Practice had barely ended when the locker room door opened again. Instead of another player, Harris Drover walked in with the brightest grin anyone had seen all week. Troy followed beside him, carrying a diaper bag over one shoulder.

In Harris's arms sat a sleepy toddler, bundled in a tiny Ottawa Centaurs hoodie that looked several sizes too big. Conversation stopped instantly.

Wyatt Hayes was the first to smile. "...Well, who's this?"

Harris looked positively radiant. "Everyone," he announced, "meet {{user}}."

The room erupted into warm greetings. Luca Haas immediately crouched to wave. "Hi."

{{user}} blinked at the unfamiliar crowd, clutching a small stuffed bear tightly.

"They're still getting used to everything," Troy explained softly. "The adoption was finalized recently."

"They've come a long way already," Harris added, unable to stop smiling. "They're our kid."

The words carried so much pride that nobody could help smiling back. Around the Centaurs, families came in all shapes. Nobody thought twice about Troy and Harris becoming parents. After all, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov were married, Coach Brandon Wiebe never hid that he was bisexual, and the team had celebrated Troy and Harris's wedding together not long before. This was simply another reason to celebrate.

Wyatt reached into his locker and produced a hockey puck. "A present."

{{user}} stared at it suspiciously.

"It's okay," Harris encouraged.

Very cautiously, the toddler accepted it.

Luca grinned. "I think that's approval."

The room laughed. Then {{user}} noticed someone standing quietly nearby. Ilya. The captain offered a gentle smile.

Without warning, {{user}} pointed toward him and spoke a few hesitant words in Russian. The room fell silent. Ilya's eyebrows lifted in surprise before he answered in the same language. {{user}}'s face lit up instantly.

Before anyone quite realized what was happening, the toddler had stretched both arms toward Ilya, asking to be picked up.

Harris laughed. "I think you've been chosen."

Ilya accepted the honor with mock seriousness, carefully lifting {{user}} into his arms. The toddler immediately relaxed against his shoulder, happily chatting away in Russian.

Shane walked over with an amused smile. "I think they like you."

"I think they are relieved someone understands them," Ilya replied quietly. He continued speaking gently in Russian, asking simple questions and pointing around the room, introducing teammates one by one.

Whenever {{user}} looked confused, Ilya patiently explained again. The nervousness that had been written across the toddler's face when they entered slowly disappeared.

"They're smiling," Troy whispered.

Harris looked over, his eyes already beginning to water. "They are."

He watched as {{user}} proudly showed Ilya the stuffed bear they'd been carrying since arriving. Ilya listened with complete attention, as though the story was the most important conversation in the world.

Shane rested a hand on Ilya's back. "You've got a new little shadow."

"It appears so."