#compatible

No somos compatibles.

i think there’s an unhelpful blurring of canon between the books and the show (that i am probably not helping with here as i assume some level of applicability of the pov to the show versions of the characters) because there’s no hole chase in the book and the pov is less divided in the show. we still see shane’s anger turn to desire turn back to desire turn to shame. but ilya sees that too, he just doesn’t have the ability that night to attend to any of it. we also have more context than shane for why ilya is having such a bad time and isn’t able to be sweet or communicative like their first time at shane’s apartment.

the hole chase is so obviously part of establishing their d/s dynamic in the show that it makes way more sense why vegas ends on such a sour note. the problem is not actually that the sex they have that night is kinky, it’s that there actually wasn’t enough kink in their relationship for the months leading up to that night, because it was total radio silence. shane wants to be reassured that he is desirable in ways that he reciprocates, and that he’s not abnormal for having those desires. ilya wants to feel in control, feel useful and needed by someone who thanks him for telling him what to do. neither of them has the capacity or ability to articulate any of that to one another that night. so they fuck, because that’s how they communicate better. and it works! it’s fucking amazing, actually. but afterward, they’re still left with their desires. shane wants to be kissed, but he wants ilya to recognize that and do it without shane having to ask for it. ilya wants to feel in control of his relationships, and get some space from being tormented by dealing with his family. the world outside of their relationship is bleeding into their dynamic, and neither of them like it.

now a little close reading of ilya’s pov:

“But if he kissed him the way he wanted to—a slow exploration of Hollander’s mouth that would provide Ilya with enough memories to get him through the long summer ahead—they would never leave this bathroom.”

even in ilya’s internal monologue here, his dread of what he’s facing in the upcoming summer is clouding his enjoyment and his decision making of what he allows himself to enjoy with shane. right after this, the scene jumps from the bathroom to ilya’s nerves in his room waiting for shane. it’s chasing him through the evening! but as soon as he gets shane’s arrival text, “Ilya smiled at his phone, the butterflies settling immediately.”

the line that i assume people cite when using this metatext/paratext to write off the kink is “He definitely wasn’t the one in charge anymore.” but shane is described as “watching ilya’s face the entire time,” and right after this, ilya says he “wanted more anger,” and he regains it by chirping shane about his stanley cup win. which is the exact reaction (indignant, horny, magnetically drawn) ilya is seeking from shane throughout the hole chase. he’s making up for lost time! they’re trying to fit back into these roles for one another, but ilya is second guessing himself here, which is the problem. he’s suffering give him a break maybe! and even the second guessing doesn’t preclude the sex from being up to their standards. both of them each describe having the time of their fucking lives. #THEIRCOMPATIBILITY!

but after this, when they’re done fucking, ilya denies himself the release of kissing shane, which he also wants - he’s not denying that as an intentional part of their power game like he denies sucking shane’s dick in the bathroom earlier. he’s trying to maintain distance and lashing out about it, which he regrets, as does shane. shane does not think “we didn’t even exchange blowjobs in the bathroom,” because that was part of their game, and he got what he wanted from ilya: direction. after they fuck, he’s flailing around looking for more and just can’t land on it. it’s one of the first times they don’t give each other what they want. ilya tries to instigate a reaction by smoking in the bed next to shane, but shane doesn’t take the bait, because he’s already in his head again. he can’t say that he only likes the taste of vodka from ilya’s mouth and not from a glass. ilya is waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it does, but it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. shane is left filling all the pillow talk airspace, and they’re learning/confirming that neither of them like it when shane directs their interactions in this way.

which brings me to shane and his service submission. take my hand. i think they’ve both established that they like what they do for each other. shane likes making ilya feel good, being good for him! but back in sochi, he’s getting nothing from ilya - no direction, no praise, no disapproval, no tension, no feedback. this is because ilya is having the worst week of his life and thus isn’t fulfilling his end of the dynamic - he doesn’t want his relationship with shane being tainted by his fucked up relationship with russia and his family, he wants to maintain the distance that is part of what makes their dynamic so good. and so shane tries to help ilya in sochi, tries to be good for him, tries to make him feel good. and continues to get nothing back (contrast this with sasha who is bratty rather than earnest back against ilya’s denials, but still doesn’t get what he’s looking for). he gets nothing! this continues all the way into the bathroom, culminating when shane begs ilya to just tell him, “what the fuck do you actually want from me?” this is our earnest shane! this is him slotting them back into their dynamic in the absence of ilya’s goading texts, and assuring ilya that he still wants more, despite the break. this allows ilya to slide back into directing him, guiding and rewarding and punishing him - up to a point. in ilya’s hotel room bed after they fuck, shane reverts to his earnest, misguided attempts to help ilya feel better. and as ilya thinks to himself, “Ah. There. Moment ruined.” shane has been ruminating on ilya’s relationship with russia since honestly before they were even in sochi, and ourearnestshane can’t help himself but to seek clarification. and that’s what people do, right? after sex? check in with each other, offer comfort…? maybe some people, but not two people in kinky D/s hockey (fake) rivalry dynamic who communicate through sex much better than any other way. that’s him groping around in the dark of “normal” relationships that he is so uncomfortable in - the real world, which shane seeks to avoid through him submission to ilya, is creeping back in for him, too. in the absence of ilya’s domination, shane falls onto the thing that’s the most upsetting for ilya, triggering what started their silence in the first place. they know they both hated the 6 months of silence, but can’t articulate the reason for that: they get comfort and fulfillment from their D/s relationship even outside of the context of sex.

assuming there aren’t any missing interactions or texts between where e2 ends and where the start of the e4 montage picks up, i think shane self-flagellates for a few days/weeks and tries to distract himself, ilya takes some abuse from his family and once he’s resigned enough to the shape of his summer and wanting to seek release, he reaches back out to shane in a familiar way. his “have a boring summer!” text resets their push/pull dynamic, but it also sets an unspoken expectation for shane now that ilya knows he still wants it despite their lapse that year. shane’s reply always struck me as brave (in character), bringing russia back up despite how disastrously it failed the last few times, but it’s also meeting ilya in tone, much more joking than before. earnest, because it’s shane, keeping that door open, because he meant it when he asked in bed. but following ilya’s lead. relieved.

“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH”❤️‍🩹

“Shane thinks he’s inventing kinks out of his own beautiful head but they’re actually the kinks Ilya whispers into his ears while he’s blissed tf out on sex endorphins”

Like yes Shane is a freak, but he’s Ilya’s freak because as we know Ilya was his “first flint of desire”. Not only did Ilya take that man’s virginity, Shane’s skills and preferences are largely shaped around him.

This however only makes it even sweeter for Ilya when literally Shane says something completely out of nowhere

Honestly, I totally agree. These two's sexual makeup is so intrinsically intertwined with one another, they're like an ouraboros of desire: it is impossible to distinguish where Ilya's wants begin and Shane's wants end - they're just that compatible babyyyy~