My headcanon of the day is that Ilya is not used to getting calls from family members unless they need something from him. Nobody ever calls him (maybe apart from Shane) to just simply check up on him. So the first time David calls him on a random day of the week, asks him about his day, hands the phone to Yuna to do the same—Ilya is a little confused as to why these people are just randomly calling him. He even texts David after they've hung up to confirm if they needed something and have just forgotten to mention it. When David texts back "no son we just wanted to check up on you" Ilya sits and stares at that text until he feels his throat close up and there's an odd sting in his eyes.
Ilya would panic seeing his phone light up. That horrible cold feeling of anxiety would twist his stomach. He’d been waiting for this. When someone else in his life would want something from him. He answers and steels his voice as usual, waiting for the request, the demand, the yelling. But the call is pleasant. Kind. It doesn’t stop Ilya’s throat from tightening, his mind from spiraling.
The Hollanders hang up and Ilya’s heart is still racing. There’s got to be some kind of catch. He’d rather know now than live in this horrible, dreadful unknown until the Hollanders tell him what they really want. He texts David.
Did you need something?
Those three cursed little bubbles.
No, son. We just wanted to check up on you.
Ilya reads that text over and over until his vision blurs. No. He will not cry over a text message. His throat is tight, and the anxiety hasn’t completely calmed, because there’s no way. There’s no way this is actually why David Hollander called him.
