Ilya plucked the puck from Shane’s blade for a second time, and really, that was just rude, and Shane should not have been fighting the urge to smile. Playing against Ilya was just so fun in a way that playing against no one else was. Ilya was so fast, and surprisingly graceful for his size. Shane pursued, but Ilya was too quick for him to catch up, racing down the ice, unimpeded to the goal, and Jesus Christ, he was going to score again—
Comeau appeared out of nowhere, a blur of motion from Ilya’s blind side. The hit sent Ilya’s body careening into the boards. There was an awful thump-crunch as Ilya collided with the boards headfirst.
Adult, canon-divergence. What if Ilya was the one who got injured instead of Shane, and what if his injury was much worse? This is excellent hurt-comfort which also manages to somehow make things easier for the boys…