When Shane joins the centaurs, Ilya arranges it that he gets the locker next to his. He's not passing up the chance to flirt with his half-dressed husband before and after games. Being captain comes with perks.
"You're lucky to get this locker," he tells Shane before their first practice. "Everyone in this room is always fighting to get it."
"Why, because it's the one next to yours?" says Shane, tugging a curl at the back of Ilya's head just hard enough to pull his head back playfully.
"Well, yes," laughs Ilya. "But this is also the magic locker."
Shane has that look on his face that Ilya knows means he's not sure if he wants to laugh or roll his eyes.
"The magic locker?" he says with a skeptical eyebrow and a fond smile. "I'm scared to ask what that means."
"You'll see. Is very mysterious. Science cannot explain it. You will soon see its power for yourself."
And Shane's laughing now.
"How about you get dressed so that you're not late for practice, Cap? The only power I want to see right now is your ass on the ice."
And Ilya has this stupid grin the whole way through practice that only gets wider when Shane gets back to his locker to find his favourite post-practice protein bar and an ice-cold can of ginger ale. There's a small post-it stuck to the protein bar that says "Welcome to the team, Hollander. Love, the magic locker elves. xx" It's unmistakably Ilya's handwriting.
"See?" says Ilya, delighted at how much Shane is smiling. "Mysterious."
"Super mysterious," he says, pressing a small kiss to Ilya's cheek. "Tell the elves I say thank you."
And every practice or game after that, there's always something small waiting in the locker for Shane. Because his locker is magic.
