Classification au with little!shane and cg!ilya where whichever team is versing the centaurs immediately internally groans when they see Shane regressed on the bench watching the game bc whatever advantage shane not playing would’ve given them is immediately outweighed by Ilya turning into the most tryhard chirpy show-off player you have ever seen in your life, this man would rather die than lose a game while his baby is watching.
Shane really doesn’t like to miss games for drops so this happens rarely but sometimes it’s unavoidable. When he’s dropped he is watching the game so intensely and squeezing his plushie for dear life, at one point he tries to lean over the boards to get a better look at a faceoff and the cen’s caregiver staff have to gently reel him back in so he doesn’t accidentally faceplant onto the ice in his eagerness. The only time little shane’s frown of concentration is broken is when the cens win a goal or when ilya skates by and presses a kiss to his cheek bc then Shane is immediately smiling.
When they win a game the first thing ilya does is skate over to shane and jump the boards so he can scoop shane up into a big hug <3
Shane also tries to avoid drops during practice, but sometimes when he does drop he still goes to practice with Ilya and he still has Opinions even while small. He will deliver his observations by whispering in Ilya’s ear or speaking through his plushies, like ‘Kitty noticed you were a little slow choosing who to pass to.’ Then when they get it right next time, kitty and Shane are both vvv happy, Shane is beaming from the boards and nodding super rapidly.
