child - hollanov - @taylorswiftmicrofic - word count: 367 - click here for my hollanov microfic archive on ao3
Shane had taken over five business days to bring it up, ruminating on it over and over again in his constantly-whirring brain. At first, he’d dismissed it, thinking himself to be too jealous or annoying for worrying, but the thought hadn’t left his mind and had instead taken root, growing into a giant tree of anxiety.
Ilya, who was sitting on the couch next to him, turned and smirked. “Yes. Is still nine inches.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Not what I was asking, asshole.”
“But is still useful information, yes?”
He tried to stay focused. “When you talk to Svetlana. She calls you Ilyukha. Is that a nickname?”
The other man broke into a genuine smile. “Oh. Um, yes, kind of? But a little different. There are different ways to change names, in Russian. They are sometimes used by different people, but all are okay. Sveta calls me Ilyukha, because she is my friend. When I was a child, my mother called me Ilyushenka, to be…cute, I guess?”
Immediately fascinated, Shane nodded. “Oh. So like…do significant others do that, too?”
Ilya smiled again, biting his lip a little in amusement. “Yes, often. It is…something people do when they are close. Using these things.”
Shane frowned, resisting the urge to pout. “But I call you Ilya.”
“Hollander, we used last names for first seven years of knowing each other, ‘Ilya’ is special name to us at this point, yes?” Ilya laughed, shaking his head.
But that wasn’t a good enough answer. “Still. If other people do it…” Shane insisted, still frowning. “What would I call you?”
Ilya’s expression softened, his eyes filling with adoration and love. “Any of these. But...Ilyusha, I think, would be good," he whispered, with a small, rather nervous smile. “But…only if you want.”
“Ilyusha,” Shane repeated slowly, tasting the word on his tongue.
The change in the other man’s face was immediate. Eyes brightening, mouth turning into a huge grin, he was suddenly smiling so brightly he lit up the entire room, looking so enamored that Shane was shocked he didn’t tackle him right then and there.
It just made Shane smile as well. “You like it?” he asked teasingly.
Ilya pinched his lips together and shrugged, cheeks turning red. “A little.”
