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There’s a new kid at Malina’s preschool.
Alicia.
She’s just started and Mali won’t shut up about her. It’s been two weeks straight of Alicia this and Alicia that. The kid apparently has a spider-man backpack and shoes that light up when you stomp them and her hair is “really cool and curly like auntie Sveta’s”).
Which, admittedly, does sound like a pretty cool kid.
That being said, this happens every time there’s a new kid at the school.
Mali always gets fascinated. A new kid is something shiny, something exciting, something… well. New.
So this happens every time and Ilya is not the least bit surprised by Mali’s excitement over a new kid.
What has, however, surprised him is the new kid’s parent flirting with his husband.
Ilya doesn’t like it. Not one bit. He’s used to the mom’s flirting with him, used to the hair twirling and the small talk and the occasional comment about his body or how much they loved his accent.
He is not used to feeling the kind of jealousy Shane usually shows when that happens.
Maybe it’s stupid of him to think that if the roles were reversed he would be above it, that he would be fine if someone did that to Shane in front of him. Even after the whole Rose-debacle, Ilya had felt confident that wouldn’t happen.
But then it is happening and Ilya Rozanov has never claimed to be very reflective or smart anyway.
So when the new kid’s dad – Miles, he had introduced himself as — starts chatting his husband up. When he starts flirting with the love of his life. When he starts touching Shane’s arm in a way that’s just a little bit too friendly…
Well.
Ilya sees red.
They’re waiting for the kids to come out, the afternoon sun shining bright in the sky, the bird chirping loudly when it happens.
It’s the third day in a row where Miles’s been just a tiny bit too interested in conversation with Shane and Shane, seemingly oblivious to being on the receiving end of—
of—
of this wooing, has participated in said conversation.
Ilya has tried to be cool about it. Has tried to let it slide. Really, he has. He swears he has.
After all, he’s not an insecure man. He knows Shane loves him. But some things are just too much to stomach and when stupid Miles makes Shane laugh — his Shane laugh — Ilya has had enough.
He doesn’t even remember what Miles had said, only registering the angelic sound of his husband’s laughter before rage fills his veins like tiny fireworks through his bloodstream, just waiting to explode.
Shane hasn’t even finished laughing before Ilya is wrapping his arms around his waist from behind, pulling him close and settling his head on top of Shane’s.
Shane peers up in question, clearly confused about Ilya’s sudden show of PDA. They weren’t normally that couple, never did more than hold hands at most. But especially never at the school or in front of the other parents. Maybe it was leftover paranoia from when they were still a secret, maybe they just preferred to keep it to themselves but right then and there Ilya felt like rubbing it in Miles’s face, just a little.
“Ilya?” Shane asks before he scans his face, clearly trying to figure out what’s going on.
Ilya had never been very good at hiding his emotions and Shane knew how to read him like a book anyway these days so it didn’t take him long to register the hostile look Ilya was sending Miles’s way or the pure animosity that was dripping off of him.
Miles, however, seemed completely unfazed by this.
“Yes, sweetheart?” Ilya replies, eyes still trained on the man before him. The man who had dared to make Shane Hollander laugh right in front of his eyes.
Shane bites his lip, clearly amused by this turn of events.
Ilya wishes this would’ve been enough of an embarrassment to stop him, that the idea that Shane knew exactly how affected Ilya was would have been enough to deter him at all, but alas this was not the case. Ilya’s shame seemed to have nothing on his anger and neither seemed to know any bounds.
“You okay?” Shane asks.
“Perfectly fine, мой любимый,” Ilya replies smoothly, his grip on Shane’s hip tightening slightly.
Shane hums and turns back to his conversation with Miles as if nothing is wrong.
Ilya can’t believe it. Shane knew he was upset. Shane knew and he—
he—
he kept talking to the man.
Fine, Ilya thinks. If he won’t pay attention to me, I’ll make him pay attention.
They’re talking about some protein shake recipe, Ilya thinks. He’s not really listening though. He’s too busy lowering his head so that it’s resting against Shane’s shoulder. Rubbing a thumb against his hip. Starting to sway them back and forth. Leaving a kiss at the junction where Shane’s throat meets his collarbone, lips hot but featherlight against the already bruising skin there.
He can feel Shane barely suppressing a shiver, nodding along to something Miles is saying while he grinds out a quiet:
“Ilya!” in admonishment.
Miles is looking at him weirdly now. A bit uncertain. Uncomfortable. Ilya just smiles at him, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly. The man seems like he’s about to say something when he’s interrupted by the pitter-patter of 24 tiny feet against the ground, their kids excited chatter on their way to greet their parents.
Ilya finally lets go of Shane as Malina starts running towards them, tiny hands holding the straps of her backpack tightly as her teddy bear hangs precariously from its place inside it. Before it gets the chance to fall off and get trampled though Shane is sweeping her up in his arms, swinging her like a monkey as Mali giggles and screams for both of her fathers.
Eventually Shane rests her against his hip, Mali’s arm wrapped securely around his neck as Mali starts babbling excitedly about her day.
“ —and then we had football and I got to see auntie Jackie but she said I can’t call her auntie when we’re at school so I had to call her Mrs. Pike and then Jojo made a goal and we all cheered but auntie Jackie said it was our own goal so the other team got the point which didn’t make sense but then Jade explainded it to me and Jojo and we got it and—”
Shane is laser focused on every word out of their daughter’s mouth, Miles completely forgotten and something in Ilya eases at the sight in front of him.
Here he is, on a sunny day, picking up his kid with his husband. Here he is, watching them laugh, heads close together and soft as can be. His two rays of sunshine. His family.
He can’t help himself, pulling them both close and leaving a kiss on both of their cheeks; a loud smack for Mali because he knew it would make her giggle and a softer one for Shane, just because he could.
“Папочка!” Mali giggled as expected, leaning over and into Ilya’s space and almost falling out of Shane’s grasp on the way.
“Yes, cолнце?”
“Can we have ice cream today?”
Ilya looks at Shane who looks back, clearly attempting to shut this down immediately. Ilya keeps looking though and eventually Shane sighs, shrugs his shoulders and raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, Malinka,” Ilya responds after a beat. “We can have ice cream.”
Mali gasps, hands coming up to clap in front of her in excitement. Her little feet are kicking out everywhere and Shane has to haul her back up on his hip when she starts slipping.
“Can we bring Alicia and her daddy?” she asks in excitement.
Ilya stiffens at that but Shane only smirks.
“Yeah, Ilya,” he says. “Can they come with us? To get ice cream?”
“You know what,” Ilya says. “I think mr. Miles said they had plans today. Maybe other time.”
Mali pouts at this. Before she gets the chance to do something stupid, like ask Alicia herself, Ilya keeps talking.
“Let us see how fast you can get to the car! I’ll time you!”
Mali gasps, already wiggling out of her father’s arms, feet running before she’s even hit the ground.
When Shane turns to look at him his arms are crossed over his chest, his eyebrow raised in judgement.
“They had plans, huh? Don’t remember Miles mentioning that.”
He’s biting his lip, only barely concealing the laughter threatening to bubble up. He’s amused.
Ilya sighs.
“Shut up,” he mutters petulantly.
He’s ashamed now. Just a bit. Maybe he had overreacted a little bit. But getting Shane Hollander to laugh is precious. It is a unique experience, a once in a lifetime sort of thing; like seeing the northern lights or watching the milky seas or being fortunate enough to spot a comet in the sky. When Shane Hollander laughs one could not help but to fall in love. And the only person he wants to be in love with Shane is himself. So you’ll forgive him for being a bit cautious of anyone who might get too close to the true beauty of his husband.
“You know I love you, right?” Shane asks, voice softer than Ilya expects it to be. He doesn’t usually allow himself to be this vulnerable in public. It makes Ilya’s heart skip a beat, even after all these years.
Ilya sighs again, reaching for Shane’s hand as he swings it up between them and gives his knuckles a kiss.
“I know,” he says against the freckled skin there.
“Sorry,” he adds.
Shane looks up at him, warm eyes scanning his face for the truth. Eventually, he seems satisfied with whatever it is he finds.
“So,” he says eventually. “Guess it’s finally my turn to make fun of your jealousy.”
Ilya groans as they start walking to their car.
“And I’m telling Hayden about this.”
“That is mean and cruel and unnecessary, Hollander! You cannot do that!"
“Oh, I will definitely be doing that.”
Ilya sighs. He guesses he’ll have to accept that. He kind of deserves it.
Still.
This was going to be a long ride.