fu*cough*

not because he owes the world ANYTHING but because he already did ALL the right things and obeyed the media training and acted just how he was supposed to, and then his world got blown to smithereens anyway, so FUCK IT. he still mostly stays on the rails, but he is more relaxed in interviews with ilya because a little bit "fuck it" and a little bit "i'm sitting next to my favorite person while doing this"

they DO end up sidetracking each other, though, a la the way ilya kept cracking up and wrecking the ccm shoot

they get asked couple interview questions that are just softball content things like "who cooks the most?"

and IMMEDIATELY the answer is delayed by bickering

"-kay, yeah, maybe during the season you do more cooking, but let's also talk about who sets the fire alarm off more"

"oh, we want to do this? who is the one who tried to set our toaster on fire this morning, hollander? remind me of this"

"oh, you mean our THIRD toaster this year because you just shove stuff in there and see what happen-"

"you also were curious about if cookies could go in there. you know you were."

"no, i wasn't! i said don't do it!"

"no, you are rewriting history." *hand flick and look to camera* i asked if cookies could go in the toaster, and he said 'i don't know.'" *look back to shane* "you wanted to know."

"no! that is not what that means at ALL. that doesn't-"

"i asked question, you-"

"no, you're ridiculous." *look back to camera* "he cooks more, but you can also ask the fire department who sets off the alarm more. it's the same answer."

"the fire department came ONE time."

"yeah, and it's one more than i've ever had them called on me."

"yes, because your great love is the microwave and that-"

and the interviewer behind the camera just. really does not know where to jump in here because they are fully more focused on each other than actually. doing the interview.

It was getting harder to say goodbye.

Shane’d figured it’d be easier, once they were official. To part, knowing that there definitely was going to be a next time. But now? Now, it was excruciating. Because whenever he had to kiss Ilya goodbye, it was with the knowledge that Ilya belonged to him. That he was sending the most precious and fragile piece of his heart into the universe, unprotected, just praying that it would come back unscathed.

So yeah, maybe the last time they’d said goodbye, he’d gotten carried away.

Caught up in the moment, the feeling of Ilya inside him, the need to be inside the other man’s very soul.

He’d been loud. Groaning Ilya’s name so raggedly that it’d pulled Ilya over the edge after him, pulling him closerclosercloser, refusing to let go even in the sticky aftermath.

But it was just unbearable. How much he fucking loved him.

But he didn’t realize how needy he’d been until a text arrived on his phone the next day.

Unknown Number: Montreal Jane

He froze, shocked and a bit terrified.

Shane: Who is this? Unknown Number: Cliff Marleau Unknown Number: Damn girl Unknown Number: Look what you did

And then, a picture. An attached picture of Ilya in front of the mirror in what must’ve been the Raiders’ locker room, his torso bare. His expression in the reflection was electric, the uninhibited grin on his face lighting up the whole room. 

But the best part?

The picture gave a clear view of long, possessive marks scratched down Ilya’s sculpted back. Etched over his beautiful muscles and pressed into his perfect flesh, Shane had, in the heat of the moment, used his nails like claws, marking what was his.

Suddenly, he broke into a crazed grin that matched his boyfriend’s.

three years and a random question instead of a greeting. instead of an apology. instead of anything.

more silence and ilya supposes he deserves it. or, alexei thinks he does at least, and he's not sure why he bothered to pick up the phone in the first place.

"i remember deda dima telling us not to climb them in case we got sap on our clothes," alexei says eventually, and his voice is still heavy with exhaustion.

"i didn't know if it was real or . . . or if it was something i made up."

hang it in the louvre