good morning i am back with more
Ilya looks very good in his black suit, perfectly tailored to fit him. He bought Nikolai a matching gray one, and together, they're all sharp angles and unimpressed russian stares.
Nikolai is a pro at withstanding the onslaught of camera flashes, pretending like he doesn't actually care about being seen with one of hockey's most notorious players. Ilya keeps his hand on his waist, pulling him against his side.
Queer as in fuck you. Hunter can play house and be digestible to straight people if he wants.
Speaking of being digestible to straight people; Hollander arrives in a navy blue suit and with a smile on his face like there's a tiny gay frog living in his mouth.
Ilya forces himself to look as Hollander blinks into the cameras, awkward and sweet as ever.
Hollander turns, looks up, and catches Ilya's eyes. Ilya can see Hollander's expression wavering, can see his eyes go wide, only for a second.
Ilya tightens his grip on Nikolai's waist, and Nikolai, oblivious, leans into him.
are you bringing your boyfriend?
Why even ask? After almost ten fucking years, why even ask?!
"I need champagne," Nikolai says in Ilya's ear, leaning on his shoulder, speaking seductively next to his face, making it look sexier than it is. Someone else will be very happy to show him off once Ilya is done with him.
Ilya nods once. Before he leads him away towards the bar, he shoots Hollander another look, expecting careful blandness, or maybe a weak moment's sadness.
What he doesn't expect is a flash of seething anger, eyes narrowed, jaw locked, gaze fixed on Ilya's hand grabbing on to Nikolai's waist.
"Wait," Ilya says in Russian, "I want to talk to a friend first." He ignores Nikolai's indignant tsk.
Shane feels like he might have lost his mind during these sleepless nights.
The man next to Rozanov is just as gorgeous as he looked in all the pictures: tall, lean, handsome in an ethereal way. He's wearing diamond earrings which, Shane thinks bitterly, surely he did not pay for himself. When he leans in to speak into Rozanov's ear, it reveals a bruise in the back of his neck.
Shane hates him immediately. Hates him so much that the feeling of wanting to sink his teeth into something returns forcefully; sink them in so deep until something dies.
He is so overcome with jealousy that he notices it way too late, Rozanov coming towards him with his boy toy on his arm.
It sends goosebumps down his neck, the hard R.
"You look good," Rozanov has the audacity to say.
From the corner of his eyes, Shane can see the boyfriend's eyes dart back and forth between them. Then, he says something quick in Russian, and it makes Shane hate him even more, the fact that he shares a language with Rozanov.
Rozanov replies something quick in Russian, and the boyfriend sticks his hand out at Shane. "Hi, I'm Nikolai, nice to meet you."
It's the rudest thing he's ever done in his entire life, and people have accused him of being rude before (even though he never meant to be). He means to be now.
After an awkward second, Nikolai pulls back his hand, his beautiful face going from pleasant to annoyed. Another quick sentence in Russian.
Rozanov, however, has the audacity to laugh, then shushes him. Shane is vibrating with tension.
They're surrounded by people, so he can't say what he wants to say. What he needs to say. Feels like his the words will spill out of him anyway if he opens his mouth now, so he keeps it shut.
"Well, Hollander," Rozanov gives him a little smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Nice talking to you. Come on, Nicky, let's get you some champagne now."
And Shane just stands there, fists clenched by his side, as Rozanov walks away.
The boyfriend looks back at Shane over his shoulder, and there's an imperceptible little smile on his face.
Shane, famously bad at reading social cues, knows what this one means: