Chapter Text
Ilya was eight, almost nine, years old when he became a big brother. He wasn’t very impressed when he saw his little sister for the first time. She was small, bald, all red and wrinkled. Her name was Anna – Annushka his mama said – and he hoped that she wouldn’t be redhead like in the book, he had to read to for school. She was crying, when his mama carefully putted her in his arms. But then the baby opened her eyes, blinked at him, and he felt that he loves her as much as he loves mama.
Soon it was obvious that not only Ilya loves Anna very much, she love him back. She became his little shadow since she learned to crawl, never stopped to follow him after that. He liked it. Mama liked it too. Every time she would saw them together, she’d smiled at them with her less sad that usually smile. She often remind Ilya that he had to be responsible older brother. He tried to be.
And then that day happened, in the early May when he was almost twelve. He came back from his training with Annushka in tow. He picked her up from kindergarten on his way home. He knew that something was wrong form the moment he entered the house. It was too quiet. Then he saw her. His Mama. She was lying on the sofa, her pale arms hanging unnaturally. His first thought was that he has to call the ambulance. Then came the second thought that he couldn’t let Annushka see that. She was still in the front door trying to take off her shoes. He closed the door to the living room, took her to her bedroom, told her that she should stayed there, while he’d make a quick call. She wasn’t happy about that, she wanted him to play with her, but still obediently busied herself with her dolls. He took a deep breath.
Ilya came back to the living room. Mama was still lying there, even paler than when he saw her for the first time. He took one of her hands. It was cold, very cold. He walked up to the phone, called the ambulance. He answered all the questions with panic ‘I don’t know’, ‘She’s so cold’. They said that they would come as soon as possible. He didn’t know why he called his father next. He didn’t even remember what he said to him.
The paramedics and his father came almost at the same time. They went inside without paying him any attention. He just stand in the corner near the entrance to the living room watching them all. They talked in hushed voices. One of them – a paramedic – had checked on his mother. Then he heard that one world – DEAD.
His whole world went silence after that. He knew that wasn’t the case, that the people in the room were still talking, but the only sound he could hear was the fast biting of his own heart. Suddenly he felt like very claustrophobic, like the walls was going closer and closer to crush him. And he was scared. He couldn't form any thoughts except one that his mother was dead. His beautiful, kind mama was dead. She would never smile at him again. She was dead. She would never sing to him again. She was dead. She would never watch him skating again. She was dead. And oh God… Annushka. How was he going to tell her that. How were you suppose to tell a three-year-old that her mother was dead.
***
If you ask Anna what was her two favorite things in the world, she would have immediately answered: ice skating and Ilyusha. Though technically Ilya wasn’t a thing. He was her big brother. Her most favorite person in the world. He was the first one to took her to the ice rink, to learn her skiting, to make her love the ice. He was the best.
They agreed on everything. Well almost everything... She didn’t remember her Mama, not like Ilyusha does. Sometimes, if she really concentrated on it, she think she could feel the affectionate pat on her head or warm hug given by female arms, but she didn’t really remember her. She knew her mother face and smile from the few phots not from her memory. She didn’t remember the sound of her voice either. And right now, if she had to be honest, Ilyusha was more of the parent figure to her than that ghost memory of her mother. He didn’t like that fact. He didn’t like it, when she said that to him once in the heat of the moment, so she didn’t mention it again. They just didn’t talk about it.
Beside topic of their mother they shared their point of view on most things. Obviously they both loved skiting – he played hokey, she figure skating. They hated cleaning the floors – thanks to theirs stepmother Polina. They liked eat good McDonald’s. They liked mess around. They both hided their tears from their father. And they loved watching when the other one was playing or preforming on ice.
So maybe that was the reason Anna was so irritated all this days. Apparently hokey World Juniors wasn’t important enough to be transmitted at any national TV stations. And she herself was – in her father option – too young and unrulily to flied with them to Canada. In reality father probably didn’t want to spend more money to plane tickets than necessary. But whatever was the reason the resultant was the same – she stayed back in Russia where she couldn’t watch her brother playing. She didn’t like it at all.
She couldn’t even call whenever she wanted to. She wish she had a cell phone like Ilyusha. He could called her of course, but their landline phone was in the corridor near Polina’s bedroom. For the reason she didn’t quite get Polina hated when she talk with Ilya, always watching her like a hawk and brutally ending their calls after maximum of 15 minutes.
In end all she could do was waiting for her brother calls. That’s what she was doing right now. She finished her math homework about half an hour ago, but she pretended to still thinking hard on it. If she was studying, she could stayed longer in the living room waiting. Then the phone rang. Within seconds she was in the corridor to answer it. It hadn't even rung three times.
“Hello,” said Ilya, his a voice distorted by a phone.
“How are you? How was your game? Did you win? Do you have a gold medal? Why are you calling so late?” she asked all in one breath.
“Hi to you too, Annushka. It’s great that you’re saying hello to your wonderful big brother”, he said with amusing in his voice.
“Hi, Ilyusha,” she said rolling her eyes even if he couldn’t see that. ”Since when you are so serious about proper greetings.”
Anna head him laughing on the other side.
“Canadians and their proper manners, it must have rubbed off on me.”
“So how was your game? Did you guys win?”
“We just have wone our semifinal. I scored the winning goal. We will play with Canada in the final.”
“Oh,” she said nervously biting her lip. “It will be probably hard. You know, playing against Canada when you in Canada. And with Papa…” she didn’t have to finished this sentence.
“It will be fine. Canada is strong, yes, but we are stronger. I will win the gold for you,” he said with humor in his voice and she giggled to that.
“I’m still mad that they aren’t transmitting games on TV. You are in finals, they should transmit that,” she mumbled.
“I’m pretty sure there are more important things than Junior Hokey on TV. But enough about me. How does the Evil Witch treat you?”
“The Witch is cleaning and meddling as always. It’s fine.”
The Evil Witch was the nickname they had given to their stepmother a long time ago.
“How was school?”
“Good. We started do multiplications. I’m the best at my class,” she said with the pride. “I’m doing just like you taught me.”
“Of course you are the best Annushka, my little genius,” he said fondly. “How is your training going?”
“Great. Today the coach said that I could start working on double jumps. I will be the youngest at the group, but it will be so much fun. I think when you come back I will be able to show you at least one of my doubles,” she said exited.
“Wow. That’s wonderful. I’m sure you will show them off to me in no time. Like you always do…”
Anna could have heard that there was some commotion on the other phone side. Someone yelled something probably in rapid Russian, she wasn't sure.
“I have to go back. We're about to start practice again. I’ll call you back tomorrow. Love you. Bye” he said hurriedly.
“Bye,” she managed to say before he hung up.
She putted the phone back in its place. She let out a deep sight. She missed Ilyusha so much, but she was never going to admitted that.
***
Ilya called back the next day and the following day too. They mostly talked about their training and their friends. She was going to conclusion that she would never like teens boys, they were way too gross. Then Ilyusha unexpectedly called early Sanday morning. He was lucky that she wasn’t already on the rink or the service at the local Orthodox church.
“We won!,” he yelled. ”Annushka we won! I won you the gold medal, Annushka!”
She could barely hear him over the hustle and bustle on his phone side. He had to repeated this sentence several times before she finally got what he meant, then she started joyously squealing into the phone and congratulated him over and over again. They couldn’t talk much – not that they didn’t want to – but Ilya promised to call her back to tell her when exactly his flight back was.
After that Anna couldn’t concentrated at all for the rest of that Sunday. Not that she didn’t try. It was just one of that days – moments really – that she had problem with hers emotions, they were too big and too strong. Because of that today for example she become very annoying ball of joy. She told everyone who asked and the one who didn’t too, that her brother won hockey World Juniors. She was probably more unbearable than usually with that, but she didn’t give a damn. She had every right to be incredibly proud of Ilyusha. So she wasn't that surprised when in the end of the day one of the coaches, Ilona Petrovna, had to stent her home from practices earlier than usually with the promise to be more focused the next day. But it was fine. She would have it mostly figure it out by the next day anyway. And so that way she had a free evening to prepare some surprise for Ilya. She needed to find her glitter pens too.
***
Ilya won. He won the gold medal. He scored the winning goal. For the first few minutes after the last call of the match he couldn’t even believe it. Of course he know that they won. How could he not when he could clearly see pissed off Hollander. Or rather Hollander’s pretty face looking like the angry kitty. Which was kind of cute.
He didn’t start feeling the proper joy of winning until he came back to the locker room with his teams. It was only then that he decided to call Annushka. There was nine-hour time difference between Regina and Moscow, so there was already Sunday morning there and he know how busy Sundays were for his sister. If he didn’t called her right now there was big chance that he wouldn’t be able to do so for next few hours. And he really wanted to share his pure joy with her. Ilya made sure that he was in the quieter part of the locker room, not that it matters because everyone around was so fucking loud, before he called her. She sounded so overjoyed over the phone when he told her the news. She squealed and congratulated him over and over again. They couldn’t talk much obviously, but he promised her to call back later.
In no time the team got off the locker room. Then everyone was heading to the bus to go back to the their hotel to start the celebrating party in the hotel’s lobby. Ilya know that he would probably drink a few drinks himself, not enough to get drunk but enough to feel little lightheaded. He needed it before facing his father.
Earlier call and hearing Annushka’s excitement cheered him up too, but it was an alcohol that helped him better with his uneasiness before the conversation he needed to have with his father. There was some small part of him – the part that was still young, naive child wanting his dad’s approval – hoping that he was proud of him. That his father would congratulate him or would pat his arm saying that Ilya did good job. Though the more rational part of him knew that wouldn't be the case. That he would be disappointed once more.
Back in the hotel the conversation want exactly like he thought it would. Father said that he should have been working harder. He should have been lees lazy. That he shouldn't have allow to concede any goal, as if he was a damn goalie. The whole thing made him even wondered why father even bother to flew with him, if he was such disgrace of the son. Ilya really rather wanted to that Anna was with him in Canada than father. But he hadn’t have choice in the matter, he still didn’t have his own money to made any decisions.
***
They flight back to Russia was before noon Sunday. He called Annushka just before flight departure. The plane landed on Monday afternoon Moscow time. At the airport Ilya took the deep breath. Let’s start the shit show called his life. Now that he saw how playing hokey might look like outside of Russia he really wanted to start to play for MHL. He couldn’t wait for the drafts in June.
But before that happened he needed to survived todays customary family dinner. Even Alexei showed up, sober enough to not to attract theirs father attention. The only bright side of this afire was that he was sitting next to Annushka. Everyone started eating in complete silence, which was according to father a sign of good manners. The silence remained to the end of the main course. Only after dessert was served, Polina started asking meaningless quiet questions like how was their journey, what was the weather or like he liked the games. Father answered most of them himself.
After the hour it was finally over and he might excused himself from the table. Anna caught him in the corridor in front of his bedroom doors saying that she had a congratulatory gift for him. It was a good thing because he also had something for her. They agreed to meet in ten minutes in her room.
Ilya quickly find the tape in his still unpacked suitcase. He was quite proud of his achievement. It wasn’t that easy to got the recording of the final Hokey Juniors game. It helped that wanting improve his English he stared talking to the arena stuff. In the end he befriend one of the cameramen of local TV station and after the long conversation, and bottle of good vodka, he agreed to made him one tape of the game. Well the sad story about of his younger sister devastated because she couldn’t watch his games surely helped too. But he wasn’t going to admitted that.
He knocked before he entered the Anna’s room. It was the only room in the entire house where the walls were still covered with light pink wallpaper with small roses. Annushka thrown quite the tantrum when Polina wanted to change them – that was the first time Ilya was really worry that their father would beat Anna for her attitude – in the end the wallpaper stayed and nobody was injured. Nowadays the walls was mainly covered by posters of the figure skaters and some of her recent drawings.
“Oh, Ilyusha. Come in,” she said.
She was standing in front of her bed holding something behind her back visible excited.
“I have something for you too,” he said and she looked at him confused.
“Oh really, for me. What’s the occasion? It’s not that I win the gold medal recently or something like that,” she said with a sarcasm in her voice, emphasizing specifically the I in her statement.
“You can think of this as a New Year’s gift.”
“But you had already given me the New Year's gift. The new skate guards and soakers. Don’t you remember,” she said, frowning.
“So it’s gift without occasion.”
“Without occasion?”
“Yeah. Do you want it or not?”
“I want it,“ she nodded her head in the affirmative. ”So,” she started. “Who is going first?”
“Well, me obviously,” he said with confidence in his voice.
“Okay.”
Anna laughed and she pulled out a thin package tied with a ribbon from behind her back.
“It’s nothing special. I have some free time yesterday and well…” she said giving him gift.
Ilya took the gift from her and gently unwrapped it. A drawing appeared before his eyes, and not just any drawing. A drawing of himself standing in the middle of what to appear to be a hokey stadium. He was in his national gear, without helmet his head full of curls, hokey stick in one hand, too big gold medal on his neck and huge smile on him face. And all of this was drawn by glitter pens. It was truly amazing. He didn't know what to say.
“I know it’s not perfect. You have two different skates. And the stick is too long. And well you don’t look exactly like you. But I didn’t have money to buy you something and I thought I’d try do it. I thought you will like it, but if you don’t I can…”
“No. I like it,” he interrupted her nervous flow of words. “I like it very much. It’s truly amazing Nyusha.”
“It’s not that good.”
“No. It’s perfect. I’m going to frame it.”
“You really don’t have to…”
“I’m definitely doing it.”
“If you want to,” she said shyly. “Now it's your turn. What do you have for me?” she asked curious.
Ilya gave her the tape only now thinking that he should have packed it up somehow nicely beforehand. Anna took it and looked carefully, obviously not seeing what her gift really was.
“Tape,” she said finally. “My gift is a tape.”
“It’s not the ordinary tape. It’s the recording of the Hokey Juniors final.”
“Are you kidding me?!” she said excited. “Oh my God, Ilyusha!”
She hugged him.
“Do you like it?” he asked even though the answer was obvious.
“Yes! Thank you so much! It’s the best gift ever.”
They both laughed at that. Maybe his time to the MHL draft wasn’t going to be so insufferable. He still had Annuska. His amazing genius little sister.
“Let’s watch it in your room. Come on Ilyusha!”
Correct it, he had an annoying little sister.