i think a case can be made for scott getting kind of fat once he retires and the first time ilya sees him with the extra weight he of course has something to say about scott being old and out of shape, but there is also a part of ilya that cannot let scott be better at him than anything. including being a doting, fat, retired husband. (scott has no idea this is a competition, he's happily doing his own thing.)
Finally getting to this, anon I thank you for your patience.
Scott donates to the Irina Foundation on a very consistent basis so he’s always invited to charity dinners, even as Ilya jokes that there should be a no dinosaurs allowed policy. But a few years of retirement have changed Scott Hunter.
He’s making the rounds, saying hello to everyone, and he’s got a belly that enters the room before he does. Scott looks so happy, and Kip is definitely appreciative of the changes retirement has brought to his husband. His hands lingering on Scott’s back and slowly trailing down to softly squeeze a love handle. When they take pictures it naturally lands on the crest of Scott’s belly.
Ilya is a very observant man, we all know this. So he sees this and… he’s jealous? Of Scott Hunter? It’s an odd feeling and it makes him feel insane because if he expressed this to Shane it would come out wrong and create a misunderstanding. Ilya doesn’t want Scott Hunter, or his very nice husband who is certainly out of Scott Hunter’s league.
What he does want is the ability to take up space like that. Ilya isn’t a small man, he’s tall and has a body that people go crazy for. But he’s spent his whole life being shoved into the background, especially around his father who wanted a son who didn’t argue or act out. This realization that he wants to take up space and enjoy it leaves him feeling unmoored, and in classic Ilya fashion he grits his teeth and shoves it down.
Until the career ending injury that hands him an early retirement on a silver platter.
It opens the floodgates on the thing he’s been denying himself for a few years now, because he can sleep in most days if he wants to, he doesn’t have to go on grueling jogs that never satisfied his desire to move. So he quits running, mostly focusing on strength training because he’s always loved that. And he’s always eaten whatever he wants, but he’s not burning calories like he used to.
It’s not long before a small swell of fat coats his abs and softens all the hard lines and edges of his body. Filling in places that were crafted to have one purpose. Ilya would be nervous about it if Shane wasn’t so fucking enthusiastic about the weight. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. Ilya wears an old Boston shirt and is making breakfast in the kitchen, he turns and Shane’s zeroed in on where the shirt no longer covers the hang of his belly.
Shane then proceeded to blow him as Ilya leaned against the kitchen counters, his face flushed from the act but also from the large breakfast currently sitting in his stomach.
Yeah, it’s clear Shane likes this.
With all his free time, Ilya devotes himself to the foundation and spends his days there. Hockey was something he did, and he did like it, but seeing what the foundation has done for people is better than that. Fuck the Stanley cup, this is something that Ilya has built with the love of his life. That’s so much more special. He comes home before Shane, and he’s also gotten very into cooking so he makes dinner for the both of them. More often than not, Ilya finishes these dinners and has to lay down on the couch and forget his plans to have mind blowing sex with his husband because he’s too full to move.
A year goes by, and there’s the year end party for the Irina foundation. Shane spots Scott and Kip, dragging Ilya over to the two men. Scott looks Ilya up and down, and can’t help himself by chirping him just a little.
“Looks like retirement suits you, Rozanov.”
“Hm, yes it does. And I could not let you be fattest retired MLH player.”
Scott laughs, and says Ilya still has some catching up to do. Shane turns to look at Ilya and sees a fire in his eyes… and it clicks. Of course it’s a competition, and that’s something Shane can get behind.
A few weeks go by and Ilya is stirring homemade pasta sauce when Shane walks through the door. He’s carrying a box from the bakery they buy Ilya’s birthday cake from every year and he sets it on the counter. Ilya raises an eyebrow, turning to face Shane.
“Have you finally gotten too many concussions and forgot when my birthday is?”
Shane shakes his head, coming closer and putting an arm around Ilya’s increasingly thickened waist.
“No, you asshole. I got you a surprise, for after dinner. Smells good, by the way.”
Shane is smirking, and Ilya always is driven wild when Shane is being coy.
“Okay, keep your secrets.”
They eat dinner, and Ilya has enough pasta to make him need to pull down his sweatpants and let his belly take up more space. He leans back, letting his eyes drift shut for a moment.
There’s a hand on his belly a few moments later, and Shane is standing over him. The bakery box is on the table and all the dishes are cleared, Ilya looks up and puts his hand over Shane’s.
Shane opens the box, and a dense, moist chocolate cake is inside. Ilya stares at it, his eyes widening for a moment.
“Shane… I am very full. I don’t have room for cake.” Even though he can feel his mouth watering as he stares at the chocolate mirror glaze coating the cake.
Shane hums, cutting him a slice anyway.
“You want to be bigger than Scott Hunter, right? I’m sure he has dessert every night.”
Any resolve Ilya had crumbles then and there, reaching for the fork on the table until Shane lightly swats at his hand.
“I’ll feed you, baby. All you need to do is open your mouth.”
Ilya nods, he’s determined now. And as he stares up at Shane, he knows he’ll be bigger than Scott Hunter in no time.
