Brass Tacked

Don’t think about how Ilya will react when he sees it. Maybe in a crowd at an event. Maybe in a club, going to see Fabian perform. Don’t think about the clenching in Ilya’s gut. The overwhelming need he experiences for his husband. Don’t think about Ilya looking and seeing and thinking that Shane has been kissed by god.

Don’t think about later. Later when Ilya wipes the gold from Shane’s face, so carefully, and kisses the real freckles hello as they come out from hiding. The relief Ilya feels when he has his Shane back. The man who he loves so dearly with those precious freckles that lit the sparks of their love.

Poor, anxiety ridden Shane. It’s so clear from the start that he’s pretty much following Ilya’s lead on whether or not to disclose their relationship. Ilya suggests that they finally tell their agent and almost instantly Shane agrees.

The final paragraph even shows that he’s not happy keeping everything a secret:

“…which meant another decade of hiding, probably. But Shane would do it. He would do anything for Ilya. He’d told him, once, that he was willing to play the long game when it came to their relationship and he’d meant it.

‘Why are you getting sad?’ Ilya asked.”

Just thinking about hiding their relationship for another year made him visibly upset. That his internal thought process included the detail that they’d only talked about it once, like 3 years ago if I remember the timeline correctly, and now he’s just going with that plan without another conversation highlights the miscommunication between the two of them so early in the book. They both fear disrupting what they have and fear that the other won’t want to change the “plan” that they’re living in misery.

I also have to laugh at the bit when they’re on the phone with their agent and Shane realizes how incriminating it looks that they’re FaceTiming her while sitting on a bed together, both with their hair wet, and Ilya is just pulling on his shirt. Then, after Ilya comes out as bisexual and she immediately figures out that they’re in a relationship, Shane feels all shocked that she was able to put 2 and 2 together so quickly and just assumes everyone else in the world would be able to figure it out instantly too. You sweet summer child, you two clearly just showered together and are calling her from your shared bed in your shared bedroom. Of course she’s going to figure it out.

After finally getting married, Ilya applies for Canadian citizenship with Shane as his sponsor. I’m much more familiar with how this works in the USA, but it’s hopefully not too different in Canada - will need to research

However, someone anonymously files a claim that their marriage is fake. That the leaked video of them kissing was a set up to help with the paperwork. After all, there were already rumors that Shane was gay, is it that far of a stretch that he would marry his buddy as a favor?

Maybe back in Russia Alexei has been caught up in some massive scandal. Something that could easily snare Ilya into trouble, even across an ocean, and isn’t it convenient that he and Shane go public and get married around the same time that the trouble with Alexei started? It seems like now would be the perfect time for Ilya to want ad much distance from Russia as possible in order to protect himself.

This results in so much extra scrutiny on Shane and Ilya’s application. They’re being asked to provide documentation like photos and statements from people who knew about them. Except all of the older photos have been meticulously deleted. The only ones saved in Ilya’s “boring” folder were the ones taken on a stage, Shane’s face tight with agitation, nothing loving to be seen between them. The only people who can make witness statements are Shane’s parents and Hayden, all of whom are considered bias and unreliable sources who are likely involved in the citizenship scheme.

The situation is serious enough that if Canadian authorities rule against them, Ilya’s visa would be at serious risk of being revoked and he would be deported and banned from re-entry.

I imagine Crowell is the one who sent in the anonymous tip as payback for Ilya and Shane not following his plan. Or someone from the brass at Montreal.

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The thing that constantly gets me about this book and just doesn’t sit right with me - where is Hayden when Shane finds out about the almost plane crash? Shane hears about it from JJ and they’re on the west coast, so presumably Hayden would be there too. At least somewhere nearby. Hayden knows who Ilya is to Shane and would know that he needs support in this situation.

I know Hayden isn’t always the best and struggles with Ilya, but I refuse to believe that he would just leave Shane without any support in this situation. Was there a throwaway line somewhere about Hayden being out due to injury that I missed?