Chapter Text
Someone would think that, after a year of being out, married, and playing with your husband on the same hockey team, the press would give up, lose interest. Because what else could be said? A lot of things, actually, but Ilya and Shane remained as private as possible without actually hiding.
They gave a couple of interviews dedicated to their relationship after Harris, the media manager of the Centaurs, suggested it at the beginning of the season. Everything was talked about before, the questions sent to them days in advance and the answers as vague as they wanted them. And that was it, the only mentions of their relationships were by the journalist in the pre-game interviews, and the answer was always the same, “No, my private relationship with Shane/Ilya does not and will not affect my game, or any of us doing what is best for the team.”
It was getting old, and Ilya was done with it.
So, when his phone rang with another unknown number, he didn’t even bother checking the caller ID before rejecting the call. He was supposed to be on the ice 5 minutes ago anyways, not a good look for a captain.
After practice though, while sweaty and tired, playfully bantering with Wyatt and Shane, his phone had at least 20 calls missed from the same number.
Did they ever give up? Jesus.
The phone rang again, and this time Ilya was ready to tell whoever was in the other line to fuck off.
Except.
“Finally, what is the point of having a phone if you are never gonna use it?”
That voice was young, really young. And had an accent, almost the same as Ilya.
Hm.
“Who is this?” Shane looked at him with a question in his eyes, but Ilya just moved his hand dismissively.
A short laugh from the other line before the girl talked again. “Your niece, if you can still remember me?”
Ilya was in shock, loss of words, looking into a blank wall type of shock. She sounded so unsure it broke his heart a little bit. “Alina? Where are you? Is everything okay? You called a lot.” Now he was feeling horrible for not picking up immediately. But how would he know? Alina was just a little girl when he left Russia after the death of his dad, around 7 or 8 if his memory doesn’t fail.
“I’m in a phone booth. Didn’t know they still existed.”
“Are you hurt?” Just then Ilya noticed he was still talking in English, and switched back to Russian, gaining him another curious look from Shane, who was still talking to his teammates, giving him some privacy during the call. “How did you even get my number?”
“I’m not hurt. Not really. I took it from dad’s phone some years ago, just in case.”
Ilya sighed, his fingers going to his nose and pinching it while he closed his eyes with force. “Okay, that’s good. Can you tell me why you are calling me now?”
“Oh! Yeah that… I kind of need some money?” Alina answered unsure.
“Money? Are you in trouble?” Ilya was getting more and more frustrated by the second. He needed some air.
When Shane catched him looking, he signaled the door and his phone, and left after a nod from his husband.
Alina laughed again, more nervous this time. “Not bad trouble? I just need it to pay for a hotel for a couple of weeks, until I figure something out. I’m sixteen, not sure you know, so… My trust fund is not something I can access yet. Thank you, for the trust fund, by the way, dad always complained about it but I appreciate it and-”
“Alina. Why do you need to stay in a hotel?” Ilya stopped her when she started rambling, but he was already opening his bank account on his phone while they spoke.
Now the line became dead silent. Just for a couple of seconds. “Well, you see, dad kind of… kicked me out.” The last part was more a whisper than actual words.
Ilya got the immediate desire to be in Russia, just so he could punch his brother. Again. Maybe with more force this time, or more times.
“Alexei kicked you out?” Even he could register the incredulous sound of his voice, mixed with anger. Alina said she was sixteen, and, apparently, alone in Moscow.
“Yeah he was not happy with me, and I really didn’t have anyone else to call so…”
“No no, it was good that you called me.” He had to sigh again before continuing. “I’m going to give you an address, a friend lives there, her name is Svetlana. You met her when you were younger.” Like during his dad's funeral, or a couple of times after that, when she took gifts from Ilya to Russia.
But all that had stopped, when Alexei started bugging Svetlana to send messages to Ilya, to ask for more money even after every warning. Well, Ilya just couldn’t put her through it.
He texted Svetlana saying he would call in a bit, and that it was important before continuing.
“You know your account number?”
“No? It was all on my phone, but I couldn’t take it before he kicked me out, so.”
Ilya tried to not think of how bad the situation was, or what caused it, or the fact that Alina had to have memorized Ilya’s number since she was a kid.
“Okay, tell me exactly where you are. I’m gonna call Svetlana and she will pick you up. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Okay.”
They ended the call and Ilya gave himself a second to lay his head on the wall and breathe.
After, he called Svetlana.
“Ilya, what is happening? You and Shane okay?”
“Yeah we are okay, but I kind of need a favor.”
When he hung up on Svetlana, his teammates started getting out, everyone walking to their cars and saying bye to each other. Some of them gave him curious looks, others just waved goodbye.
Haas approached him, still as nervous as the first day they shared a locker room. “You okay cap?”
“Yes kid, everything is fine. Get out of here before I take you back inside for extra training.”
Luca put his hands up, surrendering and going to his own car, not without sending a smile his way.
Lastly, just seconds after, Shane came to him, both gym bags on his shoulder, and a worried look on his face. “Who was that? You look stressed.”
“Mhm.” Ilya put his hand on Shane's neck, taking him closer and kissing his head instinctively. “Let’s go home. I need a pill for my headache. And then I will tell you about Alina.”
Shane looked confused. “Alina? As in your niece back in Russia?”
Oh. So Shane remembered the couple of times Ilya had mentioned her, mostly in the first couple of years after his father passed and they started dating, but still.
“Yeah, that one.”
They both got in the car, Shane driving this time while Ilya laid his head in the seat and steered at his phone, waiting for Svetlana’s call once she was with Alina. When they started moving, he started telling Shane the few pieces of information he just got in the last hour.
--
They were just closing the door and taking out his shoes when Svetlana called. Ilya picked up without thinking, putting the call in speaker mode. “Are you with her? Is she hurt? What took you so long?”
“Breath Ilya, she has a small cut on her cheek but nothing else, we just got home. And before you start complaining, she didn’t want me to call you in the car. She looked very… Embarrassed really.” Svetlana sighed on the phone. “She went to the bathroom for a hot shower, it was freezing outside and she didn’t have a jacket; I already left her some clothes she could borrow. I will take care of the cut and give her something to eat and then I will call you back. Okay?”
Ilya nodded, not being able to form any words. She was hurt, and freezing in the middle of the night-if Ilya’s maths about the time in Moscow were not failing-and he couldn’t do anything to help from here. It felt like his father all over again.
Shane took the phone, letting his hand lay on Ilya’s shoulder, squeezing in a comforting way.
“Hey Svetlana, that is perfect, me and Ilya will be waiting for your call. Thank you for doing this.”
“Of course, it is not a bother. Take care of Ilya, yes? I will do the same for Alina.”
Svetlana always sounded softer when talking to Shane, it used to amuse Ilya, in the beginning; how nervous and controlled Shane was, almost like he needed Svetlana’s approval, and how his best friend would look at Shane when he was touching Ilya, studying him with curiosity, studying them.
Slowly, they made it into a friendship that consisted mostly in grouping forces to mess with Ilya and care for him in equal parts. He acted annoyed about it.
He secretly fucking loved it.
Just as expected, the moment Svetlana left them, Shane hugged him and kissed his neck, “It’s going to be okay. She’s with Svetlana now, she will take good care of your niece. And we will all find a solution for this mess, okay?”
Ilya nodded, still not talking.
“I’m going to make something fast for an early lunch and you will go and shower, because you’re still in your training clothes and that is nasty.” Shane smiled, trying to ease the tension of the room. “Go, and leave your phone here in case Svetlana calls.”
--
They were eating chicken and salad when Ilya finally decided to stop overthinking it all and talked to Shane. “I think I should call Alexei.”
Shane looked at him, worried. “Yeah, I think so too… But you know it will probably not be productive at all, right?”
Ilya let out an overdramatic breath, nodding. “Most probably, but what else can I do right now? He might be worried about her.” Ilya doubted it, but wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, it was his daughter at the end of the day, right? “And I know where and with who she is, so I should call him.”
“Okay.” Shane squeezed his hand, smiling sadly at him.
They both knew it was gonna be bad.
Alexei answered after the third ring. “Would you look at that, the brother of the fucking decade. What the fuck do you want Ilya?”
Ilya really thought about having a civil conversation. Really. It was the plan. But he was underrating how mad his brother could make him on a regular basis, much more today.
“Why the fuck did Alina called me from a phone booth in the middle of the night to tell me you kicked her out? You piece of shit.”
Alexei was silent. Like he really thought Ilya had no way of knowing. But after a couple of seconds, he just laughed, sarcastically. “Of course that little bitch went and called you to whine about it. Maybe it’s in the family after all.” He sounded disgusted saying the last part. “I don’t know how she got your number, but she never should have contacted you. We don’t want you or need you in this family, and whatever I do with my daughter is my fucking problem.”
“You are the worst excuse of a father I’ve ever seen Alexei, not even dad was this bad. Don’t ever call my niece that again, and start explaining what the fuck happened, and why was she hurt.”
Silence. Again. “Where are you Ilya? Are you in Russia?” For the first time during the call, there was something close to fear in his brother’s voice.
Ilya laughed. “No, I’m not.” He didn’t offer more information, thinking it better, he didn’t wanna offer Alina’s location and make Svetlana part of the conflict before knowing what was happening after. “You are still not answering any of my questions.”
“I don’t have to answer shit to you.”
“So you don’t care about Alina then? You kicked her out and that is it?” Even now, Ilya could hear the disappointment in his voice. After all this years, he still saved some hope for his brother, maybe not with him, that relationship was lost long ago and Ilya had accepted it. But his own daughter?
Alexei only confirmed it. “That bitch is not daughter of mine.”
“Okay. Fuck you then.” Ilya hung up the phone.
Shane immediately took him in his arms, hugging him, while Ilya closed his eyes and sighed for what felt like the thousand time today.
“We’re gonna wait for Svetlana and see what we can do, okay? We’re gonna solve this, and Alina is gonna be safe.”
Ilya kissed the inside of Shane’s wrist, thankful. “Okay sweetheart. Okay.”