When Ilya was first learning English his brother thought it was hilarious to buy him a baby book, one of those “A is for Apple” type things. He was very much in the “I’m not a BABY” stage of adolescence and Alexei knew it would piss him off, and it did.
The thing is it was also kind of helpful.
Years later, there is an unmarked locked folder on Ilya’s phone that he privately calls “S is for Shane”. It contains pictures, mostly stolen or taken without his knowledge, that epitomize different moods. Of course it starts with Slutty Shane, Salacious Shane, Slow Shane, Strategic Shane, Swift Shane, Smooth Shane.
Eventually he gets to add Sleepy Shane, Sarcastic Shane, Selfish Shane (aka will not Share his protein ice cream Shane), Surprise Shane, Salubrious Shane, Soft Shane, Severe Shane, Secure Shane, Sardonic Shane, on and on and on and on. Forever.
