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Ilya had a pretty basic skincare routine. He washed his face with cleanser and occasionally applied some lip balm… and that was pretty much it. Since being with Shane, he has even added sunscreen to his morning. He was impressed with himself to be honest. A lot of guys he knew used only a bar of soap, if that.
But nothing he did compared to Shane's routine. It was meticulous and it showed. Ilya didn’t mind his skin but there was no denying Shane's was immaculate.
As they stood in the bathroom, getting ready to do their own routines, Ilya had an idea.
“Put the cleanser down Hollander,” Ilya said, his voice gentle but demanding.
Shane, lowering his hand, turned to his husband, a quizzical look on his face.
“You got something against me doing my skincare tonight Ilya?” Shane asked, playful sarcasm coating his voice.
“Yes. I am against you doing it. Let me.”
Without hesitating, Ilya grabbed the bottle out of Shane's hand.
“Ilya -”
“Fancy fancy cleanser,” Ilya mumbled, before pumping some into his hands and gently cupping Shane's face.
“What are you doing,” Shane asked, his voice distorted from Ilya compressing his cheeks.
“Your skincare, get with the program Hollander.”
Ilya gently smoothed the cleanser into Shane's face, his thumbs circling around his eyes. He watched as his husband melted into the touch. Ilya watched as his eyes softened and his gaze was fully focused on his.
“So gorgeous, Shane,” His thumbs continued to gently caress Shane’s face. He didn’t know how long he stood there, cleansing his husband’s face before finally feeling satisfied.
“Rinse,” Ilya instructed.
As Shane rinsed the cleanser, Ilya admired his husband's form. He was in boxers and a loose t-shirt and Ilya couldn’t help himself from coming behind his husband, wrapping his arms around his waist.
He met Shane's gaze through the mirror, Shane looking relaxed even as he dripped water. Ilya came around his husbands side and used his hand, still slightly slick from the cleanser, to guide Shane's chin in his direction. Ilya planted a kiss on his lips, his heart so full in the moment.
“Whats next,” Ilya whispered, his lips still pressed against Shane's.
“Uh you cleanse too sir. You are not getting out of your skincare routine, if you can even call it that,” Shane replied and grabbed the bottle to pump some cleanser into his hands.
Before Shane could attempt to do the routine to Ilya, Ilya quickly cleansed stole the cleanser, scrubbed down and rinsed his face.
“Next step”
With a scoff and head shake, Shane grabbed a bottle off the counter. Ilya could see a small smile peaking out from Shane's lips.
“What is this,” Ilya asked, his voice low and soft. His hands, craving Shane, caressed both of his husband's sides, squeezing at the hips. He could feel Shane's body shudder under his touch.
“Well, toner balances pH and helps moisturize. It also preps your skin for other steps,” Shane said, his eyes brightening with intrigue.
“Ah… how boring,” Ilya quipped with a smirk before finally removing his hands from Shane and taking the bottle. He gave it a good shake and poured a generous amount on his hands.
“Hey, that stuff is expensive, don’t pour too much.”
Ilya responded by playfully slapping his hands to Shane’s cheeks and slathering him with toner. Shane responded with an exasperated laugh.
“Jesus Ilya, I’m going to be so greasy.”
“Fine, I will share with you then,” And he took his hands and started to spread the excess toner around his face.
“This does feel kinda greasy. Do you seriously use this every night?” Ilya said with a laugh.
“Well I don’t use a crazy amount like you are. And hey, have you seen my skin? It’s way softer than yours!”
“Yes, I suppose so, ” Ilya responded softly, before planting a kiss on Shane’s soft skin, tasting the toner. “Watermelon”
“It had a taste? Perhaps I should try it too,” Shane murmured against Ilya's skin before he turned and planted his own kiss on Ilya's cheek. Ilya felt himself lean into the touch.
They stood there for a brief moment, Shane planting soft kisses on Ilya’s cheek while Ilya found himself caressing Shane's hair.
“Alright, now we toned. I know you have more steps. It takes you years to do your skincare,” he mumbled.
“Fuck you,” Shane replied, unable to keep a straight face. Shane grabbed another bottle and waved it in Ilya’s face.
“What is this, a potion?”
“It's a serum. It prevents wrinkles and gives you glow amongst other things. You would never stick with the routine long enough to see the results.”
“Is that a challenger, Hollander?”
“Depends. Will you be doing skincare with me like this every night?”
“I could make an exception to do a boring routine for you, Mr. Skincare,” Ilya attempted to say sarcastically. But if he was being honest, he sounded fond over anything else. He didn’t really care for elaborate skincare. But Shane did. And if it was something that would make him happy to do together, then he could make the time.
“Lets do the serum and see how you feel,” Shane responded, pumping a small amount of the serum into his hand and smoothing it over Ilya's face with his fingers. Ilya, who set out to do his husbands skincare for him, found himself at Shane’s mercy. He couldn’t will himself to move and instead just savored his husband’s gentle touch.
“Hollander, do you do skincare for your hands too? Fingers are so soft.”
“Well I do use this lotion several times a day,” Shane responded, his gaze locked on Ilya.
“Ah, so your goal is to be boring beyond just facial care.”
“Hey you don’t seem to complain when these soft hands are all over your body,” Shane responded. Ilya could tell he was trying to smirk but Shane’s eyes betrayed him. They were filled with nothing but affection.
“No… I supposed I don't," Ilya whispered back. He took the bottle of serum from Shane and gently applied a small amount to his husband's face, trying to match his technique.
Shane was like a puppy getting head scratches. His eyes were closed as Ilya gently applied the serum, his face slack with relaxation.
“What’s next?” Ilya inquired.
“Now, we moisturize."
“Have we not been doing that this whole time?”
“You can never moisturize enough,” Shane said adamantly, pumping a generous amount of moisturizer into his hands. Ilya watched as Shane grabbed his hand, sharing the moisturizer.
They took each other's faces into their hands and finished the skin care routine with so much gentleness and love. The moment might have lasted forever. Ilya would have never known. Time didn’t pass normally when he was with Shane. It was like all the stressors of life and the world paused for them. Nothing else mattered to Ilya in this moment than cherishing his husband.
“Any last steps,” Ilya asked, breaking the silence but keeping his eyes locked on Shanes.
“Just one,” his husband said. Ilya watched as he applied a large scoop of cream to his lips before Shane cupped his face and planted a sticky kiss onto Ilya’s own lips. They softly kissed each other, their lips coated in the mask.
“Theres supposedly several different techniques to apply a lip mask, but I think this might be my favorite,” Shane murmured against Ilya’s lips.
“If this is how skincare is to be done every night, then I would be open to joining your routine,” Ilya responded before pressing his lips against Shane's once more.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they broke apart and Ilya took Shane in.
“You are glowing, sweetheart.”
“You should see yourself,” Shane responded with such fondness Ilya thought his heart was going to explode within his chest. “You look… radiant.”
Ilya pulled Shane into a hug, careful not to press his freshly cleansed and cared for skin against his tank top.
“I love you,” he murmured against Shane’s forehead.
“You must if you were willing to do my boring skincare routine with me,” Shane replied, his voice soft. “I love you too, Ilya.”
Ilya grabbed his phone to take a selfie of the two of them, dewy faces shining in the flash.
“Smile”
__________
As they settled into bed that night, Anya curled between them, Ilya stared at the new photo in his phone.
Shane was in the middle of a laugh, a smile across his face and his teeth slightly visible. He had a headband on and some of his hair was slick against his forehead, a causality of Ilya’s slightly messy skincare application. He was pressing a kiss against Shane's hair, and he had to admit, his skin was glowing. Maybe he would join Shane in his skincare afterall.
He set the photo to his lockscreen and scooted over to take Shane into his arms. They both fell asleep with dewy faces and goofy grins. Ilya couldn’t be happier.