Work Text:
July 2021
Ilya was sprawled out on the couch. He had just gotten home after picking Anya up from the dog spa and it would be a few hours before it would be time to pick Shane up from his lunch with Yuna. It was something Shane had been looking forward to. They were going to his favorite restaurant, Bell Weather, the one that had a menu made up entirely of different kinds of stuffed bell peppers. Ilya was certain Shane was single-handedly keeping the place in business.
The season was over, so Ilya also knew Shane had been looking forward to spending some time with his mom without rehashing game plays or talking about brand deals. He had mentioned it to Ilya at least three times in the lead up to the day, always very casually, but Ilya knew how much it meant to Shane to not be managed all the time. Shane had told Ilya he wanted to spend as much of the summer as possible just the two of them. He had put a great deal of time into cutting back on the appearances he needed to make outside of the two weeks they would be hosting their usual hockey camps for the Irina Foundation.
Ilya turned on the TV, and was flicking through the channels trying to find something to watch when his phone vibrated on the table. He grabbed it absentmindedly, surprised to see that it was from Shane. He smiled as he reread their texts from a few days ago before reading the newest one.
Before Ilya could type out a reply, several more messages followed.
Ilya alternated between watching the typing bubbles appear and disappear and continuing to flick through the channels until he saw Shane had finally replied.
Ilya waited a few more minutes, but Shane didn’t send anything else. Ilya settled on a movie and propped his feet up on the table. Anya jumped up on the couch and walked around in a circle a few times before lying down next to Ilya on the couch. He started to scratch behind her ears when she rested her chin on his leg. His phone vibrated again.
Ilya laughed. He was always surprised they kept a contract with Shane, because Ilya couldn’t remember a time Shane had ever worn Reeboks no matter the dress code.
Shane stopped responding after that, so Ilya went back to his movie. He kept checking his phone after that though, knowing that he would probably reach out again soon. Ilya knew that Shane had planned to have lunch with just his mom, where he would order one of his favorites, the Golden Catch — two yellow peppers stuffed with salmon, quinoa, zucchini, and feta cheese — then they would go for a walk in the park across the street before Ilya picked him up between the bus stop and the parking meter. Ilya wasn’t surprised at all when the screen lit up with a new message, and was even less surprised to see Shane was now trying to figure out what this meant for the rest of the day.
Ilya knew Shane could keep going in circles with him like this for hours, so he pressed the call button. It only took two rings for him to pick up.
“Ilya, this isn’t going to—”
“Where are you?” Ilya asked, running a hand through Anya’s fur before turning off the TV and standing to get his keys.
“In the bathroom.”
“You have been in bathroom this whole time?”
Shane sighed. “Since I texted you about not going on the walk, yeah.”
And Ilya couldn’t help it, he laughed. “Shane, they are going to think you are pooping.”
“Shut up!”
Ilya could only laugh harder as he stepped into the garage and pressed the button to open the door.
“You know I’d jerk off in a public bathroom before I pooped in one.”
“So you want your mother to think you were jerking off this whole time?”
“What? No!”
“Mm the bathrooms at Citron are nice though, yes?” Ilya walked over to the car and got in, clipping in his seatbelt.
“Ilya,” Shane made an exasperated noise in the back of his throat.
“My Shane, tell me what color the tiles are.”
“Ilya, you’ve been in the bathroom here before.”
“Maybe I want to imagine the room properly while I think about you sucking my dick.”
“Ilya!” It was a whisper-shout, as if anyone else could have possibly heard what Ilya had said while the phone was pressed to Shane's ear.
“Tell me.”
Shane gave an irritated huff and remained silent.
Ilya started the car and reversed it out of the garage while he waited, setting off down the driveway.
“Fine, they’re blue and gold.”
Ilya grinned. He could hear Shane’s eyes rolling through the phone.
“Mister real estate does not know exact color?”
“It’s, you know, like a lapis lazuli.”
Ilya tried to hold back a laugh as he turned out onto the main road. He knew his next question would set Shane off. “And what metal are the fixtures?”
“Ilya, you know they’re brushed nickel and it makes no sense.”
Ilya could picture Shane pinching the bridge of his nose, face angled toward the floor, eyes closed. The way he would get the adorable little line between his eyebrows. He wished he could kiss Shane right now, all over his perfect face.
He remembered the first time they went to Citron. Shane had returned to the table from the bathroom scandalized. Ilya had thought that maybe he had walked in on some guy getting sucked off, but instead Shane had spent the next five minutes telling Ilya about how the fixtures in the bathroom didn’t match the rest of the decor and if they hadn’t intended to get new faucets, they should have chosen a different color scheme. Why go through the trouble of spending ten thousand dollars on unnecessary tile if you’re not willing to spend another thousand on making the sinks match? Shane had asked, and Ilya was so desperately in love with him he hadn’t been able to speak, so he had just taken Shane’s hand in his and brought it to his lips.
Shane speaking again pulled him out of the memory.
“Ilya? Are you still there?”
“I am here moy lyubimyy. Are you going to go tell Mama Yuna you need to leave? I will be there in ten minutes.” Ilya said as he made a right turn at the next stop sign.
“You know she’s going to ask what the appointment is.”
“Tell her is for doctor, for my vitamin d deficiency.”
“You do not have—”
“Yes I do. Is very tragic, I have not had your dick in my mouth yet today.”
“Oh my god Ilya.”
Warmth spread through Ilya’s chest as he listened to Shane laugh.
“Do not worry, my Shane. I will talk to her. Stay on the phone.”
“What are you going to say?”
“That I miss my husband very much and I need him with me.”
“I love you.”
Ilya could hear his smile through the phone, could picture his eyes going soft with fondness.
“I love you, too. Are you walking back to the table, or still hiding in the bathroom?”
“I’m walking.”
Ilya could hear the noise of the restaurant in the background when Shane stepped back into it. Some kind of faint jazz, knives and forks clinking against plates, random words as Shane walked past servers taking orders. It wasn’t long before he heard Yuna’s voice saying Shane’s name. Ilya heard Shane tell her that Ilya was on the phone, but Shane sounded distant too, so he could imagine Shane holding out the phone to her.
“Ilya?”
“Hello Yuna. I am very sorry to interrupt lunch with Shane but I am coming to pick him up.”
“Is everything alright?”
“My brother called, and it was not so good. I do not know why I still answer.” Ilya sniffed as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited for the light he was sitting at to turn green.
“Oh, Ilya. You shouldn’t have to deal with that, I'm sorry.”
“Is okay. I just really need my Shane, I tried to wait for him to come home but…”
“No, no, we can reschedule.”
Ilya had to try hard not to laugh, because he knew Shane would have something to say about how he only got away with this because he was the favorite son.
“Thank you, I promise Shane and I will make it up to you sometime next week. We will cook very nice dinner and do all the dishes.”
“I’ll hold you both to that.” Yuna laughed.
“We will not disappoint you.” Ilya grinned. He knew Shane loved cooking, especially when Ilya helped him.
There was a moment of near silence where he caught a few words of Yuna saying something about Shane needing to leave, presumably to the guy from Reebok, before Shane’s voice came through the phone again.
“Hey.”
“I am almost there, wait outside for me?”
“Yeah, okay.” Shane said into the phone before Ilya could hear muffled apologies to Yuna and the brand representative.
Ilya stayed on the phone as he pulled into the parking lot, only hanging up when he saw Shane come out the front door and start approaching the car. When he got into the passenger seat, Ilya leaned over and pulled him into a kiss.
Shane was tense at first, Ilya could feel it in how tight he was clenching his fist when he rubbed his thumb over Shane’s knuckles. When Shane started to lean into the kiss, a small noise escaping the back of his throat, he slowly let his fingers uncurl. Ilya pulled back a bit, smiling against Shane’s lips as he knitted their fingers together.
“Thank you.” Shane murmured, squeezing Ilya’s hand like he was trying to apologize.
Ilya just smiled and kissed him again.
“Anything for my Shane.”