Summary:

Ilya sat on the edge of his bed in the hotel room, phone in hand, scrolling through search results. The game against Boston had ended hours ago, a solid win, but his mind refused to settle. Shane had texted him earlier, something casual about practice schedules, but it stirred up the thoughts that had been building for weeks. Shane lived for hockey. Every drill, every shift, he analyzed it like a puzzle to solve. Off the ice, he carried that same intensity, always planning, always pushing. The only times Ilya saw him truly let go were at the cottage, fishing or just staring at the lake, or right after they collapsed together, bodies spent. Those moments revealed a different Shane, one who didn't need to control every detail. Ilya wanted more of that for him.