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1. Secret Love Song Pt. II - Little Mix
Ilya had won the race to the aux chord. Not that he necessarily wanted to be in charge of the music. He didn’t particularly care what songs were playing in the locker room after an entirely uneventful morning practice, but he did not want to be exposed to the torture that Evan Dykstra called music. It was Dykstra’s phone or his, so the choice was clear.
He turned around dramatically, raising his hands victoriously as the other Centaurs cheered and whooped in relief. Their captain shot Dykstra a smug grin while plugging the chord into his phone.
“You all don’t know what good music is!”, Dykstra just yelled at them, smacking a hand to Ilya’s still padded shoulder. The Russian put in the effort to look serious; a solemn look on his face as he nodded at the other man, feigning interest. “You keep telling yourself that, maybe it’ll come true one day.”
He pressed play on his locker room playlist, winked, and made his way to the opposite side of the room while Bad Bunny was sounding from the speakers, already mid-song.
Dykstra booed at him, but broke into laughter when Nick Chouinard sang along in an overly dramatic way, inching closer and closer to infamous DJ’s ear.
“Everybody make sure Dykstra isn’t the first one in the locker room next time!” Ilya said loudly. “We know better!”
Everybody laughed. Ilya loved this team.
Consistent with the uneventful practice, everything happened as it always did. The men took off their sweaty hockey gear, some were snacking on banana’s or protein or energy bars first, and then they showered. That was exactly where Ilya was, in the far back of the showers, because he was the first one there, just like when he’d entered the locker room and had to take possession of the aux chord. Which, as it turned out, was a mistake.
Through the sound of water hitting tiles and teammates chatting, Ilya didn’t hear the start of slow piano chords playing until it was too late. As soon as a somber female voice began singing, Ilya realized what was happening. Conversations slowly stopped, one by one, while he quickly made his way back to the locker room, trying to look unbothered.
“-stolen moments that we steal as the curtain falls, it’ll never be enough-“
Fuck, fuck, fuck, why was the way to the other side of the room so long?? Why were there so many people in his way, giving him confused looks and chuckling awkwardly as he tried to squeezed past as quickly as possible without raising even more suspicion by running?! There was no way a hockey team really needed this many players!
“- I can’t stop these silent tears from rolling down. You and I both have to hide from the outside, where I can’t be yo-“
Finally, finally, Ilya reached the bench with his phone and pressed pause on the song. He gave a smile, though outsiders would probably more likely describe it as a pained grimace, while he clicked on another playlist and a quick rap started playing. He only allowed himself a single breath to calm down, before meeting the partly confused, partly amused eyes of his fellow players.
“The hell was that?”
“I knew you were secretly a softie, Roz!”
Ilya shrugged. “Playlist was over. This shuffled.”
He received blank stares.
“As the team’s music expert, they don’t just shuffle small artists for no reason,” Dykstra said with a soft, curious smile.
This statement fathomed an objectively unreasonable amount of defensiveness in the macho ladies man Ilya Rozanov. “Do not call them small artists!”
The silence that followed was even louder, until Luca Haas, bless him, came to the rescue. Ilya wanted to hug him. Stupid, stupid North America. “They are very popular in Europe.”
Ilya pointed a finger at the red faced rookie. “Exactly!”
“Oh,” said Dykstra, raising his hands defensively. It wasn’t like this explained anything, but it was obvious that Rozanov didn’t want to share. “My bad.”
“Your bad,” Ilya nodded, making his way to his locker and avoiding eye contact with anyone. Conversations picked back up and the topic was slowly forgotten while everybody finished up their business.
He didn’t notice that Harris had been in the room as well, until he followed Ilya outside. Sweet, gay Harris. Who had apparently just witnessed how Ilya’s phone played an anthem for hidden queer love.
“Um,” Harris started, fiddling with the phone in his hands. He obviously had something to ask and didn’t know how. “I know that song.”
Ilya gave his best ‘whatever’-look, shaking his head at the social media manager. “Okay? Congrats on listening to European music. Means you have good taste. I guess.”
Harris took a breath. “I…”
Ilya let him search for words for exactly three seconds, before he rolled his eyes. “Look, I don’t know why everybody thinks this is such big deal. My playlist was over, so my phone played random song.”
He hated how his increasing accent gave away that he was not as unbothered as he was pretending to be. But was only partly a lie. His playlist had been over, but his phone had played a song Ilya did listen to occasionally. Sometimes. When everything felt unfair and he hated the world. It was a good song!
“It is a good song,” Harris said, startling Ilya. Not that he’d let Harris see (on purpose).
“Okay,” he said in a deadpan voice. “Can I go home now?”
Harris looked like wanted to say more, but he nodded. “Sure thing. Sorry for keeping you. Have a good night!”
“You too,” Ilya breathed out, knowing full well that he wouldn’t have. He walked to his car, his heart feeling heavier with each step. Then he got angry at himself for getting upset. It was just a song!
Except it wasn’t. It was the story of his life and he wanted to scream at the world for how unfair it all was. He wanted to shout from the rooftops and tell everyone how in love he was.
On the driver’s seat, Ilya took out his traitorous phone and opened his messaging app. He sent Shane a quick text, because he had to get it out of his system and this was the only way he was allowed to.
I love you so much ❤️
2. All The Things She Said - t.A.T.u.
The Halloween party was a success. Ilya Rozanov was a party animal and the captain of the Ottawa Centaurs, and tonight he was finally acting like it. His teammates were having a great time, he was making sure of it.
Young and Holmberg were drinking shots through their linked arms, promising each other eternal brotherhood. Luca Haas had somehow gotten ahold of face paint and drew little masterpieces on everybody that offered him a piece of skin to draw on; there were painted faces, arms, calves and even chests. Wyatt Hayes had snuck off with his wife at some point. Every now and then, somebody would shout out a random, sometimes even ridiculous toast and everybody cheered and drank to it. Music was pulsing from the speakers, and Ilya was dancing and drinking and looking fantastic doing it.
And the wives and girlfriends kept approaching Ilya to tell him how excited they were to be able to completely let loose with their partners again. He was happy for them, no question. He adored his teammates’ partners and knew how little time they got together, especially if they wanted to party out of the public eye. But shit, if he wasn’t at least a little jealous.
And then the song started playing. It wasn’t really a special song, and nobody paid it any mind as they were dancing, but Ilya did. He had created his party playlist ages ago, with good songs he could dance to. All the Things She Said had a slightly negative touch ever since that club incident where he’d watched Shane dance with Rose Landry, but it was a good song, not to mention a queer song from Russian artists, so it was special to Ilya in a way no one could really understand and he wanted to keep it and reclaim it for himself, which is why he kept it in his playlist.
It was a song he could play in public without raising eyebrows (unlike that ballad a month ago), and it was still his story. Except right now he didn’t need to be in his feelings about how unfair his life was. It was the exact reason why he was throwing a party in the first place. Tonight, he was fun.
Except “I keep closing my eyes, but I can’t block you out” and Ilya was seeing his boyfriend as if he was tattooed to the insides of his eyelids. He was missing Shane with his dark and tousled hair, and his beautiful freckles and how fucking smart and sexy he looked when he was wearing glasses.
“Wanna fly to a place where it’s just you and me; nobody else, so we can be free”, and fuck if that didn’t hit home. This wasn’t enough. And suddenly, amidst his party and all his friends, surrounded by laughter and cheering and fun, Ilya felt miserable again. The urge to see his boyfriend hit him like a freight train going a million miles an hour, so hard he felt pain in his chest. He missed him so much, and he wanted to wrap Shane in his arms and hide at the cottage and pepper him with kisses and love bites and never leave his side ever again.
“Will I ever be free, have I crossed the line?” He had, hadn’t he? The more time Ilya and Shane spent apart, the worse Ilya got. He didn’t want to admit it, but he nagging feeling in the back of his mind grew each day, telling him he was not okay. He was ignoring it, but it was definitely there. He had crossed the line to no return, and he needed help. In what form, he didn’t know, but he was drowning more everyday and he had to change something.
Pissed that his mood had ruined things again, Ilya grabbed an unopened Vodka bottle and downed three gulps in one go.
“Woah,” Tanner Dillon said next to him, looking him up and down. “You good, man?”
No. “Of fucking course!” This was probably too defensive. Ilya couldn’t help it. “This party rocks!” He took another sip and made a show of dancing away like a normal, happy person having a good time.
Then he glanced down at his phone screen, which showed a painful amount of no new messages from Shane. Ilya wanted to cry. Why had he looked? He drank another five gulps, relieved when his head started to feel a little lighter, and returned to the dance floor.
LaPointe pulled Luca closer and yelled too loudly for a private conversation. “Hey, Haasy, you see Roz?”
“Yes?”
They witnessed their captain take another long swig in front of their eyes. “I swear Roz just downed half that bottle in like thirty seconds.”
“Oh.”
“Is that a European thing? Is he okay?”
Luca gave LaPointe an exasperated look. “Ihr Haufen Lölis, why do you keep asking me!?”
“What?”
“Zürich and Moscow are not comparable! How would I know? He doesn’t fucking look okay, does he!? I mean, who drinks half a bottle of vodka in one sitting?”
“That’s what I was asking you! He only started this song.”
“I can’t with you.”
“Fucking Americans, am I right?” They both jumped at Ilya’s voice, who laughed at their faces. “I must be less drunk than you two, if you thought I can’t hear you shouting at each other like two meters away from me.”
Luca blushed furiously. “I’m sorry.”
LaPointe nodded vigorously. “Just wanted to check on you, sorry.”
The song was nearing its end, and Ilya was throwing up his hands, shaking his head to the beat like he had something to prove. He probably did. “I am very fine guys, thank you. Is Russian Halloween tradition to get as drunk as possible, and I need a little more than you lightweights.” And because was actually was very drunk, he unnecessarily added: “Has nothing to do with this song!”
“Uh huh,” LaPointe and Luca said in unison, clearly not believing him.
Whatever. Ilya had a party to throw. There were so many people around him, he could just pretend Shane was one of them, simply lost in the crowd, and he’d see him when he falls asleep later.
(Unbeknownst to him, he actually did see Shane later that night. Thank god, because Ilya might have died inside if he hadn’t.)
3. 18 - One Direction
This was the least fun Ilya had ever had at one of Bood’s parties. But he sucked it up because his argument with Shane wasn’t Bood’s fault, and he’d promised to show up weeks ago. It wasn’t even really a party, more like a relaxed get-together, because all the other players with family outside Canada, like Luca, Holmberg or Dillon, weren’t there.
So the small group was sitting in the Boodram’s warm living room, scattered around the fireplace, with warm cider, tea, hot chocolate or just beer in hands, while calm music was playing from hidden speakers. They had just finished the BBQ, and everybody was drowsy with a very full stomach. Thus, them just sitting around, talking and sharing stories. Wyatt, who had to leave Lisa behind at work, was currently sharing a story about his nephew’s Christmas present, but Ilya was too upset to listen to the happy family story.
He regretted telling Shane to leave. His mind kept suggesting different possibilities for how Ilya could have handled the situation more smoothly, but it was too late now. Ilya was here, sitting next to Bood on his couch, and Shane was not. He had to think of how he could make things better again. He had to talk to Galina.
Subconsciously, Ilya noticed that the group got quieter. To not get lost in his thoughts again, he decided to focus on the music instead.
“I have loved you since we were eighteen”
Okay, not the best lyrics to distract him.
“Long before we both thought the same thing”
Well, fuck this. Ilya was pretty sure he had fallen in love with Shane as soon as he’d seen those freckles for the first time and was offered a weird handshake. He was also pretty sure that it had taken Shane much longer than that. But he was certain (because Shane had mentioned it quite a number of times over the years), that his boyfriend had been drawn to him, with feelings he didn’t understand, but that were enough to convince him to keep seeking out Ilya despite his better judgement.
“All I can do, is say that these arms were made for holding you”
Now, if that wasn’t true. Ilya knew nothing in his life, had left behind his home twice, moved around and it didn’t matter, because all he cared about was keeping Shane, to hold him and love him. If that was his only purpose in life, he’d be happy.
“I wanna love like you made me feel when we were eighteen”
Ilya didn’t even notice the small, sad smile on his lips. They were so young and stupid. Thinking they could stop meeting each other, thinking they weren’t made for each other. As if anyone else could ever compare. Because the truth was, after his mother’s death, Ilya had just been living, one of billions wandering around on planet earth. But after meeting Shane, seeing the effect he had on the other man, and working up a plan on how he could see Shane as much as possible before their rookie season even started, Ilya began feeling alive again. Like his life had a purpose.
His purpose was loving Shane.
And fuck if this wasn’t the worst possible time to realize that, and miss his boyfriend and get teary eyed.
Something bumped Ilyas shoulder, and he startled up to see Bood smiling at him. “Don’t tell Cassie I said this, because this is her playlist and I keep saying it’s stupid and mushy, but I love this song too. We met when we were 19, but it was love at first sight and this song keeps bringing me back to how long I’ve been crazy about her.”
Ilya tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Is special to meet someone so young.”
The look Bood gave him had more nuance than Ilya would have liked, but he didn’t ask why a mushy love song had gotten the stern Russian Ilya Rozanov so emotional. By now, the whole team had definitely picked up on how evasive Ilya was about his love life. “It really is,” Bood said simply, and took a sip from his drink like it was a toast.
Ilya blinked a couple times to get the tears out of his eyes, before looking back at Bood and standing up. “I think I’m going home early tonight.”
Bood just smiled. “Sure thing, man, thank you for coming. I’ll see you next practice.”
Ilya really, really appreciated his team.
4. Angel Baby - Troye Sivan
Missing Shane was certainly not an unfamiliar occurrence for Ilya. He did it daily, the feeling never getting better or fading, just coming up in different varieties. Today, it was the worst.
Ilya had shared his struggles, opened up about therapy. He had fought and made up with Shane. Ilya had almost died. Ilya had gotten engaged. They were closer than ever, but with the current physical distance Ilya felt like his fiancé was a whole universe away.
His fiancé. He still couldn’t believe it. He was officially Shane’s.
So this is why Ilya Rozanov, captain of the Ottawa Centaurs, was sitting on the sofa in his living room, a blanket over his legs, wearing a Montreal Voyageurs hoodie he’d secretly stolen from Shane so he had something that smelled like him, while eating cookie dough ice cream straight from the container and listening to songs that made him think of his boyfriend. No, fiancé.
“I need a lover to keep me sane”
Ilya snorted at the word, knowing Shane hated it. Ironically, though, it was Shane that had sent Ilya this song.
He remembered it fondly. Three days after Shane had left his freshly baked fiancé, he had sent Ilya an mp3 file. Seconds later, he’d added a text message. “I know you tease me for not knowing many songs, but I heard this one at Jackie’s and it made me think of you. You are my angel, baby. I love you.”
Another second later: “Ew, that sounds really weird when its not sung, but it is how I feel about you.”
Ilya had laughed, and clicked on the song. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but three and a half minutes later, he was sobbing uncontrollably and sent Shane a reply. Next to proposing, this was the most romantic thing Shane had ever done for Ilya. “No, this song is definitely about you. I love it. I love you too.”
The little hooks told him Shane had read the message as soon as it had come through. “’counting the tattoos on your skin’ and ‘you gave up heaven so we could be together’??? This is definitely about you. You can’t even argue, the words are very clear.”
Because they were Shane and Ilya, Ilya definitely did. “’I’ll tell you how I almost died, while you’re bringing me back to life’ – Who of us was in almost plane crash?”
“Still too soon.”
“Sorry. But agree to disagree.”
“Only this time.”
Ilya knew he was right. Especially with how Shane always managed to pull Ilya out of his dark thoughts, this song captured how Shane saved him. He didn’t just almost die in that plane, and Ilya had begun to think that he’d lost all feeling, and given up on the word ‘forever’ until Shane came into his life and made a plan for how the two of them could work. When Shane was with him, living couldn’t get any better… but he didn’t want to worry his fiancé, so Ilya kept those specific details to himself.
Shane was his gift from heaven, sent by his mother, and this song was about Shane. Those were just facts.
But this was an argument Ilya did not mind losing.
So of course, this song had immediately joined the playlist, which Ilya was now eating ice cream to and listening to the chorus with red rimmed eyes and a tingly nose.
He was busy wallowing in self-pity, and therefore didn’t notice that he got company until the woman stood next to him with concerned eyes.
Willa and Andrew’s mother said something, but the music was so loud Ilya didn’t hear. He jumped in surprise and quickly grabbed his phone to lower the volume, almost knocking down the ice cream in the process. “Sorry. Sorry about that. What did you say?”
“Oh, I’m sorry for scaring you. I wanted to give your keys back, like we discussed, but you didn’t open the front door. I knew you were back from your road trip because I saw your car in the driveway, so I let myself in. I’m sorry if I intruded.”
“No, no,” Ilya set the container on the coffee table and sat up straighter. “But you did not say all this before.”
“Oh,” Kate chuckled, seeming slightly nervous. Not that Ilya could blame her, they didn’t interact all that much, usually. He talked to her when he was greeting the kids, and she had offered to water his few plants whenever he was on a road trip, but that was about it. Still, despite her only being a few years older than Ilya, she had that warm, motherly air around her that Ilya couldn’t help but feel safe around. Which was probably why he was not panicking about her witnessing his pity party.
“I was asking if you are alright.”
Her eyes wandered to the Voyageurs hoodie, and Ilya self-consciously pulled the blanket higher and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Oh,” Ilya said, trying to think of a good excuse.
“It’s not my business, I’m sorry. It just seems like you’re really sad right now, and I want you to know that you can come over any time if you need anything, even if it’s just company.”
“You’re my angel, angel baby, angel. You’re my angel, baby-“
The song filled the silence, not really helping his predicament. So Ilya was looking up at Kate’s concerned eyes and kind face, and scooted over, patting the free space next to him. She sat down and gave him a smile, waiting for him to talk.
He took his time searching for words, but she didn’t pressure him. “I miss my fiancé,” is what he finally admitted in a quiet voice.
Ilya didn’t judge her for the surprised gasp and the reflexive glance at his empty, ringless hands. “Oh,” she breathed out, and Ilya could see her face fall in real time. Kate had no way of knowing what exactly Ilya meant with that admission, but he could read that she was sincerely feeling bad for him and wanted to help however she could.
She didn’t ask for details, just took his cold hand and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”
Ilya gave her a smile that he hoped conveyed how grateful he was for how she was handling this. She smiled back in a way that Ilya read as ‘no worries’. “Can I do anything? Do you need me to call someone, or do you need more ice cream? Or maybe any other food?”
Ilya chuckled lightly. She could hardly rid the world of homophobia for him, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
Kate continued. “I could bring over Willa and Andrew? You could watch a movie together? I’m sure they’d jump at the opportunity to spend time with you.”
That actually sounded like a fantastic idea. She seemed to read that from his face, because she smiled again, squeezed his hand one last time before letting go and standing up. “I’ll be right back with some children and more food, then.”
She’d definitely be invited to the wedding.
5. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan
They had just won yet another game. How Ilya had missed this feeling. He hadn’t even realized the full extend until he got remembered of how great this high rush of adrenaline felt when it actually paid off.
Everybody was in a great mood, including Ilya. So since he was also the first one to keep Dykstra away from the aux chord again, he pulled up his “happy times I keep winning” party playlist. It was really a very random one that had grown very slowly over the years, whenever Ilya heard a random song that made him happy and added it to the playlist. He was so carefree, he wasn’t even afraid of people teasing him for his music choices. If they could put up Dykstra’s music and still love the man, they’d be fine listening to Ilya’s less publicly shared playlist.
There was yelling and cheering, jerseys were being swung around, someone had brought beer and passed around a bottle to everyone that was reaching out a hand, Ilya amongst them. Time was an illusion, and he had no idea how long they had been turning the locker room in a small disco, but he didn’t mind. They were having a blast.
His teammates were throwing around slightly confused looks when the next song started playing. In hindsight, now that Ilya was listening, the opening really did not sound as cheerful as he recalled the song being for him back when he’d added it, but he was still vibing. Especially when it was time for the chorus and he sang along dramatically, putting on a performance for everyone.
“You can kiss a hundred boys in bars! Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling “
Since Ilya was performing anyway, he gave the song a unique touch, to make it less weird. “Nobody can shoot their shot past Hazy!”
It had the desired effect and everybody cheered. Wyatt grinned, but looked at Ilya with his stern goalie gaze, as if he was seeing more than what met the eye.
“Good luck, babe!”
“Good luck to every team that thinks they can beat us easily!”
More cheers, and some people singing along to the ‘good luck’ parts. Ilya was definitely having a great time. This song always made him feel smug - Shane had tried to stop the feeling and it hadn’t worked. He’d tried kissing other people, and while that thought still wasn’t particularly pleasing to Ilya, it had proven that nobody made Shane feel like Ilya did. He was it for Shane, and if that wasn’t a great feeling, Ilya didn’t know what was.
Now that more of his teammates had gotten into the spirit of the song, Wyatt used Ilya’s short silence (he was drinking, because all this shouting was straining his throat) to wrap him into a conversation.
“Why is that song in your party playlist?” he asked, smirking.
“Is good song, no?”
“Sure!” Wyatt agreed, still swaying lightly to the music, as if trying to prove his point. “My sister introduced me to it, she loves it.”
He looked like he was giving Ilya an encrypted message, but the Russian didn’t understand, just humming to the music and shrugging his shoulders.
“You know you’re vibing super hard to a lesbian anthem right now?”
Oooooh, so that’s why he was throwing Ilya these weird looks.
“Okay? You got a problem with me singing queer songs? That’s homophobic, Hayes!” Offense had always been his best defense, and he was close enough with the guy to know that he wouldn’t mind the jab. Besides, he and Shane would come out soon anyway, so he could say whatever he wanted.
Wyatt grinned and shrugged. “I was just asking if you knew.”
“The text is obvious, no? Why would I mind? This is good locker room environment to support Troy as well! And is good song. I don’t see a problem!”
Instead of answering, Wyatt just chimed into the chorus, singing even louder than Ilya.
+1. Your Love - Little Mix
It was the best fucking day of Ilya’s life. He was out and proud with Shane Hollander, the love of his life. He was surrounded by loved ones. He was glued to Shane’s side, touching him and nobody batted an eye. And most importantly, he was freshly married to Shane Hollander. All the years, all the hiding, had led to this moment. And what a moment it was.
He leaned over to Shane, who had just introduced Rose to his parents and Ilya, and kissed him. On the lips, out in the open, and for no particular reason other than he could.
There was no gasping, no shouting, and their small group was looking at the newlyweds like they knew exactly what had prompted this kiss. Smiles all around. “I love Shane Hollander,” he announced to them, unnecessarily (because they had just witnessed their wedding after all), simply because he could.
“I should hope so,” Rose grinned. “Because this guy can’t shut up about you, and that would be really embarrassing for him otherwise.” She tilted her chin at Shane, who blushed and smiled at the floor.
Ilya wrapped an arm around his shoulders, not hiding his giddy smile. “Aw, you looove me.”
Now Shane’s blush was directed at Ilya as they met each other’s eyes. “I really, really do.”
It was the most beautiful thing Ilya had ever seen. He never wanted to look away again. So he didn’t – because he didn’t have to.
And that was when the music caught up to Ilya’s ears. He grinned. “You hear this? This is a perfect song.”
Without looking away from his husband (because that’s what Ilya was!), Shane tilted his head and listened.
Ilya had taken the liberty of adding a few of the songs from his Shane-dedicated playlist to the wedding one. Now one of these songs was playing and Ilya was looking at Shane and everybody knew how in love they were.
“It’s about how much I love you,” Ilya explained. Impossibly, Shane’s smile grew. “Yeah?”
Ilya nodded, and without sparing another glance at Rose and his in-laws, pulled Shane closer to the dance floor and the speakers. His eyes were on Shane only as he mouthed along to the words.
“Deeper than oceans, as sweet as devotion, it’s all I need”
He pulled Shane closer, flushing their chests together and slowly swayed them from side to side.
“You pull me close and there’s no way that I can describe what your love make me feel like”
Ilya could see the exact moment the lyrics registered in Shane’s brain. He was smiling brighter than the sun, and Ilya had no problem burning, so he inched closer and closer, and gave Shane another kiss. It was a longer one than the peck he had given in front of Shane’s parents.
He drew back just in time to murmur “Come and kiss me like the first time, it’s what your love make me feel like”.
Shane grinned at that. “I feel like that wouldn’t be appropriate right now.”
Ilya loved this man so much. He threw back his head and laughed, loudly, for all to hear, while there were cheerful repetitions of “Your love, your love, your love, your love” and it was all Ilya could feel.
Then he looked back at his beautiful, gorgeous, funny husband, who was smiling at Ilya as if he’d hung the moon and stars himself. Ilya took in the moment thanked every deity to ever exist that the universe deemed him worthy of this man’s love. He was so happy, he couldn’t contain himself.
“You’re the one that I need, take my hand baby please”
Ilya obviously had to take Shane’s hands at this part.
“Then put them up, put them up in the sky, make me sing again – your love make me feel like”
He had no inhibition to raise their hands up as high as they could go and wave them around happily without a care in the world, while not looking away from his husband’s laughing red face.
Ilya shimmied his hips at “dirty dancing in the moonlight”, making Shane burst into laughter again, and then he just had to hug him with everything he had and smothered his fluffy dark hair with kisses for the remainder of the song. He murmured the last words into Shane’s ear, just for him. “Your love, your love, your love”.
Then the song was over, but Ilya didn’t let go, especially because Shane’s own hold on him had tightened at the sincerity in Ilya’s voice.
“Your love feels like that to me, too,” Shane simply said, as they were continuing to sway in each other’s arms, and Ilya wanted to burst and never leave this moment.
So of course fucking Hayden Pike had to ruin it. He was standing next to Jackie, since the both of them had been dancing together until Shane and Ilya’s impromptu invasion of the dance floor had distracted them. Jackie was smiling at them with tears in her eyes and a massive smile on her lips, while Hayden said, in a suspiciously trembly voice and blinking rapidly: “You two are actually sickening.”