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Shane was sleeping in a gorgeous, well-stocked apartment with everything he could ever want. Except one thing. Ilya. He had left just like that a month ago, with only a small, fragile promise that he would be okay. Shane didn’t know why on Earth he would go back to his family and tell them he was bi, let alone that he was in a gay relationship with him. Ilya had said that he didn’t expect them to accept him, and that he was doing it for himself, but what good was that when his life was at stake? Ilya was travelling with bodyguards, but Shane had no idea if they were properly trained and what if Ilya died and what if Ilya’s parents came looking for him and what if-
No. He couldn’t spiral like this again. He had to go to sleep on time and wake up the next day on time. He couldn’t do this. He was a famous hockey player, a role model to thousands. He had to be strong, for them. For Ilya.
—
Shane woke up the next day. He made his bed, he brushed his teeth, and he tried to carry on, like he had every day for the past month. It was strange living without Ilya, but Shane had mostly gotten used to it. It was almost like a crucial part of himself was missing, taken away by Ilya when he went to go to Russia. The first week of Ilya’s absence, he had forgotten to talk to his parents due to being so preoccupied with missing him.
Then Shane realized he had been standing in the same spot for a few minutes. The clock hadn’t even moved. Was it broken, or was he the broken one? How long had Ilya really been gone for? A week? A month? A year? Did time even move in this apartment? Would Ilya ever come home?? Would Shane ever get to spend the rest of his life with him?? Then Shane’s watch beeped. Yeah, that clock was broken.
Ugh, he was thinking about Ilya again. Time to make breakfast. He lazily pulled out a chocolate bar, but then reminded himself he had to eat healthy for the game. After all, part of the reason he was getting those lucrative sponsorships in the first place was that he looked the part. If he didn’t look like that, no one would truly love him, right? Except Ilya. Ugh, Ilya again. Why couldn’t he just forget about him? Why did Ilya have such an unaccepting family and not him? Why couldn’t everyone just be accepting?
No. He had to go for training now. He was the dependable one. He had to show up. He couldn’t let down his team. Shane used his keys to open his team’s home hockey stadium, and he stepped into the building. Just a minute-long walk, and he was right next to the rink. He couldn’t yet go there, though. He had to go to his locker room first. Shane trudged through those halls, despondent that Ilya wasn’t beside him, not even knowing if he was safe or not. And the craziest thing was that this was all because of something that wasn’t even a choice for either of them. And on top of that, how could falling in love be a crime? It just didn’t make sense to Shane. It never did. It was just an excuse for people to hate others.
Stop it. He had to just go and-
Shane’s heart stopped for a second. Ilya was right there. He didn’t know how or why, but Ilya was right there in front of him, right now. Shane immediately went to hug him, and Ilya started to speak.
“Shane, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you when I was coming,” he said, not so apologetically.
Shane smiled. Classic Ilya.
“And?” he questioned.
“Svetlana told me not to text or call you. She took away my phone. Happy?” Ilya stated.
“Yes. I’m very happy, now that you’re back!” Shane said, while patting Ilya’s head playfully.
“You’re so sappy, Shane,” Ilya said, a wide smile on his face.
Just then, Shane knew that everything would be alright. His partner had come back to him unscathed, and with it, his reason to live.
— —
Kip woke up early one weekend morning, lying in bed with Scott and watching golden specks of dust float in the morning light. He was cuddled up on top of Scott, in a moment that couldn’t be any more perfect.
Kip was tired, but that didn’t stop a small smile creeping up his face. He was being held by his lover, and the most beautiful, awe-inspiring person to him. And they both loved each other so deeply that nothing else in the world mattered to them.
But eventually they had to wake up. Kip slowly started to rub Scott’s face, trying to get him to wake up and start the day.
“What is it this time, Mom?” Scott said, still clearly asleep.
Then Kip just gave up and got out of bed. That seemed to wake him.
“Kip, where are you, Kip?” he said, getting up and rubbing his eyes.
“I’m right here, sweetie,” Kip said, bringing him upright and kissing him.
“Good morning, Kip!” he said happily, despite being half-asleep.
“Good morning, Scott,” Kip said back, “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby, since you’re by my side,” Scott said dreamily.
“You’re so cheesy,” Kip replied.
“Not as cheesy as you,” Scott said back.
“Fair point. I always watch cheesy romance shows with you,” Kip stated.
They both got out of bed for real this time, and brushed their teeth together, both going down for breakfast, with Kip making said breakfast. Scott just watched him as he worked his magic. First, Kip put on his apron, got a bowl, cracked some eggs, and whisked them in with some milk, then poured some olive oil onto the pan, putting the mixture in after. Then, after waiting for it to cook, he took it out of the pan, plated it, and added a little salt and a little pepper, with some grated chives as a finishing touch, making the dish complete.
“Dig in!” Kip said, positively radiant.
“I’ll make sure to,” Scott said thankfully.
They both ate in comfortable silence, with both of them drinking their coffee, too. Kip couldn’t wait for the day ahead, and getting to spend more time with Scott.
Once they finished their breakfast, they both decided to go outside and have some fun playing tennis. Scott carefully carried the tennis rackets, making sure to keep them pristine. That was something not a lot of people knew about him. He liked cleanliness and neatness, because if his world was clean, then his mind would be clean, too. Kip excitedly hurried over to the tennis court, and that was when Scott knew that both of them had an equal chance of winning the match.
They both went to opposite sides of the court, readying themselves for an intense match. Kip had the tennis ball in his hand, so he was the one who served it across the court. Scott expertly maneuvered and hit the tennis ball, sending it flying back to Kip, who then ran across the court and hit it again. They did this over and over, each paying absolute attention to each other. Scott’s competitive nature kicked in, but he was actually quite humbled by Kip’s sheer dedication to the sport. In the end, Kip won and Scott could only be impressed.
After that outing, they decided to go to a pizza place and get some lunch. Kip ordered pizza, while Scott was busy playing a DDR arcade machine. He was extremely close to getting the high score, set by some kid named ‘Dan’, when Kip appeared behind him out of nowhere.
“The pizza’s ready! You want to go get it?” Kip said, fully aware of what he was doing.
“Kip!” Scott said, startled, “You scared me half to death!”
“Yeah, I know. But if I had let you get a new hi-score, no kid here would be able to beat it for weeks!” Kip said, laughing.
“Haha!” Scott laughed along, “You’re totally right! Now let’s go get that pizza!”
They both sat down, and the waiter handed them each their preferred pizza. Kip had his pineapple pizza, and Scott had his cheese pizza.
“I still think pineapple pizza is gross, by the way,” Scott said, giggling.
“Oh come on! The pineapple’s sweetness perfectly offsets the savory flavor of the pizza!” Kip said, defending himself.
“Ah well, can’t win them all..” Scott said dramatically, putting his hand to his head.
“You’re such a drama queen..” Kip said, unable to hold back a smile.
They both finished their pizza, and then walked back home, holding hands.