Thinking abt an Alive!Irina universe where she manages to leave with Ilya and Alexei by getting both of them into a private school in Boston that's so prestigious even Grigori can't say shit. She's on staff as a figure skating coach.
Svetlana attends there, Ilya and Alexei and Irina join her at Raiders games. Alexei's basically in a forced detox program at the school bc it's so well secured/monitored and his dad being a cop in Russia doesn't impress any of the dealers enough to give him shit, and they don't actually have real money.
Ilya who's constantly training, like usual.
Ilya who meets a cute freckled Canadian boy at a summer training camp and despite Ilya's private school hockey friends saying he's weird Ilya picks Shane over the pretentious kids.
Shane who's never been picked before, friends would be told he was weird and pick their other friends, but Ilya picked him. And he doesn't really know what to do with himself.
Irina talking to Yuna at training camp pick-ups and Yuna inviting them up for Christmas when Irina talks about how much she's missed it.
Ilya who sleeps on the floor of Shane's bedroom, Alexei who thinks Shane is weird but he's perfectly happy to not say shit and just eat the cookies Yuna and David have. Shane and Ilya who sneak out to the canal and skate on it the second it's open, racing each other, tackling each other, horsing around, being normal young teenage boys. Shane who quietly asks about girls Ilya's interested in, back in Boston. Ilya who answers honestly, Shane who doesn't like the weird, jealous feeling in his stomach. Ilya who suggests practising kissing so Shane will feel better prepared.
Ilya who doesn't like Shane's high school girlfriend, but he doesn't say anything bc he knows how few people Shane has at his school.
Ilya who ends up on the Russian juniors team despite playing for an American juniors team bc he's still a Russian citizen. Ilya who decides he hates playing against Shane.
Ilya who doesn't need 2009 to be the year he bursts onto the international stage because it hasn't been drilled into his head since age 12 because Irina's alive.
Ilya who decides to go to university for a bit, delays his draft date under the guise of wanting to get more training.
Ilya who gets drafted to Montreal and Shane's there for Ilya's draft day and is so happy he hugs Ilya and doesn't let go. Shane who booked and paid for Ilya and his family's hotel rooms, who made sure Ilya had his own room, who sneaks into Ilya's room and hugs him more.
Ilya who says fuck it and kisses Shane. Shane who kisses him right back.
Shane and Ilya who enter Ilya's rookie season already together and hopelessly in love, who everyone sees as best friends. Hayden who's the only one who knows bc he caught them making out when Jackie made him bring Ilya a tray of enchiladas she made to welcome him to the team.
A power play line for the Metros that's Shane, Ilya, and Hayden.
Ilya who's there when the twins are born, playing the bouncer at the door to her room because Jackie only wants Hayden there and both their parents and Jackie's siblings are all being a little entitled about deserving to be in there. But they've also all seen Ilya body people twice their size on the ice. So they behave.
Ilya who calls his mom when Jackie has Arthur and is struggling with PPD, Irina who drives up and is such a big support for Jackie. Irina who's unofficially the Pike-lings grandmother after that.
Ilya who's an unquestionable part of Shane's life even though they're just marketed as best friends. It's survivable, because they can be seen together in public being openly affectionate and people chalk it up to bromance.
Ilya who doesn't come out after Scott but Shane who still comes out to the Metros. Ilya who hears the first-hand slurs and homophobic language that still gets bandied around the locker room. Ilya who pulls Yuna and Irina into figuring out a team that can afford him, JJ, Hayden, and Shane all at the same time. JJ who ends up traded to New York after trying to speak out.
The other three of them ending up in Ottawa in one big signing in one summer. Press who see the two stars of Montreal and their biggest supporter leave the team and start poking around and uncover the homophobic culture at the root of it before Ottawa's training camp even starts.
Ilya and Shane who are able to be a little more open with the Cens, though they close back up a little when Troy's traded. And then when Troy comes out to the two of them at the Kingfisher they come out to him in return. Shane who tells Troy to ignore Ilya's matchmaking. Shane who hears abt Troy sleeping with Harris and then saying no to a relationship and bluntly tells him that it's really fucking stupid.
Troy who comes out to the Cens and shares his relationship. Wyatt who jokingly says "anyone else?" Shane who says "fuck it" and kisses Ilya and announces they're actually married and have been since 2015. Hayden who collapses in relief bc dear lord he's been so close to outing them through circumstance too many times and it's done a number on his nerves.
Shane and Ilya who pull a Scott Hunter and make-out right after winning the cup. The carpet hasn't even been rolled out yet, they haven't even done the handshake line.
And Crowell who's stewing in it but the League has marketed themselves as tolerant and supporting Scott publicly, and they've been pushing Shane and Ilya's close supportive bond since Ilya's rookie season. There's no way he could pull them both, no way he could pull one of them. And they just won the cup, so...
