Chapter Text
Ilya sips his beer, watching players arrive at the lounge of the hotel. It’s nice to finally be somewhere warm. It’s relaxing. What’s not relaxing however is the fact that Shane Hollander might arrive at any moment. Ilya feels his stomach twist as he thinks about his rival, his former situationship.
Former… Ilya swallows hard.
Ilyas brain brings him back to when they last saw each other at the club in Montreal. He was angry going in to the night, he felt defeated, and seeing Shane there on the dance floor was the final straw.
Ilya knew he was jealous. Jealous of someone else having Shane, kissing him, loving him in public. But he was also incredibly hurt.
He had tried to find out if Shane wanted something more, if there could be something more between them. He made himself vulnerable, practically begging him to stay with him. Of course, playing it off as a physical need. He never seemed to be able to express what he truly wanted, truly needed.
Ilya had been planning stuff, buying Shane his favorite drink, prepping food. And he thought that would be enough of a sign that Shane was maybe more to him than just someone he would fuck when convenient.
But something went wrong. Shane had left him. Clearly scared of what they had become. Ilya wished that he would have confronted him, made him stay. But he did nothing.
And then the news about Shane and Rose Landry. Ilya felt his muscles tense at the memory. In the pictures Shane had looked happy, unbothered by the paparazzi. And Ilya was hurt.
Ilya hears the door opening and glances over, nope not Shane. He felt relived, how should he even react when Shane inevitably arrives? He orders another beer, takes a couple of deep breaths. How would he even survive the weekend?
———-
Shane is getting ready to go to the lounge where all the players for the all star game would mingle and start the weekend. He looks up at himself in the mirror. Fixing his hair for like the third time.
Ilya will be there, Shane thinks to himself. Feeling actual butterflies in his stomach, chest, head, everywhere really.
After the talk he had with Rose he knows exactly what he wants. He wants Ilya. He needs him.
This is it, Shane thought. This weekend I will try to make a move on him. Like a real one. Swop him off his feet. He will at least try.
——
Shane opens the door to the lounge. There at the bar, he sees him. Ilya.
Shane almost looses his balance.
Fuck he is hot!
Ilya glances at his direction but their eyes don’t meet. Shane wonders if it’s too much to approach him right a way, but he might have to. It feels like his whole body is drawn to the Russian man. Like he would actually implode if he doesn’t manage to get closer to him.
Shane takes a deep breath and walks straight to the bar. Plopping down at the chair beside Ilya.
The bartender spots him
“Can I offer you something to drink”
Ilya looks up at him as he answers
“I’ll have the same as my teammate, please”
Ilya signals one more to the bartender before chugging the last of his beer.
Is he nervous? Shane thinks to himself. This is not how the Russian usually acts around him. He is not meeting Shane’s eyes, looking down.
Shane twists in his seat and Ilya clears his throat.
“So were they out of ginger ale, captain?”
Shane is confused by the tone in Ilya’s voice. Was he nice? Usually a comment like that from Ilya would be loaded with something else. Usually as a flirty insult or coldness. But this time it felt neutral. Shane couldn’t really put his finger on it.
“I’m feeling a bit wild” Shane replies and Ilya nods. Shane is feeling a bit disappointed that Ilya doesn’t seem to notice the obvious, flirty tone. He continues…
“So this would be fun, huh? I’ve always wondered what it would be like to play on the same team”
Ilya still isn’t showing anything on his face.
He just replies: “Have you?”, without any signs on emotion on his face.
Shane tries to smile at him.
“Yeah, I have”
Shane is now desperate to get some form of reaction out of the man sitting beside him. He still isn’t even looking at him.
“Nice that it is in Florida this year, right”
Now Shane is almost a bit desperate to find out what’s behind that cold face. Ilya always seems to bring out the desperation in him.
When Ilya just replies with an uninterested “yes” Shane frowns a bit. Feeling almost embarrassed by Ilya avoiding him. Does he want Shane to leave him alone? Fuck, Shane is not good with small talk, and this does not help.
Thankfully the awkwardness is interrupted by the bartender bringing them their beers. Finally, Shane thinks to him self and hurries to drink a big gulp in an attempt to get his shit together.
Suddenly Ilya turns to him. “Did you ehm, did you bring anyone with you?” He asks, bringing his own bottle to his lips.
Shane is relieved to meet those blue eyes. Even though Ilya’s face is as emotionless as a brick wall, his eyes seem to search for something in Shane’s mind.
Shane gathers himself “ uhm, my parents thought about coming, but they’re going to Mexico in, like, two weeks, and they’ve been to these before, so…”
Ilya nods, a flash of emotion in his eyes. He looks, maybe relived. Shane has no idea why he would be so happy that Shane’s parents aren’t coming.
Ilya nods “ah”. Shane thinks he might have been booring again, as Ilya never fails to point out. He twists the question back to Ilya.
“Did you, uh, bring anybody”
Ilya looks intensely into Shane’s eyes. “Nope” he says. Popping the ‘p’ and takes to bottle up to his lips again.
Suddenly a look of, fondness?, appears in Ilya’s face. Shane throws him a shy smile. Bingo, he thinks. Maybe this is working? But like not in the way he thought.
Shane is feeling brave again “nice shirt” he comments, scanning Ilya’s body with what he hopes to be, a flirtatious look.
“Thanks, I like to, you know, get into the spirit”
Ilya looks down at his red button up with flowers. Adjusting the fabric over his sculpted chest. Shane feels his dick twitch. Fuck. He meant to seduce Ilya. Not drooling over him when doing so.
Shane decides to be brave again. He licks his lips before putting on a shy smile.
“You’re pulling it off.”
Their eyes meet, finally smiles on both their faces. Shane is trying to bring him self to say something even more telling of his intentions for this weekend, when they suddenly get interrupted by other teammates, dragging Shane from Ilya to the other side of the bar.
He gets overrun by friends trying to catch up with him, putting on smiles and answering friendly. He brings himself to finally glance back at Ilya again. He looks confused. Deep in his thoughts