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Shane looked exhausted. From the way he played on the ice, Ilya could tell something was off. The usual snarky comments they exchanged as some sort of foreplay didn't happen at all throughout the game like it usually would. Even Hayden Pike seemed to notice something wrong with his best friend, Ilya could see the worried look on Pike's face- the same expression Ilya wore but tried hiding. He always worried about Shane.
"You alright buddy?" Ilya overheard Pike whisper to Shane after he got shoved into the wall, the Canadian only nodding silently before skating in the opposite direction, completely avoiding Pike and Ilya as he made his way to face another player on the opposing team. Yeah, this was going to be a long game.
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Lily: 234. 8pm.
Jane: Not feeling it tonight, Rozanov.
Lily: Not a suggestion, Shane.
The text messages were brief and straight to the point, Ilya waited for another snarky comments from his lover as he finished setting up the hotel room just the way he knew Shane would prefer. Usually, their post-game ritual was to fuck and move on, bidding goodbye to each other as well as bickering about the next game, but Ilya was going to change that tonight. He needed Shane to know it wasn't just about the sex- Shane was the first person he's truly loved and he's observed enough of the man over the past 9 years that he knows when Shane is overwhelmed and he knows how to distract him from his own thoughts.
Ilya moved around the room diligently, his actions careful and precise as he fixed the bed, a fresh and clean set of pajamas sat on the edge of the bed, it was a pair of soft, light gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt that Shane always wore to bed. In the bathroom, unscented candles sat on the counter, and Shane's favorite body wash sat on the edge of the tub, unopened and waiting to be used.
Ilya would fix this. Whatever the hell is eating Shane up, Ilya would fix it.
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Just as Ilya finished placing a can of ginger ale on the nightstand, along with a bottle of water, there was a knock on the door. It was a quiet knock, almost seemed hesitant, but Ilya didn't dwell. Upon opening the door, Ilya felt his shoulders sag in empathy at the man standing in front of him. Shane was dressed in a dark green hoodie and black sweatpants, his hair slightly damp from showering after game, and his face still held the same exhausted and sunken in look from hours ago.
Neither of them spoke as Ilya quickly ushered Shane into the hotel room, his hands immediately resting on Shane's hips as he peppered kisses along the Canadian's freckles, whispering pet names and praises in Russian each time he left a kiss along the soft skin. Shane tensed at the sensation, but slowly eased into the gentle touches and eventually leaned against Ilya's collarbone once the Russian let him have some space for a moment.
"You're so tense, sweetheart. What happened?"
Ilya whispered softly, kissing Shane one last time against his temple before he let the other man breathe. The room went quiet for a good minute, Shane trying to get his head clear and trying to process the question he was just asked.
It's been a while since he's had an off day. Ilya has never seen him on the ice when he was having an off day, only Hayden and the other teammates have seen Shane when he was spiraling, but this was the first time his boyfriend saw him like this; sluggish and utterly exhausted. When Shane had moments like this, he didn't speak much. The idea of holding a full conversation made him want to puke, but the idea of disobeying Ilya and not answering his question(s) also made Shane want to puke.
Instead of answering, Shane slowly shook his head- a clear indicator that he didn't want to talk about it and just wanted to be held and comforted for a moment before the pressure of talking reacurred. Ilya got the message pretty quickly, his hands slipping down to massage the exposed skin on Shane's hips for a moment as he thought of how he was planning on spending the rest of their night.
Neither of them had a flight until 12pm the next day, so both of them would still, hopefully, be prepared for the following day.
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Shane blinked down at Ilya confused as he just realized his surroundings. Some time between entering the room and hugging in the hallway, Shane had somehow managed to be led to the edge of the bed with Ilya kneeling at his feet, gently helping him out of his shoes and peeling his socks off slowly. Ilya was focused on the task, not even realizing Shane was looking at him with a confused look on his face.
Before he could speak, the sound of running water filled his ears. Apparently, while Shane was stuck in his head, Ilya had went to the bathroom to quickly start the bath before he came back out into the main room to help Shane out of his clothes.
"There we go, good boy." Ilya praised quietly as he watched Shane carefully step into the warm water. The lights were completely off, but the unscented candles Ilya had placed around the bathroom did a good job of creating a peaceful scene. Under the light, the bruises littered on Shane's torso and thighs weren't as noticeable, but it still pained Ilya to see- even if he had the exact same bruises from the same events.
Instead of sitting on the floor by the tub and helping clean Shane up, Ilya soon found himself undressing and getting in behind Shane in the blink of an eye. Shane seemed to relax once he felt Ilya pull him closer until he was resting against the Russian's chest, his body going limp as Ilya ran a warm hand down his back and down his sides. They never got time to fully relax and take baths together, so both of them wanted to cherish this moment.
"You did a good job tonight. So proud of you, you know that, da?" Ilya whispered, keeping his tone warm so Shane would open up a bit more and hopefully come back to him for a moment. The only thing he got in response was a slight nod and a tiny giggle. Although it was cute, it wasn't going to cut it.
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The bath was quiet and peaceful, Ilya's warm and big hands pressing into Shane's skin softly, old Russian fairy tales being whispered in his ear as he soaked in the affection and attention he denied himself for so long. The water soon turned cold, though, and, although Shane wouldn't mind sharing body heat with Ilya and being held even longer, the thought of pruny skin didn't settle well in his mind.
When entering the main room of the dim hotel, Shane noticed three things: ginger ale and a bottle of water sat on the nightstand, at the edge of the bed were Shane's favorite sleep attire, and there was a charcuterie board laid out on the counter of all of his favorite healthy snacks. Shane could feel his mind slowly go into that fuzzy headspace he often found himself in when he felt cared for and content. Their relationship was pretty new to both of them, if you don't count the 9 years of sneaking around, but Ilya still seemed to notice all the little things about Shane. The thought of Ilya paying close attention to Shane and his needs made him happy on the inside.
"Ah ah ah, do not fall asleep on me yet, Hollander. You cannot be that boring and go to bed before 10pm." Ilya teased as he helped Shane into his pajamas, helping Shane hold onto him so he could get the sweatpants on the shorter man. Ilya must have noticed the change in his demeanour and the mood switch as Shane let himself sink slowly.
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"I cannot believe Pike tried to block me from getting the puck, I mean, does he know who he was against?" Ilya rambled on, one hand cradled in Shane's hair as he gently rubbed his scalp, while the other hand took turns grabbing a piece of food from the tray and holding it up to his lover's mouth as he waited for Shane to take a bite; Ilya knew Shane's horrible eating habits and knew this was probably the first thing he's eaten since lunch time about 9 hours ago.
Not only was Ilya trying to help fuel Shane's body and keep him from collapsing, the rambling was his own personal way of getting Shane to stay awake so he could enjoy the man's presence for a while longer before they both went to sleep for the night. Shane's eyes were droopy and glossed over as he opened his mouth to eat whatever Ilya held in front of him; Ilya had grown quite fond of that look on his lover's face and he knew the gentle treatment was working and Shane was loosening slowly. Since that night in Vegas, Ilya had made it his own personal goal to never let Shane go without a kiss, and he always made sure to take care of Shane whenever they were done. He never wanted a repeat of that night.
Shane didn't even realize Ilya changed the topic from Hayden Pike to admiring him.
"You look so beautiful like this. Your freckles make you look like an angel. My precious angel." Ilya cooed quietly as he watched Shane's eyes flutter shut for a moment before opening again.
"Rest now, Shane. I have you."
With permission, Shane closed his eyes quickly, a small smile tugging on his lips as he felt lips press against his temple and all over the freckles on the bridge of his nose.
The previous events of the day slowly went away in Shane's mind as his body fell into a deep and comfortable slumber, the feeling of being nervous, anxious, and too scared to hold a conversation with anyone wasn't in his mind anymore. The Russian underneath him kissing his forehead and whispering sweet things in his ear was the only thing Shane focused on as he relaxed further into the bed.
"Goodnight sweet boy, I love you so much. So, so much."