thatnerdybitch

So he really should have expected the question, "so who is, you know, the man?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dude, you can't ask that," a very progressive Young advised. "You gotta ask who's the top. Not the man."

Shane exhaled slowly. He loves his team he loves his team he loves his team.

"That is private," Shane said firmly. "And inappropriate in the workplace."

He was, of course, largely ignored. And while neither him nor Ilya really enjoyed their team, their friends, the internet, and homophobic players guessing their bedroom arraignments, Shane was surprised that nearly everyone got it wrong.

The general consensus what that Shane was the man. His going out outfit was usually jeans and a t-shirt, Ilya's was tight leather pants and a leopard print with four buttons undone. When they drank, Shane got a beer and Ilya either got shots or the sweetest cocktail they had. Ilya was more flamboyant, Shane was more reserved. Ilya liked to bake, Shane liked to grill.

And yes, Shane was aware why all these seemingly innocuous personality traits accumulated to make Shane the man and Ilya the girl. Still, it didn't stop it being generally annoying, offensive, and uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Shane liked finding the silver lining in that this was something just for them to know.

Ilya finds it more amusing then Shane. And, like most things, tries to use it to his advantage.

"Shaaaane, carry my bag," Ilya held out his hockey bag.

"No."

"I can't believe you treat your girlfriend like this."

~*~

"Is it a happy bouquet or an 'i'm sorry' one?" Holmsberg asked as he and the rookies peered over Young's phone. "Get the all roses one."

"That's the most expensive one!"

"Dude."

"Shane," Ilya whined, calling their attention to him. "Why don't you ever buy me flowers?"

"That's messed up, dude," LaPointe shook his head.

"I'll buy you roses, Roz." Wyatt grinned.

"You will not," Shane grumbled.

~*~

"Ah," Ilya winced as he lowered himself on the bench.

"You okay?" Shane asked him. He had taken a hard check into the boards early in the game and, despite reassuring Shane he was fine, he knew his hip was killing him.

"Fine," Ilya said predictability. "Just sore. Will be fine in a minute."

"Hey," Zane nudged Shane's shoulder. "Go easy on him on game days, okay? We need him."

"Go easy?" Shane's eyebrows drew together. "What do you - Oh! No, that isn't - he - I didn't -"

"It's fine, man. Whatever you two-"

"No!" Shane interrupted. "He's still sore off of Richard's check - Not - Ilya, stop laughing!"

~*~

"Doesn't it bother you?" Shane asks Ilya one day.

"What?"

"That everyone assumes you're, you know," Shane gestured, a cute little blush on his cheeks. "The girl."

"There is no girl," Ilya raises his eyebrows and palms Shane through his pants. "I would know."

"Asshole," Shane scoffs. "You know what I mean."

"I know," Ilya smiled. "But no. It does not bother me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's hot," Ilya lifted his hands, over Shane's chest and up to his face. "That people can't even imagine you like this."

Ilya dips to kiss his neck and Shane's eyes flutter shut.

"Makes no sense," Ilya continued, hands roaming down to Shane's ass. "To me, I know this immediately."

"F-fuck off, you did not."

"Oh, I did," Ilya gripped his chin, forcing Shane to look at him. "I see you... those beautiful freckles and I know how desperate you are for it. So obvious. Thought everyone was looking at this boy thinking how good he would look getting fucked. How well he would take it."

"Ilya..."

"Shh," Ilya patted his face. "But I think is better this way. That only I get to even imagine you like this. Only I get to have it."

"Only you," Shane agreed readily, hands flying to the zipper on Ilya's jeans.

(Click here to get to my normal pinned post)

So I've hinted at this a little bit but there has been a HUGE change in my life. My wife and I have found ourselves caring for two children- ages 10 and 15. I can't give a TON of details online, because I want to protect them, but I'm hoping maybe you guys can understand that the reason we're currently caring for them is a direct result of the political climate of the United States. Because of all of this, we are working to become the guardians of these children for the foreseeable future, possibly adopting them if that's something they want (they have expressed they want this, but things change and this will all take time).

I'm hoping you all can understand that even though my wife and I are so happy to have children in our lives, this is NOT the way we wanted it to happen, because it involves a lot of sadness. These kids are going through a lot of trauma, and things are changing almost daily. I waited for things to be confirmed by a lawyer before posting this, but it still could change, and I want to be transparent about that. However, I'm posting this for two reasons:

First, as you might have noticed, I'll be writing fics and answering asks a lot less. While I adore writing and it makes me so incredibly happy, I also adore these kids, and they need me right now. I'm working on finding time for myself, but that's something I'm trying to find a balance with and these kids need adults to rely on in their lives. I'm not leaving fandom or even stopping writing forever, but I definitely will be around a lot less, at least for now.

Second, the legal battle we will need to fight, as well as making sure the kids are comfortable in our home, will be expensive. I created a GoFundMe to try to raise money for this, and I am posting the link below. Again, to be transparent, I didn't put a lot of information there, because I need to protect my identity, as well as the identities of the children. The location on the GoFundMe is inaccurate, and I didn't put my full name, because I knew I would be posting it here. However, I am hoping you all will consider helping anyway. (Also if you notice anything that identifies me on the page that I missed, please lmk....)

If for some unlikely reason things change, and the kids are able to be with their biological mother, please rest assured that any donations will still go toward making sure they are well cared for.

Please, if you would consider sharing the link or (if you are an adult) donating, I would appreciate it. You are more than welcome to dm me or inbox me with any questions, and I will do my best to answer them as long as I can still protect everyone involved.

Thanks guys! I hope you have a good day!

The real kicker comes the first time they spend a night apart. Shane has been booked for a photoshoot that requires him to stay overnight. It shouldn't be a big deal. It's one night. They've spent countless nights apart before.

However, it's nearing 2 AM and Shane still can't fall asleep. There's no deep breathing that boarders on snores filling the room, no one snatching the blankets from him, no cloying warmth of a furnace disguised as a 220 pound hockey player forcing him to stick his feet from under the blanket in an attempt not to overheat. It's awful. It shouldn't be this difficult. They spent years in a long-distance relationship, Shane wishing every night for Ilya's presence. He should be able to do this. But never before has he felt his absence this keenly.

Barty: See that bitch over there?

Regulus: That wee girl?

Barty: She tried to muscle in, things got ugly. She'll think twice next time.

Evan: You didn't fight that wain, did you Barty?

He tried to read. He did 🦌🐈‍⬛✨✨

I love how i drew james’ arms so much here. It was just a lil doodle but i got too invested …