They did in fact, all get sexier

Happy 10 year anniversary to Cor Et Cerebrum by @bowditch. Thank you for writing and sharing your writing!

Here is a scene from the Epilogue of and i know you're thinking of me. Excerpt under break. (I had this in my WIP folder for ages)

theres a pack of cigarettes

and hes just staring at it for a few seconds and then goes "huh" and mentally wiggles his finger at his boyfriends mom bc yuna yuna yuna after all these comments about him smoking tsk

he puts them back and tries to hint here or there that he knows over the next few weeks. it never seems to land.

(those were davids)

(this not once crossed ilyas mind)

(plus yuna now thinks he found the cigarettes in her glove compartment for when the speedo ppl call bc theyre impossible to handle otherwise)

(after yuna simply Not Getting It ilya goes back and puts a note in there that says "hah, found them")

(so david assumes that was yuna and starts hinting at it)

(which makes yuna think ilya ratted her out)

the iconic all stars 2017 rozanov-hollander helmet kiss hits the internet

later, rozanov gleefully decides to repeat it when hollander scores in a regular game... against? boston?

what the hell is he doing? that guy is so weird. at least hollander, unflappable as ever, seems to take it in stride and just laughs it off. even rozanov struggles to get under hollander's skin, huh?

("can't i appreciate good hockey?" he says, later, when asked about it. "a beautiful goal is a beautiful goal, even if it is from hollander!")

("does this mean you'll kiss any opposing teammate who scores an impressive enough goal?")

("no ❤️")

rozanov scores against montreal a few minutes later, and holds out his arms to hollander expectantly. hollander's answering 😐 is so iconic it enters several people's reaction image folders once it hits the internet.

the next time hollander scores in this game his teammates are ready. they get there first. back OFF, rozanov. if ANYONE is going to kiss hollander for that beautiful goal, it's US.

all five teammates on the ice with hollander pass him around to take turns smooching his head while rozanov loudly protests he should also be allowed to have a turn and gets laughed off.

shane hollander would just like to know how he got here? why is this happening to him exactly? hello?

unfortunately for shane hollander, he gets a hat trick this game, which means the metros new tradition of "linemates, defensemen, and the goalie all have to pass hollander around for kisses" is cemented. he's not getting out of this now.

it continues on into other games. it's just a thing now. it's popular with the fans, and it always makes hollander laugh and roll his eyes, and everyone loves when a camera manages to get a close up of shane hollander (the most beautiful man in the entire league) laughing.

("jaaane i didn't mean for this to happen. i don't want to see all these other men kissing you 😭😭😭😭")

("You did this. I have no sympathy. This is directly your fault.")

("this is u right now isnt it 😾😾😾")

("Fuck off.")

the people of montreal really love this bit. not only are the crowds blowing hollander kisses every time he scores in a home game, but also he's getting ribbed about it during post-game press. Everyone Loves Cap Kissy Time

it becomes something of a montreal local meme. every time something good happens (nailed a job interview? got a promotion? got back a straight-A report card?) you have to blow a kiss to the centre bell. for captain hollander.

this is all well and good until the day they just barely lose a game to boston in overtime. and then rozanov turns to blow a kiss across the ice to hollander.

- Ilya’s first sunburn, which is Very Bad. His are all cheeks all flushed and he’s walking funny and hissing through his teeth as he pushes on the reddened skin as it turns yellow. He yelps any time Shane tries to touch it, which is all the time because it’s funny and also because he likes touching Ilya.

- Shane catches a little sunfish off the end of the dock and puts it in a bucket full of water and Ilya sits in a Slavic squat in front of that bucket for hours on the dock watching the fish swim around. He’s sticking his hand in there to try and touch it and making embarrassing noises and jerking his hand away when he does manage to brush a finger along the scales. Until Shane tells him it needs to be released at some point and then Ilya is insisting on being the one to do it.

- Utterly failing at water skiing, with Shane trying to give tips while David drives the boat. Full on face of water, sputtering eating-shit so many times but insisting on going again, because Shane can do it so Ilya will do it too.

- Not tying up his shorts tight enough the first time David takes them tubing (despite his calm demeanour, once David has a tube behind his boat he drives like a maniac) and Ilya almost loses his shorts, white booty out. Shane can’t help but smack his ass and cackle as Ilya tries desperately to hold onto the tube handle with one hand and his shorts (that are around his knees) with the other while they continue to fly across the water.

- Ilya trying to dive off the dock in a life jacket because Shane told him it was impossible and now of course he has to try.

- Ilya in a life jacket in general.

- Ilya with a mosquito bite. Itching itching itching while Shane slaps at his hands and tells him to stop. It’s gets all red and raised bump, and Ilya’s kind of self conscious but he still can’t stop scratching and cursing mosquitos as he does. But then Shane’s pressing a careful thumbnail into an X over the bite and Ilya’s fascinated by another way he can be close to Shane.

- Ilya on the dock, on his stomach watching a spider eat a bug in its web for an undetermined amount of time. He’s narrating for Shane with a slightly disgusted but fascinated tinge to his voice who is suntanning beside him, sunglasses on.

- Ilya in the marsh trying to catch a frog after David explains how Shane used to do it all the time. He’s finally got one, calling Shane’s name with so much excitement and a frog cupped between his hands. Of course it’s the largest fugliest frog in the marsh so then they’re both crouched down, staring into Ilya cupped palms arguing about whether or not the frog is cute (Ilya says it is, Shane says it’s ugly)

- Ilya with a leech from the marsh stuck onto his ankle. He’s actually Losing His Shit about this one. freaky, disgusting, Canadian blood sucker. Why the fuck would they even have these things in the lake. Shane has to pull it off. Obviously he lets Ilya chase him around the property throwing his ankle towards Shane screaming “get it off, Shane! Get it off!” before he has Ilya sit on a sun chair and performs leech surgery on his ankle while Ilya whimpers (non-sexily).