Chapter Text
Holmberg whispers "We've got to just do it. That’s the rule, if we fuck something up and need an adult, find Roz or Hollzy. Just because we’re in 2017 doesn't mean we don't follow the rules. That’s what Ilya would say. Besides, it's not like we have options."
“Yeah,” agrees Luca, “You’re right. Let’s go.”
They approach the couple, a very odd huddle of rookies moving as one toward the bar. They know they have eyes on them, but they can’t bring themselves to care. It’s been a very weird day. They won the Stanley cup last night, for the second time. Partying as a team was a given, but at some point the four of them peeled off, well on their way to drunk, towards a fountain. Bergy dared Young to make a wish with a coin they found on the ground. They remembered laughing at whatever he’d said, followed by a flash of light. Now they’re in Tampa, Florida, in 2017.
“So you and her are not…” Ilya Rozanov is saying as they approach.
“No, we’re not,” says Shane in response. Luca clears throat to interrupt them. The look of confused panic on Hollander’s face is familiar, as is the look Rozanov is giving them. They’ve spun around in their stools.
“So sorry,” says Luca hurriedly, “This is going to sound really weird.”
“Really weird,” adds Lapointe
“But we promise we’re telling the truth. I’m Luca Haas, that's Young, Holmberg, and Lapointe. We’re your rookies. In 2023. Which sounds crazy, we know, but-" he cuts himself off, waiting for someone to say something.
“Is this a prank?” Shane asks, in disbelief.
“Nope.” Young shakes his head.
“We wish,” says Lapointe, “But we can prove it.”
“We need somewhere private to talk,” pipes in Luca, shooting the others a look.
“Oh! Yeah, can we go to your room?”
Shane and Ilya look at each other, silent conversation passing between them. Ilya spoke up without taking his eyes off his (future) husband, “Yeah, we talk in my room.”
They give up on subtly and walk out together. It’s almost reminiscent of any other away game the rookies can recall, except the distance between their captains is palpable. They follow in the usual huddle to the elevator. The ride up to Rozanov's room is awkward, both groups of people shooting each other looks and only one pretending to be subtle about it.
Roz holds the door open and ushers the four of them in, exchanging one last look with his (not yet) husband before following him inside and bolting the door.
Young throws himself onto the nearest bed, scooching up to sit against the pillows where Holmberg joins him. Lapointe sits in his spot in the center of the bed, crosslegged, next to Luca who plants his feet on the ground and sits comfortably on the end of the bed.
Ilya and Shane watch them do this, bewildered at the casualness of the arrangement.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Shane refuses to take his eyes off the rookies, eyes bouncing between them. Ilya is conflicted about whether he should try and comfort Shane, but he sees the rookies watching them, eyes flicking between Ilya and Shane like they’re waiting for something. So he moves to grab the back of Shane's neck.
“Hey, hey. Breathe, Shane. Is ok. They say they are rookies, we can take rookies, yes? Small, harmless, rookies. Rookies,” he turns towards them, voice hard, “who will explain now.”
“You’re kinda-”
“What happened was-”
“-where to start-”
Ilya holds up a hand to silence them, realizing they would get no where like this.
“You said, downstairs, you are our rookies, yes? Mine and Shane's, what do you mean?” He wants clarification.
“Yeah. we all play for the Ottawa centaurs in the future.” Shane looks as shocked as Ilya feels. Neither of them were expecting that.
“What do you mean, I'm sorry, Ottawa?"
Young interrupts, “Maybe we should start at the beginning? With the time travel thing?”
“Yes, I think that is good place to start.”
—
“— so the rule is if we need an adult, we find you guys, and we know that it’s only 2017, but we thought what would Ilya say about that? and realized you would tell us to follow the rules anyway, so we found you.”
Ilya rubbed a hand down his face. That does sound like something he would say. He's not 100% sold on the time travel thing because he still doesn't know anything more about the Ottawa or sharing rookies of it all, but Shane speaks for the first time.
“You keep doing that.”
“Doing what?” Ilya asks.
“Not you, them.” He focuses on the four children on the bed. “You keep referring to us, like, the rule is find us not find one of us, like we’re always together.”
The rookies exchange looks on the bed. “You are always together. Usually.”
Holmberg blushes, “This is maybe the part where we should tell you…” He trails off and gestures for Haas to take over.
“Well, in the future,” Luca says slowly, “Um, well, you’re married.”
Holmburg, Young, Lapointe, and Haas hold their breath as the news drops. It’s not every day you get to inform your parents they’re married to each other. It’s also not every day you find out that you’re married from four time traveling hockey players. The shock remains palpable, so they turn to each other and start whispering frantically.
“Should we tell them?” Young whispers. “You know, about playoffs this year?”
“I mean we’re already telling them everything else about the future, so?”
“It would help Hollzy.” They reach a consensus, nodding at each other and turning back to the hockey husbands. Shane and Ilya are both red in the face and staring at them. Haas clears his throat and says,
“Scott hunter came out first, like in a few months actually. Kissed his husband on the ice after winning the cup.” That gets a reaction.
“Technically his boyfriend right now.” Points out Holmberg.
“Yeah, and then, uh, Troy Barret comes out next. He’s also on the Centaurs and he's dating Harris, our social media guy.”
“Love Harris. He’s the best.”
“Yeah, great beard. He's an apple farmer.”
“And I'm queer.” Luca says, raising his hand. That gets another reaction from their captains.
“Haasy has a boyfriend.” Holmberg sing-songs.
“I do not, he's just a friend.” Luca reaches over to hit his friend.
“You literally blush when you text him.”
“Shut up, I do not.” He pushes Lapointe's face away from him.
“He wants you so bad, you’re missing every sign.”
“No he doesn’t, I'm not missing anything. He's just a friend.”
“In the wise words of our captain, that man wants to fuck you six ways to sunday.”
“Ew”
“Gross, don’t quote cap while he’s standing right there.”
—
Ilya and Shane watch this casual exchange. Friends teasing about a crush, ganging up on their friend, uncaring about the gender. It’s been a weird day for them too. Ilya arrived in Florida fully prepared to hear about a whirlwind engagement between the man he loved and Rose Landry, only to be told by four time-traveling rookies that he not only played on the same team as Shane, they won two Stanley Cups together as husbands.
When the group had approached them and said they had proof but needed somewhere private to talk, Ilya had assumed the worst or a prank. Neither happened, instead they filed into the room and made themselves at home like they’d done it a million times. It was unnerving. Eventually he cut them off.
“Ok, enough. Let me be clear, Shane and I are married in future. We play for same team and you are our rookies. Also, Scott Hunter and Troy Barret are gay.” The four nod.
“And Haasy has a boyfriend.”
“And Haasy has a boyfriend.” Ilya repeats, rubbing his forehead again. He holds up a hand to cut off Haas before the argument can start again and amends, “Haasy maybe has a crush who likes him back.” More nodding. “Ok, I talk to Shane in bathroom, you wait here. Do not move, do not listen.”
Without waiting for an answer he directs Shane into the bathroom.
With the door closed firmly behind them, Ilya wastes no time in maneuvering Shane onto the closed toilet lid, his head between his knees. Ilya lets himself comfort Shane through a brief panic attack, reminding him to breathe and that everything would be ok.
“I didn’t get to apologize.” Is the first thing Shane says, muffled where his face is still buried.
“What?” Ilya is caught off guard by the statement.
“For running out last time.” Shane picks his head up to look at Ilya. “I’m sorry. I got scared and I ran. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry I hurt you. All of this happened before I could apologize.”
“Ah. Is ok, I think. I push too hard, too fast.” He wants to bring up the reason they’re in here, other than letting Shane recover away from prying eyes. “Besides, we are married, yes? I think that is enough sorry.”
Shane laughs, thunking his forehead onto Ilya’s shoulder where he’s still crouched in front of Shane. “Married. We’re married. I had this whole plan to ask you if it was real? This, us. I guess that’s my answer.”
“Is it ok? That we are husbands?” The word causes a jolt through Ilya, everything he wanted and never let himself dream of having for its impossibility.
“Yeah, it’s ok. It’s weird to think about this whole future we’re told we have, but I really like the idea of it. I get to have you and hockey.” Ilya agrees, getting to keep both Shane and hockey, getting to be out. They have a whole supportive team waiting for them somewhere.
Before Ilya can say anything, there’s a knock at the door. The room door, not the bathroom one. Shane meets his eyes in shock. Ilya moves quickly back out to the main room, the rookies haven’t moved from the bed, but now Cliff Marlow’s voice is coming from outside.
“Rozy? You in there? I couldn’t find you, but someone said you were in your room. You ok, man?” He freezes, looking to the rookies. He raises an eyebrow in a silent question, with a positive answer that soothes him, he turns to Shane, more silent conversation passing between them.
“Roz?” Ilya swings the door open, ushering Cliff inside quickly and checking the empty hallway. The door is shut and bolted once again before he swings towards his best friend. “Hi, Roz. What’s going on? Wyatt Hayes downstairs said you and Hollander left the bar together with a group of young adults he didn’t recognize.”
“Hi, Uncle Marlow!” Young and Bergy call from the bed.
“Um, hi?” Marlow waves back, clear confusion written on his face. “Uncle Marlow?”
“Cliff, I’d like you to meet my rookies. From future.” His kids agree enthusiastically, talking over each other to explain the whole time travel story. Ilya raises a hand again to shut them up. “Yes, they time travel from future.”
“2023!”
“The rule is to find the team dads, so even though we’re in the past, we still followed the rules!”
“Team dads?” Marlow definitely noticed the plural.
“Ah, Marlow, this is part where I tell you I do not play for Boston in future.”
“Don’t play for Boston? Who do you play for?”
“Ottawa.”
“Ottawa!? Seriously? Why the hell do you play for Ottawa?” Shane clears his throat behind Marlow, where he’s settled back into the chair. Cliff turns at the noise. “Hollander. Hi, I didn’t see you, and I forgot you might be in here.”
Shane is still a little pale when he responds, “Hi, Marlow.”
“So, what’s your role in this shit-show? Do you know what's going on or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Ilya lets a shit-eating grin spread across his face and he walks over to stand behind his future husband.
“Marly, Marly, Marly.” He tuts. “You have been very patient for many years. You have been asking for long time to meet my Montreal girl, yes?” He waits for Marlow to nod hesitantly. He places his hands on Shane’s shoulders. “I would like you to finally meet my Jane. I move to Ottawa to be closer to my husband, so we play on same team.”
Cliff’s mouth has dropped open at the news, “Holy shit! Jane? Montreal girl, Jane? Is Shane Hollander? Rozanov!”
Shane is smiling at him despite the palor of his skin. “The kids said you were safe to tell. You know in the future and were ok with it.”
“Well, shit, yeah of course. I’m just trying to recontextualize everything I know about Roz and Jane. This is crazy, man. Not bad,” he hurries to reassure, “just, didn’t expect this. But good for both of you. Hold on.”
Cliff spins to look at the children on the bed. “You called me Uncle Marlow, is this why?”
The rookies all laugh, Haas speaks, “Yeah. Roz and Holzy are team dads, so we call you Uncle Marlow sometimes.”
Young has a grin reminiscent of his father from a few minutes ago. “We also call Scott Hunter ‘Grandpa Scott’. He hates it, but he can’t make us stop. He thinks it was your idea, but it wasn’t. It was Haasy’s.”
Ilya looks delighted, so does Cliff. “Grandpa Scott! Like father, like son. You are favorite child now.”
“Haasy’s always been favorite child.”
“Ok, wow. I need to sit down.” Cliff isn’t expecting his new nephews to make space for him on the bed, but accepts anyway. “So, I have questions if you’d like to answer. First, don’t think I didn’t hear you say husband. Second, congratulations, how does it feel to keep the best secret in the NHL? And third, tell me everything.”
Shane starts, “Yeah, uh, Ilya and I get married at some point in the future, I think before I move to Ottawa.”
“Lonely.” Ilya says. “To keep secret, lonely and hard.”
Shane takes his hand, trying not to think about the fact this is the first time they’ve ever been able to do this in front of other people. It’s also new for them, but no one else here knows that. “Yeah, lonely. But there’s really no other option right now. I don’t know what happens in the future that lets us come out, but knowing we get to someday, it’s a lot.”
“Oh, that sucks.” Marlow comforts. “Maybe my nephews have some insight?”
“It’s not the best story.” Holmberg looks at them. “You got outed, actually. Accidentally, but still. You were only a few months out from your wedding, which was when you were going to tell everyone during the summer.” He trails off.
“How do we get outed?” Shane is thankful Ilya is asking, he has a sense of dread about getting outed, even if they were already preparing to come out.
“Um, there’s this website called FanMail, it’s like, you can request videos from your favorite celebrities. You were kissing in the back of one, the guy uploaded it to twitter. It was a rough few days. The Centaurs were all fine, but the Voyagers weren’t. They accused you of throwing games.”
Throwing games? Him? Shane Hollander?
“Bullshit!” Cliff has the same idea. “Have they ever played a game with those two? Throwing games my ass.”
Ilya’s blood is boiling at the thought, he turns to his man, “I would divorce you if you threw a game.”
Shane pats his shoulder, “We’re not married yet, but also I would kill you if I found out you let me win. I can’t believe anyone would accuse me of that. Was it all of them?”
Lapointe shrugs, “Most of them, but Boiziau apologized and came to the wedding. Pike was also there, I think he stood up for you in the locker room.”
“I want to know how we got caught kissing in the back of a video? There’s no way we were that reckless after all this time?”
That earns them another silent rookie conversation. “We don’t think you want to know. Not right now.”
“No, I think I do.” Ilya demands, to more head shakes.
“Ok, so who else is safe to tell?” Marlow tries to redirect the conversation, “I am, apparently, is there anyone else we could loop in? Hollander, should we tell Pike? He’s your best friend right?”
The rookies on the bed go quiet, and start looking at each other, avoiding making eye contact with any of the other men in the room. Ilya senses that it’s related to the rest of the Montreal bullshit.
“What?” Shane asks, “Did something happen with Hayden?”
“Well…” Luca starts. “I think he was the first person to know, and he did keep your secret. He was at the wedding and his kids all call you guys Uncle Shane and Uncle Ilya."
Shane can sense a but, dread filling his stomach, “But…?”
“But we,” Young gestures to the group, “don’t really like some of the comments he makes about Roz? Nothing like, homophobic or anything, but…”
Holmberg picks up, “It’s not really a secret that Roz likes to ragebait people, it’s his love language. That’s how Troy knew you didn’t like him at first, because you just ignored him. Pike uses the ragebaiting as an excuse, we think, to take potshots at Roz. Like, he started it I couldn’t help myself. Except Roz never goes low, but Pike will.”
“It’s clear he doesn’t like Ilya, but also clearly has to put up with him just for you. It’s annoying to listen to him complain, sometimes.”
Shane is stunned, he knows Hayden doesn’t like Rozanov, none of the Voyagers do on principle alone, but for his best friend to openly dislike Ilya as Shane’s partner isn’t something he expected. “What kinds of comments?”
“Stuff like you can do better, or he doesn’t know how you put up with him.”
“That’s the small stuff, I overheard him at the summer camp you guys run once, context doesn’t matter, but he apparently used to help JJ try and set you up with guys after you came out, but before anyone knew about Roz. Well, Pike knew about Roz, but no one else. I heard him say once that the easiest solution would just be to find you another man and he was disappointed they missed their shot before the wedding.”
“We don’t want you to think we hate him, we just don’t like how he talks about Roz. That’s our captain!”
“And your husband!”
Luca bites his lip again, “He’s not homophobic exactly, but… Obviously he kept their big secret and supported Shane when he came out, but he makes comments sometimes that come across bi-phobic. I think I noticed because I’m also gay, so maybe I’m reading too far into it and they could also just be regular slut-shamming or Ilya-phobic things.”
Shane would really like something to start making sense today. “What do you mean?”
“Rozanov will get bored of you and move on, or he’ll realize being with a woman is easier, or you’re gonna get your heart broken and Pike’s gonna have to pick up the pieces. It’s only a matter of time before he cheats on you. That kind of stuff.”
Ilya is pale, “Never.”
“We know that, Shane knows that, everyone with eyes knows that. You’re so in love it’s kinda gross sometimes, Bood calls you guys the dictionary definition of aggressive monogamy.”
“It’s just Hayden that refuses to see it, willfully, apparently.” Shane is angry now. “How did he find out about Ilya and I?”
Lapointe shrugs, “I think he guessed. He brags about it sometimes, being the first one to know.”
“So it is ego for him.” Ilya says, glaring at nothing while squeezing Shane’s knee in comfort. “He knows big secret before everyone so he is better than everyone. He is just upset about me. I am ruining his plans for Shane. Like doll he can, ah, manipulate.”
Shane feels sick. His best friend had guessed his secret and instead of being happy for him, had gone behind his back to try and break them up. Said awful things about his future husband, never to his face, probably because Hayden knew Shane would punch him. Even after they were married apparently, enough that kids from a different team had noticed. He turns to Ilya.
“If anyone, anyone, says shit like that to you, ever, tell me. Immediately. I don’t care if it’s my parents or Marlow or a stranger or Hayden fucking Pike. No one gets to say those things about you. Who does he think he is, trying to tell me I'm making a mistake? Going behind my back to help set me up when he knows I'm in a relationship, like I wouldn’t choose you over everyone. We didn’t make it this far just to be insulted by people who think they know better. Implying you’d cheat on me, you’d leave me after going through all the trouble to move countries and teams. Bullshit, it’s bullshit, I can’t believe him. My own best friend thinks I need to be protected from myself. I’ve known you longer than him. I’ve been fucking you longer than I’ve known him.
“Scary Shane.” comes a whisper from somewhere on the bed, Shane whips towards them, leveling his glare at all four of them, who cower.
“Ok, sweetheart. We are ok, we can yell about 15th best Voyager later. I’m sorry he is not the friend you thought.” Shane turns and buries himself in Ilya’s arms.
“So we’re definitely not telling Pike or Boiziau.” Cliff says. “Wow, that’s the shittiest thing I've heard. You said they were the only two at the wedding?” When he nods, he curses again, “Shit, that doesn’t look good for the rest of Montreal.”
“No, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.” Shane cuts off Luca, who opens his mouth, probably to tell the tragic tale of What Really Happened in Montreal.
Marlow wants to shove someone into oncoming traffic as he realizes something, “You said Pike was the only person who knew about them? Haasy, right? Was Pike the one that outed them?
Icy dread fills the hockey husbands as their rookies all immediately avoid looking at them. Shane can’t believe this, first Hayden guesses his biggest secret, then he outs them?
Holmberg says, “It was an accident, but yeah, he was filming and he caught you guys in the background.”
“Why was he filming a video to send to someone if they were around? Why didn’t he check the background? That’s such an easy thing to not fuck up, what the fuck?” Marlow rants. “If I had to keep a secret like this, I wouldn’t ever even have my phone out! Filming something? Really? That’s just careless. Sorry, Shane.”
“No, I’m livid. On top of everything else, he can’t even be careful with our secrets.”
“Is dangerous.” Comes Ilya’s quiet voice. “If I lose visa, I have to go back to Russia. My family is police, is not good if they know.”
“Shit, Roz, that’s right. You weren’t even married when you were outed it sounds like, you could have been deported or killed. That’s not just risking losing hockey, Pike threatened your life by outing you.”
“He’s not finding out. Not this time, I can’t believe he hates you so much he would be that careless. I’m starting to think he doesn’t even like me.” Shane is standing now, pacing the room, anger taking over every other emotion. “Ilya, if I said something crazy, would you hear me out?”
“Always.” Hasn’t Ilya proved he would do anything for Shane, that he’s just as crazy.
“Marry me.” Ilya wasn’t expecting that, neither was anyone else, because happy excited noises are being suppressed from the direction of the bed. “Not right now, but after we figure out this mess, marry me. We start the process now to get you citizenship, then you’re extra safe if we get outed. And it’s not going to be by Pike.” Shane falters at the end of his speech, clearing his throat. “Um, if you want to.”
Ilya strides across the room and kisses him hard, wrapping his arms around Shane’s back, pressing close. He pulls back just enough to say, “Yes.”
Cooing comes from the five other adults in the room.
“Aww, I can’t believe you just got engaged in front of me. How do the kids feel about this? Kids?” The kids in question are pushing each other over, delighted they got to witness this moment.
“Yeah, engaged.” Shane sighs, dreamily, before realizing what he said. “Oh! Engaged!”
Ilya buries his face in his fiancé's neck, laughing. “Yes Shane, engaged. Are we crazy?”
“Yes, I think so.” Shane doesn’t want to let go of Ilya, but Marlow gets their attention, drawing their focus to the time and the fact that they’re still at All Star Weekend and still have four time-displaced twenty-year-olds.
“Ok, so we don’t tell anyone else. We go downstairs and tell everyone you four are from the future, you’re Roz and Hollzy’s rookies and they’re on the same team. Nothing else, let them assume whatever they want. I’m going to keep an eye out for other safe people.”
“You and what gaydar, Marly?” Ilya throws out from Shane’s arms.
“My sister-in-law and her wife are both gay, I've got a good homophobic asshole detector.”
“Really?” Ilya is shocked, he didn’t know that.
“I don’t exactly advertise it, but yeah. Rookies, are there any other people that would be safe to tell, just in case? Or so we can build a good support system for our hockey husbands here?”
“The Centaurs, obviously, but not all of them are on the team yet, so…” Cliff listens to them list the current roster, surprised by a few of the names, mostly Troy Barrett, and then listens to the list of other hockey players who had attended the wedding.
“Ok, that’s a good list. I’m thrilled most of Boston is on that list, that makes things easier.” Cliff ends the conversation there, and redirects the rookies' attention to give his friend(s) some privacy before they go downstairs. It had been a normal day for Cliff, until he’d been pulled into his best friend’s hotel room. Now said best friend was engaged to his long term something, Shane Hollander, and time travel was real and had decided to drop their four kids on their laps.
They traipse downstairs in another huddle, herding the group towards the pool outside. They got looks, a lot of weird looks. Cliff got them settled around a table and waved a waiter over to order drinks and some food.
“Can we go swim?” Bergy asks Shane, who just gives him a long-suffering look, and waves them off with Roz’s room key. They take off to steal their captain’s clothes, returning to cannonball into the pool.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?” Wyatt Hayes, rookie-approved, appears before the three left. “I see you found Rozanov, Marlow.”
“Yeah, thanks for that. Join us.” He gestures to the seat next to him, across from Hollander. “Do you believe in time travel?”
Hazy gives him a weird look, “I don’t know? I guess? Is this hypothetical or are you about to tell me something about myself to freak me out?”
“Naw, I don’t have anything, but those rookies could.” He points out his nephews in the pool. “Apparently, if you win the Stanley Cup and make a wish, you can end up five years in the past.”
“Are you serious? You have to be yanking my chain.” Cliff shakes his head, and sees Ilya and Shane do the same.
“I wish,” says Hollander, “but nope, they’re from 2023. They’ve informed us that Rozanov and I play on the same team in the future, with you actually. They’re our rookies.”
Ilya nods, Cliff can see his fingers twitch where he wants to grab his fiance's hand. That’s a crazy thought, now that Cliff knows that Jane is Shane, so many things are falling into place, re: Rose Landry. Also, now that he knows, it feels glaringly obvious.
“You’re really not messing with me? Because that sounds insane. Rozanov and Hollander on the same team?” Hayes shakes his head. “Wouldn’t you kill each other? You both seem way too calm about this.”
“I’ve given up on life making sense. I’ve had to deal with too much life altering information today, so I’m accepting that this is my life.”
“Also, Hollander and I won two cups together, so maybe we play good together. No one know, because of rivalry.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess we get to see how you play together today, huh.”
“They’re awesome!” Young has returned, dripping wet, to the table. “Hi, Hazy! I’m Young, we play together. Roz, can I have some of your soda?”
The table blinks at him, but Roz gestures for Young to do whatever he wants. He takes a drink from the cherry coke can, belches, and says, “Thanks, dad,” before turning and launching himself back into the water.
“Dad!?” Ilya shrugs at the goalie.
“Has been very weird day.”
“I can see that.”
Hollander starts laughing, slowly at first, then he’s hunched slightly, body shaking, lips pressed tightly together. “It,” he starts, “has been a very, very weird day.”
He doesn’t even say anything when Roz reaches out to grip the back of his neck in comfort. Massaging lightly until his fiance can sit back up, back in control.
Wyatt watches this whole thing happen and shrugs, “Ok, weird day, got it. What are you going to do about the time-traveling children?”
“No clue.” Marlow tells him. “We’re kinda hoping it just wears off and they go home.”
“You said it was a Stanley Cup wish? Then probably, that’s your best bet. They don’t normally last longer than twenty four hours.”
There’s palpable relief washing over the table at the words. They can deal with a day of this, especially because the rookies don’t seem adverse to telling people they’re from the future and seem surprisingly adept at avoiding any revealing questions.
Shane and Ilya exchange a wordless conversation, they can do this. They have a perfect excuse to hang out in public for a few hours, be friendly. And if the rookies leave and they still remember everything, they could start to plan for their own future. Revelations mean it won’t look exactly the same, but they’re both hoping it will be better this time around.