingly didn't think about. Would Andrei have tainted Ilya's image to his niece? Would he lament about the disgustingness of their marriage?

"«I think that is something we can deal with. We can put her in therapy if she needs it. Family therapy for all of us»."

Shane nods, but Ilya knows this conversation did nothing to calm him down.

Thankfully, Ilya has had plenty of experience of getting his husband out of his head.

Ilya rubs his hand up Shane's leg over his shorts. Shane smacks his hand away before he can get to his goal.

"Ilya. They will be here in thirty minutes."

"And you need orgasm. I need five minutes."

"Fuck you." Shane rolls his eyes. "I am not that fast."

"Oh yeah? Prove it to me «darling»."

Ilya puts his hands back on Shane's thighs. he rubs and caresses until Shane relaxes his body a bit, his legs spreading slightly.

"Good boy," Ilya murmurs.

"Fuck off."

Chuckling, Ilya palms Shane's growing erection through the fabric of his shorts. Shane has always been a bit needy, but Ilya is just as insatiable. His can feel his own dick waking up just knowing that Shane is getting turned on.

Ilya could spend hours like this, teasing and touching Shane, giving all his attention to his husband until it all becomes too much. If this was any other day, he would see how long it would take for Shane to come in his pants.

But he's made this a competition. How fast can he get Shane off?

Ilya undoes Shane's shorts and pulls them down just enough with practiced efficiency. He offers his hand up to Shane's face.

It's adorable how red his face gets as Shane spits into Ilya's open palm.

Fuck, okay, his dick liked that too.

Ilya started at Shane's tip and slowly slid his hand down as-

Ring Ring

Shane jerks as his phone starts ringing. Keeping on hand on his cock, Ilya reaches to Shane's back pocket and pulls out his phone.

Ilya's mouth pulls into a wide smile. "Is Pike." Ilya shows Shane the screen complete with Hayden's contact picture. He gives Shane's dick an exaggerated slow stroke. "You should answer."

"We're not doing that to Hayden again, Ilya!"

"What? You liked it last time!" Ilya winks. "And the time before."

Shane sighs and bites his lip. Yes, it's fucking hot to have Ilya on his dick while talking to someone else. That doesn't make it an okay thing to do.

"Do not slap me this time," Shane says and presses the answer button.

Game on.

Ilya starts to stroke Shane faster, gathering the drops of precum to use as extra lube for his hand.

"Hey, Hayd. What's going on?"

Ilya smirks and licks his lips. Fuck, after this he'll have to get off too. He was hoping to wait until after the home inspection, but fuck, it's very hot.

"Yeah, no. We're just waiting for them to get here. It should be a fairly quick visit."

Ilya's had enough of just his hand. His mouth is salivating and all he wants is to taste his sexy husband.

He dips down and starts by dragging his tongue from the base to tip of Shane's cock.

"For s-sure," Shane stutters and Ilya can see him death gripping the pillow. "Ilya's doing okay. W-we just-" Shane pauses as Ilya does another slow lick. He gasps and bites his lip to keep in a moan. "We want the wait to be over, you know?"

Shane's hand moves from the pillow to Ilya's hair. That's all the invitation he needs. He takes Shane's tip into his mouth and hollow his cheeks. Instead of starting slow like he usually likes to, he immediately slides all the way down.

Shane moves the phone to his chest to muffle the sound as he groans. "Fuck," he gasps and tightens his fist in Ilya's curls.

Ilya fucking loves Shane's hands in his hair.

He quickens his pace as Shane braces himself and brings his phone back up to his ear. "S-sorry, I dropped my phone. «Fucking shit, Ilyusha»," Shane curses in Russian. "«Slow down». Sorry Hayd, Ilya's making a, uh, mess after I just cleaned."

Ilya rolls his eyes. Yes, making a mess of his husband and of his own pants. But slow down he does not do.

He bobs his head up and down. Fuck his throat, he doesn't care if he's sore later. He just wants his husbands come down his throat. He wants Shane to be blissed out beneath him.

Dammit. Dammit.

Ilya readjusts so he can rub his own erection against Shane's leg. He groans at the sweet fucking feel of friction on his untouched dick. Fucking-

Ilya gives it his all, going as fast as he can, his rhythm starting to get off. He places his hands on Shane's sensitive inner thighs and squeezes.

"Hold on H-hayd." Shane quickly puts the call on mute and moans loudly. "Fuck, Ilya! Holy shit, you ass-"

One last squeeze and Shane explodes in Ilya's mouth. Ilya moans and milks his cock as he swallows. He rubs frantically against Shane's legs until-

Fuck. Sticky warmth spreads across the front of his pants.

His vision swims with spots when he pops Shane's cock out of his mouth.

"Did you come?" Shane asks breathless.

Ilya flips onto his back on the couch. "I need to change."

"Shit, Ilya." Shane grabs his chin and kisses him deeply. "I don't know why but that's hot as fuck."

Ilya smiles at his husband and gestures to the muted phone. "Don't leave Pike waiting. I change."

As Ilya walks out of the room, he can hear Shane on the phone: "Sorry, Anya was eating something she shouldn't be. You were saying about-"

Ilya makes quick work of getting changed and cleaned. He hides his soiled clothes deeper into their laundry basket, just in case the investigator peaks into the closets too. He brings Shane back a warm washcloth and finds the phone call already over.

"Thanks. Hayden said that Margret called him last night. She did a phone interview with him and Jackie."

"We could have done phone interview?"

Shane snorts. "I doubt it. I think half of this fiasco is some sort of power trip."

"Fiasco?" Ilya frowns as his mouth forms the unfamiliar word.

"It's kind of the same as circus. A disaster."

Ilya hums and nods. He rubs his husband's chest. "Feel better, yes?"

Shane nods and kisses Ilya. "Yes, but we cannot keep doing that to Hayden."

"Only people that call you, Hollander, is Pike and your mom, and I am not touching your dick while Yuna can hear."

"Fuck you. Rose calls me too."

Ilya eyes narrow and he pulls back. "I would rather have your mother walk in on our sex."

"Ilya, you have to let that go."

"No. You have sex with her, she cannot hear our sexy time phone calls. Only Pike is lucky."

Shane rolls his eyes and kisses Ilya's forehead. "You're so jealous."

"I do not know this word. Shut up."

"What's my reward for winning?"

Ilya frowns offended. "You win what? Boring sex with hot actress?"

Shane raises a bemused eyebrow. "I didn't come in under five minutes."

"No, no, was five minutes." Ilya settles into the couch with a smug smirk. "I won."

"Bullshit." Shane shoves Ilya's shoulder. "That was way longer than five and you fucking know it."

"Hmm," Ilya pretends to think. "We need rematch later. With a timer."

"You're fucking on."

Shane relaxes into the couch, allowing himself to just sit in Ilya's warm embrace. He was right, a distraction and orgasm is just what he needed.

It was twenty minutes later when they heard car doors slamming shut outside. Ilya sighs as Shane automatically tenses up and starts to stand. Here it goes, he thinks.

"Mr. and Mr. Rozanov-Hollander, I am Jacob Marshall with CWRP here to do a home inspection for the future guardianship of Katerina Andreiovna Rozanov." Jacob, a shorter man with a bit of a "dad bod" and a clipboard grasped in his hands, struggles a bit with the Russian patronymic in Katerina's name, but Shane is just impressed at the attempt. Margret certainly didn't even try Katerina's full name the other day.

"It is nice to meet you," Ilya says and holds out a hand. They had this planned: Ilya takes the lead since he is technically the next-of-kin, Shane supports and guides when needed — and to make Ilya seem more approachable if he can. "Please, our last name is long, just call us Ilya and Shane. Come on in."

Jacob walks in and takes a look around with unconcealed awe. "You both have a beautiful home, thank you."

"Yes, the two hockey salaries help."

Shane shoots a warning look to Ilya. "Thank you, Jacob, we appreciate it. Did you want anything to drink before we begin?"

"No, no. Let's get started. Can we start in the kitchen?"

Ilya leads the way to the kitchen, Anya popping her head in curiously. She walks up to Jacob and sniffs his shoes. "She is gentle girl. You can pet."

They had debated putting Anya in a boarding house today or taking her to Harris' farm to visit, but they worried that would give the impression that they were hiding something from the investigation. They ultimately decided on tiring her out — Ilya took her for a hard jog as soon as he woke up — before anyone showed up.

"She probably smells my own dogs on me," Jacob says as he rubs behind her ears. "I have a Goldie and a Lab. Oh, you're such a good girl."

Shane and Ilya exchange a hopeful look before turning their attention back to the task at hand. "What is it you need to see exactly?"

Jacob straightens and clears his throat. "Yes, I need to check the fire alarm, where any chemicals are kept — like cleaning supplies, you know? — where any alcohol is kept, and where medications are stored." He looks at his paperwork and his face visibly pinkens. "Oh, um, yeah that's fine."

Shane frowns. Something seems off. Everything feels off about this whole situation, but what makes an investigator embarrassed like that?

Ilya picks up on it too. "What is wrong?"

Jacob swallows audibly. "The paperwork lists some medications, which it should definitely not. I'm not privy to any medical information, I just inspect the home for safety; I don't know why they would give me this info." He looks through he pages, flipping a few times. Each flip causes his face to get a little more pink. "Uh, I am so sorry gentleman-"

"Is not your fault," Ilya says with a trying-to-be-casual wave of his hand. "We think Russia is causing problem."

"We got some unusual questions during our interview," Shane supplies. "Some of them I don't think were entirely legal in their origins. But we can go through what you need to, and if I could get a copy of that paperwork, that would be great."

Jacob gives the husbands a concerned look until realization set in. "Of course, anything to help. If we can start with the fire alarms and extinguisher."

The three of them, and sometimes Anya, go through the kitchen, Jacob either checking things off or giving pointers. "These need to be stored better," he says about the vodka bottles in the freezer. "Getting a freezer in the garage and lock it up would be best."

They get into the bedrooms and all Jacob does is do a quick walk-through of their master room before moving on to the guest rooms.

"Which room is Katerina's?"

"The first door," Ilya says and opens the door. The room is disordered to say the least. Last week, this room was a guest room they had used a few times to house drunk teammates or the Pikes when they came to visit. But when they got the news about Katerina, they started remodeling the second guest room into a pre-teen bedroom.

Most of the room is empty except for a wrapped-in-plastic mattress and an unopened box containing a new bed frame that got delivered yesterday. The floor is still covered in tarps and the walls have been freshly-painted a dusty lavender that the Rona paint sample calls Violet Ambiance.

The rest of the furniture should arrive tomorrow: a full length mirror, a dresser, a desk and computer for school, a bookshelf, and a rug to tie everything together. Shane consulted a designer for it again, but Ilya chose the items himself.

A huge softie is what Ilya is.

"Painters finished yesterday. We will get bed together today and everything else will be done tomorrow." Ilya looks around the room and he can feel his cheeks warm despite the fact that Russians do not blush.

He wishes he could do more, provide more, fill the room with toys and gifts and clothes and the love Ilya wants to flood his niece with. But he knows it's important for Katyusha to have her own identity here. Shane and him plan to take her shopping as soon as she arrives; Katyusha needs to pick her own toys, her own gifts, her own clothes, and accept the love she's willing to receive.

Ilya still feels inadequate.

He should do more.

He wishes he knew what exactly to do to make everything perfect.

"It's a great start."

Jacob walks around to inspect the fire alarm and window latches. Shane reaches out and touches Ilya's arm.

Shane always sees too much; sees exactly what Ilya doesn't want him to see. "Everything is going to be great, «Ilyusha»," he whispers.

"«What if it's not enough»?" Ilya asks. He hates how little his voice sounds. If he's lucky, maybe the Russian will mask it from Jacob, but there's no hiding it from Shane.

"«It is plenty, Ilyusha. You'll feel better when she gets here»."

"«Her father just died»," Ilya reminds him because… damn, that young girl is the same age Ilya was when he lost his own mother, but at least he still had a father and brother. Even if it didn't match what he had lost, the only light in his house growing up, the only softness Ilya knew until he was eighteen and Shane offered his hand in a parking lot in fucking Saskatchewan of all places. Ilya knows how it feels to lose a parent, to be alone in the world for the first time. "«She won't be happy here»."

Shane gives a single nod. "«Not at first, no»." Shane is never one to lie or sugar-coat anything. Ilya is thankful for that. "«But she will be. Give her time to adjust»."

Ilya gives his husband a sad smile and a quick kiss.

Neither realizes Jacob is finished with the windows and watching them until he clears his throat. Ilya tries to relax his shoulders that have crawled up to his ears. "Sorry, it is… What is word, Shane?"

"Grief," Shane offers.

Jacob seems to understand, or thinks that he does at least. "I apologize, Ilya. I should have offered my condolences at the beginning. You also lost a brother this week."

He's more than happy to let Jacob assume what he wants. "Yes. Thank you. Where else do you need to see?"

The rest of the tour goes smooth. Jacob comments a couple times about some safety things and some things that need adjusted, but overall Jacob seems pleased with the house.

"I probably shouldn't say this," Jacob says as he puts his paperwork into a folder. "We are huge hockey fans at our house. My husband played at the college level and he's a huge fan of yours, Ilya."

Ilya smiles widely and elbows Shane's arm. "See? I am favorite. You have great taste. I am best hockey player."

Ilya and Jacob laugh as Shane rolls his eyes. "Thank you, Jacob," Shane says. "You just fed his ego. I didn't think it was still possible."

Jacob laughs again and rubs the back of his neck. "Thank you both. I know these visits aren't fun, but you obviously care a lot for Katerina. I will be back for a final walk through at the end of the week. Make the changes we talked about, especially locking up the medicine and alcohol, and I can't imagine we'll have an issue."

"Thank you, Jacob," Ilya says sincerely.

"Please send me copies of the paperwork, please," Shane reminds.

"Of course. Have a nice night gentlemen."

An hour later, Shane has the paperwork copies forwarded to Farah, Shane and Ilya's agent, for her to start talking with a lawyer. They aren't pressing any charges. Yet. But once Katerina is settled in their life, Shane might change his mind.

If it were up to Ilya, they'd lawyer up now. He realizes it might not be the smart play.

Shane kisses Ilya on the lips, pulling him away from his jumbled thoughts as he sits on the couch staring at nothing.

"Oh," Ilya whispers. "I like that."

Shane hums and rubs his hand down Ilya's hip. "So, my phone has a timer, and I have a bet to win-"

Shane doesn't get anything else out before Ilya grabs his husband and carries him to the bedroom. They're both laughing the whole way with a good natured competition to look forward to.

Shane doesn't stand a chance.