Ilya convinces Shane to enjoy himself at Scott and Kip’s off season wedding because 1. his husband deserves it and 2. Ilya is in the middle of medication change and drinking makes him feel like shit during a med or dose transition so Ilya can be the sober one

Shane mostly skipped the cocktail hour hors d'oeuvres, aside from the two bites he accepted from Ilya who insisted he eat something before he drinks. He eats his salmon and vegetables, leaving most of the roast potatoes behind during dinner, and he skips dessert under the excuse of being full from dinner.

However, he does end up enjoying a few glasses of red wine and both his and Ilya’s champagne from the toast. Shane is what Ilya affectionately refers to as a clingy, cute wine drunk. He wants to always be holding Ilya’s hand, and he’s teetering between sweet and sassy with his comments all night.

When they make it back to their hotel room, Ilya watches Shane clumsily undo his button down and asks if he would like some late room service or if he’s still full from dinner. Shane mumbles something that Ilya can’t hear before throwing himself down on the bed, whining about how the room is “kinda spinning”.

Ilya asks Shane to repeat himself and eventually gets an annoyed “I said I’m never full” which leaves Ilya confused. They go back and forth, Shane mainly repeating himself over and over while Ilya attempts to get more out of him than just those words, until Shane admits that he can’t remember the last time he ate until he was “actually full in his stomach” instead of when his “brain decided he should be done eating”.

Ilya hates that. He is upset that Shane has conditioned himself to limit his enjoyment of food, and he’s upset with himself for not noticing that more. It becomes a goal for him in that moment to do what it takes to feed Shane more. Not to make him feel bad or wrong in how he thinks and functions, but to show him that he’s allowed to enjoy food and actually nourish his body fully. They had come a long way since the painfully restrictive diet Shane used to follow, but clearly, it still wasn’t going as well as Ilya thought.

Without second guessing himself, Ilya orders room service. Nothing crazy, but something filling and what Shane would consider a treat on a date night or celebration dinner. He gets Shane comfortable and relaxed before gently encouraging him to eat when the food gets delivered to their room.

Neither can or will admit it until much later, but that night shifts something for both of them.

Shane cleared his plate, thanks to the wine and his husband’s loving words. He actually felt satiated, lulling him into a deep and content sleep as he clung to Ilya with a full, warm belly. Now wasn’t that an incredible feeling?

And Ilya felt a rush. It was intimate and strangely emotional, but it was also…sexy? Why was Shane eating a full meal so satisfying? No, why was choosing that meal and being the one to get Shane to eat it so satisfying?

Shane grew up with her monitoring all his food, but it felt healthy and caring because it was his normal. She made sure he had enough energy and proper nutrition for hockey without ever offering much indulgence. Sugar was incredibly discouraged, and drinking calories was essentially off the table.

He had been considered small but so fast as a young hockey player that his size was fine, but as he got into his teen years and started meeting scouts, everyone said they hoped he would grow a bit if he wanted a shot at going pro. Some even plainly said they were concerned that he was going to be too injury-prone with how lean he was compared to other guys. 

When Shane signed to play in college, Yuna's lectures immediately started. The warnings of the freshman fifteen were more threatening and prevalent than any discussions of academic or athletic performance. The only concerns around partying were wrapped in the packaging of alcohol being very calorie-dense and carb-heavy. She wanted to know the school's nutritionist and mapped out every healthy food store or restaurant near campus.

All this setup is just to say that Shane finds new joy in hockey while playing in college for two reasons. Ilya and food. His team provides him access to more food in one day than Yuna would have prepared for him in almost a week growing up. They put him on a plan to gain weight and build muscle, and it's glorious. Being hit on the ice doesn't hurt nearly as badly anymore. He has way more energy and confidence in his body. 

And Ilya was an even bigger surprise than having freedom around eating. He knew of Ilya through the scouting process, but also playing against him in a few international juniors tournaments. Ilya lived in Boston with his mother, Svetlana, and Svetlana’s mother after they left Russia together. Shane and Ilya live across the hall from each other on the hockey floor, play on the same line, and generally spend almost all their time together after just a few weeks of knowing each other.

Ilya kissed Shane for the first time, walking back to the dorms after the first hockey team party, and the rest was history. Now he has a boyfriend and a team who encourage him to eat more, celebrate their wins, and accept compliments. Plus, Shane may not be great at reading people, but he feels pretty sure that Ilya likes his body more as it grows, too.

His parents' first visit for his season opener was not too bad because all the weight he put on was almost entirely muscle. David is so impressed and supportive, telling Shane he's never looked better on the ice, but Shane can tell Yuna is struggling with it. She's already made comments about being careful because bulking can be a slippery slope, and reminding him to talk to his coaching staff about maintenance. Shane doesn't tell her that his coaching staff were some of his biggest supporters in putting on more weight.

They both liked Ilya and were excited to meet their son’s boyfriend officially, but Shane couldn’t help the small moments where Yuna would make a face at Ilya offering Shane a bite of something or putting more food on his plate. After his parents left, Ilya gently broached the subject because he noticed as well, and Shane finally explained what his childhood was like with food. He had never told anyone about Yuna's lectures and routines before, and Ilya vowed to himself right then that he would not let Shane question his body when they were together.

All that exposition is just to say that when Shane does allow himself to be more lax and accept that his body can change, clothing must be approached with a strategy. He talks with Ilya about how the best choice may be proactively sizing up all of his wardrobe staples, so he will not run out of safe options.

That overall size up hides his weight gain for quite a while from other people but also from Shane himself on some level. His clothes have room for him to grow, so subconsciously, he tells himself that his body has barely changed.

However, Shane knows his body very well. When he chooses to actually think about, he is very aware of his gain and how much bigger and softer his body is getting, but in that safe pocket of his brain where he can turn that intentionality off, he can tell himself “my clothes are too big so that means I can eat more” and the amount he’s gained is instantly minimized.

And Ilya also knows Shane’s body and mind very well, so as soon as he picks up on that, he utilizes that mindset too. Dropping comments how Shane looks so small in his big oversized hoodies, but then can flip a switch in bed and worship every inch of Shane’s added softness.