executively dysfunctional demisexual

Like Shane will come back from having a shower and curl up on the couch beside Ilya and his cheeks are pink from the warm and his hair is wet and in his one of Ilya’s hoodies and he smells like soap and his conditioner and he yawns so big it makes his eyes water and as he curls into the the back of the couch he asks Ilya if they can watch this documentary about penguins that his dad said was good and Ilya just clutches and his chest and crawls forward and keens over and mushes his face into Shane’s chest.

Shane is like “what are you doing?” In a monotone voice and Ilya reaches out to blindly fit his hand to Shane’s cheek and is like “you have killed me” groans and rubs his face into Shane’s chest. And Shane is “from my boring?” Because Ilya does like to die from that every now and again, the last time was when he tried to explain to Ilya how the pans should be stacked in the draw so they don’t scuff. “No” Ilya sighs “even worse, you are so cute I’ve died” and Shane laughs and just smacks Ilya on the side of the head and then pulls at his curls. Ilya drags his face up and pouts and says “you need to give me mouth to mouth” and Shane frowns and mumbles “uh oh” and leans in and kisses Ilya. Because he’ll always play Ilya silly little games with him.

A relatively messy study/fanart for project hail mary, the last month has really awakened my inner space loving child again

“So,” Yuna said lightly, moving to sit by Shane as they both relaxed inside, eyes glued on the widow that faced outside, where David was attempting to teach Ilya to fish. “‘Lovers,’ huh?”

Of course, Shane had known that this talk was coming, but he still groaned, blushing dramatically. “Mom, I told you that word was–”

“I’m not judging, Shane. I’m just saying…almost ten years? That’s…that’s a long time.”

He let out a sigh, still watching his boyfriend through the glass. Ilya was grinning, nodding along as David modelled how to bait a hook. After a moment, though, his face turned to horror as he seemed to realize that live bait was going to be used. “It is,” he acknowledged.

“When did it change?” Yuna asked, never one to beat around the bush.

“I–recently, Mom, I–it’s complicated..Like we said, Scott Hunter–” Shane started, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for her.

“Shane, believe it or not but I do know you,” she interrupted firmly, causing him to finally glance in her direction. “And I know what I saw in my kitchen the other day. He–” she paused, frowning, as if trying to find the words. “He understands you. And that doesn’t happen from a few months of…whatever you two want to call this. It comes from years of love.”

He blinked, looking away. Outside, Ilya attempted to cast the line only for it to catch on a nearby bush, making both men laugh and Shane smile to himself even as he contemplated. “Maybe…a while? Maybe…fuck, maybe…” he swallowed, the possibility of years spent in love and hiding it making his heart ache. How long had he been denying himself the one thing he’d wanted the most? Had it been since the first time they’d hooked up? Longer? “I…wasn’t allowed to love him,” he finally answered carefully, trying to keep his tone light. “M’still not. I just…gave up. Trying to stop myself. Trying to follow the rules. We both did.”

He felt Yuna’s eyes on him, then. Her sadness, maybe. He didn’t say anything about it.

After a moment, she simply said, “Good.”

He turned quickly to her. “What?”

“Good,” she repeated, eyes steely and jaw set. “Fuck the rules, Shane. Like I said, I can see the way you two know each other, and…you’ve never been happier.”

i slowed it down on the inbetween frames in the animation and i know thats just what these are but what does this mean??? why does he have fangs??? why does the last one look like that??

It started when he was a kid and he was trying to help everyone get better at hockey including the opposing teams players, he would say something like “your stick grip is weak” or “you’re slow on your right” (idk i don’t know hockey very well ESPECIALLY little kid hockey) but he says it totally deadpan because little Shanebug doesn’t understand tone yet.

This makes the other teams so mad! They try and fight him constantly! Little bitty baby hockey fights and then Yuna sits him down in middle school after the first fight that he actually gets hurt (black eye and bloody lip) and asks him what he is saying to make everyone fight him?

“Nothing mean I swear mom!!! I’m trying to be nice and help correct their form”

And suddenly Yuna gets it and explains to Shane that not everyone but especially not the opposing team likes to have their flaws pointed out to them even if it’s coming from a good place and how that could be seen as chirping.

So he stops for a while, then his coach for world juniors tells him to try and piss off Rozanov enough that they can draw a penalty. So Shane does what he does best and points out a flaw at each face off. Jokes on him though because Ilya is actively changing those things and getting better every face off because he is taking it for what it is, advice.

Which pisses Shane off, he thinks his chirping tactic won’t work now that he is older. So he points out at his first scrimmage at practice in Montreal that the center who has been there for years (who he is probably replacing) is favoring his left side is staying too far left to compensate (again I don’t know hockey so I am trying to translate things I know about soccer lol)

And the center loses it on him! Immediately yelling about the lack of respect and how a rookie makes it to the MLH and thinks they are hot shit.

So Shane realizes his chirping DOES work just not on rozanov and becomes a menace he studies game tape specifically to find holes in his opponents game and pre prepares chirps and it fucking works because all these men are so far up their own asses that they just get mad instead of using the advice.

A blanket on sale that she knows is a texture Shane will like, sesame mochi — the only dessert Shane will eat — David’s favourite brand of chocolate covered almonds (Meiji, obviously).

And when Ilya joins their family it takes a while, but Yuna notices that he always reaches for the dried mangoes when there’s a bag open, and he eats the Miss Vickies sweet and spicy ketchup chips by the handful.

So it makes sense to her that she would pick these things up when she sees them at the store and make sure her pantry is stocked for all her boys.

Ilya only finds out when they’re over at his parents on a movie night, and Shane, rummaging around the pantry for snacks groans “at this point, you have more of Ilya’s stuff than you do mine,”

“My stuff?” He asks, completely befuddled.

“Yeah, like the ketchup chips and the dried mangoes. Your snacks take up the whole pantry.”

“My snacks,” Ilya says again flatly, still not understanding. “But you all eat these.”

“I mean sure,” Shane agrees, “but my mom buys them for you. Because you like them.”

“This is true?” Ilya turns to Yuna with wide eyes.

And Yuna smiles softly at him, maybe a little sheepishly at being called out so blatantly, and shrugs.

“I mean, yes, honey. I thought you liked those snacks?”

And Ilya gets all teary and reassures her that he loves these snacks. He’s obsessed with these snacks. They are his favourite snacks.

And he starts noticing how anytime he shows interest in something, it will start showing up regularly at the Hollander household—snacks, candy, that specific Japanese soda Ilya likes with the marble.