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One shot for S1 E6 when Yuna & Shane are having a heart-to-heart outside and Ilya & Mr. Hollander are left alone at the kitchen table. Ilya’s got this. Ilya grasps the cool tumbler of, what do they call it—liquid courage—as Mr. Hollander smiles back at him awkwardly. Though he is seated at the table, Ilya’s legs feel wobbly, and his heart feels both light and heavy. Did he and Shane just confess their love out loud? To other people? Everything is happening all at once. Does Shane need him? This is a lot. No, Shane and his mother need their space to process things together. Ilya is right where he needs to be, and he’s approaching this entire situation with calm. This is Shane’s world. Ilya knows and respects how close he is with his parents, and under the circumstances, things could be a lot worse. Mr. Hollander is the first to break the silence. “Again, I’m sorry about, uh, before,” he mumbles. Ilya takes a sip of his vodka. “Before? You mean, at the cottage.” Mr. Hollander nods. “Yeah, I had no idea. Obviously.” “It happened,” Ilya shrugs. “You didn’t know. Maybe we owe you the apology.” Mr. Hollander chuckles. “I don’t see why. You’re grown men. That’s Shane’s place. I intruded.” “Still, you were surprised. Fortunately, I saw you before, er, uh…” Ilya stops himself before he says something he knows Shane would find utterly embarrassing. “Yeah, close call,” Mr. Hollander clears his throat. “But we’re here now. And Yuna’ll be okay. She’s in shock. She and I process things differently. I’m not worried. When Shane says something, he means it. When Shane wants something, he doesn’t give up.” Ilya smiles at this. It’s something he’s known since Shane told him not to smoke outside of the arena when they first met. The guy has guts. “We have that in common. And I do love your son. Very much.” “I believe you, Ilya. And I’ve watched you grow as a player over the past few years. Now it makes sense why Shane always watched all of your games so intently. I thought it was all about the rivalry you two have. Now I know differently.” “Probably both things,” muses Ilya. “Can I get you something else to drink?” asks Mr. Hollander, likely noticing that Ilya has now drained his glass. “Let me show you my collection.” Ilya picks up his empty tumbler and follows Mr. Hollander out of the kitchen. He glances over his shoulder and through the front window where he can see Shane and his mother speaking intently with one another. It’s a promising sign. Shane has taught him to no longer fear the power of communicating. Ilya is now standing across from Mr. Hollander in a wood-paneled room with numerous shelves filled with books, pictures of Shane as a young boy, and what appears to be an extensive record collection. Ilya’s father had a room like this. There’s also a dark mahogany cabinet with an assortment of liquor bottles that Mr. Hollander is sifting through and a table with a crystal tray of additional glasses. Ilya is immediately drawn to a framed picture of Shane in a school uniform of sorts. He’s probably around seven or eight years old, and he’s missing one of his front teeth. It might be the most adorable thing Ilya has ever seen. He has half a notion to pocket the picture. “That was Shane in second grade. He’d just lost his tooth that morning and was angry the photographer made him smile. But he was over it by the next day. The tooth fairy paid him handsomely.” Ilya laughs, brushing his finger over Shane’s awkward smile and prominent smattering of freckles. “In Russia, we have the tooth mouse. Similar thing. My mother made sure to always leave a treat for us. Of course, I didn’t know it was her at the time,” Ilya says warmly. “But what do you do with the teeth? This has always made me wonder.” Mr. Hollander looks unsure himself. “We’ll have to ask Yuna. I have no idea. What about your mom. Is she still in Russia?” ”No,” Ilya shakes his head. “She died when I was twelve.” ”Hey, I’m sorry, Ilya. And I’m sorry about your father, too. Heard about his passing on the news.” ”Thank you. Shane was a big help to me afterwards.” Mr. Hollander nods and reaches for Ilya’s glass. “How would you feel about trying some whiskey?” “Sure,” Ilya agrees. “Let me get you a fresh glass.” Mr. Hollander fills a clean tumbler about a third of the way with a light brown liquid and hands it to Ilya. “It’s one of the things we’re known for here in Canada.” Ilya takes a slow sip and gently sloshes the liquid around in his mouth. “It’s good. Smooth.” “I’ll send you back with a bottle.” “Thank you.” ”I’ve been telling Shane for years that it’s better than ginger ale.” Mr. Hollander pours himself some as well. “It was brave of you to come here.” ”I was happy Shane agreed to let me. I’ve never done this before. You know, meeting the parents.”
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 1,168
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Files:
- 1
- AO3:
- #76479236