ilya rozanov would absolutely be one for grand gestures of affection, but i think its fun to think of all the tiny little affectionate things he does for shane. all the ways that ilya makes space in his life for shane before they're official.
i think he buys him ginger ale, even though he has a marked distaste for it and he won't be seeing Shane for awhile
i think he gets used to folding clothes the way that Shane does because he wants him as comfortable in ilya's space as he can get him.
maybe he switches to a soft lavender detergent because it's the type Shane uses, definitely not because he wants to smell like him.
he keeps a "stupid boring hockey book" that he bought on impulse after Shane recced it on the nightstand, even though he really has no intent to actually read it. sometimes when they're apart he'll pick it up and open it to a random page and imagine that shane is looking at the same page.
he saves screenshots of funny things or memes that he thinks shane would like, but never sends them, because that's not their relationship, so he sexts instead.
ilya drives Shane exactly once and leaves the passenger seat adjusted to his preferences, even though it's months before Shane uses it again. when Svetlana jumps in his car, he feels weirdly sad about it shifting positions.
he checks the weather in Montreal on rainy days in Boston and looks up at the clouds and thinks about how Shane's nose scrunches up when he gets caught in the rain.
ilya sets his watch to Montreal time during summers in Russia, tells himself its more convenient so he knows when to text Shane and get a response, pointedly ignores the fact that people who are just fucking wouldn't do that.
if he's stressed, he cooks, and practices recipes that Shane mentions missing, like Shane randomly mentions his mom used to make lasagna with [insert specific ingredient or method, idk I don't cook lasagna much] and Ilya makes it until he can do it. alternately, Shane mentions some random cookbook that goes in accordance to his diet and Ilya makes everything out of it until he gets every recipe just right, just in case he ever has the opportunity to use the knowledge. he does not think about how he's never even done this for Svetlana.
he setting an alarm for Montreal games, no matter how inconvenient the timing, and sends him something flirty or funny or snarky.
Ilya Rozanov and the subtlety of loving with a thousand miles between the two of you and thinking he won't ever love you back but knowing that if the day ever comes that he could you will be right there waiting for him.
