Solnyshko
Ilya paced the length of the kitchen as he waited to hear Shane's car in the garage. He'd practiced what he wanted to say like Galina told him to, but he was still unsure how this conversation was going to go.
He let his breath out when he finally heard the garage door open and the car’s engine roar, then quiet. Shane came into the kitchen, carrying two bags. He handed one to Ilya with a smile and put the other on the counter. Ilya looked in the bag curiously, slowly realizing Shane had stopped at the Russian grocery as he looked through the bag’s contents as well as the health food store.
“I thought we could make the pelmeni tonight,” Shane said, wrapping his arms around Ilya's waist.
“That would be good,” Ilya said softly, leaning back and kissing Shane’s cheek.
They cooked the pelmeni and the various vegetables Shane brought home. They ate heartily, knowing this was the last meal at home for the next two weeks, since their plane left super early the next morning to transport the team to their first stop on their road trip.
When they were cleaning up after dinner, Ilya finally brought up what he wanted to talk about.
“Solnyshko…I want to talk to you,” he started. He’d been thinking about this conversation a lot, carefully planning what he wanted to say.
“Ok?” Shane said, a little uncertainly.
“I know you want to room separately so you can bond with the team…” he said, the words sticking in his throat a little. “I wish you would um…reconsider. I don't want us to be separated all that time. I sleep better with you. I want this experience with you. As your husband. And as part of our team.” There. He'd done it. He'd spoken directly and Shane heard what he said.
He sneaked a glance at Shane, who hadn't said anything. Shane didn't look angry. He had that crease between his brows that he got when he was processing information. Then he nodded slowly. “Ok,” he said, turning toward Ilya. “I wasn't trying to…I don't know…keep us apart or whatever…like I didn't want to push you away or anything.” Shane's eyes searched his, looking for understanding.
Ilya ran his hand through Shane's hair. “I didn't think you were.” He knew that hadn’t been the issue at all; the issue was Shane was nervous about fitting in with his new team.
Shane pulled him into a hug and Ilya breathed him in. “We could always get separate rooms and sneak into one of them together,” Ilya murmured.
Word Count: 433
@hollanovmicrofic
