Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Rose Landry, Svetlana Vetrova, Troy Barrett, Harris Drover, Ottawa Centaurs Team Ensemble (Game Changers), Original Characters

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Happy Ending, Top Ilya Rozanov, Bottom Shane Hollander, Dom/sub, Possessive Behavior, Praise Kink, Shane Hollander Has a Praise Kink, Dom Ilya Rozanov, Sub Shane Hollander, Kitten Shane Hollander, Subspace, Safewords, Pet Play, Ilya Rozanov is Obsessed With Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov is Whipped For Shane Hollander, Collars, Shane Hollander in Subspace, Anxious Shane Hollander, Panic Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Control Issues, Good Boy Shane Hollander, Possessive Ilya Rozanov, Kitten space, Autistic Shane Hollander, Fluff and Angst, nonsexual bdsm, Non-Sexual Submission, Total Power Exchange, Financial Domination, Supportive Ottawa Centaurs (Game Changers), Ottawa Centaurs (Game Changers), aftermath of traumatic event, Ottawa Centaurs as Family (Game Changers), Humiliation Kink, Degradation Kink, Anal Sex, Rimming, Light Bondage, Shaving, Cock Cages

Language:

English

Series:

Part 2 of kitten shane series

Stats:

Published: 2026-05-14 Updated: 2026-05-27 Words: 50,269 Chapters: 2/?

is just a plan to fuck forever

Summary

It turned out the hockey season was a lot more hectic with a full social life in the BDSM club scene and a fiancé who he could never quite escape from. Not to mention wedding planning? God, Shane was in over his head. All he wanted to do was shut his mind off and be a kitty.

sequel to 'is just ten year plan to fuck'

Chapter 1

Chapter Notes

This is a sequel to the first installment of the kitten shane series: is just ten year plan to fuck. I highly recommend reading that before starting this one!

Friendly reminder that this is a work of fiction! It is not meant to inform anyone of how to participate safely in BDSM scenes/arrangements, nor is it meant to provide an accurate representation of how typical BDSM scenes/arrangements would play out. I am not an expert. This is purely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Given the accusations in this fandom recently, I can't believe I have to say this, but this work is 100% written by a living, breathing human!!! I spend hours upon hours of my time writing, researching, and editing to bring this story to life, for no reason other than the fact that I love doing it. Please do not insult me by accusing my work of being AI-generated.

Please do not translate or post this fic anywhere else without my permission. Just leave a comment if you would like to translate it and I will happily reply!

also my twitter is @sluthollanov if anyone wants to be moots :) will follow back if you post only hudcon/hollanov

“Oh my god,” Rose screams at the top of her lungs, so much so that Shane has to wince and pull the phone back from his face. “I can’t believe it. You’re engaged!”

Shane just grins at her expression. They’re on FaceTime while Rose is sitting in the makeup chair getting painted blue. She looks ridiculous, but Shane is used to seeing her in costume, given how constant the reshoots have been. There are times when he despises his job—although not as often as he used to—but he absolutely does not envy Rose for what she has to put up with on a daily basis.

“He is not!” Ilya calls from somewhere in the kitchen, and Shane rolls his eyes.

“Ignore him. He’s being ridiculous.” Shane shakes his head.

“I am not being ridiculous,” Ilya frowns, crossing his arms over his chest as he steps into the room, standing behind the couch to peer at Shane’s phone over his shoulder. “I told you I would entertain your little proposal, but mark my words, it is not going to count as our real proposal. We are not engaged until I have gotten down on one knee and professed my undying love to you.”

“Oh my goodness. Is that the ring on his necklace? Shane,” Rose coos excitedly. “You did so, so well. Ilya, hold it up to the camera. I want to see!”

“Thanks. My mom helped me pick it out,” Shane says proudly as he turns to beckon Ilya closer. Ilya, who is just standing there angrily like a grumpy toddler. “Ilya,” he deadpans. “Can you get over here already? Show her the ring.”

Ilya stands there glaring for a few seconds before he huffs and finally leans in to hold the ring up to Shane’s phone.

“Wait, hold up.” Rose’s eyes go wide. Shane can see one of her blue hands in frame like she’s paused in the middle of a thought. “Is that a tattoo?”

Shane blushes at the sight of Ilya’s new ink on the screen, his palm slightly turned out from where he’s holding the chain of the necklace.

“Ah, yes,” Ilya agrees, looking down at himself before holding his hand up for her to see. He twists his wrist after a moment to show her the other side.

“Ilya. Your mother’s necklace. Oh my god, that is just stunning. You guys.” Rose fans at her face, and Shane feels his heart warm in his chest. “You’re gonna make me cry. That is seriously so sweet.”

“No crying.” Shane hears Rose’s makeup artist tell her warningly, and it pulls a wet laugh out of him.

“Yes. Is becoming quite a mess for me with hockey. I have to be very careful with it,” Ilya sighs, surveying the tattoo in consideration.

That was true. Ilya had been complaining about the washing and taping, but there was really no reason to, since Shane often did a lot of the work for him. After some research, he’d found out that hand tattoos were extremely sensitive and very at risk of getting infected, or even worse, messed up. So, Shane had taken it upon himself to handle the meticulous cleaning routine. He was not going to let Ilya fuck up this tattoo before it had even healed properly.

“Are you guys excited for the club opening? How’s it looking so far?” Rose chimes in.

Shane sighs heavily. “I wish you were coming tonight. It’s going to be a mess having the team there.”

Rose’s eyebrows pinch in confusion, and Ilya snorts.

“He is just upset he can’t go into full kitty mode tonight.”

Shane glares at him before turning back to Rose. “It would’ve been nice to have at least one person who knows, okay? What if I start slipping?”

“You are doing much better at staying up when you need to, котенок.” Ilya rubs over his shoulder, and Shane huffs, but he can’t help leaning into the physical touch.

“I thought you told one of your teammates.” Rose tilts her head in confusion.

Shane blushes as Ilya smirks and gives his shoulder a little shake.

“Ah, yes. Shane is desperate to show Troy all the ins and outs of being a good little sub. He is hoping to have a new puppy to play with.”

“Shut up,” Shane grumbles back, shoving at Ilya’s hand to get it off of him.

He was right, though. Deep down, Shane was really hoping that pet play was something Troy might be into eventually. Or at least interested in trying like Ivan was. But Ivan had years and years of experience, whereas Troy didn’t know anything yet. Troy didn’t even really have a Dom, even though Shane and Ilya were both gunning for him and Harris to get together. But Troy was shy, and Harris was a little too gentle about his approach. Shane could tell they were going to need another push, and he really hoped the club opening would be the thing to get them there. Either way, he didn’t have high hopes that he’d be playing with Troy anytime soon. He would just have to hold out until this weekend, when Ivan and Cedric would be in town for their playdate.

“Well, I’m going to come out and see it soon!” Rose reassures them. “As soon as I can get away from this insane filming schedule. Plus, I still haven’t seen the house or the playroom yet! But how is the club? I’m sure it looks amazing from what Svetlana’s said.”

Shane turns sharply to look at Ilya, finding the other looking down at him with expectant eyebrows that say, Yes, can I help you?

“Rose gets to know about the club, but I don’t?” He demands.

“It is a surprise, моя любовь. It is something that people do when they want to get a big reaction in the moment, hm? Like you did with your little proposal stunt.”

Shane narrows his eyes in annoyance before turning back to Rose.

“Oops. Trouble in paradise,” she laughs. “Sorry, guys. Anyway, let me know if you need my help with any of the details for the wedding. One of the girls just got married recently, and she was raving on and on about the planner they used. I can totally get you her number.”

Shane feels his lips turn up at that. “Yes, please. I have no idea what I’m doing,” he laughs. “I feel like it’s going to be really overwhelming with the hockey season, but we have to get going as soon as possible. I want to get married in the summer.”

Ilya is looking at him with very furrowed eyebrows through the frame of the FaceTime call.

“Excuse me? There will be no wedding until there is an engagement. And there is no engagement until there is a proposal, which I have not done yet.” Ilya points at his chest.

“Ignore him,” Shane sighs. “We obviously need to get started right away, or all of the good venues will be booked.”

“Agreed,” Rose grins, and her face disappears for a second as she does something on her phone, but she reappears a moment later. “I’m going to have Ida send over all her recommendations. Oh, her wedding was just beautiful, Shane. I cannot wait for yours. Is Hayden going to be your best man?”

“Actually,” Shane admits, flushing slightly. “I was sort of hoping you would be my best man. Or…best woman?” He twists his mouth in dissatisfaction. “We can come up with a better name for it.”

“Oh my god!” Rose squeals. “Shane, I would love to. Are you kidding?”

“Well,” Shane laughs. “I figured you’d be a much bigger help than Hayden would. I mean, you seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff.”

Ilya huffs behind him, but Shane keeps his eyes on Rose.

“I would be honored. I’m creating a Pinterest board for your bachelor party as we speak. I’m spending so many hours in the makeup chair these days, but you’ve given me like the perfect project. Ilya, do you know who your best man is going to be?” Rose asks. “We should probably sync up to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“There is no best man yet because there is no wedding,” Ilya reminds everyone once again. “Because there is no engagement, as there has been no proposal.”

Shane rolls his eyes. “I’ll add you to a group text with my mom. She’s really excited about getting involved. She’s already got a shortlist of wedding contacts put together. We can cross-reference with Ida’s list.”

“Perfect!” Rose gets out excitedly. “I can’t wait to start looking at color palettes. Look, I’ve got to go before my makeup artist kills me for moving around so much, but have an amazing time at the new club tonight. Shane, you’re going to love the theme of it, and Ilya, the name is just genius. Honestly. No notes. I can’t wait to come see it in person.”

When Rose ends the call, Shane turns around to face Ilya fully, his gaze more than a little annoyed.

Ilya just raises his eyebrows, and he actually does say it this time. “Yes? Can I help you, котенок?”

“I just don’t get why you’re telling everyone about the club except for me,” Shane says plainly, the dry irritation clear in his tone.

“Who exactly is everyone? I did not tell Rose anything. I told Svetlana. Seeing as she is part-owner of the club, I think it is important to know where her money is going, yes?” Ilya points out, and Shane frowns at the logic.

Mostly, though, he just wants to see the club. Ilya’s been working on it for ages now, disappearing into his office sometimes, calling Shane in to kneel at his feet and warm his cock. If Ilya has phone calls to make, he’ll force Shane to put on headphones and play ocean wave sounds in his ears to keep him from hearing the conversation. Shane hates how deep a headspace that’s sent him into before.

“Meanwhile, you are going around telling everyone in the entire world that we are engaged when I thought we agreed to wait. Or does my proposal mean nothing to you?”

Shane hadn’t been going around telling the entire world, actually. He’d really only told his parents, who already knew he was planning on asking Ilya, and Rose just now. The team didn’t even know, which Shane found surprising considering they’d played a home game since Ilya had started wearing the ring on his necklace. The game was against Long Island, which was a tough team, and they’d lost 3 – 2, but at least they’d put up a good fight by going into overtime. Shane couldn’t be mad at that, even if they still had a lot of work to do to make it to the playoffs this season.

“Look, you can do your proposal whenever you want, Ilya, but the fact of the matter is we agreed we want to get married. There’s a timeline for these sorts of things. It’s already the end of October, which means we’re less than a year out. If we want a summer wedding, we need to start looking at venues. It’s just business.”

“Just business,” Ilya scoffs. “Our marriage is just business now?”

“You know what I mean,” Shane sighs, although clearly Ilya didn’t know. Probably because he hadn’t done the research like Shane had.

“I am not going to rush my proposal just because you are impatient to get started on planning.”

“And that’s fine,” Shane reiterates, because Ilya was really starting to tick him off at this point. “But, like I said, if we want a summer wedding and a proper honeymoon before next season starts up again, time is actually of the essence here. At some point, all of the wedding venues are going to book up.”

Ilya watches him carefully for a second. “You are lucky the team is coming to the club tonight, because if I had my way, you would be on your hands and knees all evening while the humans do all the talking. I am sick of this attitude, and I expect you to be on your best behavior around the guys. I don’t want to hear any talk about this wedding. Understand?”

Shane frowns. “I can’t even tell Troy?”

“Troy is one of the guys, is he not?” Ilya raises a sharp eyebrow. “Unless you are purposely mishearing me, I do not understand the confusion.”

Shane clamps his mouth shut, but he doesn’t hide the exasperation on his face.

“Attitude. Like I said. Cut it out now or there will be consequences. I am done with this conversation.” And then Ilya walks off.

Shane presses his hands over his eyes momentarily while trying to process the many things running around his brain right now. The club opening tonight, another home game tomorrow, his and Ilya’s Halloween party on Saturday, his playdate with Ivan after their home game on Sunday. And then straight into a travel week where they would hit Buffalo, Boston, and New York. It turned out the hockey season was a lot more hectic with a full social life in the BDSM club scene and a fiancé (boyfriend?) who he could never quite escape from. Not to mention wedding planning? God, Shane was in over his head.

All he wanted to do was shut his mind off and be a kitty, but he wasn’t going to have that tonight. At least he would get to see Troy, and Troy wouldn’t mind treating him extra nice. Troy, who had been texting him all day about the club, asking him questions as if Shane knew a single thing. The only thing he knew was that Ilya would be picking his outfit, and they’d go to see the club a little bit before everyone got there in time for the big friends and family opening.

Shane honestly had no idea who the “friends and family” were. It’s not like his parents were invited, and sure, Svetlana was in town, but who else did that leave? Just the team? Shane feels nervousness burn in his tummy at the way his two worlds were about to collide.

When it’s finally time to start getting ready, Ilya hands him a dark blue, short-sleeve button-up shirt that has a slight shimmer to the fabric. It’s pretty, and in his size, which means Ilya bought it for him. Shane tries not to let his pout show on his face. He figured he’d be in Ilya’s clothes tonight. Ilya notices and slides a hand around his hip as he helps Shane into a pair of black pants that fit comfortably on the inside, but look wet and slick on the outside. Shane holds onto his shoulders and tries not to cry. He hates that they’re fighting.

Well, not fighting, exactly. Shane and Ilya didn’t really fight very often. But sometimes, they did disagree, and Shane didn’t understand why Ilya didn’t want to scream their engagement from the rooftops. Was he really that prideful about proposing himself? Was he really so upset that Shane had beaten him to it?

“You are radiating loud thoughts, моя любовь,” Ilya tells him, like he can read Shane’s mind, as always.

Shane frowns and waits until Ilya stands to his full height before he holds his neck securely. “Why don’t you want to tell people we’re engaged?” Shane asks, his voice quiet.

Ilya’s eyes soften as he pulls Shane a little closer to him. “I do want to tell people we’re engaged.”

“But what?” Shane’s eyebrows furrow together in confusion, and Ilya lets out a sigh.

“I just…” he pauses, shaking his head for a moment, but Shane ducks a little to meet his gaze. “I wanted to be the one to propose. I know it is stupid, and I know it should not matter, but I have envisioned getting down on one knee for you for as long as I can remember.”

Shane swallows thickly, pressing his fingers through the back of Ilya’s curls.

“I know you said I can still do my proposal, but…if we are telling people we are engaged and planning the wedding, it feels like it does not mean anything. It feels like we are already past it. Already moving forward. I wanted to declare my love for you very loudly…in a way you would remember for the rest of your life.”

“Ilya,” Shane voices lightly. “You do declare your love for me very loudly. And it doesn’t matter if we’re already engaged. Your proposal is still going to mean just as much to me as it would have if you beat me to it. I’m still going to remember it for the rest of my life.”

Ilya scrunches his nose up in frustration, so Shane carefully tips his chin in order to meet his gaze.

“Is this like a Dom thing?” Shane wonders aloud. “You’re upset that I’ve been taking control of this?”

Ilya shuts his eyes momentarily.

Shane lets one of his hands glide down Ilya’s neck and across his strong shoulder. He’s shirtless. He’s beautiful. He’s everything Shane never knew he needed. He fucking loves him. He doesn’t get why Ilya’s upset about him wanting to plan the wedding instead of just being so, so happy that they’re having one.

“I want to worship you. I want to provide for you. To be the strong man who takes care of you, and sweeps you off your feet—”

“You do, you are. I fucking need you. I need you more than anything. And right now, I need you to stop being cold to me and just…be excited. We both said yes to spending the rest of our lives together. I mean, I thought you would be ecstatic. You’ve been wanting this for so long.”

“I am,” Ilya assures him. “Fuck, I am so ecstatic. I just…Jesus. I don’t know. I am feeling very weird about it. Like I am not in control. It feels like I am not a part of it or something.”

Shane buries his face in Ilya’s neck before he can stop himself. It’s killing him to see his owner like this. When all Shane wants is for Ilya to be happy and giddy and calling him a good boy for doing all the research, for wanting to make their wedding as beautiful as possible.

“You are so fucking part of it. I didn’t mean to make you feel excluded. I just wasn’t sure how into this type of stuff you are. Like. The venue, and the flowers, and the cake.”

“Cake?” Ilya pulls back slightly to look at him. “We are allowed to have cake at our wedding? Who are you and what have you done with Shane Hollander?”

Shane just laughs and nuzzles closer, rubbing his face against Ilya’s soft skin. “Course we’re gonna have cake. We’re gonna have everything. I want it to be the best night of our lives. We deserve this, yeah? We’ve been through so much. I just want to have the most magical day where it’s all about us and our love.”

-

Ilya’s heart is threatening to beat out of his chest. Shane is right. There are more important things than who proposed to who. In fact, the most important thing was that Shane wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. Forever. How could Ilya be upset for even a single second when that was the case?

“I’m sorry for being stupid,” he admits, rubbing his hand along the skin of Shane’s lower back. “If you want to start planning the wedding, then I think we should. And I will…I will try not to be so controlling about it.”

Shane huffs into his neck and presses his teeth in slightly. “I want you to be in control. You’re the one paying for it, aren’t you?”

And, oh right. Ilya was the one who would be paying for this fantastic event. This very expensive and extravagant display of their love. He feels a newfound fire flare in his belly.

“Mm, yes. So, you are going to have to run everything by me then, aren’t you? You will have to get my approval on everything if you expect me to write you a check.”

He feels Shane smile into his shoulder. “Yes, Alpha.”

That makes Ilya feel a lot better. Shane couldn’t do this on his own. He still needed him. He was just doing what he always did: making a plan to ensure his brilliant vision became a reality. And his vision was to marry Ilya loud and proud in front of all their family and friends.

“Well, then, I expect my kitten to throw us the best wedding of all time. I am going to have to see how you are handling all of your kitten tasks, and then I will have to reward you or punish you depending on how they are executed.”

He’s delighted when he feels Shane shiver in his arms. Tonight was going to be so fucking good. He doesn’t want them to be fighting. Rather, tonight would be all about slowly introducing the boys to their dynamic. Svetlana would be there, of course, and Ilya had a surprise guest coming in early to see Shane as well, but mostly, they would just hang out with their team. Relax after an extremely tough week. They had certainly earned it, and Ilya knew there was so much more to come this weekend before they were back on the road for their next round of away games.

He leaves Shane with a series of kisses pressed across his cheeks, and especially his pretty, pink lips, before disappearing into the closet to put on his own outfit: a sheer, light blue button-up long-sleeve shirt that had smatterings of darker blue and green printed throughout. He had sent out outfit requirements for the boys ahead of time. All blue to match the beautiful décor of his new club. He couldn’t wait to show Shane what he has spent all this time working on. Especially the new playroom.

When it’s time to go, Ilya picks Shane up in his arms and kisses him breathless all the way until they get to the garage. He deposits Shane into the passenger seat of his bright orange Porsche and then places a possessive hand on his thigh as he revs the engine. He knew Shane was upset about not getting to be his full kitten self tonight, but with Troy and Svetlana in attendance, as well as Ilya’s surprise guest, he had a strong feeling that Shane would get to go down at least a little bit. And maybe, just maybe, they could start warming the guys up to the idea of having a team kitty cat.

The club is not too far away, only about a ten-minute drive, which Ilya is grateful for. It would be so fucking nice having a place nearby to host events, even better if Troy and Harris or some of the other guys wanted to get involved. For Shane’s sake, at least, Ilya really hoped he could make that happen for him. Shane desperately needed a community. He needed more subs around to remind him that he really could have the best of both worlds. Troy and Harris. That was the goal. Plus, it would be helpful to have more friends who were in a pairing. Ivan and Cedric were great, but they were two hours away in Montreal, so it didn’t make setting up playdates very easy. Still, they would have their first one this weekend, and Ilya knew Shane was eagerly looking forward to that. They both were.

Ilya watches Shane’s eyes as they pull up to the building that will be their new home away from home. From the outside, it was nothing special, but on the inside, Ilya knew a whole other world awaited them.

Svetlana had done most of the work on the Montreal club, but the Ottawa club, now that was Ilya’s baby. He had spent countless hours working with the interior designers, working with the contractors on the floor plan, shopping for things to make each playroom extra special. The entire club had been made with Shane in mind, and Ilya couldn’t wait to show off the fruits of his labor.

“Drift,” Shane comments, noting the name in blue cursive swooping letters.

Ilya smiles and leans over to press a kiss to his cheek before getting out of the car. He appreciates when Shane doesn’t get out, instead letting Ilya run around to the other side to open his door for him. So, yeah. Maybe Ilya was feeling a little extra needy after Shane’s proposal, a little desperate to reclaim control after his kitten had taken things into his own hands. It’s not that Ilya minded that Shane wanted to propose. Obviously, he was over the moon, but there were certain things that felt like they should fall to him as the man of the house. The Dominant. The provider. Ilya wanted to be in charge of fucking everything. He didn’t want Shane to ever have to stress or think or worry. And this evening, he was committed to claiming some of that control back. Reasserting himself in a way.

Ilya pulls Shane into an intense kiss by his waist, warmth gliding through his body as Shane sinks into his arms and gets a little weak in the knees. Now, that was more like it. Ilya was starting to feel like himself again. In his element. He needed the club to feel sane sometimes. As much as he and Shane had a lifestyle dynamic, there were still so many things that were out of his control. He couldn’t actually expect Shane to check in with him before every single thing he did. Peeing, showering, proposing. But at the club, Ilya could ask those things of him. Ilya could take control fully and completely. He could order Shane to crawl on his hands and knees in a crowded room full of people or request that Shane wear a gag all night until he was drooling and fuzzy in front of everyone. Ilya wouldn’t request that, not tonight at least, but the fact that he could made him feel a lot more confident in himself. As a partner and as a Dom.

“C’mon, baby. I’m so excited to show you,” Ilya tells him, pulling back to squeeze his hands slightly, and he’s happy to see that Shane’s eyes are a little glassy, like maybe he’s experiencing the same wants and desires as Ilya is right now. “You wanna see?”

Shane nods jerkily and licks over his wet lips. “So badly.”

Ilya wraps a possessive arm around his shoulders and pulls him in close before walking towards the front door. The security guard isn’t on duty yet, since they’re here early, so Ilya reaches into his pocket for the key and then unlocks the door, holding it open for Shane first before reattaching himself to Shane’s side as they step in.

The first thing they see is a blue hallway that looks like they’re walking on the bottom of the ocean floor. The ceiling above them is painted and lit in a way that makes it seem like they’re underwater, and the ground is a beautiful blue marble that makes Shane’s jaw drop.

“Ilya,” Shane says breathlessly, and they’ve barely even stepped inside.

Ilya just squeezes him and lets Shane take his time as they walk through the entryway, trying to process everything for the first time through Shane’s eyes.

“This is so beautiful,” Shane whispers, and Ilya’s heart soars.

“All of it is for you. You are my inspiration. My muse,” Ilya tells him softly, and Shane stops walking to bury his face in Ilya’s chest. “We have barely seen anything yet, котенок.” But Shane doesn’t seem to care. He’s feeling emotional, which is just the reaction Ilya was looking for.

Ilya feels pretty emotional, too, to be fair. He’s been working on this place for a while now, and it had been so difficult not to gush to Shane about all of the wonderful things he had planned for their future here in Ottawa, their new home. But surprising Shane was something they both enjoyed too much, and the way Shane reacted to each surprise Ilya planned for him was always absolutely priceless.

“I just love you so much, and I want everyone to know it. I want everyone to know how good you are to me. How amazing you are in general, I just. It kills me that people don’t know,” Shane says into his skin, and Ilya can tell he’s close to tears, so he pets over his hair soothingly.

“Everyone will know how great we are together one day. There will come a time when no one can say the names Ilya Rozanov or Shane Hollander without mentioning the other,” he assures Shane, even though it had been that way for most of their careers now. It seemed even the general public realized how potent their chemistry was, even if they did not yet understand all of the many different ways in which it was true. “Can I show you more, baby? We have not even scratched the surface.”

Shane sniffles and nods, so Ilya pulls him into a kiss before walking him further into the club, and when they finally get to the main room, Shane gasps.

There’s a giant fish tank with sound-protective glass spanning across one of the main walls, a whole fleet of exotic, colorful fish swimming along the inside of it. Ilya could picture his kitten sitting in front of it some days, pawing at the glass while he tried to catch the swishing little creatures. He thinks Shane is probably fantasizing about the same thing, if the way he grabs onto Ilya’s shirt is anything to go off of.

The ceiling is painted to look wet and glassy to go along with the theme, and the bar is lit up with vibrant aqua sea glass that makes the whole room glow as if it were bioluminescent. The floor has panels with different screens that move like the ocean waves beneath them, reacting to footsteps by creating little indents in the water. Ilya feels pride at seeing it all come to life before him.

There are seating areas of couches with crushed teal velvet, extravagant chandeliers that hang from the ceiling with massive arrangements of coral in soothing shades of orange. On one of the walls hangs an expansive fisherman’s net that will serve as a rig for any rope demonstrations they hope to hold in the near future. Other parts of the wall are draped with hanging seaweed and kelp, anything Ilya could think of that would help make the underwater scene feel a little more real. The entire club is lit with streaks of blue, purple, and pink, casting moving shadows across the space to really bring some life to it. And every so often, a whale might pass through, or perhaps a shark will shoot by, making the walls vibrate and shake as soft, muted sounds of sea creatures interrupt what will otherwise be blaring music from the DJ. But for now, it’s peaceful. Calming. Immersive.

Ilya isn’t expecting it when Shane suddenly drops to his knees and hugs him around the legs, effectively burying himself in Ilya’s waist.

“Baby,” Ilya swallows, his hand immediately coming to card through Shane’s soft hair. But Shane is speechless and a little shaky, so Ilya just comforts him until he can find his words. “You must know by now that you are everything to me.”

Shane sobs at that, and Ilya can’t take not holding him, so he drops to the ground as well, sitting to pull Shane into his arms as the other immediately comes apart.

“Oh, you are so precious.” God, Ilya couldn’t explain how much he loved seeing him cry. For others, it might mean that something was terribly wrong, but for Shane specifically, it meant that he was overwhelmed, usually in a good way. He could get so emotional that his feelings had no choice but to literally spill out of him. Cause sometimes Shane couldn’t find the words.

Ilya was showing him levels of love that he had never encountered before. Ilya, himself, doesn’t even know how he’s managed to conjure up so much of it. Perhaps it came from years of desperately wishing he had someone to come home to. Someone to put all his energy into during the times when he felt like there was no place for him in this world. No reason for him to exist. But Shane had changed all of that. Shane gave him purpose. Shane was his reason.

“Y-you do so…s-so many big gestures,” Shane sucks in a stuttered breath. “Everything you do is a proposal of your love. You love me so…so loudly. I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this.”

Ilya wants to start crying with him. It seemed they both felt undeserving; they both struggled with recognizing their worth. Ilya thought that Shane hung the moon, sun, and all of the stars, but sometimes, the way Shane reacted to things, it was like Shane thought the same of him. Even though Ilya knew that couldn’t be true. He didn’t contain nearly a fraction of the Golden Boy’s greatness, but he supposed it was a good thing that they each failed to understand the importance of what they could offer one another. It made the give and take of their relationship that much more special, had that little extra element of surprise—like Shane proposing to him, for one.

Ilya had been upset, mostly because he hadn’t expected it, couldn’t plan for it, and, therefore, couldn’t categorize what it meant. Had Shane been expecting him to propose and grown impatient because Ilya hadn’t yet? Did he not trust that Ilya had a plan? Was he doubting Ilya’s love for him? But no, Ilya could see it all for what it was now. Shane had wanted to give him something back. An offering of his love in ways he didn’t normally serve to Ilya on a platter.

Because, normally, Ilya had to work for it. He had to think through all of Shane’s complicated preferences, had to take into account their limitations as a couple who were not publicly out, had to plan for each and every scenario that came with Shane being a cat, and a perfectionist, and a nervous fucking wreck at times.

Maybe that was why Ilya questioned anything that came easy. He’s always had to fight for the people in his life; they rarely ever fought for him. So, Shane’s proposal had triggered red alarm bells in his head. What was the trick? What was the deeper meaning? Why had their dynamic shifted this time, for this specific occurrence? He feels silly now that he knows the answer is quite simple. Shane loved him. Loved him enough to want to try and replicate Ilya’s big, grand gestures, even though it was slightly out of his comfort zone. Just because he knew how good Ilya could make him feel by professing his love—loudly, and sometimes, obnoxiously— he had wanted to try and offer Ilya the same. But as endearing as it was, Ilya didn’t need that from Shane. He just needed to have him. Shane’s love—and god, his submission—that was more than enough.

“You deserve it just by loving me so well in return,” Ilya tells him honestly, as he rubs Shane’s back, holding him so fucking close. “And I get so much out of it, too. Just seeing you react like this…you have no idea how much you mean to me. How fulfilled I am by making you happy. I want to be responsible for all the good things in your life.”

-

Ilya was responsible for all the good things in Shane’s life. And Shane used to think his life was fucking grand, but it was like Ilya had opened up a whole new world for him. A world he hadn’t even realized was so big and beautiful and waiting for him to dive into. Not just the club, but hockey, too. His new friends. Getting to live authentically without fear.

Shane sucks in a heavy breath and pulls back slightly to look at Ilya’s face, his own teary and puffy and messy with emotion. How was it possible that he stumbled across the most perfect human in existence? Ilya got better every single day. He was so selfless, so detail-oriented in the way he cared for others, gave up so much of his time and attention without asking for anything in return. Shane wanted to bow at his feet, kiss the ground he walked upon, give himself over in every single way that existed. How could he ever give Ilya back what Ilya had given him?

“You’re so fucking amazing, and you don’t even know it,” Shane hiccups another sob as he clutches onto Ilya’s neck tightly. “I don’t…I can’t—” he drops his forehead to Ilya’s shoulder, trying to get himself together and failing miserably. How the fuck is he supposed to express the painful mass of feeling that lives inside of him? The one that grows every day and threatens to burst with each step he takes, until he positively explodes and leaks love for Ilya all over the floor, drowning the entire Earth in it. “I love you so much. You—”

“It’s okay, baby,” Ilya is saying to him so gently. “I understand. You don’t have to put it into words for me to understand. I can see it in the way you look at me, the way you get so overwhelmed by everything I offer you.”

Fuck. Shane was overwhelmed. He feels like he’s going to have a panic attack with how much he needs to submit to him right now. He needs something. He needs—

“Hey,” Ilya tells him sharply all of a sudden. “You are okay, just breathe for me. Everything’s okay, hm? You wear my collar everywhere you go. There is no question of how much you love me. You asked me to marry you, sweetheart. And I said yes, didn’t I? Even though I was so fucking scared about what that meant. Because sometimes I see my baby kitten taking big human steps, and I worry that you’re no longer going to need me the way I need you. I worry that, as things in your life start to get better, you’re not going to rely on our dynamic as much. That maybe you’re just going to want me a normal amount rather than to be fucking consumed by me the way I would prefer—”

“Never,” Shane cuts in around a gasp. “I’m always going to need this. I’m yours, forever and ever. I’m never going to stop wanting to be your котенок.”

Ilya just smiles against him and cards his fingers through Shane’s hair. “Then, we are exactly on the same page. You never have to worry about proving that to me, you know? You give yourself over to me in so many ways. You may not always show me with your words, or with big declarations, but you show me in the way you listen. The way you respond to everything I give you. We are different, yes? We express ourselves differently. We process things differently. This is one of the reasons we are so good together, hm?”

Shane sniffles and nods his agreement, dragging his tongue across Ilya’s neck.

“Ah, you see? This is one way my kitten loves to show me affection. Your kitten licks mean so much more to me than any human words you could ever string together. You would not question if a pet loves you just because they cannot speak it. We accept each other’s limitations. We each give what we are able to, don’t we?”

Shane loves him so fucking much. He still isn’t sure Ilya understands, still isn’t sure he’s ever going to want to stop proving it to him, but that’s okay. For now, Ilya does get it to some degree, and Shane still had so much time to keep making it clear.

“I am going to take this to mean you approve of the club.”

Shane lets out a wet laugh and practically tackles him to the floor, settling on top of his stomach as Ilya lies back. “The club is fucking amazing. God, Ilya. You’re just…you’re incredible. Everything you do is incredible.”

Ilya smirks up at him, giving Shane’s hips a squeeze. “Full marks already? You have not even seen my new playroom yet.”

Shane dives forward to nuzzle against him, rubbing his face and hair all over the expanse of Ilya’s neck as Ilya laughs and holds him impossibly close.

“I know, I know. It is very exciting. But if you are expecting me to let you be a kitten for a little bit before everyone gets here, then we should probably go take a look, hm?” He questions, and Shane sits up immediately, his eyes impossibly wide.

He tips his head, and if he had ears on right now, they’d be twitching in excitement. He wants to be a kitten so bad. He wants to rub his face all over Ilya’s crotch, wants to sniff him and bite him, and be a slave to his every desire. He wants to crawl at Ilya’s feet tonight. Wants to say fuck it and go down as far as possible, leaving Ilya to explain to the guys why he’s leading Shane around by a leash. Wants Ilya to say Shane is so brain-dead and love-drunk that he can’t process a single thought.

Ilya has a knowing look in his eyes, like he’s following every thought that crosses Shane’s mind. Like he has the subtitles on even though he’s watching his favorite show with the sound off.

Ilya helps him to his feet, and Shane’s knees are fucking wobbling. He feels at risk tonight, like there’s no way he’s going to be able to stay up with everything that’s happened in the past week. The near-death experience. Their engagement. Ilya’s tattoo.

Holy fuck. Ilya’s tattoo would be on full show for the guys tonight. How the fuck was he going to explain it? Was he just going to come right out and say that Shane’s necklace was a collar and Ilya had gotten it tattooed on him as a way of showing his ownership? And if he didn’t say that, how would the guys not make the connection? They had to know, right? How could they not? It seemed so glaringly obvious, to Shane at least, but maybe his brain was a little predisposed towards this type of thing. His breathing picks up again.

“Easy, Shane,” Ilya tells him groundingly, and Shane swallows as he tries to keep himself together.

He focuses on the feeling of Ilya’s hand on his back. He focuses on the soft ocean sounds drifting through the most beautiful club he’s ever seen in his life. He focuses on the gentle vibrations of the whale sounds coursing through the walls. But it only makes him feel more frenzied, more out of control. He needs to submit to Ilya so badly. He needs to show him how happy he’s making Shane feel.

“I know. It has been an eventful week for us, hasn’t it? We have not had much of a break recently,” Ilya acknowledges as Shane tucks further into his side. “It’s okay if you are extra cuddly tonight. The guys already know you are a sweet little angel. And Troy is going to be here, right? If you are feeling like a kitten, you can talk to him. Plus…Ivan is going to be here.”

Shane’s head shoots up. Ivan? Ivan is coming??? But Ivan isn’t supposed to be here until Sunday. Ivan and Cedric! For their playdate. He’s coming tonight??? Since when? What is going on!!!

Ilya squeezes the back of his neck, and Shane moans while sinking back into submission. “We are not going to play with Ivan tonight, baby. That is for Sunday, yes? But he was able to come into town a little earlier, and he wanted to see you, so I said he should come.”

“Ivan,” Shane whines desperately, clinging to Ilya as he pleads.

“No, sweetheart. He is not going to be a puppy tonight, and you are not going to be a kitty either—”

Shane lets out a wounded noise.

“Okay, you are always a kitty,” Ilya relents. “But you are going to need to be on your best human behavior tonight.”

Shane was also always on his best behavior, although maybe not necessarily in the human sense, but he couldn’t fucking wait to see Ivan. Holy shit. Ivan was going to get to meet Troy, too. Now, it really felt like all of his worlds were colliding.

“Are you ready to see my new playroom?” Ilya asks as they stop in front of a door. The outside is covered in silky, ruched, aqua fabric pulled into shapes of diamonds with little holographic fish scales scattered throughout. Shane feels like he’s about to enter into another dimension.

When Ilya opens the door, Shane is grateful for the hands securing him around the waist because he’s pretty sure he might pass out any moment now. The playroom…it looks like something out of a dream.

The first thing Shane notices are the large, 3D, glass-blown jellyfish hanging over the bed, with blue, wavy tulle pieces of fabric that extend down to the floor, strings of beaded crystal woven in between. The bedding is ethereal, different shades of blue coming into play depending on how the shadows of the jellyfish lights play across them. There are starfish pillows and a little plush seahorse that Shane can’t wait to hold close to his chest. There’s colorful fish painted on the walls, each of them wearing a welcoming smile that makes Shane’s heart ache. And to top it all off, there’s a crushed velvet couch that looks like the coziest thing he’s ever seen in his life. It’s Ilya’s playroom, so Shane’s sure there’s more to it than that, more technical stuff, but this is all Shane can process right now. He feels like a mermaid kitty.

He turns around and collapses fully into Ilya’s chest, nearly knocking him off his feet with the force of it, as Shane has a full-on mental breakdown in his arms.

“Alright, come here. You’re okay,” Ilya is telling him from some far-off, distant place. And Shane feels his feet lift off the ground as Ilya picks him up by the hips and carries him further into the room. They’re sitting at some point, but Shane can’t see any part of the world around him. He thinks if he tries to look, he’s just going to wind up crying harder, and they’re never going to make it to this opening tonight.

Ilya fucking Rozanov. Does his greatness know no bounds? Maybe Ilya should be the one planning this wedding. Ilya with his impeccable taste and his god-awfully brilliant ideas. Shane doesn’t even want to imagine what his proposal would look like. It would probably send him into a coma. Send him into an early grave. Perhaps Shane should get surgery to have cat ears physically attached to his head. To add something to his throat that will make his vocal cords rumble with a loud purr every time Ilya does something gobsmackingly fantastic. He’d never fucking shut up if that were the case. He’d be vibrating with happiness at every second of the day. God, he needs his tattoo fast. He needs to mark himself permanently as Ilya’s good, good boy.

Ilya just holds him tight to his chest, grounding Shane with soft words and firm touches. He’s sending Shane down even further; Shane wonders if he realizes that, or if Shane is just that fucking affected right now that anything would. But Ilya is petting him so slowly. Scratching at his hair. Talking to him like his brain can’t understand words. That’s accurate, actually. His brain can’t.

But, eventually, Shane’s breathing starts to even out. His tears start to dry up, not because he’s not still emotional, but because it’s wearing him out. Being so endlessly in love is exhausting. He feels it all through his body.

And the next thing he knows, he’s waking up. He’s cuddled up in bed in the softest sheets known to man and—

Shane sits up and looks around frantically. Ilya. Where the fuck is Ilya? Ilya is gone. Ilya isn’t with him. Ilya left him. He’s alone in the most beautiful bed in the world, and Ilya is nowhere to be found. Shane clutches onto his collar tightly to make sure he didn’t imagine the last few months. Holy fuck. That would be quite the wake-up call, wouldn’t it? No Ilya. No Ottawa. No Centaurs. No being a kitten.

If that were true…if Shane woke up and it was all a dream, he’d have started sprinting to Ilya’s house. To Ilya’s club. Would have hopped on a plane to Boston if he had to. If that’s somehow where Ilya was.

Where the fuck was Ilya? Shane feels his heart pounding in his chest. He feels his lower lip start to wobble. He feels crazy. Out of control. He doesn’t know what to do with himself if Ilya isn’t here. He’s two seconds away from letting out the most ungodly screaming-crying sound when the door to the playroom snicks open, and then, Ilya is there. Right before his eyes. Shane practically throws himself at him.

“You were gone,” Shane sobs desperately.

“Hey. It is okay. I am right here. I was just getting you some water, моя любовь. I have not stocked the fridge in here yet.”

Shane can feel the water bottle digging into his back as Ilya holds him closely.

“I thought I dreamed the whole thing,” Shane cries, his body shaking with the revelation that it is real. He hadn’t made it up in his head. “You. The club. Being your котенок. Everything.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Ilya’s voice is filled with pain.

“I thought…I thought I was back in Montreal. Playing with the Voyageurs still. I thought it never happened. I thought—”

Ilya bites his neck sharply, and Shane goes lax in his arms all at once. Holy fuck.

“You are here. This is real. I am yours. Okay? I am sorry for disappearing on you. I am sorry for ever making you doubt that.”

Shane is feeling fuzzy again. Or maybe he never stopped. Maybe his feelings for Ilya are just too intense that he only has a few modes: out of his mind, freaking out and crying, or brainless and unresponsive to anyone except his owner. But somehow, he needed to access his hockey mode right now. He needed to lock the fuck in. He needed to be a human around the guys because Ilya had said so.

Shane is getting hard in his pants. He wants to hump Ilya into oblivion. He wants to be made into a mindless slut for him. He wants Ilya to fuck his throat until it’s raw. He wants Ilya to let Ivan and Troy and every fucking person in this place watch.

“Baby,” Ilya says unsurely, like he has no idea how they’re going to get Shane together in time for the club opening, which, if Shane had to guess, must be happening very soon. He doesn’t know how long he’s been asleep for. The playroom feels like a frozen time trap.

Shane sucks on the fabric of Ilya’s shirt to try and soothe himself.

-

Shane is in quite a state tonight. Maybe it’s because he feels safe in the new club, extra cared for on account of all the things Ilya has been planning for him, but still, Ilya hadn’t been expecting this reaction.

He’s grateful that Troy and Ivan are both going to be in attendance this evening because they were going to have to serve as Ilya’s point people if Shane started to go down again. He’s also glad that the guys have already been prepped for this. They didn’t know Shane was a kitten, but they knew he could be quiet. Affectionate. Oddly clingy sometimes. They were probably going to see a lot of that tonight, if Ilya had to guess.

Ilya tips his chin up so Shane is forced to look at him through his very hazy eyes. “I am going to need you to be my little helper tonight.”

Shane turns to try and bite at his hand. Ilya can’t resist smiling, but he gives him a pinch on the back of his neck to grab his attention again.

“This is Troy’s first night at a club like this. He is probably going to be very nervous. Same with Ivan, hm? He does not know any of the boys,” Ilya explains, scratching lightly at the back of Shane’s hair. “I am going to need you to stay with them all night and make sure they are okay, yes? Can you be a good boy for me and do that? If you are not with me, you need to be with Troy or Ivan. Otherwise, they may get scared, and we will not be able to play with them again.”

Ilya watches as Shane’s eyes go wide in alertness.

“Do you understand?” Ilya looks him over in consideration. “If you are not with me, you are with Troy or Ivan. I need you to be a good kitten and stay with them so they feel safe.”

That was not entirely true. Mostly, Ilya was giving Shane a task so that he had something to keep him grounded. When he was at risk of not being Ilya’s good boy, Shane could get very focused very fast. He could develop an almost laser-like attentiveness to whatever task Ilya had assigned to him. And right now, he needed Shane to stick to his safety humans if there was ever a point that Ilya needed to step away.

They’re doing a friends and family soft opening, but for the rest of his staff, this is a full-out run-through. He’s got new bartenders, new security guards, and most importantly, a new manager, Anastasia. She was nice, friendly, but no nonsense. She would be in charge of the place when Ilya couldn’t be there, which was honestly going to be more often than not. With their hectic hockey schedule, he didn’t have time to commit to running the club day-to-day, and Svetlana had her own businesses to manage in Montreal. Mostly, Ilya would handle big-ticket items. Events. Policies. Executive decisions. The point is, as much as this is just a little shindig for their people, Ilya was still technically working tonight. Helping the staff work out all the kinks—no pun intended—before they opened fully to the wider public.

Shane is still looking at him in confusion, so Ilya gives his cheek a soft stroke with his thumb. “You want Troy and Ivan to feel safe, don’t you, baby? So they can come back to play with you?”

That Shane seems to understand, at least, seeing as he nods his head jerkily.

“Then, I am going to need you to be very nice to them. Stay close to them. Make sure they are having a good time, okay? I need you to be a very good kitten for them. Can you let me know that you understand?”

Shane responds by turning slightly to lick at Ilya’s wrist.

“Good boy,” Ilya praises, giving his cheek another stroke. “It’s okay if you want to be quiet around the guys. They already know you can be like that sometimes. You’re gonna be safe here. It is just people we know.” Ilya lets go of Shane for a second when his phone buzzes in his pocket. “Ah, that is Svetlana.” He reaches to give Shane a rub over his side. “Are you okay if we go say hello to her? You like Svetlana, don’t you, sweetheart?”

Shane just smiles and drops his head to Ilya’s chest. He’s feeling sweet. Maybe a little silly. Nothing that’s setting off any major alarm bells in Ilya’s head.

“Okay,” he says decisively. “We are going to go see her. You are going to hold my hand, and if something is wrong, I need you to let me know. Do you remember your paw squeezes with your kitty claws?” Ilya asks him. “Can you give me the squeeze for green, baby?”

Ilya feels relief when Shane digs his nails into his hand once.

“And the squeeze for yellow and red?”

Shane digs his nails in and holds it.

“Good boy,” Ilya breathes, pulling Shane close to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Alright, we are going now.”

Ilya was excited to see Svetlana. If there was one person he was dying to tell about their engagement, it was her. She was the only person in the world who knew what this meant to him. She had been with Ilya through all the many ups and downs of his Shane obsession. He remembers crying in her lap when the articles about Shane and Rose being engaged first came out. They were disproven, of course, but for those couple of days, Ilya had been a wreck. His Shane…engaged to a woman. A fucking movie star. A movie star who Ilya now owed everything to for finally getting Shane to come to his club. God, he was going to have to send her a fruit basket. Or maybe do some digging on Svetlana. Apparently, he was fucking BDSM Cupid lately; he’s been taking on a lot of clients.

Ilya keeps Shane tucked under his arm as they head back out into the main area, and it’s like Shane is seeing the place for the first time through his kitten eyes. He’s reacting to the fish exactly the way Ilya had hoped he would. His eyes widen when the first whale passes through, and Ilya smiles at the way it makes Shane gravitate closer to him, like he’s a little scared of all the sea creatures. Ilya just pretends they’re attached at the hip and kisses into his hair.

“There are my two lovebirds,” comes Svetlana’s voice from across the room. “Ilyusha, you have really outdone yourself with this place. I think I like it even better than the mock-up you showed me.”

Ilya smiles and looks around the room proudly. “It came together quite nicely, didn’t it? It is very good to see you.” He doesn’t let go of Shane as he leans in to hug her with his free arm.

“It is amazing to see you, too. I am excited to meet some of your teammates. It is so nice you are finally starting to play well together. I was getting a bit of secondhand embarrassment, you know? I am used to cheering for a winning team.”

Ilya rolls his eyes and then gives Shane’s back a little rub. “Baby, can you say hi to Sveta?”

Shane leans his head against Ilya’s shoulder and juts his lower lip out slightly.

“Hi, sweet котенок. I feel like I rarely ever see you human anymore,” Svetlana coos at him, her expression warm and fond.

“Well, he is human tonight. Or at least he is supposed to be. Call him Shane, please,” Ilya requests, even though it makes Shane turn to burrow his face into Ilya’s chest. “I know, I know, but we need to do our best to stay up, sweetheart. We have a long evening ahead of us.” Ilya rubs at his shoulder before turning to Svetlana again. “I did not anticipate him getting so emotional in response to all of this.”

Svetlana laughs as if Ilya is clueless. “I am sure it has more to do with the ring around your neck!”

Oh, right. That. Ilya can’t help the way his lips curl up in reaction.

“You are engaged?” She breaks into a big smile.

“We are,” Ilya relents, his voice going soft because wow. Saying it out loud makes it feel really real.

“Ilya. I am so happy for you,” Svetlana gushes, gripping onto his hand tightly as she leans in to get a look at the ring. Her eyes drift to Shane for a second, and then back to Ilya a moment later. “But you are the one wearing it. Did…did Shane propose to you?”

Ilya huffs out a laugh. “Yes, we have already gotten into a big fight over it. He knows I am still going to do my proposal, but unfortunately, he beat me to it.”

Svetlana shakes her head in disbelief. “You two are very perfect for each other. I am so glad everything worked out. And I am glad you’re safe. I was terrified when I heard about what happened with the—”

Ilya cuts her off with an urgent look that says, please don’t bring up the crash. He and Shane were both doing a lot better with the aftermath of everything, but Ilya honestly did not trust Shane’s mental state right now. He was more emotional and sensitive than usual, and adding the crash to the mix was, decidedly, not a good idea.

“I see you guys got started without me,” a new voice enters the space all of a sudden, and Ilya turns to see Ivan strolling up with a bright smile. “Rozy, the club looks incredible. I may even like this one more than Hush. What’s it called again?”

“Drift,” Ilya smiles as Shane jolts to life in his arms. “I am glad you were able to make it.”

Ivan just shrugs. “I had someone in town I wanted to catch up with, so figured I would come a few days early. There’s my kitty cat,” he laughs when Shane springs over to hug him.

Ilya can’t help hovering close, feeling a little on edge with the way Shane was reacting to things today. He was more sensitive than usual, but hopefully, he would start to feel more comfortable with the added company rather than less.

“You are not wearing your ears, котенок,” Ivan notices as he runs a hand through Shane’s hair.

Shane pouts pathetically and nuzzles into Ivan’s chest, causing the other to frown and look up at Ilya.

Ilya sighs. “He is not supposed to be down right now, but it has been a big day for us. First with the engagement—”

“The engagement?” Ivan’s eyes go wide. “Holy shit. Congratulations, you guys,” he expresses delightedly, pulling Shane a little closer to him from where Shane is cuddled against his chest.

“Thank you,” Ilya can’t help but smile. “Anyway, most of the team does not know about him. They know he is my sub, but not like this. I am hoping to keep it under wraps if possible. They won’t be alarmed if he is quiet or cuddly, but I am worried he is going to go full-on kitten tonight, so. If you could just keep an eye on him.”

“Of course,” Ivan agrees without question, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“There is one other person on the team. Troy. He has watched Shane once like this before, so between the three of us, it shouldn’t be a problem. I just…need to keep him out of trouble. It is a lot to throw at our team, you know? We are around them all the time.”

“No, I understand,” Ivan nods quickly. “I’m impressed you even invited them to the opening. It’s great you guys are able to be out to your team at all, let alone about this.”

Ilya feels his heart pick up a little in appreciation. They were really lucky to have the guys. The fact that all of them were so accepting, and quite curious and eager to learn, was the biggest blessing Ilya could have asked for. And they had Troy and Harris on top of that. Another pairing. Eventually. If Ilya could successfully work his magic.

“They are really good guys. You can be yourself around them. Just nothing too revealing about Shane, please,” Ilya requests, feeling relaxed when he receives a firm confirmation. Ivan was fucking amazing with the way he knew how to handle Shane. He was a remarkable sub, but when he was with Shane, it was almost like he gave off a Dom-like aura. He could be commanding and grounding just enough for Shane to actually listen to him, but he was also enough of a sub that Shane trusted him. And Ilya trusted Ivan, too. He had been a great friend to Shane so far, and Ilya really liked that Shane had another sub to talk to. Plus, they were certainly hot when they played together. Ilya is looking forward to seeing more of that on Sunday.

When the guys do finally start to arrive, Ilya is just glad that Troy gets there first. He feels confident that Ivan will be able to help with Shane tonight if necessary, but it was always great to have more people he could trust to keep an eye out, and Troy had proven to be a pretty stellar cat sitter. In the past week, he’s become Ilya’s sort of right-hand man when it came to Shane. If Shane even seemed like something might set him off, Troy would alert Ilya in an instant. He was starting to get really good at reading Shane’s cues, too, and Ilya liked how eager Troy was to please. Like he got off on being the team’s watchdog. Ilya wondered if Harris might get off on it, too.

“Hey, guys,” Troy says breathlessly as he walks up. “I don’t know what I was expecting when you said ‘BDSM club opening, wear blue’, but it was definitely not this,” he laughs.

“It is like he dreams of being an amateur interior designer,” Svetlana jokes as she steps back over to them after a brief detour at the bar.

“I’d say he’s a little past amateur,” Ivan grins, giving Shane’s shoulder another rub.

“Ivan, Svetlana, this is Troy,” Ilya introduces. “Svetlana is co-owner with me for both of the clubs,” he explains. “She is a long-time childhood friend of mine. And Ivan has been coming to our club in Montreal for many years now. He and Shane are very close, as you can see.”

“This is the teammate who knows?” Ivan asks him lightly, tipping his head towards Troy, and Ilya nods. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’m glad Shane has someone on the team he can be himself around. This kitty deserves all the love,” Ivan hums sweetly, while scratching his fingers through Shane’s hair.

Shane just purrs and nuzzles up into his hand.

“Wow,” Troy comments, watching the way that Shane and Ivan are interacting. “So, you’ve been around him a lot like this, then?”

“A good amount,” Ivan agrees, shrugging. “We have only played together once, although that will be changing soon. Right, kitty?” Ivan reminds him, giving Shane a little shake.

“Play together?” Troy raises his eyebrows. “Like…like as cats?”

“Ivan is a puppy,” Ilya chimes in.

“Well, not all the time,” Ivan clarifies. “Not like Shane here, at least. Though I guess he is quite special.”

Ilya practically preens at the compliment.

“But, yeah. I don’t mind a little pet play every now and then. It’s definitely one of the more fun roles to slip into. Plus, Shane and Ilya are great to scene with. Sometimes I get sucked in just by watching them. Rozy, I seriously went down so far after Pet Playground. Cedric fucked me, like, wild. One of our best scenes together, I think.”

Ilya laughs when Troy’s eyes go wide as saucers. “Well, we are excited about seeing you guys on Sunday. Cedric and I have talked a little about boundaries, but we should probably discuss a few things as a group. Although Shane can have trouble staying up in those conversations.”

“You guys are 24/7, though, aren’t you?” Ivan tips his head.

Ilya’s eyes dart to Troy momentarily before going back to Ivan.

Ivan recognizes the gesture almost immediately and changes the subject. “Wait, you never told me about the engagement. Do you have any idea when you’re trying to have the wedding?”

“Baby, you did not even say hi to Troy,” Ilya realizes, reaching for Shane to tug him away from Ivan a bit. He was getting a little too wrapped up in his comfort person, and while the guys would understand if he was clinging to Ilya, it might be sort of weird for them to see Shane clinging to someone else.

-

Shane pouts as Ilya pries him off of Ivan, but his cat eyes focus in awareness when he zeroes in on Troy. He hadn’t even noticed Troy was here.

“Troy,” Shane mumbles quietly, and he looks to Ilya to see if he’s allowed to touch.

“Yes, sweetheart. Go on, give him a hug,” Ilya tells him, so Shane buries himself in Troy’s arms.

“Hi, kitty,” Troy greets, rocking Shane slightly in his hold as Shane sniffs at him.

Wow. Shane has a lot of humans here with him tonight. He’s practically the only kitty.

“We are going to call him Shane to keep him up as much as possible,” Ilya cuts in, and Shane growls a little.

Why the fuck was Ilya trying to cut into his kitty time with all his best friends?

“I don’t want to hear any of that attitude from you, котенок. I told you I need you to be especially nice to Troy and Ivan. They are very nervous, so I need you on your best behavior.”

Shane pouts and pulls himself out of Troy’s arms a bit, and when he turns his head, he’s confused to find Ivan, Troy, and Ilya all smiling at each other like they’re in on some inside joke.

“Um, so. You guys are engaged?” Troy wonders aloud, and Shane feels happy when Ilya instantly agrees. “Woah. That’s huge. Congratulations.”

“Yes, yes, thank you,” Ilya hums, reaching up to touch the ring. The ring that Shane got for him. It’s around his neck for everyone to see!

“Oh my god, Ilya,” Ivan says all of a sudden, and Shane watches as he steps closer to him to look at Ilya’s hand. “Your tattoo. Holy fuck. Is that what I think it is? That is stunning.”

Svetlana squints while leaning in to try and get a better look at it as well, her hand raising to cover her mouth once she does.

“Ah,” Ilya blinks, holding out his hand and rotating it for them all to see.

“Ilyusha,” Svetlana says quietly, her hand resting over her heart this time. “It is truly beautiful. And the fact that you are also honoring your mother.”

Troy furrows his eyebrows as he looks around the group.

“If a Dom ever did that for me, I’d never get off my knees,” Ivan whistles. “That is so fucking hot, Rozy. Damn. How did Shane react?”

“A whole lot of tears,” Ilya laughs, gesturing for Troy to hand Shane over.

Shane wiggles excitedly as he’s transferred and then immediately starts to lick Ilya’s neck.

“I know, baby. It is because I love you very much,” Ilya indulges him with some nice pets over his back.

“Is it, um…it’s Shane’s necklace, right? The one you used to wear?” Troy voices unsurely.

“It’s Shane’s collar,” Ivan corrects. “It’s a symbol of their relationship. A way of displaying Ilya’s ownership. Ilya’s tattoo is basically the ultimate declaration of love and possession. I mean, to tattoo your sub’s collar, especially around your hand like that, in such a prominent way, is just…it’s breathtaking, really. I would kill to have what you guys have.”

“It is unlike anything I have ever seen before,” Svetlana agrees. “They are truly perfect for one another. I never thought I would see the day the ten-year plan finally came to fruition.”

“Ten-year plan?” Ivan cackles. “For what?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t know about Ilya’s life-long crush,” Svetlana rolls her eyes. “It was the most pathetic thing in the world, but I just felt so bad for him. I have never seen anyone pine so hard in my life.”

“You’re kidding,” Troy huffs a laugh, looking between the two of them.

Shane just hugs Ilya tightly around the waist.

“Whatever. Make fun all you want, but ten-year plan obviously worked. And I do not see any of you fuckers in committed relationships. Perhaps you could use my help. I think I have even figured out some of the issues, so it can probably be down to five-year plan now.”

Shane purrs warmly when the entire group laughs.

By the time the rest of the team gets there, Shane is feeling a little more like himself. Or a little less, depending on how you cat-egorized him. But Ilya is holding his hand as they step up to the bar for jello-fish shots, and Shane nearly moans when Ilya sucks the jello shot into his own mouth before passing it to Shane through a kiss. Shane clutches desperately to his shirt and wraps his tongue around the gelatin before swallowing it and pulling Ilya into a real kiss after. Ilya smirks and cups his ass, and Shane has to fight to keep from climbing him and riding him right on top of the bar.

“I’m going to help the bartenders get some trays of shots so we can bring them over to the guys. Can you go with Troy and wait for me, baby?”

Shane nods and purses his lips for another kiss, which Ilya easily grants him, before he scurries off to find Troy, as asked.

He smiles when he sees Troy talking to Wyatt and Bood and immediately sidles up next to him on the couch.

“Shane, buddy, there you are! Oh my god, this place is fucking sick,” Bood whoops. “Rozy is fucking nuts. I can’t believe he’s just doing shit like this in his free time. I can barely even finish a movie before I pass out most nights.”

“I can see why Cassie is looking to spice things up,” Wyatt jokes.

“Oh, shut up, Hazy. So, how does this place compare to the other club?” Bood wonders, and it takes a minute, but when no one else answers, Shane eventually realizes that he must be talking to him.

Shane just looks helplessly to Troy.

Troy leans back against the couch and gestures for Shane to settle into his side. “Do you like this club better than the Montreal one?” Troy rephrases, speaking clearly and slowly to him.

Oh, Shane’s eyes widen in understanding before he nods emphatically. Troy offers him a curl of his lips in response, and Shane’s tummy flutters. He’s doing well. He’s making Troy feel comfortable, helping Troy answer questions. Ilya would be proud of him. Shane wraps his fingers in the fabric at the bottom of Troy’s shirt.

“Is he feeling a little…” Wyatt asks lightly.

“Yeah,” Troy murmurs in agreement, and Shane sighs when Troy’s fingers scratch through the back of his hair.

“God, if the drinks here are as strong as they are at Hush, we’re in for a fucking night,” Ivan voices as he approaches the group of them, a tray of jello-fish shots in hand that he places on the table.

“Guys, this is Ivan,” Troy introduces. “That’s Bood and Wyatt over there.”

“Oh shit. You’ve been to Roz’s Montreal club, then, yeah? You’ve gotta tell us about all the freaky shit that goes on there. He’s always holding out on us,” Wyatt shakes his head as he reaches for one of the shots.

Ivan laughs. “I think he’s probably just trying to protect his and Shane’s dynamic. I’m sure it’s pretty weird having your co-workers know what you and your partner get up to in the bedroom. Especially if your partner is also on that team.”

“I mean, hey. We don’t judge,” Bood shrugs. “We already know Shane’s his sub or whatever. And he invited us here, didn’t he? It doesn’t get much more intimate than that.”

Ivan throws Troy a look that the other guys instantly pick up on.

“Um, unless…” Bood pauses, glancing between them.

“Details about someone’s arrangement are extremely intimate. Some things are meant to be private,” Ivan offers, sitting down on the couch next to Shane. Shane immediately jolts up in excitement and digs his claws into Ivan’s thigh. “Yes, hello, cutie. How are we doing over here?”

Shane just purrs as Ivan gives him a rub. He feels so safe next to his two humans in his owner’s new club.

“You and Shane are pretty close, then, huh? I thought Barrett was the only one allowed to touch him without Rozy going feral,” Wyatt snorts.

“Yeah, Shane’s a good friend,” Ivan agrees, turning back to the group this time as he takes a shot. “Want one, котенок?”

Shane already had one, and he doesn’t know if he’s allowed to have another, but Ilya said to make sure Ivan feels safe, so Shane tugs at Ivan’s shirt to get him to focus on him.

“And Ilya’s cool with you just like…touching him like this? Cause I feel like if I did that, he’d lose his fucking mind,” Bood chuckles.

“Mm, probably because you have voiced on numerous occasions that Shane is your hall pass,” Ilya chimes in as he arrives to the table with another tray of jello-fish shots.

“Pretty sure Ivan wants a go at Shane, too, buddy. And you never seem to say anything about Troy, either,” Bood fires back.

“Yeah, didn’t Troy, like, openly try to go after Shane?” Wyatt grins widely.

“He fucking asked for his number! Plus, Troy is actually gay. He’s way more of a threat.” Bood points at Troy.

“Did someone say Troy is a threat?” Harris walks over to the table with a drink in his hand.

Ilya smirks and waves his hand at Bood and Wyatt. “Move down so me and Harris can sit, would you? Uh, no,” Ilya shakes his head when Harris goes to sit next to Ivan. “You over there.” He juts his chin in the direction of the space that’s just opened up next to Troy. “Troy, scooch down. I am taking your spot.”

“Alpha,” Shane mutters into Ivan’s neck. Ivan shushes him and rubs over his thigh in response.

“Maybe gay people are allowed to touch each other like that, but straight people aren’t,” Wyatt muses to Bood, and Ilya snorts.

“He is allowed to touch him like that because he is Shane’s best friend and he is also a sub,” Ilya clarifies. “It is like if Shane cuddled up to Rose Landry. It is not a threat. They are not compatible.”

Bood just wiggles his eyebrows. “So, you think I’m a threat?”

“Are the boys being ignorant about club dynamics?” Svetlana sighs as she walks over. “Vanilla jocks are so tiring.”

Shane lets himself be pulled against Ilya as he settles into the space next to him where Troy has just departed from. Ilya leans in close and takes the shot from Shane’s hand. “Now, how did you get another one of these?”

Shane just blushes and points to Ivan.

“Sorry, was I not supposed to?” Ivan tips his head. “I thought alcohol might be a nice human thing.”

“No, you are right,” Ilya agrees, placing the shot back in Shane’s paw. “Go on, sweetheart. You’re alright.”

“Hey, Rozy,” someone leans over the back of the couch into Ilya’s ear. “Who’s the babe with the curls?”

Shane turns slightly to see Holmberg hovering behind them. He ducks his head when the rookie offers him a small wave with a quirk of his lips.

“That is Svetlana, and she will eat you alive. Don’t even try it,” Ilya warns, and Shane giggles when Holmberg huffs and slinks away in defeat, Ilya rolling his eyes before turning back to him. “These idiots know nothing, I swear.”

Shane smiles and then breaks into laughter when Ilya tickles his stomach.

“I’m trying not to be vanilla, you know? That’s why I’m here. My wife wants to get into it.”

Shane tunes back in to the conversation happening next to them with Bood, Wyatt, and Svetlana. Troy and Harris are just talking quietly to each other like they’re off in their own world.

“Well, you clearly have a lot to learn,” Svetlana replies, looking Bood over pointedly. “But if you are serious, you have come to the right place. There is no better Dom than Rozy.”

“Please,” Ilya refutes. “I have had my fair share of disasters.”

“And that is what makes you such a good Dom,” Svetlana agrees. “I would never feel safe with someone who has not had a scene go wrong before. That is how you learn and get better.”

“A scene go wrong?” Troy clears his throat. “What do you mean?”

“If someone has to color out or if something does not go as planned,” Svetlana clarifies.

“Color out…”

“It is a stoplight system. Green for go, yellow for slow down, and red for stop,” Ilya explains. “Basically, a way to communicate or tap out of the scene if someone is feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. A lot of scenes can be very intense, which is why a good Dom must always check in.”

“Oh,” Troy murmurs in understanding.

“I feel like I should be writing this down,” Bood curses while scrambling for his phone.

“Take your shot, котенок,” Ilya catches Shane’s attention by rubbing over his back.

Shane pouts and holds the shot up to Ilya’s mouth.

Ilya just looks down at him with amusement in his eyes. “You want me to feed it to you again?” He laughs and shakes his head. “You are ridiculous. Everyone look away,” Ilya warns, as he pulls Shane close and raises his arm up to hide them from view.

Shane mewls happily as Ilya feeds him the jello-shot via a kiss while they’re hidden in the safety of his big, muscular arm. Mm, Shane loves him, loves him, loves him.

“Holy fuck, Rozanov! Since when did you get a tattoo?” Wyatt practically yells, standing to grab at Ilya’s wrist.

“Ah, careful, careful. Shane is going to fucking murder you if you mess that up. He has been taping and cleaning it nice and well for me for hockey,” Ilya cautions, pulling his hand back to himself before he offers it up to the group for them to see.

Bood whistles. “That’s beautiful, Roz. That’s for your mother, right? For the charity?”

Svetlana laughs. “Wow, they are really clueless, huh?”

Ilya narrows his eyes at her.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” Wyatt demands. “I feel like everyone’s in on something except for Bood and me.”

“It’s for his mother,” Ivan agrees. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, guys! Sorry I’m late,” Luca says breathlessly as he plops onto one of the couches. “Hey, Troy. Hey, Ilya. Hey, Shane.”

Shane huffs into Ilya’s chest. There’s so many people. He doesn’t want to do this right now. He wants to go back to Ilya’s playroom and be a kitty cat for a while.

“Is he just…really stressed today?” Harris whispers to Ilya from somewhere in the distance.

“This week has been a lot,” Ilya says softly, and Shane feels a soothing hand comb over his back.

“No, of course,” Harris agrees. “But…it’s from that still or…”

“They’re engaged,” Troy offers with a smile.

Harris’ jaw drops. “No way! The Centaurs are having a wedding?”

“Wait, what?” The entire group pauses to look towards them, and Shane feels his breathing pick up.

“A wedding?”

“You guys are getting married?”

“Since when!”

Shane desperately digs his claws into Ilya’s side and holds them there for a few seconds.

“Fuck,” Ilya mutters. “Fuck, okay, hold on.”

“Is he okay?” Ivan asks, his eyebrows pinched.

“He is yellow,” Ilya says under his breath, so only Ivan can hear. “I’m going to take him to my playroom for a second.”

“What’s going on?” Troy sits forward. “Do you need help?”

“No,” Ilya’s voice rings out as he pulls Shane into a standing position.

Shane hiccups a sob and wraps his arms securely around Ilya’s neck.

“Okay. You’re okay,” Ilya repeats softly. “We are going to take a little breather. Everything’s good.”

Shane tries to clamp down on any more sounds, but fuck. He’s failing his task. Who was going to help keep Troy and Ivan safe?

He can feel a lot of eyes on him as Ilya whisks him away, can feel how the room has gone practically silent around them, but he just clings to Ilya’s neck tightly and keeps his eyes closed. He can’t fucking handle this right now. Can’t handle all the questions. All the attention. He doesn’t like being human at the club. It’s reminding him of the last time he was human at Hush. When he’d found himself surrounded by people. When he’d gotten so drunk and Nikolai had kissed him. Touched him. Made him cheat on Ilya. A million bodies and voices surrounding him. Making the walls cave in. Making Shane shrink smaller.

Oh fuck. He hasn’t thought about that much at all. Not since the days following. But it all bubbles to the surface now. He grips Ilya tightly again, but they’re halfway across the room now. Ilya’s somehow holding half of his weight as they walk. Shane barely feels his feet touching the ground.

“Doing so well for me, angel. Just breathe. You are safe with me.”

Shane takes a deep breath. And then he’s in the dream bed. The frozen time trap where, for just a split second, he had thought Ilya never entered his life. Wow, he doesn’t feel good. Wasn’t he supposed to be staying with Ivan and Troy?

Ilya is sitting behind him against the head of the bed, his arms wrapped tightly under Shane’s armpits and crossed over his chest. Shane holds him close as Ilya presses a column of grounding kisses down the span of his neck, his stubble digging in with every one.

Shane gasps and sinks into the feeling. Ilya’s big arms pull him even closer, and Shane just relaxes all at once. He can feel Ilya’s dick against his ass. Not hard, necessarily. Just there. It makes him feel safe. His big, strong Alpha would protect him. From Nikolai or anyone else. No one was ever going to touch Shane wrong again.

Shane’s face crumples as he lets his head drop forward. He wants his ears. He wants his ears so badly, but they don’t have code words for everything yet. If he wants Ilya to get them for him, he’s going to have to ask. But he can’t get his voice to work. He can’t get his mind to form the words. He squirms against Ilya’s grip in an effort to try and force the thought to surface.

“What is it, baby? What do you need?” Ilya asks, biting gently at the space between his shoulder and neck.

“Ears,” Shane whines softly as the tears spill out of him. God, he was a walking disaster, wasn’t he? It’s no wonder Nikolai had taken advantage of him. He couldn’t stay human to save his life. He thought he’d been doing better, but wow, things are starting to pile up. So many things he didn’t even realize were burning in the background. He should probably call his therapist soon. If he can find time between hockey. And the club. And the wedding, now.

“You can have your ears, sweet boy. You’re okay. Just try and calm down for me, okay?”

Ilya rubs soothingly over his back, and Shane is glad he doesn’t have to leave the bed to look for them when he hears Ilya start rummaging around in a drawer that must be right next to them.

And then, before Shane knows it, there’s a pair of medium-sized ears being clipped into his hair, and he feels like he can finally breathe again. Woah. Okay. He’s okay. He’s Ilya’s kitten right now. Ilya would never let anything happen to his kitten.

“There’s my perfect kitten,” Ilya’s voice oozes out of him, and Shane turns to suck on his neck. “You are just feeling a lot of things today, yes? And that’s okay. So much has happened in one week. It is a lot of emotions to process.”

He’s petting at his hair, and Shane almost wants to tell him. Wants to say he doesn’t feel safe being a human at the club anymore. He only wants to come as a kitten if he has to be around this many people.

“You just wanna be my little baby, don’t you? My sweet boy who doesn’t have to worry about anything?” Ilya hums, rocking him slightly. “You just want me to take care of you. Make all the bad thoughts go away, hm? I know they creep up on you sometimes. My precious angel.”

Shane sniffles and tucks his forehead against Ilya’s jaw, shifting so his ears brush up against Ilya’s cheek.

“There’s my good pet. My gorgeous baby. Oh, you’re the best cat for your owner, aren’t you? Make me so proud of you. So proud that I have such a well-behaved kitty.”

Shane was well-behaved. He never did anything wrong. Except he probably should have told Ilya that he was going to the club that night to meet Ivan. He’d wanted to do it on his own, but maybe it was a sign from the universe that he wasn’t supposed to. If he was a better sub, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. Maybe he’d have been able to manage being a human around the guys right now. He sucks in another breath.

“Baby, I need you to listen to me, please. Whatever you’re thinking, just let it go. Focus on my voice.”

And Shane listens. He focuses. Even though—

“Good boy. You’re so good for me.”

Ilya is talking to him in that really gooey way he does, sometimes. Like Shane is a tiny, cute little animal he’s being very careful not to spook. Shane relaxes further into his arms.

“There you go, baby. You don’t need to worry about anything else. We’re okay. It is a new space, but that is okay. I know it is probably confusing to have Ivan and Svetlana here at the same time as the boys. Perhaps I could have planned a little better.”

Shane frowns and pulls away slightly to look at him. Ilya’s plans were always great. Shane didn’t ever want him to question himself on that front because Ilya’s plans were never the problem. No, it was usually just Shane and his obsessively detailed mind that could imagine almost any scenario, real or imaginary, to such a degree that it could push him right to the brink of insanity.

Ilya just smiles down at him and bumps their noses together. “I think it is probably best that we tell the boys about you being a kitten, hm? It is not worth all the extra stress of trying to keep it from them.”

-

In all honesty, Ilya really didn’t think they had a choice. Whether they liked it or not, this plane crash had clearly brought up some intense feelings for the both of them, but Shane needed his safe place. And that was what this club was supposed to be for him. It was one thing when they were at practice or out on hockey-related business, but at Drift, Ilya wasn’t going to ask Shane to be anything other than himself.

Ilya couldn’t even remember the last time Shane had been human in his club before. The whole reason they went there was for Shane to be able to play in a space where he felt comfortable enough to just…exist. As he was.

He thinks through the last few times, wracking his brain for an instance he can tie this experience back to. Pet Playground had been the most recent event, but Shane had obviously been a cat for that. There was Fire and Ice, which was a bit of a mess, but Shane had still been a cat. But wait, there was something else. Something he was missing. Because what about when Ilya drove back from Ottawa when he found out—

Ilya’s blood runs fucking cold. God, he feels fucking stupid. The last time Shane had been a human in a BDSM club, he’d been fucking assaulted. And the club was a place where he was supposed to be able to let his guard down, especially because it was Ilya’s club—Ilya’s club where consent was supposed to matter even more than it did at regular clubs, and yet, still, Shane had been violated, his boundaries totally ignored.

Ilya knew he felt safer when he was a cat. Mostly because he trusted Ilya to take care of him, and when Shane was a cat, Ilya was always on high alert. Looking after him. Looking out for him. Because if he had been there, Nikolai never would have laid a hand on him. And maybe if Ilya had told Shane about the texts he’d received when he got outed to the club, then Shane never would have even wanted to go there alone in the first place.

“You know I am always going to protect you from every bad thing in this world, right?” Ilya reminds him, pulling Shane back against his chest, but this time, it’s for his own comfort. “I know there have been times in the past where you needed me and I wasn’t there,” he swallows, rubbing a hand over the expanse of Shane’s back. “But that’s never going to happen again. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

He lets his other hand slip through Shane’s hair, scratching expertly behind his cute kitty ears until Shane starts to turn into a warm pile of fur in his lap.

“There’s my sweet boy. Can I get you to drink some water for me?” Ilya asks, reaching next to him for the water bottle he’d retrieved earlier. He uncaps it and hands it to Shane, pleased when the other takes it gingerly and swallows a few sips, holding Ilya’s eye contact as he does. Ilya gives his thigh a little squeeze in approval.

And then they stay there for a while. Ilya tells Shane every thought in his head. He likes hearing Shane laugh, so he tries to stick to silly things. Like when he says he’s going to categorize every guy on the team as either a puppy or a kitty cat, and Shane freezes up in his arms. Only for Ilya to list them one by one and categorize each and every single one of the guys as a puppy, except for Shane, of course. Cause Shane was the only kitty cat. When he tells him as much, Shane laughs so hard that he practically falls over, so Ilya tickles him until he can’t breathe. Until they’re both wrestling and breathless and something akin to how they probably would’ve been if they had gotten the chance to meet up all those years ago in Shane’s hotel room.

Ilya kisses him, and Shane is cognizant enough to kiss back. He’s not all tongue and grabby kitty paws. He’s just sweet as ever, and a little quiet, but that was okay. That was always okay with Ilya.

They’ve been gone for close to an hour now, which is fine, but they should probably try to make one more appearance before the evening is over. Shane seems like he’s in a good place. He isn’t talking, but he’s smiling. And he’s holding Ilya’s hand and playing with his fingers. And he’s giggling and reacting, not like a kitten would, just like Shane would. And Shane was part kitten. And that was okay.

“How would you feel about going back out to the club for a bit?” Ilya hums softly, pressing the tips of Shane’s pink nails to his lips. He was probably due for a nail appointment. Maybe Ilya could send him out with Troy while Ilya was getting everything set up for Halloween on Saturday.

Shane surprises him by ducking forward to press a small kiss to the corner of Ilya’s mouth. “Can I wear my ears?” He whispers, and Ilya feels warm all over.

“As long as you are okay with me telling the boys, angel. I do not have to tell them everything, but I have to tell them something,” Ilya informs, linking their fingers together more securely.

Shane nods. “It’s okay,” he murmurs quietly. “I want to.”

Ilya looks him over carefully. “You are feeling much more yourself, aren’t you, baby?” Ilya asks, because sometimes he wonders what it must be like. To crave the comfort of ears on your head. That element of being able to step out of yourself and into someone else for a bit. The premise of that ‘someone else’ feeling more like you than being yourself ever did. Well, actually, Ilya supposed he could relate to that in some way. Just not the ears part.

“Safe,” Shane whispers, squeezing Ilya’s fingers once.

“Yes, you are very safe with me when you are a kitten, baby, but you are safe with me always, okay? As long as I am there, nothing bad is ever going to happen. That I can promise you. Hm?” Ilya searches his eyes, waiting for the words to sink into Shane’s skin.

Shane leans in to kiss him once more and then pauses with their foreheads pressed together. His eyes are closed, and he’s sniffing, almost scenting the air around him, looking for Ilya’s calming fragrance to bring him back to center.

“You’ll get my attention in some way if something is wrong, yes? Whether it is a color, or your safeword, or you need to squeeze my hand. I need you to tell me so I can make sure you’re okay.”

Shane nods jerkily like he understands, so Ilya rewards him with a peck on the forehead.

As they make their way out into the main room, Ilya can tell Shane feels a lot lighter. He’s gliding through the air with a newfound confidence in his step, and Ilya can’t resist giving him a little twirl, smiling to himself when Shane’s eyes sparkle back at him. He’s at his new fucking club with his fucking adorable kitten fiancé, and he should feel on top of the world. He does.

He thinks the guys will react well, and they probably will, but as always, he felt fiercely protective over Shane, and the need to shield him from all things bad was a consistent fire burning away in his gut. Giving him purpose. Keeping him alive, if Ilya had to guess.

They’re all pretty fucking drunk by the time he and Shane walk over, which Ilya is grateful for. He’s pleased to see that Troy and Harris are very engaged in whatever story Ivan must be telling them, so Ilya steers Shane in that direction, identifying them as the safest entry point for obvious reasons.

“Shane.” Troy perks up when he sees them. “Or...” he pauses, eyes flickering to Ilya once he notices the ears.

“Either is fine,” Ilya tells him kindly as he and Shane sit down on the couch.

“Hey, kitty. We missed you. How you doing?” Ivan asks Shane next.

“Better,” Shane confirms softly, and he smiles when Ivan reaches out to ruffle his hair.

“Oh, wow. Cool ears,” Harris comments in surprise. “Is that like…part of your dynamic or…”

Ilya turns to look at Shane for a moment, and when their eyes meet, he feels like they’re staring into each other’s souls. He feels like they’re starting to share one body, one mind, like they’re way more alike than they are different. Deep down, they had the same fears. The same wants. And, recently, their wants and fears were often one in the same. They wanted to be out. Fully. They wanted to be free.

“Yeah,” Ilya says easily, placing a protective hand over Shane’s knee. “It’s a headspace for him. Helps him relax and feel comfortable. He’s used to being a kitten when he’s at the club, so I think being human was a lot for me to ask of him tonight,” Ilya admits.

“And he is the best kitten in the world,” Ivan praises, much to Shane’s delight.

“He is really, really cute when he’s a kitten,” Troy agrees around a giggle, and Harris raises his eyebrows.

“Oh, wow. Am I the only one who didn’t know?”

“Didn’t know what?” Wyatt comes bounding over to the group. “Woahhhh. Shane’s got cat ears on,” he laughs, looking over the group. “What’d I miss? Where did you guys go?”

“Shane’s in kitty mode,” Ivan fills in, and Wyatt tips his head.

“I’m confused.”

“When Shane and I are at the club, he likes to be a kitten,” Ilya says casually, reaching for a glass of vodka from the table that he’s pretty sure once belonged to him. And at the wide-eyed look he receives from Wyatt, Ilya shrugs. “You wanted to know what the big secret was earlier. This is it. Shane’s a cat. Sometimes he wears ears, or he likes to be extra cuddly, or get head scratches. It makes him feel safe, and it is how he expresses himself, especially around people he feels comfortable with.”

“Like me,” Troy grins, going in for a pet of his own, that Shane nuzzles into.

Shane is smiling like he’s not scared at all of Wyatt finding out, and it’s then that Ilya realizes Bood, Luca, and Holmberg are looking over at them, too.

“Wait. Did you just say Shane’s a cat?” Holmberg repeats, his eyebrows drawn together like Ilya has just said the sun is purple.

“Yeah,” Ilya agrees. “Sometimes he just wants to be quiet and soft. Wants people to treat him really well with the best pets.”

“And we do, because he’s awesome and sweet,” Ivan hums, booping Shane’s nose. “And it’s pretty sick having a cat around. Shane’s always down for a cuddle, aren’t you, buddy?”

Shane looks at Ilya—who nods at him in approval—before diving into Ivan’s open arms for a snuggle.

“Oh, there you are, sweet boy,” Ivan laughs happily, pulling him close as Shane nuzzles against him.

And when Ilya turns back to gauge the reaction from the guys, they’re all just staring at Shane. Taking in the ears. Taking in how different he seems from when he left the room in tears just an hour ago.

“Wait a second,” Bood cuts in, a hysterical laugh bubbling out of him. “Does that mean we have a team cat now, too? Harris! Is this what all the gays were keeping from us? The fact that Shane is a kitten?”

Ilya feels like his heart is going to burst out of his chest. He can’t tell if the reaction is good or bad yet. It feels like his mind might be tricking him. He’s so fucking on guard. He’s ready to jump in and defend Shane with his life if he has to. He’s ready to tell all the guys to get out and fuck off if they can’t be cool with this, but he holds his breath. He tries to let the pieces fall where they may before starting an all-out war like his brain is begging him to.

“I, personally, had no idea,” Harris admits around a big smile. “But you know I love animals. I would never complain about having a cat around. Especially if it’s Shane, who…you know, I already like a lot.”

Wyatt is still watching them with narrowed eyebrows, like he’s trying to figure this whole thing out. “Is this like a BDSM thing or…”

“It’s more of a Shane thing,” Troy chimes in, as if this is all totally normal, and Ilya is grateful to have Shane’s safety people surrounding them on all sides. “But in BDSM, they call it pet play. And it seems really cool, actually. Like, imagine just getting to be a puppy, and everyone wants to pet you and cuddle with you and play with you and tell you how cute you are.”

Ivan raises his hand. “Can confirm it’s very, very fun.”

“Are you a kitten, too?” Harris asks him, although he seems to take note of the fact that Ivan isn’t wearing ears.

“More of a pup myself,” Ivan grins. “But, I mean, not in the way Shane is. Shane is kind of always a kitty. I’d be willing to bet he’s, like, actually part cat if you DNA tested him,” Ivan laughs. “I only really pull out the ears for the club pet events, but trust me, those can be quite a time.”

“See, now we’re getting to the juicy stuff.” Bood rubs his hands together. “Does this mean the straight guys are finally allowed to know more? The gays on this team always get special privileges.”

“Probably because they are known to be more accepting,” Svetlana cuts in sharply as she suddenly appears out of nowhere. “I know, tonight, this opening has been very fun and casual, but everything else that goes on in this club is very serious. It is not a place for jokes or chirping. It is a safe space for people to explore another side of themselves in a way that they do not always get to. As most of you are straight men, I can imagine you have no idea what this feels like. But if you are going to be here, you will be respectful. You do not need to understand fully, but you do need to act correct because it is a huge part of Shane and Ilya’s life, and I think you all very much knew that when you agreed to come here, so there is no excuse.”

“Well, we didn’t know about the kitten part,” LaPointe mentions quietly, and Svetlana just gives him an unimpressed look.

“Really. You did not know Shane is a kitten,” she scoffs as if he’s an idiot. “You should try opening your eyes every once in a while because I know your teammates, and they have never been subtle.”

“Sveta, it is fine,” Ilya sighs, cause he honestly has no idea if she’s making it better or worse. Shane seems to notice his discomfort, and he’s immediately at Ilya’s side again, so Ilya wraps an arm around him and pulls him close. “Look, like she said, the club is a safe space for Shane. I mean, it is for everyone who comes here, but for Shane especially, this really helps him recharge. He goes into his kitten mode, and then he just gets to sit back and relax for a bit while I take care of him. It is not any more complicated than that.”

“But it’s like…a turn on for you?” Holmberg questions, not unkindly. He mostly just looks confused, still.

Ilya smirks. “I mean, everything Shane does is a turn-on for me. If he wants to be a cute, little kitty cat sometimes…even better.” Ilya gives Shane a squeeze, and Shane bites his shoulder gently in appreciation. “But see, he is harmless. If anything, he is just a little sweeter. A little softer and sillier.”

“He seems really happy,” Luca speaks up for the first time. “I hate seeing Shane upset. It’s like…the saddest thing ever. Like when I got here earlier,” Luca frowns. “He seemed really stressed. I mean…he’s been stressed a lot lately.”

“Sometimes he just hits his limit on how much human stuff he can handle,” Ilya hums, petting over Shane’s hair soothingly. “Imagine if you could step out of your head for a bit, not have to worry about the things that are weighing on you. That is what it is like for him. Because it may not seem like it, but Shane is carrying a lot right now. We may be out to you guys, but we still have to hide our relationship and our sexualities. We still worry every day that something will leak to the media and take that choice away from us. We worry about what it will mean for hockey. If we will still be allowed to play professionally. If they will force us to retire,” Ilya explains, giving Shane a scratch behind one of his ears. “These are very big, very real things that are constantly on our minds. Things that threaten our future and how safe we are able to feel when we walk out of the house.”

“You don’t think it would actually come to that, do you?” Bood asks quietly. “I mean, Scott Hunter is gay. They couldn’t really kick you out of the league…could they?”

“Scott Hunter is old and irrelevant,” Svetlana comments dismissively. “Hollander and Rozanov are still some of the biggest names in hockey, and what’s worse, they are known rivals turned teammates who will be married soon enough. One gay hockey player is tolerable, but two of the best players in the league dating each other? On the same team? It would be unprecedented. I am sure Crowell would have some very choice words if this were to go public. The press would have a field day.”

“Well, that’s fucking stupid,” Troy scoffs. “There are four queer people on this team alone and probably countless others across the league who are too scared to speak up. If Scott Hunter coming out wasn’t enough to make the rest of us feel comfortable doing the same, then we should be banding together to figure out what it will take for us to feel safe in our own damn sport.”

“Community,” Ivan chimes in. “You guys need a community. Just like we kinksters have our club, you guys need a safe space where you can talk about these issues with other players who feel the same. If enough of you are willing to team up, maybe you can work together to enact some real change.”

“I’m in,” Wyatt surprises Ilya by rejoining the conversation after a long bout of silence. “I mean, assuming allies are allowed, right? Because I’d be willing to put my name behind any one of these guys. No one should have to live in fear of being open about who they love. And I think it’s really great that you all clearly look out for each other so much. I…think I get now why certain spaces are sacred for certain groups of people, and I also get why having someone like me come into those spaces might be intrusive,” Wyatt acknowledges. “So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really appreciate you trusting us with this, Roz. Inviting us here tonight. Letting us get to see you in your element. And Shane, too.” His eyes go soft. “I think your world is really fucking cool, and if being a cat can help you feel better about the shitty stuff going on out there,” Wyatt says, pointing outside of the club. “Then, I see no reason why you shouldn’t do that whenever you want. At the club or anywhere else.”

Ilya feels his chest in his throat, his fingers moving reflexively through the hair at the nape of Shane’s neck. Shane is just purring and smiling. He’s gone a little more quiet, and Ilya knows that means he feels really safe right now. Really good around all these well-meaning humans.

“Yeah, I mean. Totally,” Bood agrees, gesturing to Shane. “It’s not like he’s acting any different than he usually does. If anything, he just seems happier. And like…super calm.”

“I’d join the ally thing, too!” Luca grins. “I mean, it could be sort of a cool way to meet guys, you know? Maybe I could find a hockey husband.”

LaPointe snorts. “Not Haasy using the gay hockey ally group for his own personal dick gain.”

“I’m cool with Shane being a cat,” Holmberg shrugs. “You all love to sexualize him anyway, so you may as well just do it in the way he likes.”

Ivan barks a surprised laugh at that, but he covers his mouth once he makes eye contact with Ilya. “Sorry.”

“It’s not sexual, you idiot.” Troy rolls his eyes.

“I mean,” Ilya feels the need to clarify. “It can be, but that is not for any of you to worry about. The things I am speaking about are very un-sexual.”

“Yeah, I would be careful if I were you guys,” Ivan adds with a hasty chuckle as he looks between Shane and Ilya. “I’ve been in the scene for a long time, years now, and I’ve never seen anyone even half as possessive as Ilya is about Shane. I mean, both of them about each other, really, but,” he pauses, glancing back to the guys this time. “For the purpose of this scenario, I would very much advise you not to get too comfortable with the way you talk about Shane. Ilya does not mess around when it comes to his kitten.”

Ilya raises his eyebrows and does his own look around the group of guys, all of whom are staring back at him expectantly. “This changes nothing. All this means is that sometimes Shane might want to wear his ears or do something else to make himself more comfortable, and now you will understand why. That is the only reason I am telling you. For your awareness and for his safety.”

“But, um,” Luca cuts in shyly. “Are we allowed to pet him?”

Ilya looks down at Shane. Shane, who is starry-eyed and angelic, tucked up under his arm. Shane, who has just been smiling, and smiling, and smiling since he’s gotten his ears. Shane, who had already inspired a need for some kind of queer allyship alliance to stand up to the league, because no one could stand the thought of him suffering. And all within minutes of coming out to the boys as a perfect black and white speckled kitten.

“Well, that is up to him,” Ilya tells Luca, although he’s still watching Shane. Shane, who can’t look away from him for a second, either. “You know how cats can be. Each one has their own boundaries, and just because they allow you to pet them one day, that does not necessarily mean you will be allowed to pet them the next. But Ivan and Troy know a lot about this, hm?”

“Yeah, I mean.” Troy shrugs, holding his fingers out for Shane to sniff. “I haven’t known about Shane for that long, but he’s pretty easy to read.”

-

Shane already knows he wants a pet from Troy, but for the sake of demonstrating, he gives the fingers in front of him a tentative sniff. Then, he tips his head down and leans in, granting Troy visible permission to rake his fingers through Shane’s hair. He shuts his eyes happily and sinks a little closer, only wavering at the feeling of Ilya’s fingers grounding him around his waist.

“Mm,” he purrs his approval, pulling back when Ilya gives his shirt a small tug.

“See?” Troy smiles fondly at him. “He’ll let you know if he wants you to touch him or not. And he bites, so. Fair warning.”

Shane presses his giggle into Ilya’s shoulder. The humans were always so silly about his biting. It made Shane want to do it more.

“Unless Ilya has given you explicit permission, you should be asking him before you do anything with Shane,” Svetlana’s voice slices through the air. “As far as I know, the only two people who have been given explicit permission tonight are Troy and Ivan.” She points to each of them. “If you are going to be around Shane when he is like this, then you always revert to his Dom. You should not even breathe in Shane’s direction without going to Ilya first.”

“I thought we’re supposed to go off of what Shane wants,” Holmberg voices in confusion.

“It’s a two-step process,” Ivan offers. “You’re asking Ilya if it’s okay to approach Shane, and you’re asking Shane if it’s okay to pet him. If Ilya says no initially, then you stop there. Ilya has the final say.”

“Can I pet him, Rozy?” Wyatt calls out, stepping towards the front of the group with his hand raised.

“Woah, woah. I wanted to pet him,” Bood argues with an affronted expression.

“I’m the one who asked first,” Luca frowns.

Shane shrinks a little at the noise, and he’s thankful when Ilya pulls him closer.

“Okay, no one is going to be petting anyone if you keep raising your voices like this. A cat, remember? My kitten is very sensitive. Which means, if you want to pet him, then you need to be very quiet, and you need to go very slow.”

Shane turns to press his forehead to Ilya’s neck, shutting his eyes for a moment to re-center. He’s feeling good; it’s just a lot, isn’t it? Being in the new club. Having the guys find out about something so personal about him, something he’s been hoping to let go of for a while.

“Just relax, baby,” Ilya whispers huskily against his ear, and Shane does.

He’s really safe. He knows all of these people, for one. He’s spent enough time around each of them to know they would never do anything to hurt him. It’s not just that, though; it’s Ilya, too. Ilya making him feel nice and fuzzy like always. Explaining everything so Shane doesn’t have to. He feels entirely unburdened by reality right now. He chases that feeling a little further.

“No pets from anyone right now.” Shane hears Ilya’s voice telling someone somewhere in the distance. “He is still a little overwhelmed from earlier.” And then, to Shane this time. “It’s okay, angel. You’re safe. You’re right with me.”

Shane stays hidden in Ilya’s neck for who knows how long. He catches partial tidbits of conversation in passing. Something about an Intro to BDSM night for newbies. Questions regarding the membership application process. More talk on the idea to form an NHL-facing queer alliance.

Blah, blah, blah. Shane can’t hear anything over the sound of Ilya’s steady beating heart in his ears. The scent of Ilya’s cologne pulsing strongly from where Shane’s got his nose pressed to Ilya’s throat. Ilya’s warm hand on his back, in his hair, around his hip. Shane’s digging his own nails into Ilya’s thigh in a kneading motion, his eyelashes fluttering every so often against Ilya’s jawline as he shifts his head and tries to nuzzle closer.

And Ilya always finds a way to oblige him. Closing the distance between them by an extra inch, even when no possible space remains. Shane is counting in his head all the times Ilya has said I love you before, although he starts to get a little lost in the memory of each one, and pretty soon he loses count. But he keeps going through them in his mind anyway. It’s all he can think about with the way Ilya’s holding him. Openly loving him, as a kitten, in front of all these people.

Ilya’s the one who gave him all of this. Not just this club, or even this team, but his entire identity. All of his experiences as a gay man. Every single moment he’s spent as a kitten. Ilya was his first love. The first person to make him experience real sexual attraction, to the point where Shane doesn’t even think he knew what it was before. For years, he was just going through the motions, pretending to fit in while, really, he felt like an alien for not craving sex like all the other guys did. Awkward skin-on-skin. Genitals sliding together. Sharing bodily fluids. It was unnatural. Foreign. Gross, at times.

But with Ilya, it was like Shane had entered another dimension. A dimension where everything felt good, and intimate, and earth-shattering. Ilya was the most attractive person alive. The only person Shane thinks he’s ever been attracted to. Because it wasn’t just Ilya’s body, or his wit, or his charm. It was the way his beautiful brain worked, the way he anticipated Shane’s every thought, every wish, every desire. It was the way he knew Shane better than Shane knew himself, and he accepted him exactly as he was. Never asked him to change. Just always met him wherever he was at.

“You’re being so good for me, sweetheart. The guys are so impressed with how well-behaved you are,” Ilya tells him, pulling Shane from his string of consciousness with a heavy pet.

“He’s so cute, I can’t,” Harris smiles, shaking his head. “I have so much more I want to know about this, but I don’t want to be rude by asking.”

And somewhere in the back of Shane’s mind, he remembers about Troy and Harris. About wanting them to get together so Troy can play with him at some point.

Shane mewls and blinks heavily in awareness, focusing his cat eyes right on Harris.

“Oh, wow. Hello there.”

Shane jolts when he realizes he’s being addressed directly this time. Hmmm. He has the power here. Maybe he can open up the conversation between Harris and Troy right now. He catches his claws on Ilya’s shirt to try and tell him as much.

“You are allowed to ask whatever you want,” Ilya says to Harris as he looks down at Shane curiously, taking Shane’s paw in his hand.

Shane tangles his fingers with Ilya’s and then tries to reach for Harris, giggling when Ilya just tips his head in confusion.

“You want Harris to pet you, baby? Is that what you want?”

That’s not exactly what Shane wants, but he hasn’t received pets from anyone new in a while, and the thought is enough to trigger a curiosity within him. He blinks his cat eyes at Ilya and then meows softly.

Troy pushes his lower lip out into a pout with his eyes soft, like Shane is the cutest thing in the world, and it makes Shane’s tummy feel warm all over. He wants Troy to pet him now. He reaches for him as well.

“Ah, I see,” Ilya acknowledges in understanding. “You want Troy and Harris to pet you.”

“So, you can like…understand him? When he does stuff like that?” Harris asks carefully. “Can you actually differentiate his meows or is it the way he’s acting…? Like, how do you know what he’s asking for?”

“Rozy is a fucking wizard,” Ivan laughs in response. “I’m not even exaggerating when I say he knows Shane better than God knows the fucking Bible.”

Ilya rolls his eyes fondly. “It is through a lot of trial and error, but obviously it comes with time. We have signals for certain things when he doesn’t feel like talking. Other than that, it is just my best guess, and it becomes very obvious very fast if I’m reading him wrong.”

Shane leans over his lap to try and get to Troy because, clearly, Ilya finds it more important to answer Harris’ boring questions right now than to give Shane what he wants.

“Alright, котенок. Do you want to sit closer to Troy? Is that it? You can go sit with him, baby. You know you are always allowed when it comes to Troy.”

Shane takes that as permission to start climbing across Ilya and Harris’ laps in order to get to his best friend, but Ilya stops him with firm hands around his waist, and Shane whines defeatedly.

“No, we do not crawl on top of people. You need to stand up and walk over to him if you want to sit near Troy,” Ilya scolds, and Shane pouts resolutely. “You are not in trouble, baby,” Ilya shakes his head. “You just need to use your manners, please.”

“C’mere, kitty,” Troy prompts, patting the space between him and Harris, and Shane squirms to get out of Ilya’s grasp to go join him.

He’s a little unsteady on his feet when he stands, but Ilya keeps a hold on him until he’s able to dive into the new open spot and rub his cheek against Troy’s shoulder.

“Hi, cutie,” Troy laughs at the display of affection. “Where the heck are all your toys, anyway?”

Yeah, Shane thinks. Where were his toys? He finally has the opportunity to play with all these new humans, but there’s no toys for him to play with.

“I do not want him getting too riled up. He can get very, very hyper sometimes,” Ilya explains. “I don’t want to risk him getting into the wrong headspace right now. When we are at the club, the lines can get pretty blurred, so.”

“Meaning what? Meaning it can turn sexual?” Harris questions.

Ilya presses his lips together and nods. “Playtime can get…pretty sexual. Depending on the environment. Depending on why he’s entered his kitten space and who he’s surrounded by. Sometimes, his kitten headspace is a mental coping mechanism. Other times, he can enter it specifically for sex.”

“And that’s when it’s the most fun for me, personally,” Ivan purrs seductively.

Ilya gives Ivan a look. “Easy. Let’s just save that for Sunday.”

“Sunday? What’s happening on Sunday?” Troy pipes in, and Shane starts to get excited at the mention, his wide eyes darting to Ilya.

“Shane,” Ilya warns. “Do not get yourself all worked up. I told you Ivan is just here as a friend today.”

“Sorry, kitty,” Ivan shrugs. “I tried.”

“Ivan and Shane have a playdate scheduled after our game on Sunday,” Ilya fills Troy and Harris in. “We will be doing a scene along with Ivan’s Dom, Cedric.”

“He’s not my Dom,” Ivan corrects. “I mean…he is sometimes. But I am allowed to see other Doms if I wish. We have an open arrangement.”

Ilya narrows his eyes slightly at him. “You are seeing other Doms besides Cedric?”

“Uh, well. Not so often, but you know,” Ivan voices awkwardly, and that only seems to make Ilya double down on his inquiry.

“Who? What other Doms are you seeing? Someone from Hush or another club?”

Ivan laughs in slightly guarded surprise. “Relax, Rozy. It’s no one serious.”

Shane rubs his cheek against Harris’ shoulder this time, just to see how it feels, though he jerks back towards Troy when Harris’ eyes settle on him.

“You’re okay, kitty,” Troy tells him easily, giving Shane’s back a little scratch. “That’s just Harris. He’s really cool and nice. I think you’d like him.”

Shane’s nose twitches a bit when Harris smiles down at him. Ilya and Ivan are still talking about something, but for now, all Shane can focus on is sussing out this new human.

“Do you want to try letting him pet you? You can totally trust him. Do you wanna give him a quick sniff?”

Shane sniffles and nods, staying close to Troy’s side as Harris’ hand comes into view. And then Shane cautiously approaches him for a little sniff and—wow! Shane’s eyes turn huge. Harris smells like green apples!!!

Troy laughs at the reaction and gives his hair a ruffle. “I know, right? He smells good, doesn’t he?” Troy murmurs softly, and when Shane looks between them, he finds them both staring at each other with soft smiles on their faces.

It makes Shane smile, too, and he can’t resist putting his paws on the couch next to Harris’ leg and leaning further into his space for a pet.

“Aww!” Harris coos. “Am I allowed to pet you, kitty?” Harris asks, and he turns to look for Ilya’s approval.

Ilya, who seems to be having a very heated conversation with Ivan about something.

“Ilya?” Troy prompts gently when Ilya still hasn’t responded. “Is Harris okay to pet Shane?”

“What?” Ilya practically snaps as he’s pulled from his conversation, but his expression relaxes once he clues in to the scene in front of him. “Oh. Of course. If Shane is giving you the okay, then go right ahead.”

And Shane purrs fully when Harris’ big, warm hand settles on top of his hair. Holy shit. Being sandwiched between Troy and Harris feels like heaven. He doesn’t know who he wants to pet him more. He leans into the touch, his mouth falling open slightly as Harris starts scratching him just right behind one of his cat ears, and then Shane collapses forward until he’s lying belly-up with his head in Harris’ lap, his legs pulled up until they’re stretched across Troy.

Troy grins widely at Harris and gives Shane’s tummy a rub, and then Harris and Troy are both petting him, and Shane is starting to feel a little loopy. His eyes fall shut, his paws curl up against his chest, and he wiggles happily against the hands that are touching him all over. It feels good. Maybe a little too good. It feels like playtime. The sexy kind. With Troy and Harris. His new friends. A puppy and their owner! Shane has so many friends, oh my god. He feels like the most spoiled kitty alive.

He whimpers and lets his eyes dart open as he reaches his paw out for Troy’s hand. Because he and Troy loved to hold hands. Like pet best friends! Cause that’s what they were, right?

Obviously, because Troy understands him in an instant and reaches out to link their fingers together, offering Shane the sweetest, most private smile in return. Shane growls playfully and lifts out of Harris’ lap in order to tackle Troy against the couch, feeling breathless and alive when Troy catches him around his waist with a giggle.

“Oh, now you’re feeling playful.”

Shane ducks down to rub his face against Troy’s in agreement, licking over his cheek to show just how much he loves him.

“You weren’t kidding about the cat stuff,” Harris laughs, turning to Ilya, who still seems caught up in a private conversation with Ivan, but at the prompt from Harris, Ilya refocuses on the situation.

“Woah, hey. Shane.” Ilya stands quickly and pulls Shane off of Troy by the scruff of his neck. “Let’s keep it PG tonight, sweetheart. It is not a regular club night, remember? I need you to be on your best behavior around the guys.”

Shane whines loudly, the noise turning into a yowl when Ilya effectively gets him all the way off Troy and pulls him into his own lap instead, wrapping his arms firmly around Shane’s waist.

“Shh, sh. Please do not give me attitude right now, baby. We need to be mindful of boundaries tonight. Not everyone has consented to playing with you like that,” Ilya murmurs against his skin.

And Shane sniffles, turning to press his face needily into Ilya’s neck.

Troy furrows his eyebrows as he sits up. “He wasn’t doing anything weird, though. He was just being cuddly.”

“Mm, sure. That is not all he was trying to do,” Ilya huffs a small laugh. “Shane has it in his head that Troy is a puppy who would like to play with him. Like seriously play with him.”

Troy’s eyes go wide as they dart to Harris and then back at Ilya. “What do you mean?”

Ilya sighs, holding onto Shane more securely as Shane twists in his arms. “Like pets do. He wants to wrestle around with you on the floor. Wants you guys to play fetch together. Share toys. He has a lot of fun when he plays with you, and he has decided that you are a puppy like he is a kitty cat.”

“Oh.” Troy flushes. “Um.”

“That is why I needed to pull him off of you. He doesn’t understand that everyone is here as a normal human tonight. Usually, when we are at the club, he is used to being around other pets or other pairings who are more used to…sexual types of behavior.”

“When does the club open for real?” Harris wonders aloud. “Uh. I mean,” he coughs when everyone turns to look at him. “I’d be…you know. Curious. To see him fully in his element. I’ve never really seen pet play before. It’s…I find it really interesting.”

“It opens on Sunday,” Ilya offers, and Shane buzzes to life in his hands trying to reach for Ivan this time. Because Ivan he was allowed to play with. “Baby, if you do not stop trying to get out of my arms, I am going to put you on your leash in my playroom and leave you there until every last one of our guests has gone home.”

Shane freezes immediately, fear curling in his belly at the idea of being left like that. Alone while his owner and all of his friends had fun without him. Alone for hours maybe without Ilya to touch him or talk to him or comfort him. Would Ilya really do that? Would Ilya abandon him?

Ilya rubs over Shane’s lower back soothingly, sliding his hand under Shane’s shirt to resume the motion until they’re touching skin-on-skin. “Take a deep breath for me. You are free to stay out here if you behave yourself, but the choice is yours.”

Shane swallows and closes his eyes when Ilya kisses his cheek. He doesn’t want to cry in front of everyone, but…

“So, that’s like a punishment?” Troy asks, watching them inquisitively. “Shane was telling me there are punishments, but I didn’t really know what that meant.”

-

“Yes. He is very cute, but there are still rules, and he needs to know that there are consequences to not following them,” Ilya explains, because he could tell that Troy and Harris were eager to learn more. “Just because we are at the club does not mean he is allowed to misbehave. And our rules are very important, aren’t they, angel? They help to keep us, and everyone around us, safe.” Ilya tucks his chin against Shane’s forehead as his tears start to pool in the crevice between Ilya’s collarbone and neck.

“He, um…” Harris gestures to Shane warily. “He’s crying.”

“He is alright,” Ilya vows, pressing a kiss into Shane’s hair. “He doesn’t like the idea of punishments. Probably why he is such a good kitten all the time, so he never gets any,” Ilya teases, tickling Shane’s side to pull a giggle out of him before Shane’s face crumples again. His dramatic kitty.

Troy smiles. “So, the rules aren’t bad, then. They’re just like…boundaries. Right? And the punishment is just to help make sure those boundaries stay in place?”

“Exactly,” Ilya grins. “And a punishment could be anything, really. It does not have to be extreme. Mostly, it is just a way of enforcing the dynamic. The Dom gives guidance, yes? But the sub must also want to be guided. Everything between us is a two-way street. I cannot do my part if he does not do his, and vice versa. It is my job to keep him in line, and it is his job to listen. Sure, there are times when a sub may disobey in order to get punished, but if there is no respect, then the dynamic means nothing.”

“But there’s also rewards, right?” Harris hums, and Ilya nods in agreement.

“Of course. Rewards can also be anything. Praise can be a reward,” Ilya offers an example, looking down at Shane in his arms. “For my sweet котенок, at least, who loves to be told how good he is.”

Shane flushes and huffs, hiding his face further into the crook of Ilya’s neck.

“Or soft touches.” Ilya demonstrates by raking his fingers through the back of Shane’s hair. Shane sighs and sinks closer to him in response.

Ilya can feel the idea of any punishment melting away from him. As if Ilya would ever leave Shane locked up alone in his playroom like that. But he couldn’t have Shane losing his cool around the guys. If any one of them left feeling uncomfortable tonight, Ilya knew it could have a really negative impact on the rest of the season for all of them. The guys had consented to being in a BDSM club, sure, but they certainly hadn’t consented to Shane humping them. Not that Ilya thought Shane would. But Shane had gotten excited around his friends before, and Ilya really didn’t want to take any risks.

“And aftercare. Aftercare’s like the best part,” Harris adds.

“What’s aftercare?” Troy turns to him.

“It’s how you take care of each other after a scene,” Harris explains with a warm smile. “It’s kinda just like cuddling and hanging out after sex, you know? Like the emotional comedown.”

“My ex used to hate doing that stuff,” Troy laughs awkwardly as he scratches at the back of his neck.

“Really?” Harris’ expression falters a bit. “That’s awful. I thought everyone liked to cuddle after sex.”

Troy shrugs and scrunches up his nose. “I mean…I do.”

“Me too,” Harris replies, and they’re both smiling at each other this time. It makes Ilya smile, too.

It isn’t long before the guys start having to slowly trickle out. It’s a Thursday night, after all, and they’ve got a morning skate before their game tomorrow. Ilya could tell Shane was getting tired, too. His perfect sleepy baby kitty who was going pliant in his arms, his eyes half-lidded.

Ilya just continues to hold him in his lap while the guys come over one by one to say their goodbyes.

“See ya, Rozy. See ya, Shane. You rock, buddy,” Bood says on his way out, offering Ilya a drunken salute.

“Get home safe, Bood. You too, Hazy,” he comments as Wyatt strolls up. “Thanks for being so good about all of this.” Ilya feels the need to say, pulling Shane a little closer into his side.

“Course, dude.” Wyatt shrugs. “It’s obvious you guys love the crap out of each other,” he points out, gesturing to Shane, who is clinging to Ilya and is so wiped he can barely hold his head up anymore. “What kind of friends would we be if we demanded to come to your BDSM club and then judged you for what you do inside of it? We were kinda fucking asking for it, were we not?” He pulls a sly grin, and Ilya laughs. “Speaking of…are you the one I talk to about putting in an application for membership?”

“If you are serious, then we can talk after practice tomorrow,” Ilya promises, his eyes sincere.

“Aye, aye, Cap. Let’s win this one tomorrow, yeah? For Shane.” Wyatt raises his fist in the air, and Ilya rolls his eyes fondly when several of the other guys do, too.

“For Shane!”

It shouldn’t bring tears to his eyes, but it nearly does. Sometimes, coming out could feel like a never-ending battle. Something they have to keep doing over, and over, and over again. Coming out as friends. Coming out as gay. Coming out as a couple. Coming out as fiancés, and now, finally, Shane coming out as a sweet little kitten, and Ilya, his dedicated, loving owner.

Ilya knows it’s only half of the fight. He knows there’s still a whole world out there that they’re going to have to face eventually—a world full of people who may not be quite as accepting as the wonderful friends they’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon in this lifetime. But there’s something about it that still feels monumental, a massive shift taking place as every piece of the puzzle slowly starts to slot together and the big picture, at long last, begins to come into view.

It’s bright. It’s beautiful. It’s the cat-alyst Ilya needs to keep going. To know that he’s done right by Shane by bringing him into this world. Even if the best of it—and the worst—were still yet to come.

Shane is half asleep in his arms, but there’s a sated smile on his face that Ilya can’t deny, and even though he’s only mildly conscious of what’s going on around him, he seems content. Happy in a way he wasn’t when Ilya found him. The night feels like a success, and the future is so fucking vibrant. They’re not free just yet, but they’ve got more safety people around them now, almost to the point where Ilya barely feels like they need to break free at all. He hopes, for a while at least, that it can be enough.

-

Chapter End Notes

Thank you so much for the response to this fic series!! Kitten Shane is back in action. I have to be completely honest that I don't think I can keep up the pace of updating that I did for the first book of this series. As always, I'll do my best, but this story takes a lot of time, and I want writing it to continue to feel fun for me :)

I promise I have smut for you coming next chapter (hiiii horny halloween) and there's one thing coming up that you guys have been asking for a while!

Let me know your thoughts and your kudos, comments, shares are always appreciated! Feel free to follow me on twitter @sluthollanov if you want to join in my insanity over this fic <3

Chapter 2

Chapter Notes

Please continue to check the tags as new chapters come out. If there is ever a point at which you feel uncomfortable with the content of the story, I encourage you to make the choice for yourself whether you would like to keep reading :)

Shane had been pretty surprised when Ilya suggested he go with Troy to a nail appointment that he’d scheduled for them. The last time Shane brought up the idea of going to get his nails done with Troy, Ilya nearly lost his shit, but ever since Troy found out about the cat thing, Ilya has been a lot more lenient at the idea of having him around. Shane knew it was probably because he was hoping the same as him—that Troy and Harris would become similar to what Cedric and Ivan were to them. But then Ilya reminded him that it was Halloween, and Shane’s throat had gone dry, because apparently Ilya was sending him off to get Halloween nails. And that meant Shane got a small clue as to what his costume was going to be.

“Last night was awesome. I’m so glad we won,” Troy grins as he holds the door open for Shane.

A win against New Jersey: 4 – 1. A home game win.

“Me too,” Shane replies breathlessly, flushing and muttering out a thanks while stepping past Troy to walk into the nail salon. “Have you ever had your nails done before?” He asks when he notices Troy looking at all the different colors on the wall.

“Nope,” Troy laughs, placing his hands on his hips as he surveys the options. “My dad would’ve fucking killed me if he ever saw me with my nails painted.”

Shane furrows his eyebrows. “Well, it’s Halloween. You should get something fun.”

“Oh yeah? What are you getting?” Troy tips his head as Shane moves to show him a picture on his phone. “Woah! That’s what you’re getting? That’s so cool.” Troy looks back up at him in amazement.

“Ilya told me to get them like this. I think that means I’m going as a leopard tonight,” Shane shares shyly.

Though excitement burns in his belly about the costume, he’s a little nervous about being dressed up around the guys. He was scared of slipping too far, especially after unexpectedly coming out to them at the club. They’d treated him mostly the same so far, but it’s not like there was much time to interact while they were on the ice. Social situations were considerably different, and this one would be a little more immersive and harder to navigate for Shane in particular.

“Oh, wow,” Troy nods in acknowledgement. “So…um, Ilya picked your costume, then?”

Shane’s eyes go wide as his head snaps back to Troy. “No— I mean,” he winces, and then backtracks, because he had basically admitted to that, and his reaction just now has probably only made it seem weirder than it initially did.

“Shane, it’s fine,” Troy assures him, squeezing his shoulder. “It’s a Dom thing, isn’t it? You can tell me.”

Shane turns sharply when someone gets their attention to start walking them over to their manicurists.

“Look, it’s complicated, okay? And kind of weird,” Shane sighs, resting his hands on the table in front of him as he sits down. “Not everyone would understand.”

“But I would,” Troy reiterates. “Come on, dude. Seriously. I’m curious. Have I judged you on anything you’ve told me so far?”

No, but that didn’t mean that Troy didn’t have his limit. Shane just hadn’t found it yet. But one of these days, he was going to say something that would be sure to scare Troy off for good, and Shane just couldn’t handle that right now. He needed him too much.

“It’s nothing,” Shane mutters, shaking his head. “I mean…I don’t know. He just likes to pick my outfits sometimes.” He’s being mindful to keep his voice down, but the women across from them seem much more focused on setting up their stations than they do in whatever he and Troy are talking about.

“He likes to do a lot of stuff for you,” Troy notes inquisitively, like he’s caught onto the fact that it obviously goes much deeper than just picking Shane’s clothes.

“Like I said, a lot of people wouldn’t understand.” Shane shifts uncomfortably, and he’s thankful when Troy just hums and changes the subject.

“I still don’t know what I should get,” Troy chuckles when the ladies get to work on cleaning up their nails.

“Well, what are you going as tonight?” Shane sits up a little, now that he can let his guard down.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I was probably just going to pick up something last-minute on the way.”

Shane lets out a shocked laugh. “Seriously? No way, come on. Let me help you think of something.”

“Are you and Roz going to be matching?” Troy wonders aloud.

“I don’t know,” Shane admits. “Probably?” Because if he had to take his best guess, then yeah, Ilya was likely going as something to Shane’s leopard, at least if the nail design was anything to go off of. “What do you think Harris will go as?” He teases, and Troy blushes in response.

“I don’t know. Something hot?” Troy offers, holding his free hand up over his face while the manicurist works on his other one.

“I seriously don’t get why you won’t make a move,” Shane grins. “He’s obviously into you. Hm, what does Harris like? Maybe you can get his attention with your costume!” Shane realizes excitedly.

“Oh my god,” Troy barks a laugh. “Yeah, right. Whatever it is, I’m probably just going to look stupid. Besides, the only thing I know that Harris really likes is dogs.”

Shane blinks at him. Because, of course. The answer is so obvious. “You should go as a dog.”

“What? I mean,” Troy stutters. “That’s not a costume.”

“I mean…you could go as a dalmatian. Like 101 Dalmations? That’s totally a costume,” Shane suggests. “White outfit with some black spots. You’re probably not going to be able to find another costume at this point. All the Halloween stores are going to be sold out.”

“Shit, you think so?” Troy looks worried.

Shane shrugs. He didn’t know, actually, but there certainly couldn’t be a lot of good options left at this point. Luckily, Ilya had been in charge of handling Shane’s costume, so it hadn’t been a concern of his personally. “I guess you could always pick up a mask or something…”

“No,” Troy says decidedly. “I don’t want Harris to think I don’t care about Halloween. I know he’s really excited about his costume. He’s probably going to go all out. Fuck,” Troy curses. “How am I supposed to get a white outfit with black spots?”

“You can DIY it,” Shane says, happy to know the term.

“DIY?” Troy wrinkles his nose.

“Yeah. Do-It-Yourself. Rose taught me,” Shane smiles at him. “I think it would be pretty easy. You just buy a white shirt and jeans or whatever, and then cut out black spots with like construction paper. Maybe you could use eyeliner to draw spots on your face, too. So, you look like a real puppy.”

“Oh,” Troy realizes. “I forgot you’re, like, really good at this kind of stuff.”

“What?” Shane flushes. “No, I mean. I wasn’t thinking of it as like a…pet thing,” he lets his voice trail off into a near whisper.

“No, I know,” Troy is quick to assure him, but something does cross his face. Something akin to realization.

Shane clears his throat and nods to Troy’s nails. “You should get white with black spots. For the costume. Or they have skin color, too.”

“You usually get pink, right?” Troy looks at the grown-out polish on Shane’s nails that the nail lady is removing.

“Usually,” Shane agrees softly, but the leopard print seems fun to have for a while. Maybe Shane could try being a different kind of kitty cat.

But it wasn’t just the boys who were coming tonight. Some of the WAGs were coming, too. Which meant that Shane had to be on his absolute best behavior. His best human behavior. At least as much as he possibly could. Fuck. He wonders if Ilya’s as worried about it as he is.

He and Troy chat a little more about Halloween as they get their nails done. Shane is really hoping that Troy and Harris walk out of this evening with at least a conversation, if not a kiss, but he isn’t sure he trusts Troy’s ability to make a move. Maybe Ilya would be open to strategizing about how to make this happen for them tonight.

The sooner Troy and Harris got together, the sooner Shane would have a shot at playing with them, at least as a kitten in the club. The jury was still out on whether they’d be into pet play as a pairing. No pressure, Shane tries to exercise restraint, but the thought of having a puppy on the team with him makes him ache. To have a friend close-by who understands what it’s like to need this on an emotional level…well. Maybe Troy wouldn’t understand it like that, but it would still be nice to have someone.

“Wait, these are actually awesome,” Troy laughs, holding up his nails for Shane to see when his nail tech finishes up. “I thought it would look girly, but it actually just looks fucking sick.”

He’s grinning, and it makes Shane grin back at him. “I told you. Spots are cool.”

“Let me see yours,” Troy prompts, leaning over to take a look at Shane’s.

Shane lays his hands out for Troy to see, and the sight of the leopard print makes his tummy swirl in excitement. He feels like an exotic type of kitty. Like more than just your average house pet. No, tonight, Shane was going to be a fancy cat. A big cat. And big cats knew how to keep their cool and stay human. He was determined to succeed.

“Oh my god. Those are amazing, too,” Troy compliments, reaching for Shane’s hand to get a better look at his nail art. “I bet your costume is going to be so legit. I mean, after the club the other night? Rozy’s got style, man. I can see why you’d like him picking stuff out for you.”

Shane can tell Troy is trying to fish for information about his and Ilya’s dynamic again, but he still doesn’t understand why, so he ducks out of the conversation by standing to pull his wallet from his pocket, except—

Fuck. He doesn’t see Ilya’s black credit card. Two blue ones. A gray. But no black. Shane feels his heart in his throat.

“Shane,” Troy says next to him. “Is everything okay?”

Shane swallows and pulls all of the cards out to sift through them one by one. “I—um. Fuck.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. Ilya was going to kill him. He’d been very intentional about giving Shane his card to pay for this appointment.

“Did you lose something?” Troy’s eyebrows pinch together in concern.

“I just, um,” Shane whispers as Troy steps closer to him, trying not to let his panic consume him. “I was supposed to pay with Ilya’s card. He gave it to me when I was on my way out, but I must have forgotten it on the counter. He wanted to pay for both of us,” Shane shares shyly. “He said it was his treat.”

Troy blinks at him a few times before a smile crosses his face. “Okay. I’ll pay, then. It can be my treat. And he can get the next one if he wants. You have to get these things done pretty often, don’t you?”

“Kind of,” Shane laughs in surprise, letting go of some of his worry. “But the gel makes it last a little longer. It just depends on how fast your nails grow.”

“We look so fucking cool, dude.” Troy whistles, taking another look at his nails as they walk up to the front to pay. He hands over his card while the woman rings them up.

Shane wasn’t sure that Troy paying for their nails was the best idea, but the logic was there. Troy could pay for this round, and then Ilya could get the next; Shane would make sure he had Ilya’s credit card next time. In the end, Shane still thought it was better to have Troy pay than to use his own card. Ilya had specific rules about Shane using his money, but they’d never explicitly discussed anything about gifts from other people. That’s all this was. A gesture from a teammate and close friend. One that Ilya could return next time Shane and Troy needed an appointment. No harm done.

“Um, thank you again,” Shane feels the need to express, cause he doesn’t know how much of this seems weird. Ilya picking his costume. Shane using Ilya’s card to pay for things. All that on top of everything else Troy has seen so far. Was it starting to pile up? Had they approached the threshold yet? “I promise I’ll get you back.”

“Ilya will,” Troy teases, while waving him off like it’s no big deal. Like he hasn’t made Shane’s whole week by coming to do this with him.

When Shane gets home, Ilya is finishing up making lunch for them, and he greets Shane with a smile.

“Hello, драгоценная принцесса-котёнок. Can you repeat it back to me?”

Shane pauses at the request, mouth open to tell Ilya about Troy paying for their nails first thing, but instead, he repeats the pet name back to him as requested.

“Dragotsennaya printsessa-kotonok,” Shane tries, and he feels warm when Ilya’s lips curl up in approval.

“Good job, baby. And can you tell me what it means?” Ilya asks next.

“Precious princess kitten,” Shane says with a flush as Ilya plates their meals. A protein salad for Shane, and a Mexican taco bowl for Ilya.

“Good boy. That was an easy one, but your pronunciation is getting much better,” Ilya compliments.

Shane’s sure it is. There were certain words Ilya had said so many times to him that Shane could probably recite them in his sleep by now.

“Here’s your lunch, baby. Want to show me your nails?” Ilya hums, placing their meals down at the kitchen counter.

Shane goes to sit next to him and offers up his nails for Ilya to look at.

Ilya takes Shane’s hands into his to look at them more closely. “Oh, these are beautiful, моя любовь.”

Shane’s heart thrums at the way Ilya is looking over each nail in great detail, like he’s taking it all in, or possibly just checking to make sure the nail artist didn’t make any mistakes on his perfect kitten’s kitty claws.

“You are just the prettiest leopard, aren’t you? So exotic with all your spots,” Ilya comments his approval, and Shane’s stomach swoops at the way Ilya is assessing him, his knuckles coming up to brush across Shane’s freckled cheek.

“So, I’m…I’m going to be a leopard, then?” Shane asks tentatively, because that had been his first assumption, but one could never be sure when it came to Ilya. He was known for his surprises.

Ilya just smiles at him, bringing both of Shane’s hands up to his mouth so he can kiss all over Shane’s new big kitty nails. “How much did it cost for these? Now that I’ve seen them, I am thinking of so many ideas for how to dress up my kitten’s claws.”

“Um,” Shane falters, cause he didn’t actually know how much they cost. Hadn’t even seen the number when Troy was paying for them.

“How much did both cost together?” Ilya tries again, like he thinks Shane has gotten stuck on the math somehow.

“No, I mean. I don’t know,” Shane admits, since there’s no point in lying. Ilya wasn’t going to see the charge on his credit card either way, and Shane had meant to tell him when he first walked in, but Ilya had distracted him with his sexy Russian professor bit. Shane wants to get fucked over his desk. “Troy paid for us,” Shane breathes out quickly, eyes darting up to catch Ilya’s reaction. “I know you gave me your credit card, but I forgot it on the counter, and I told Troy that it was supposed to be your treat, so he offered to get it and let you get the next one,” he says in a rush.

But Ilya is frozen in place, his eyes squinted just slightly, his eyebrows very nearly furrowed.

“You forgot my card, so you decided it was a good idea to let Troy Barrett pay for this nail appointment that I scheduled for the two of you?” Ilya clarifies, after a long bout of silence.

Shane shifts uncomfortably and fights the urge to pull his hands away from Ilya’s. “Yeah, um. Because…because I knew you’d be upset if I used my card. Right? So, I figured if it was a gift—”

“This was supposed to be a gift from me. I invited Troy. I wanted to pay for Troy. It was my intention to treat the both of you to a nice afternoon. And now you are having Troy not only pay for an expensive manicure that he did not even want, but you are also having him pay for your manicure when that is supposed to be my job—”

“He offered!” Shane argues. “And you would have been more mad if I used my own card, so I didn’t know what to do. I had to decide! They were waiting on us to pay!” He says emphatically, his eyes wide while he tries to make his case.

“So, you fucking call me,” Ilya bites back as he leans in further. “You call me, or you text me, and you ask me what to do. You do not just decide for yourself, especially when I have specifically told you that I wanted to pay for this. Jesus, Shane.”

Shane swallows and shakes his head. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. It made sense at the time. I didn’t mean to mess up…”

Ilya sighs, dropping his head for a moment, and then his hands are on Shane’s shoulders. “I know you didn’t, baby. But this is not the first time I have had to tell you this. If you are unsure about something, then you are supposed to come to me before making a decision. I do not know how much clearer I can make myself. The message does not seem to be sinking into your brain, sweetheart. So, what am I supposed to do here? Because it sounds like I need to do something to make you remember.”

Shane's face crumples as he nods quickly. Fuck. Ilya was right. It wasn’t the first time Shane had done something without giving Ilya a heads-up. Even before they had established their lifestyle dynamic, Shane had traded fucking hockey teams without so much as a text to let Ilya know. That wasn’t just bad sub behavior; no, that was bad boyfriend behavior. And Ilya wasn’t mad about the nails; mostly, he was probably just mad at what they stood for—in their dynamic and in their relationship.

“Let me make myself abundantly clear,” Ilya starts, gliding his hands down Shane’s shoulders to squeeze over his biceps this time. “No one should be paying for anything for you without my permission. I do not care if it is Troy offering to pay for your nails. I do not care if it is Harris who has bought coffees for the entire team. If someone is offering something, if you have a way to check with me, then you need to do that.”

Shane knew he didn’t really have to check in with Ilya if he didn’t want to. Shane could push back on aspects of their dynamic at any time if he no longer felt like participating, but Shane did want to participate. He liked the idea of Ilya paying for him. Liked the idea of going to Ilya to get permission to spend money, his own or other people’s. It was a turn-on. He got off on it. It made him feel safe and warm and fuzzy. He just actually had to do it, and truthfully, he had fucked up this time. He can see that clearly now.

“Yes. Yes, sir,” he nods profusely, all of a sudden overcome with a desperate need to prove himself.

“Good.” Ilya cups his jaw. “And if it is between Troy paying for your nails or using your own card, then you will use your own. I am perfectly happy to transfer the money over to you—”

Shane opens his mouth to speak, to say you don’t have to, but then he remembers that that’s the point. Ilya didn’t have to. He wanted to. He really wanted to, if the look he’s giving Shane is anything to go off of.

“No, don’t say anything right now, baby,” Ilya cuts him off before any sound can leave his lips. “You are not in trouble, but I am upset. I do not like the idea of another man paying for this.” Ilya glances down at Shane’s nails again with an indecipherable look in his eyes. And then, his stare zeroes in on Shane’s face. “I hope you know we are going to have to do something about this.”

Shane’s blood runs cold. Fuck. Ilya was actually going to punish him for this. On Halloween. When they had people coming over in just a few hours. How the hell was Shane supposed to keep it together this evening? Was Ilya going to be mad at him the whole party? Would he ignore him? Would that be Shane’s punishment?

Ilya must be able to read all of Shane’s thoughts over his face, because he cups Shane’s neck and gives it a healthy squeeze to ground him. Shane focuses on him, eyes searching.

“These are not punishments, sweet boy. But I do need to remind you of the rules if you’re not going to act accordingly.”

But all Shane can hear is the word punishment. Shane was bad. Shane made the wrong choice. Shane shouldn’t have let Troy pay for them because that was sending the wrong message. Shane was Ilya’s. That was the whole point of this. No one else should be paying for Ilya’s pet.

“Shane. I need you to calm down. I understand you do not like to be bad, but I have to find ways to correct your behavior when you disobey me. And for today, I am not talking about the nails. It sounds like we had a gap in our rules, something that has not come up before, but I have told you time and time again about checking in with me whenever you are uncertain, and yet, you continue to make these choices for yourself.”

Shane pulls his lower lip between his teeth and nods, nuzzling against Ilya’s hand for comfort. His behavior did need to be corrected, but it didn’t mean Shane had to like it.

“Why don’t we eat our lunch, and then we can talk about this a bit more, okay?” Ilya suggests.

Except now the sight of Shane’s lunch in front of him is nauseating. The thought of Ilya’s disappointment lingering in the air around them while they eat has completely taken his appetite. He knows Ilya will just be even more upset with him if he doesn’t eat, though, so Shane picks up his fork and forces the food down his throat.

They eat in relative silence. Ilya tries to make conversation once or twice, but Shane can’t find it in himself to utter a word. He drops his fork at least twice from how hard his hand is shaking.

Ilya places a comforting hand on his knee and squeezes, and then, after he’s done with his own plate, he just rubs Shane’s leg until Shane finishes. Or, at least until he can’t stop pushing the last final bites of his food around the bowl.

“You finished?” Ilya asks eventually, and when Shane nods numbly, he stands to clear off their plates. “Come with me, please.”

Shane rises like he’s headed to his own execution.

Ilya holds his hand as they walk through the bedroom and then on toward the bathroom. He’s rubbing the pad of his thumb across the back of Shane’s, trying to offer soothing touches as a distraction, if Shane had to guess, but Shane has a one-track mind right now. Failure. Disappointment. Correction.

“Now, like I said, this is not meant to be a punishment,” Ilya tells him, even though Shane’s heart is in his ears. “This is just to remind you of my ownership. I think it is something you are actually going to really enjoy if you can let yourself sink into it.”

Shane feels like he’s going to throw up. He doesn’t know what the punishment could possibly be, but right now, it feels like there’s no way he could ever enjoy it. Not if it’s meant to be a symbol of Ilya’s disappointment. Fuck. Was Ilya still upset over how Shane had handled his trade to Ottawa? Was all of this just pent-up frustration from all of the previous times Shane had failed at communicating something to him? Going to the club with Ivan that night he got assaulted. Showing up to Ilya’s house unannounced with no calls or texts for three days straight after shit went down with his team. Not trying to get in touch with Ilya once during that whole week Shane spent dying inside at the cottage.

Holy fuck. Was Shane a bad boyfriend? Maybe this was more than just a Dom reaction. Maybe this was an Ilya reaction. Maybe Ilya needed him to be better. Needed more from him. Shane feels like the ground is about to swallow him whole.

“Baby,” Ilya says with so much concern etched into his expression, his eyebrows drawn together in a way that makes Shane’s heart very nearly crack. “Sweetheart, why are you so pinched up? What is going on right now?” Ilya asks, reaching out to touch Shane’s shoulder, but Shane flinches.

He feels like there’s more that Ilya’s not telling him. More that Ilya’s not saying. He wishes Ilya would just spit it out, but he’s terrified of what he might say.

“Angel, I am going to call safeword right now and stop us right here for a second, okay? I am pausing our dynamic, just so you do not feel any pressure. Because the way you are reacting to this is scaring me,” Ilya expresses, and Shane swallows thickly.

Neither of them has ever actually used the actual safeword before. It’s been mostly just colors up until this point. So much so that Shane doesn’t even know what it means. Was safeword worse than red? Had Shane really pushed Ilya that far?

“I would like for you to come here,” Ilya requests, holding his arms out. “You did not do anything wrong. There is nothing to be scared of. I’m never going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. This is why we have our colors and our safeword, yes? Because this is supposed to be fun for us. Something we enjoy that adds to our life. And if that ever stops being the case, then I need you to tell me, okay? You never have to do this for my benefit.”

Shane hiccups a breath and shakes his head. “I’m not. I want this so badly,” he says quietly, before collapsing into Ilya’s waiting arms, the tears falling the second he feels them wrap around him. “I just want you to think I’m good. Not just…not just with this. But like,” Shane swallows, sniffling heavily. “Good all the time. Good for you. Good as your boyfriend.”

“Fiancé,” Ilya corrects him immediately. “And you never have to worry about that because you are the best in the world. You bring me so much happiness. And I know you do not understand what your submission means to me. I know you think that I give you so much, and all you do is take, but you show your love very differently, and trust me, I see every ounce of it. I know how hard it is for you to let your guard down, so the fact that you willingly give yourself over to me in every way possible means more than you will ever know. I see it as a very loud declaration.” Ilya pulls back to cup Shane’s jaw, his fingers scratching through the back of his hair.

Shane blinks away a few stray tears as he looks Ilya over. He’s so fucking beautiful. He’s watching him in that way he sometimes does, with his eyes completely locked on Shane and analyzing, waiting, trying to anticipate his every move. Trying to obliterate any worry before it comes.

“I just,” Shane whispers, wrapping his fingers in the fabric of Ilya’s shirt. “I don’t want you to hold onto things that make you upset because you think I can’t handle it.”

Ilya’s face falters. “Shane, no.” He cups Shane’s cheeks in both hands now. “I am not holding on to anything. I am telling you exactly what I feel,” Ilya vows. “If there is something I need to talk about with you, then I will bring it up.”

“But, you’re right. I have been a bad communicator. I should have…I should have told you about the trade, cause…you shouldn’t have had to find out like that from Coach Wiebe. I could have at least texted you to let you know. I mean,” he shakes his head, bringing his hands to his face as the tears well up again.

“Yes, this did upset me,” Ilya admits, as he rubs his hands over Shane’s sides. “But I meant what I said. Once you had finished your punishment, I was past it. You had made it up to me and, even more so, I knew that you really understood. In fact, the whole point of the punishment is to serve as a reminder if you ever find yourself in that situation again, hm? So you know not to do the thing that earned you the punishment in the first place. It is not to hurt you or to make you suffer or to have you feeling like you are anything other than my best boy,” Ilya clarifies, squeezing Shane’s hips. “I will never hold things over you like that.”

Shane shudders out another sob because he just loves him so much. He loves how Ilya accepts him for all his faults, how he wants to carefully help correct them by setting up little scenes for them that, more often than not, bring Shane an immense amount of relief in the end. Ilya never pushes his boundaries. He’s never gone past one of Shane’s limits. He’s taken every color in stride and has even used their safeword tonight himself out of concern for Shane.

Once again, Shane feels silly for getting so worked up at the idea of a punishment. He couldn’t help it sometimes, though. The want to be good for Ilya could consume him, because if Shane could be good for Ilya, then maybe he could trick Ilya into keeping him forever.

“Is there a reason you called me your boyfriend?” Ilya asks, eyebrows drawn together all of a sudden.

-

Because that was fucking concerning to him. Sure, he and Shane hadn’t been engaged for very long. Not even a full week, actually, but still. Ilya had struggled with not calling Shane his fiancé nearly every single day of their relationship. Because, in his mind, Shane was his. Permanently. Forever.

But the way Shane was talking…it was like he was convinced that there was something he could do to make Ilya not want to be with him anymore. Which was scary, and also, completely untrue.

“You know I am in this with you forever, right?” Ilya double-checks, gently pulling one of Shane’s hands from his face to get the other to look at him. “I know we are not married yet, not legally anyway, but this tattoo—” Ilya pauses to hold his hand up. “This means that I am entirely dedicated to you. This is more permanent than any stupid paper could be. And there is nothing you could do that would scare me off or make me think any less of you.”

Shane closes his eyes like he doesn’t believe him, so Ilya doubles down.

“Shane, I am so serious. You could literally murder someone and I would help you hide the body,” Ilya stresses, catching him by the chin. “If our dynamic is causing you stress, if it is making you doubt things between us, then I need you to tell me. I will not let our arrangement affect our relationship.”

“It isn’t,” Shane loosens the knot in Ilya’s gut by saying. “Fuck. I just can’t believe it sometimes. I keep waiting for you to wake up and realize I’m just a big hot mess and decide that you don’t want to deal with me anymore. I’m sure there’s someone easier to be with.”

Ilya crowds him against the bathroom wall until Shane is completely pinned against him. “I do not want easy. Easy is boring.”

“I thought you said I was boring,” Shane mutters, and Ilya has no choice but to kiss him intensely, maneuvering Shane’s face exactly where he wants it with the grip he has around his jaw.

When he finally pulls away, he does so with a gasp, and Shane’s looking up at him through half-lidded eyes. “You are the most interesting person in the world to me. Everything you do lights me up with fascination. I feel like a kid in a candy store every time we are together. I feel like you were custom-made in a lab, hand-delivered just for me. There is no one in the world who could ever compare to what I feel when I am with you, Shane. I will tell you in as many ways as you need until it sinks in.”

He’s delighted when Shane pulls him back into another kiss, and for a while, they just stay there like that. Kissing. Making out against the bathroom wall. Breathing each other in. Touching each other with their clothes on. It’s soft. It’s intimate. It’s everything to Ilya. These moments are just as important to him as the ones where Shane is crying and screaming his name.

Ilya picks Shane up by the hips, never pulling away from his mouth as he turns to place Shane gently on the bathroom counter. It doesn’t even strain his muscles anymore, picking Shane up. It just feels like a welcome comfort. Like it’s something his body was designed to do.

Shane keeps his legs wrapped tightly around Ilya’s waist as he places his hands on the counter and leans in to kiss Shane even deeper. With his eyes closed like this, he gets to experience Shane differently. His soft, slippery tongue. The little noises he makes when Ilya teases him with a nip or an extra graze of his scruff. The way Shane’s greedy fingers are always trying to pull Ilya closer, raking through his curls and tugging on the back of his neck.

Shane’s smell. So fucking sweet. And the way he gasps and tries to breathe through his nose sometimes when he doesn’t want to pull away, which is pretty much always. He glides his hands across Shane’s strong thighs and slips them all the way around to his gorgeous ass, where Ilya squeezes until Shane moans against his mouth. It’s the most delicious sound he’s ever heard, like music to his ears, and yeah, Ilya was never letting go of this. Never letting go of Shane. Not in a million years. Not in a billion different lifetimes. More, even. Higher than Ilya can count.

“I want the punishment,” Shane surprises him by saying, and Ilya pulls back to assess him properly.

“I thought we do not like the word punishment,” Ilya voices in confusion because his Shane could certainly give him whiplash sometimes when he was feeling like a particularly complex kitten.

“The reminder. The training. Whatever it is, I want it,” Shane gasps against his mouth, pulling Ilya in tighter with his feet linked around Ilya’s back.

Ilya swallows and nudges their noses together while rubbing over Shane’s hips. “I think we probably need to have a conversation about our dynamic before we do anything like that, sweetheart. I feel like some of these rules we have in place are causing you extra stress, hm? Maybe we should remove the part about me controlling your finances.”

But Shane sucks in a sharp breath and clenches Ilya’s curls tightly. “No. Absolutely not,” he says decisively. “I fucking love you paying for things. I think it’s so fucking hot. Makes me feel so,” Shane pauses to sigh softly. “Makes me feel so cared for. Fucking love when you take care of me.”

“All I wanna do is take care of you,” Ilya smiles against his lips, kissing them gently. “I just do not enjoy making you cry unless it is in the good way, драгоценный."

“It’s always in the good way,” Shane laughs into Ilya’s mouth. “Even when it’s in the bad way, it’s just because I love you so much and I’m so scared of losing you.”

“Well, you never have to worry about this. Because you’re not going to lose me. Even if I died, I would just haunt you for the rest of your life.” He means it as a joke, but Shane’s smile instantly drops.

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Shane murmurs, and Ilya’s heart clenches.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers back, trying to look up at him from where their eyelashes are nearly touching. “I didn’t mean it. And…for what it’s worth,” he starts, pressing a kiss to each corner of Shane’s mouth. “I really think you would have liked the punishment.”

Shane bumps their foreheads together and huffs a laugh. “I thought we don’t like the word punishment.” He giggles wildly when Ilya starts digging his fingers into his sides.

“I really think you would’ve liked the training,” he corrects, before pulling Shane in for another kiss. “You are so fucking perfect for me, you know? I mean it when I say you could never do anything wrong because I know that you are never doing it on purpose. You are always trying to be good for me.”

“But the rules mean nothing if I can break them without any consequences,” Shane murmurs, repeating Ilya’s explanation from the club the other night.

Ilya raises an eyebrow. So, Shane had been present during that conversation. Listening, apparently. He loved to use Ilya’s words against him.

“Well, I do not like the way these consequences make you react. You get very upset, and I do not enjoy the idea of causing you pain.”

“It’s only at first. It’s…fear. It’s adrenaline,” Shane attempts to explain. “I’m trying to get better at staying relaxed.”

Ilya just gives him an unimpressed look. He’d had to use their safeword for the first time because Shane looked like he was three seconds away from imploding. Ilya doesn’t even think the idea of coloring would’ve occurred to him in that state.

“Okay, like I said, I’m trying.” Shane rolls his eyes, and Ilya fights the urge to bite his cheek. “But these conversations are helpful. You know? Especially with the way you said you were pausing our dynamic,” Shane expresses, blinking his big brown doe eyes up at him. “It just took some of the pressure off. I didn’t feel like I was going to disappoint you because you reminded me it’s not real. Or—” he backtracks. “Not that it’s not real, I just—”

“I know what you mean, baby,” Ilya agrees, because it could definitely be nice to remember that, deep down, at the end of the day, he and Shane were really just two boys in love. That, outside of the insane levels of dynamic they had built up around them, there was really something so pure and sacred between them. Intimate moments that, ten years ago, Ilya could’ve never imagined having with anyone, let alone his Canadian rival with beautiful freckles. “So, maybe we just need to take more time where we shut our dynamic off for a bit.”

Shane growls like Ilya has threatened to take something away from him, and it forces a laugh from deep within Ilya’s chest.

“Even if it is just for one evening, or a few hours here or there. A period that we dedicate to just spending time together. When you are not my sub or my kitten, but just my Shane,” Ilya hums, rubbing his hands over Shane’s hips. “My gorgeous fiancé, who I cannot wait to marry. And if we were out to the rest of the world, I would be showing you off as much as possible. Taking you out and posting pictures with you every chance I got. It kills me that I cannot scream it from the rooftops sometimes.”

-

Shane purrs at the idea of Ilya posting him on Instagram. Taking him out for a nice dinner, or lunch, and laying his credit card out loud and proud for everyone to see. So, everyone could know that Ilya was whipped for Shane. Because as much as Ilya owned Shane, Shane owned Ilya, too. He had him by the fucking balls, and sometimes Shane could forget that, but Ilya was also really good at reminding him.

“Can we unpause the dynamic now?” Shane questions hopefully because he was starting to get curious about what Ilya had in store for them. “I promise I’m okay. I promise I’ll use my colors if I need to. Unless…” Shane trails, since technically, Ilya is the one who used their safeword.

Ilya just smiles at him like he’s the cutest angel in the world and cups his cheek again. “I am perfectly okay to unpause it whenever you are, baby. As long as you promise to let me know if it ever gets to be too much.”

Shane swallows and nods, pressing a quick kiss to Ilya’s cheek. It was a good wake-up call, a conversation that Shane recognizes they obviously needed to have. And maybe it would help with his fear of punishments going forward. His training. Speaking of…Shane really wanted his training.

“So…” Shane trails, waiting for Ilya to take the bait, but he doesn’t budge an inch. Finally, Shane just rolls his eyes at Ilya’s expectant expression. “Can I please have my training now? Can you tell me what it is?”

Ilya grips Shane’s hips a little more tightly from where he’s still perched on the bathroom countertop, his hands gliding across Shane’s lower back, nails grazing up his spine and under his shirt. “I think you are due for a shave now, yes?”

Shane full-body shudders and nearly starts to go down from the thought. Holy fuck. Ilya had only shaved him one time before, but to this day, it was the highlight of all of Shane’s softest, most intimate dreams. The way Ilya had held him, caressed him, treated him like he was fragile, yet expansively vast. Like he was the most important person in the world. Maybe, to Ilya, he was.

“And then I would like to lock your pretty, hairless cock up in a cage if you will let me—”

Shane’s head drops to Ilya’s shoulder as he pants heavily, because suddenly, he can’t breathe. He tries to get control of his heart rate. This was what Ilya had wanted to punish him with. Punish. As if it wasn’t something that Shane fantasized about often.

He’d been to hundreds of websites by now. Had read every Reddit post, every blog entry, every Tumblr think-piece to try and get to the bottom of what people loved so much about cock cages. The control—his findings had overwhelmingly shouted back at him. The submission. The feeling of being owned. Shane knew that feeling better than anyone, but somehow, he still always wanted more. It never felt like enough. With Ilya, nothing could ever be enough.

“I am going to take that as a yes, sweetheart.” Ilya’s hand comes up to card through the back of his hair. “I am hoping this might be able to keep you from going down tonight, hm? To your kitten space? It can be very grounding for some people, but not for all, so I would like to try it with you while we have some time before people arrive. If you are taking well to it—if you are comfortable—you can wear it for Halloween later, too.”

Shane sucks in a deep breath while Ilya rubs over his back. He buries his face in Ilya’s shoulder and presses his smushed lips into a kiss against his skin.

“Are we clear on that?”

“Yes,” Shane whispers before he can stop himself because he wants it so fucking badly. He’s never wanted anything more in his life.

“Good boy,” Ilya soothes, and then pulls away to catch Shane’s eyes. “I am really hoping we can re-frame the way you look at these corrections. The last thing I want to do is cause you stress when, really, you are always so good for me.”

“I love you,” Shane tells him tearfully as his eyes well up again, and Ilya’s smile makes his heart flutter.

“I love you very much as well. I want you to have everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“I do,” Shane stresses. “Half of it I didn’t even know I needed, but now that you’re here, I never want to let go.”

Ilya kisses him one more time and then carefully helps Shane off the bathroom counter and out of his clothes. He shaves him much like he did last time. A towel on the floor. Some electric clippers. Both of them standing up, facing the mirror so Shane can watch himself be doted on.

Ilya still touches him like he’s so, so special, and Shane keeps nuzzling against Ilya’s face from where it’s perched over his shoulder. Ilya smells especially good right now. Shane wonders if he’s somehow already torn into the bag of Halloween candy they purchased for the party later tonight. Maybe that’s why he was being so sweet.

Shane holds onto Ilya’s curls when he drops to his knees to finish shaving him with a razor. It’s a new kind because Shane hadn’t loved the one he used last time, so Ilya bought a whole host of brands that were supposed to be the best for sensitive skin. Shane can already feel the difference in the glide, and he lets his eyes slip shut to relax into it a little more. He moans softly when Ilya finishes by massaging aftershave lotion all over his pelvic region, even letting his hands slip up higher to massage Shane’s hip bones and upper thighs as well.

Shane feels small. And smooth. And cared for beyond belief. He’s smiley and sated when Ilya returns in front of him for a kiss. “I love you,” he says again, just in case Ilya hasn’t heard it enough lately.

“I love you more,” Ilya replies, giving him a peck on his nose. “Stay here, please. I will be right back.”

Shane sulks but listens dutifully by staying in the exact same spot Ilya has left him. And when Ilya returns, Shane’s eyes go wide at the sight of the soft pink cage in his hand. It’s silicone, and looks almost squishy, and Ilya has several different matching rings in his hand that seem like they vary depending on testicle size. Shane watches in embarrassment as Ilya selects one of the larger ones, giving Shane a smirk when he notices Shane eyeing him.

“My baby’s got such a big dick,” Ilya tuts. “Which is too bad because it’s pretty much useless, isn’t it? Don’t really need this for much of anything, do you?” He hums tauntingly, reaching out to give Shane’s cock a poke.

It wiggles dumbly in response, and Shane just pouts down at it before training his eyes back on Ilya.

Ilya begins to assemble it, putting together a few pieces that will allow the selected ring size to connect to the rest of the cage. And then, Ilya cleans it, which Shane appreciates, his tummy fluttering a little in excitement at the attention to detail as Ilya prepares everything for him. He dries each piece with a clean towel before opening one of their bathroom drawers to retrieve a bottle of Shane’s preferred brand of water-based lube. After that, he takes his time lubing up the inside.

Shane swallows because the sight of Ilya prepping the cage for him is already getting him hard, and if there was one thing he learned from his research, it’s that you needed to be completely flaccid to get the cage on properly. Still, he can’t look away. He can’t force himself to close his eyes even for a second because part of him wants to remember this forever. The first time Ilya caged him up. Locked him away. Slid the key into his pocket with a wink and a promise of nothing. Shane could suffer all night for all he cared.

Only Shane wouldn’t be suffering. He’d be buzzing, probably. He has no idea if it’s going to send him further into his kitten space or help to keep him present. Either way, he’s eager to find out. He just needs his dick to cooperate first.

Ilya looks over at him as Shane starts to bite his lower lip harshly. He’s hoping the pain will somehow make him soften before Ilya gets to him, but Ilya notices his predicament immediately, eyes dropping to Shane’s growing erection with a knowing smile.

“Look at that,” he shakes his head, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You’re so big, angel. What am I gonna do with you?” He sighs, one hand on his hip as he surveys Shane.

Ilya steps forward to cup his cock, and Shane moans loudly, clutching onto Ilya’s big shoulders as soon as he’s close enough. Shane wants to fucking climb him, but he’s trying to be so good today. He needs to behave himself, so instead he just whimpers and rubs his cheek against Ilya’s stubbly chin.

“Most guys with a dick like this would want to do all the fucking, but not my boy. My boy wants his giant cock locked away under the control of his owner, doesn’t he? My boy wants to wear it until his cock starts to shrivel up. Till it gets so small that it no longer works anymore. You’d like that, sweetheart, wouldn’t you? If I ignored your big dick forever and ever? If I put all my energy into your greedy hole instead?”

Ilya’s voice is so slow, going up at the end of each question like he thinks Shane’s stupid. Like he has to make extra sure that Shane can understand him cause his brain is stuck in sticky-sweet honey land again.

“I—not forever,” Shane argues lightly, even though the fantasy Ilya’s painting is pretty hot. Giving himself over. Wanting and waiting for Ilya always.

“You know,” Ilya starts, leaning in real close to him now as his hands slide around to cup Shane’s bare ass. “Some people say that wearing a cage can make your ass so much more sensitive. It’s probably hard to imagine for my little kitten, who is already so sensitive, but there’s something about being locked up that makes pleasure everywhere else feel so much more intense.”

Shane gasps as Ilya squeezes him and starts to pull his cheeks apart slightly. “Everything with you feels intense,” he splutters out, rubbing his hair against Ilya’s shoulder as he noses along his neck.

“Mm, yes. And that’s because my Shane loves when I take control. When I can possess him in new ways. And there is nothing more possessive than holding the key to your orgasms. Than being the one to decide whether you come for me or stay restrained.”

“I’ll be good,” Shane vows around a hiccupped breath. “I’ll be so good. I’ll do anything you want. Make you so happy.”

“You always make me so happy, baby,” Ilya replies, and Shane can hear the smile in his voice. “Always so good for me. And that’s why I know you’re going to be able to stay up for me tonight, hm? Because every time you strain against this cage, you’re going to remember that that’s what I asked of you. That that’s what I want. And you want to please me, don’t you, драгоценный?”

Shane nods jerkily against Ilya’s shoulder, pressing a soft round of kisses there just to have an excuse to show his affection.

“How well you do tonight is going to decide whether you get to come or not.”

Shane whimpers and pulls back slightly to give Ilya his best sad kitty eyes because, fuck. He couldn’t control it sometimes. Like tonight, for example. Would he really be able to keep from going into his kitten space while dressed as a fucking leopard?

But no, clearly Ilya had faith in Shane’s ability to do this. Maybe he had a deeper plan because Ilya always had a plan, but recently, with the plane crash, Shane felt fragile. Out of control. Emotional, and reckless, and often that resulted in him slipping quite deep quite fast.

“You can still color whenever you want,” Ilya reminds him softly, and Shane lets out a slow breath.

“Yes, sir,” he murmurs, because Alpha feels too dangerous right now. He closes his eyes and shakes away the thought. Ilya would be Sir tonight, just like Shane would be a human. A human who was dressed like a leopard, even though he was still a kitty deep down.

“Good boy. Now, let’s get you soft.”

Shane has no idea what that means. All he knows is that Ilya’s warmth has suddenly disappeared from all the places they were connected, and by the time Shane can open his eyes, Ilya is on him with an ice-cold, wet towel.

“Shit,” Shane curses, grabbing onto Ilya again as soon as he’s back within reaching distance.

“Easy, baby. I know it’s cold, but you were getting too excited. I need my angel soft and as small as possible.”

The way he says it makes Shane want to start getting hard all over again, but instead, he just shivers and clings closer to Ilya while the two of them wait for his dick to come down.

When it finally does, Ilya reaches for the ring first and carefully starts to maneuver each of Shane’s testicles through the hole.

Shane bites down on Ilya’s shoulder to keep from going clinically insane as Ilya tucks his shaft under to slip it through the ring as well, and when Shane risks a glance down, he pants at the sight of Ilya fitting the cage over his softened cock and locking it up with a fucking key. Once the key twists, Shane drops his head back onto Ilya’s chest to rub his face all over the other’s skin.

It feels like Ilya’s got a firm hand around his cock even though he’s not touching him anymore. He’s just looking down at Shane in amazement, like maybe this is somehow doing something to him as much as it's doing something for Shane.

“All fucking mine now, aren’t you, baby?”

And Shane nods pitifully while sniffling as the tears start up. “Thank you,” he murmurs into Ilya’s neck while hugging him close.

“What are you thanking me for, sweet boy?” Ilya hums fondly as he hugs Shane right back.

“For—” Shane chokes out a quiet sob. “For taking care of me and looking after me and making me really, really happy. Like…way more than I used to be. I can’t believe it’s only been a few months,” he laughs wetly, wrapping his arms more securely around Ilya’s neck.

“Almost four,” Ilya whispers, like he’s been keeping count, but the number just sounds absurd.

Four months. Four months for Ilya to become absolutely everything to him. His moon, his sun, the oxygen in his lungs, the only person he could ever see standing by his side for the rest of forever.

“God, you look so gorgeous in this cage,” Ilya groans, pulling back from Shane slightly to look down at him again. He rubs his hand over the outer part of Shane’s thigh and then meets Shane’s brown-eyed gaze with a curious expression. “How is it? Is okay?”

Shane nods quickly. “It…um. It feels like…feels like you’re holding me,” he stutters out nervously, feeling frenzied with the way Ilya’s watching him. His dick flickers in awareness, but the cage doesn’t budge. “Is it gonna be noticeable? Under my clothes?” A part of him almost wants the boys to see, but he knows he has to be good tonight. He knows he needs to get better at staying up. He has to be the best kitty leopard human in all of existence for Ilya.

“Nope,” Ilya promises, ducking down to retrieve Shane’s boxer briefs from the edge of the bathtub and start helping him into them. “And if you ever feel like you want to take it off, you just tell me, and we’ll come back to the bathroom together. Okay? I don’t want you pushing yourself tonight. You use your colors, or you let me know some other way, alright?”

“I feel good so far,” Shane says a little breathlessly because it’s only been a minute or so, but the weight of Ilya’s cage around his cock was a welcome comfort. He feels like a man with a mission, and he’s wearing a constant reminder of that mission in the one place he can’t ignore. Especially when Ilya’s lightly calloused hands graze over his skin as the elastic band of his boxers snaps against his waist. He can see the outline of his cage against the fabric, but it’s probably not enough to be visible through his clothing. Well…depending on what Ilya had in mind for his costume.

But for now, Ilya just gets him back in his clothes and then has Shane come help him with the rest of the Halloween decorations.

Ilya has really gone all out with his purchases. So much so that by the time they’re done with the place, it’s starting to look more like a haunted house than it does their home. Shane just rolls his eyes as Ilya stands in the middle of the living room with his arms spread out proudly.

“So, this is a little ridiculous,” Shane feels the need to point out, eyeing the spider-web chandelier meaningfully. “And did we really need sixteen bags of candy?”

“Some for our guests and some for any trick-or-treaters since I’m going to leave a bucket at the door,” Ilya explains, rushing over to Shane to tackle him in a headlock. “Then, some for me.”

Shane shoves at Ilya until he can get away and then tries to make a run for the couch, but Ilya catches him around the waist before he can get very far.

“No, no, no. Do not run away from me, little leopard. You may be fast, but you are still mine,” Ilya reiterates.

Like Shane has forgotten. As if the cage isn’t still sitting on him like a heavy reminder.

“Can you tell me your costume now, please?” Shane begs, twisting in Ilya’s arms and falling back onto the couch while pulling Ilya with him. Ilya settles like a welcome weight on top of him, and Shane gasps at the way it puts some light pressure on his cage. He wonders if Ilya can feel it digging into him.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Ilya laughs in surprise, wedging his hand in between them to cup Shane’s caged cock. “Well, if you are going to be in kitty theme tonight, it seems only fair that I get to coordinate, hm? I figure even leopards need big kitty trainers to help them learn tricks and be good.”

Shane lets his mouth fall open a little, his cock twitching in interest, despite the fact that it has nowhere to go. “You’re gonna be my trainer?” He hiccups a gasp.

“Aren’t I always?” Ilya has the nerve to fucking wink at him before pressing a wet, sloppy kiss to Shane’s chin.

Shane didn’t really understand how that was a costume.

In fact, he still doesn’t by the time they’re fully dressed, but it’s hard to argue when Ilya looks like a vision in front of him. He’s completely shirtless with most of his chest on show, other than the tiny cropped, tan utility vest that barely covers his pecs. Shane guesses he’s supposed to be some sort of safari animal wrangler or something if the jungle hat and cargo pants are anything to go off of. The pants are slung low on his waist, probably because his sorry excuse for a belt is really just a rope, like he might have to suddenly spring into action and tie Shane up to keep him from acting out. God, Shane really hopes so.

Ilya’s arms look fucking big in that tiny vest, too, and dressed like a leopard, Shane badly wants to get wrangled by him. Shane feels pretty cool in his own costume, probably because it’s mostly stuff from Ilya’s closet. He has on a leopard print button-up shirt that’s been left mostly unbuttoned save for the way it’s tied in a loose knot at the bottom over his belly button. He has on a pair of Ilya’s brown jeans, too, and they’re so big that Ilya has had to roll the fabric of each leg to fall comfortably at Shane’s ankle. He feels like he’s drowning in Ilya’s scent, but the one thing that didn’t come from Ilya’s wardrobe is the fur-lined belt that hangs around his waist extra-long, so it’s almost like he’s got a make-shift tail wrapped around him. It’s a much better alternative for this evening than Shane’s usual plug.

Ilya is in the process of applying some glitter leopard face tattoo spots to each of his cheekbones, all before gliding some eyeliner along the inner corners of Shane’s eyes to elongate them and make them look more feline.

“While you were at the nail salon, I had Svetlana walk me through a tutorial of how to do all this. Was very informational, actually. I think I am getting pretty good,” Ilya says conversationally as he finishes off the look with a little shading along the tip of Shane’s nose.

Shane smiles fondly at him and tries not to move too much as his heart speeds up in his chest.

He’s feeling a tiny bit fuzzy when Ilya pulls out the ears, but the cage is still an ever-lasting thought in the background, and for now, at least, he finds it hard to drift all the way down like he normally might.

“You with me, Shane?” Ilya asks him as he fits the headband over Shane’s hair, adjusting it so the ears sit comfortably on his head.

He’s being more intentional about the way he’s talking to him. He’s not using as many pet names, like he thinks it’s going to bring Shane closer to the edge if he gets too mushy, but Shane’s alright. He secretly hopes Ilya drops the act after a drink or two. Usually, Ilya never drank if they were planning on doing a scene or if he thought Shane might be at risk of going down. Tonight, however, Ilya deserved to have a good time like everyone else, and Shane was determined to give him that by focusing on the cage and keeping himself grounded.

“Shane?” Ilya checks again, and Shane shakes out of his foggy thought bubble to form a response.

“Sorry. I—yes, I’m with you. I’m good,” Shane confirms with a nod.

When he receives a curl of Ilya’s lips, he turns to the mirror to admire his full look. The fur on the ears is a little more costume-y than Shane is used to, but it still makes him laugh when he leans in to admire the finished product. With the makeup detailing, he really does look like a leopard, and it’s different than how he feels when he looks like a cat. He doesn’t relate to this creature as much. He thinks it’s a good thing just as much as it’s a fun, different thing.

“This is perfect, Ilya. Thank you,” Shane hums as Ilya wraps his arms around Shane’s waist in order to duck forward and kiss him on the corner of his lips.

“You are very welcome, моя любовь. You make the most beautiful leopard,” Ilya murmurs into his neck while watching him in the mirror.

“And you make a fucking hot Indiana Jones,” Shane grins, giggling wildly when Ilya starts tickling his sides in reprimand.

“Hey,” Ilya growls playfully against his skin. “I told you I am big hotshot animal trainer. I am not Indiana Jones.”

“Mm, you’re right, baby. You’re way hotter,” Shane purrs, twisting in Ilya’s arms to pull him into a warm kiss. He’s delighted when Ilya lifts him onto the counter to kiss him some more.

-

“Troy!” Shane says excitedly as Ilya opens the door to reveal Barrett here bright and early for the party.

It’s 8pm, which is technically when it starts, but Ilya thought it went without saying that the boys shouldn’t begin showing up until at least 9pm. He’s so caught up in the timing that he barely notices Troy’s outfit as he steps right past him to greet Shane.

“Holy shit. You look amazing,” Shane gasps, his eyes wide. “Oh my god. You did so good.”

Troy laughs in appreciation, squeezing Shane’s hands tightly in greeting before pulling him into a hug. “The tutorial you sent me from Pinterest made it super easy. I mean, I already had the white tank top and shorts, so I just ran out for some black construction paper for the spots and a sharpie for my face. Then, I just needed the ears.”

Shane pulls away from him with a chuckle. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to use sharpie on your face, idiot. It’s like permanent.”

Troy frowns, tipping his head. “Seriously?” He surveys Shane’s makeup for a second. “What did you use for yours?”

“Eyeliner.” Ilya steps over to them to wrap a possessive arm around Shane’s neck. “The leopard spots are a face tattoo.” The fact that Shane has very obviously played a part in Troy deciding to dress like a fucking dalmation this evening is not lost on him, but he keeps his mouth shut to avoid saying anything he shouldn’t. Like calling attention to the fact that Shane is knee-deep in his ‘Troy Barrett is a puppy friend’ pet fantasy.

“The costume looks great. You picked really well,” Troy says to Ilya this time, and Ilya raises an eyebrow at Troy’s awareness of the fact that Ilya has selected Shane’s outfit tonight. “And safari tour guide? That’s so sick.”

“It is not safari tour guide.” Ilya rolls his eyes. “It is big cat animal trainer.”

“I thought it was Indiana Jones at first.” Shane shrugs, pulling a titter from Troy until he catches Ilya’s expression looming back at him.

“Uh, no. I mean—” Troy clears his throat. “It’s totally giving…um, what did you say it was? Animal wrangler?”

Ilya tips his head in consideration. “Maybe that’s what it’s called, but it sounds very aggressive. Something is telling me my leopard will not need to be wrangled tonight.”

Shane shrugs and gives Ilya his best big kitty growl. “You never know.”

Ilya just smirks and tickles his side until Shane gives up the tough guy act. “Barrett, there is alcohol and some snacks in the kitchen. Feel free to help yourself while I wrangle this wild leopard.”

“Hey, hey—” Shane tries to get away from his attack, but Ilya is relentless. The weight of the key to Shane’s cage is still burning a never-ending hole in the back pocket of his pants.

By the time the next person arrives, Ilya, Shane, and Troy are already two shots deep, so Ilya leaves the leopard and dalmatian giggling in the kitchen in order to answer the door. What he isn’t expecting to find is Harris dressed as a sexy fireman in his entryway.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” He shakes his head, opening the door wider for Harris to step inside.

“What do you mean?” Harris asks, his big smile slowly morphing into a frown of confusion as he looks down at himself.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Ilya assures him, and he waits with his arms crossed over his chest while Harris enters to see Troy and Shane making crazy drink concoctions in the kitchen.

“Hey, guys,” Harris says as he walks further into the room, lifting his firefighter hat off his head in greeting.

Ilya watches in satisfaction as Troy’s mouth drops open, his eyes grazing over Harris’ arms in the black fitted tank top and sexy red suspenders.

“Oh, wow,” Harris laughs in amazement when his eyes land on Troy as well. “Great minds think alike?”

Ilya meets Shane’s excited gaze over Harris’ shoulder. Yeah. This was going to be a great fucking night.

One by one, the boys continue to arrive, until their entire house is full of hot, spooky people that, recently, Ilya would quite honestly trust with his life. He still wouldn’t trust them with Shane’s life, however, which must be why he feels compelled to shove through a sea of bodies when he sees Shane reaching for his third shot of the evening. It appeared that Dalmation Troy Barrett and Leopard Shane Hollander could prove to be quite the troublesome duo.

“Ah, I think we should slow down on this.” Ilya swipes the shot from Shane’s hand before he can down it, tossing the alcohol into his own mouth instead.

“Hey,” Shane huffs, eyebrows pressed together as he turns over his shoulder.

“Hi,” Ilya grins hazily at him, leaning in extra close to press a kiss to his cheek. “You are so cute, моя любовь. Very sexy as a leopard.”

“Stop trying to distract me,” Shane accuses, poking a finger against Ilya’s bare chest, but Ilya just grabs him by the hips and kisses him against the kitchen counter.

“Alright, alright. You guys are fucking adorable. We get it,” Wyatt shouts, throwing an M&M at them.

Ilya pulls away from Shane to glare at the other, but it’s hard to stay mad for long with how ridiculous Wyatt looks in his devil horns and bright red bathrobe.

“Hazy, what the fuck are you supposed to be anyway?”

Wyatt holds his hands up in defense. “What? Your text said Horny Halloween. How else was I supposed to make the Devil sexy?” He unwraps his robe and holds it open wide to reveal a pretty intense set of rock-hard abs as well as black boxers with little pitchforks on them.

Ilya glares when Shane audibly swallows.

“Plus, with this angel on my arm, I’m sure you understand why I need to show off the goods with easy access.” Wyatt grins toothily, pulling his girlfriend, Lisa, close to his side.

Ilya smirks when she rolls her eyes like he’s being ridiculous, but still happily accepts a kiss from their star goalie.

In all honesty, everyone’s done a pretty good job with their costumes this evening. Bood and Cassie are arguably best dressed as the Joker and Harley Quinn. They’ve done extremely well with the makeup and tattoos, and they’ve even gone as far as to act comically unhinged all night to remain in character, so Ilya has to give props where it’s due.

Holmberg and LaPointe are somewhat coordinated as horror icons Chucky and Freddy Krueger. Luca looks fucking adorably innocent as usual in his Woody from Toy Story costume, and everyone completely loses it when Dykstra comes in late from Halloween with his family, dressed as Sully, from Monsters, Inc., in a giant fur suit and head.

“Maybe we should get you something like that,” Ilya whispers teasingly to Shane, and then he breaks into hysterical laughter when Shane shoves him hard and glares in response.

Shane is definitely drunker than usual, but it seems to be helping him to stay human, at least, which Ilya is thankful for. He had sent out a text to some of the guys earlier today, asking them to please gently let their partners know about Shane, just in case he was to accidentally go down tonight. The only WAGs who are here, anyway, were Cassie and Lisa, who had already expressed interest in joining the club, so Ilya saw no harm in sharing this with them.

Dykstra, who hadn’t been able to make it to Drift’s soft opening, had already found out when the boys couldn’t stop making cat jokes at their game on Friday. It was all in good fun, of course; Ilya had made damn sure of that. Shane had been blushing like crazy as Ilya pulled him into his chest to playfully shield him from the attention, but for the most part, the news of Shane being a cat had gone over well.

“You two are fucking trouble together,” Ilya curses as he has to stop Shane from taking yet another shot with Troy.

“Come on,” Shane whines. “I never get to drink.”

“And why do you think that is?” Ilya raises his eyebrows, taking the shot for himself before crowding into Shane’s space. “Is it perhaps because someone is always wanting to go down?”

“I’m not the one planning elaborate scenes for us every damn night,” Shane fires back, and Ilya has no choice but to roll his eyes.

“Fine. I suppose I will just stop planning them, then,” he shrugs, while retreating slightly, as if it makes no difference to him.

Shane doesn’t even last a second before he’s pulling Ilya back with two hands around his bare abdomen.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” Shane stretches the word, giving Ilya his best sulky face when he’s within reaching distance again. “Don’t leave me, hot Indiana Jones. Your scenes are the best.”

“Is that what he’s supposed to be?” Harris pokes his head into the conversation, with Troy, unsurprisingly, right at his side.

“Do you guys wanna do shots with us?” Troy grins, his eyes a little cloudy at the edges.

“What is up with you and the shots?” Ilya demands to know. “Why are you trying to get my leopard drunk?”

“Because it’s fun!” Troy giggles, especially when Harris offers him a mega-watt smile in return.

“He’s been making them pretty light,” Harris side-whispers to Ilya. “Each shot is mostly chaser with only a little bit of alcohol. I’ve been keeping an eye on it.”

“Shots! Shots! Shots!” Shane runs over to Troy to help him start chanting.

They’re pumping their fists and jumping up and down, and Ilya is shocked that Shane has been able to remain this up and this human while dressed as a leopard who’s still wearing his cage, but the sight of them in their costumes is too cute to deny, so Ilya reluctantly loosens the reins just a tad.

“Okay, fine, fine. But just so everyone is very clear,” Ilya says loudly, holding his arms out wide to catch the attention of the entire room before cupping his hands around his mouth to make a declaration. “I am dressed as a big cat animal trainer. I am not a safari tour guide. Nor am I Indiana Jones. I am the animal trainer of this big cat!” Ilya stresses, putting his hands on top of Shane’s leopard-spotted shoulders to give him a shake in emphasis.

“Okay, Rozy, we get it,” Bood calls back. “You can stop pissing in circles around Shane, buddy. No one’s trying to take him from you!”

“And I am the dog of this firefighter!” Troy feels the need to yell out for some reason as he stumbles into Harris’ side while breaking into laughter.

“Woah, there.” Harris reaches out to steady him with a hand on his lower back. “You alright?” He looks down at Troy fondly.

Troy just blinks up at him with warmth in his eyes and nods. “Fuck yeah, I’m alright,” he says breathlessly. “You look so good like that.”

“Like what?” Harris laughs, looking down at himself.

Troy gestures to Harris’ entire get-up in response. “Like…like that.”

Harris’ lips pull into a big smile. “You look really good, too. The ears are cute. I think I’m starting to understand Ilya more and more these days.”

“What about me?” Ilya demands to know, sticking his head in between the two. He’s got both arms wrapped around Shane’s chest while Shane makes grabby hands for one of Troy’s half-finished shots.

“Oh, just that you’re onto something with the pet stuff! It’s super cute!” Harris expresses, pointing to Troy’s dog ears.

Troy tips his head endearingly towards Ilya in slight confusion, like he doesn’t understand what point Harris is trying to make.

“Heyyy,” Shane whines, ducking his chin and biting at Ilya’s wrist on his chest to get the other’s attention. “I thought we were taking shots. And why is no one calling me cute?” He pouts deliciously.

Ilya bites into his cheek with a spirited growl. “Don’t make me have to wrangle you, leopard. But yes, of course, you are very cute. And yes, of course, pet play is fucking awesome,” he directs to Harris this time. “I never used to be into it either, but clearly, I had no idea what I was missing.” He squeezes Shane gratefully.

Shane purrs and nuzzles up into him in response, but he’s still human. He’s still being very, very good. Ilya wonders if the alcohol is making him forget about the cage. Or…maybe it was just time to give him a little reminder.

Ilya can admit he’s getting pretty tipsy as well. He usually doesn’t drink much around Shane because his kitten could be quite unpredictable, and Ilya needed to stay on guard, but he feels safe with the knowledge that they’re in their house rather than out at some bar or surrounded by people in the club. He feels safe with the knowledge that none of the guys would even question it if they needed to step away. He also feels confident that he’ll be able to take care of Shane if need be because he’s not that drunk. He’s only had two watered-down shots and a glass of vodka for crying out loud. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of a kitten, especially Shane, whose mood swings Ilya could practically predict in his sleep by now.

It must be why he maneuvers Shane until he’s crowded up against the kitchen counter, until his hips are slightly hidden from view, his cage taking on the unforgiving press of the cabinet in front of him. He feels the way Shane’s chest stutters as he sucks in a breath while Ilya directs his view to Troy and Harris across from them.

“Wow, so you weren’t into pet play at all until Shane?” Harris questions, his gaze drifting back to Troy, eyes flitting over him for a second before his lips quirk up affectionately.

-

“My Shane is quite convincing as a kitten,” Ilya hums, and Shane can feel it reverberating against his neck. “Lots of people in the club started asking for pet play events after seeing him be so well-behaved for me. I think pet play is often very misunderstood—it was by me as well— but there are a lot of different avenues to explore. I feel like I am learning something new every day.”

“Are you gonna finish making those shots?” Shane huffs at Troy, darting forward to try and grab one once again, but Ilya holds him in place.

“Excuse me, Mr. Leopard. I am in the process of wrangling you right now. Please be good for me,” Ilya requests.

“I thought you weren’t going to use the word wrangle. You said it was too aggressive.” Shane rolls his eyes.

“Yes, well, you are making me feel very aggressive!” Ilya shouts, wrapping his arms around Shane’s waist fully to lift and jostle him high in the air before placing him securely back on the ground.

“Okay, okay, here!” Troy laughs, shoving two, admittedly, much larger shots in their direction. “These ones are less watered down to make up for before. But um…okay. Harris has to take two.”

“What?” Harris’ eyes crinkle as he throws his head back in surprised laughter. “Why do I have to take two?”

“Just…just cause, okay?” Troy insists, grabbing Harris by the shoulder, but by the time he’s handing over the first shot, his hand has slipped down to Harris’ chest. “Just cause I made them for you, so you have to! Two for you cause you’re the best.”

Shane feels warm all over watching them. He turns in Ilya’s arms and grunts softly when Ilya presses forward to put pressure on his cage again. “Can I take my shot now, please?” He asks gently, a wave of submissiveness washing over him at the reminder. He didn’t need to be a cat to serve Ilya. To be good for him. He could do that while still being up and totally human.

Ilya’s eyes flicker over him in awareness, almost like he can sense the way the gears have started shifting in Shane’s brain. “Course, you can. My pretty leopard,” he hums, kissing all over Shane’s leopard-spotted cheeks.

Ilya steps forward to grab the shots from behind Shane. He presents one to him, which Shane gingerly takes, only for Ilya to make them link their arms at the last second. Shane doesn’t really know why, but it makes him giggle, so he does it anyway, licking his lips in appreciation after the liquid has gone down.

Ilya’s being really loose, less intense, more silly, and Shane feels really good, too. It’s nice to feel like a little bit of a cat, while also not. It’s nice to be around his friends who know exactly who he is and what he likes, without having to worry that they might see something they shouldn’t. It’s even nice to see Troy and Harris—

Holy shit. Shane digs his nails into the back of Ilya’s neck sharply.

“Oww,” Ilya groans, trying to flinch away from Shane’s painful grip on him. “What? What is it?”

Shane can’t look away, though, because Troy and Harris are kissing. Like kissing, kissing. It looks like Troy must have made the first move, given the way Harris is still standing frozen in shock. But then, in an instance, Harris springs into action. He pulls Troy close to him and tilts his head to deepen the kiss. And Troy just relaxes and sinks into it like he can finally breathe.

“Aw, baby.” Ilya squeezes Shane tightly while jutting his lower lip out in adoration. “Very good job helping them get together,” he says softly to Shane. “You did so well, angel.”

Shane’s heart is pounding in his chest as he soaks in the praise. He feels heat all through his body, but especially in his cock. He feels his blood rushing there. He feels his cheeks getting flushed.

Ilya ducks even closer to him, and Shane can feel Ilya’s hot breath against his ear as he mumbles, “Look at you making someone else want to be a puppy. Do you see the things you do to people by being the absolute best boy for me?”

Shane shudders. Fuck. Did Ilya understand the things he did to Shane?

“Woah! No way!” Wyatt whistles loudly as Troy and Harris finally pull away from each other, the two of them staring at one another, red-lipped and in shock.

But Shane can see the way Troy’s jaw has gone slack, his mouth parted slightly in realization. He can see the way Harris’ face sparks with something hopeful and new, like he’s just been given something he never even considered could be in the realm of possibility for himself.

“That’s Halloween magic right there,” Bood chimes in poetically, while staying in character with the Joker’s voice.

Luca sighs and shakes his head. “When’s it gonna be my turn?”

“Aw, Haasy!” LaPointe practically tackles him in a hug. “Maybe Freddy can help you…in your dreams!” He shouts evilly before taking off in another direction of the house, where there’s no doubt a million more over-the-top decorations just waiting for him to explore. Since Ilya has decided to buy out the entirety of the closest Halloween store.

“Not without Chucky,” Holmberg cackles maniacally as he chases after him.

“It will be your turn someday, Haasy,” Ilya vows, raising his beer to Luca from across the room. Shane doesn’t even know where he acquired the beer from, considering he hasn’t moved a muscle. He’s still pressed up against Shane, after all, but Ilya was sometimes prone to magic in that Shane didn’t really understand how he achieved half of the things he did. He was an endlessly rewarding conundrum that Shane had happened upon.

“Were you guys talking about pet play earlier?” Cassie sidles up next to them in the kitchen, just as Troy and Harris rush out of the room with claims of needing to get some ‘air’.

“When are they not talking about pet play?” Wyatt grins while he and Lisa step up to refill their drinks.

“Shut up, Hazy. I have rarely ever used the words pet play to you. You did not even know what that meant until two nights ago.” Ilya narrows his eyes at him.

“I’m just teasing, Roz, relax. I think everyone here knows you don’t play about your kitty.”

“I think it’s really interesting,” Lisa chimes in, and Shane can tell that Ilya instantly likes her, which puts Shane at ease as well.

So, Lisa and Cassie…not a threat. Shane relaxes into Ilya’s touch a little more.

“I mean, from what Wyatt’s told me, anyway. Which I guess isn’t much,” Lisa laughs good-naturedly.

“Well, you will find out soon enough at the club, but you are welcome to ask any questions you like. Shane and I are trying to be a bit more open about it. We do not think it is anything to be ashamed of. Right, котенок?”

Shane smiles warmly at him and nods. “Right,” he says intentionally, to show Ilya he’s still capable of using his words.

Ilya’s eyes sparkle with an unspoken good boy.

“How did you get into it? I mean, did both of you want to explore that, or was it someone’s idea first?” Cassie asks as Bood slides her over a fresh glass of the bloody punch Shane had helped Ilya to prepare earlier.

“Mm, it was technically my idea to introduce it, but I was just going off of what I thought Shane would be into. I did not know he would take to it so much. I certainly had no idea it was going to become such a huge part of our dynamic. But it seems I know my leopard very, very well,” Ilya teases, pinching Shane’s side to get a squirm out of him.

“And Shane was like…new to this sort of thing? Cause you’ve owned the club for a while, right? The one in Montreal?” Lisa clarifies.

“Shane was very new to it, yes. He was definitely looking to me to guide him. I have my preferences when it comes to kink, but I have tried many things over the years, and I am not really opposed to much. I have my hard limits, like everyone else, but for the most part, I was happy to help Shane explore what he wanted. It just so happened that we were very into the same things. Or perhaps, we are just very into each other.”

Shane grins and nods because he’s pretty sure that’s the answer more than anything, but still, there were definitely certain things about pet play that appealed to the two of them specifically. “I think it’s a possessive thing, too. Like…I dunno. Having a Dom is one thing, but…” he trails off cause he’s not sure if it’s appropriate to talk about being owned by Ilya.

“But what?” Bood prompts, and he looks genuinely curious.

“There are different levels to BDSM arrangements. Sometimes the control ends when the scene does,” Ilya explains. “And, other times, it can extend past the scene and bleed into everyday life. I think the dynamic of pet play—for us, at least—can be a bit more like that sometimes. Yes, Shane is not always a kitty—”

Shane frowns resolutely at that, but Ilya gives his hips a squeeze in apology because obviously Shane was always his kitten. Even during times when he technically wasn’t. But Shane recognizes that Ilya’s trying to divert from going through the entire inner workings of their TPE lifestyle dynamic.

“But we assume certain roles the way anyone does in a relationship. You know, how like…one person cooks, another does the dishes. One person pays the bills, another may clean the house. It is the same way in that there is a constant give and take with what we do for each other. The boundaries of what our dynamic covers may just be a little more widespread than the average couple.” Ilya shrugs.

“So, wait a second,” Wyatt pauses, his eyebrows scrunched up as he tries to process the new information that’s being said to him. “Give me an example of how that correlates to pet play.”

Ilya presses his lips together in thought. “Okay, well. Imagine Shane is a real-life cat and I am his very dedicated and loving owner,” he paints a picture. It sounds like he’s trying to be silly and dramatic, but Shane’s tummy flutters at the thought that he’s actually telling it exactly like it is. “I would not want my precious pet, who I love very much, going off on his own without permission. I need to know where my sweet cat is at all times because, otherwise, he could get lost. He could get hurt. If he is in trouble, how do I know where to find him? He could be lost. He could be in danger. He could be road kill for all I know.”

Wyatt barks out a laugh. “So, what? He needs permission to go out?”

Shane bites his lip because he actually needed permission for everything, but he highly doubts that’s what Ilya is about to say.

“It just means I like to know where he is at all times. Who he’s with. What he’s doing. Like Shane said, there is a level of possessiveness. I do not want him doing certain things, just as he does not want me doing certain things. Just as I’m sure you and Lisa have certain boundaries in your relationship. You would not want Lisa texting random guys, would you?”

“Hell no,” Wyatt agrees, his face pinching up in discomfort.

“Yes, well. It is exactly like that, only ours goes a bit deeper than that. Maybe if you found out Lisa was texting other guys, the two of you would get into an argument. Maybe if Lisa found you texting other girls, she would make you sleep on the couch. For Shane and I, we have rules in place that account for all these things. If the rules are broken, there is nothing for us to fight about. We already know what will happen as it is outlined and agreed upon in our dynamic.”

“Wow,” Cassie raises her eyebrows in amazement. “So, you guys have just…already planned for everything? Anything that could go wrong? Your communication must be like…level 100 or something.”

“I mean,” Shane chimes in lightly. “Not everything. But I think our dynamic allows us to be more upfront about what we want to get out of our relationship. You kind of have to over-communicate to stay safe. I think it definitely allows us to approach problems or arguments more effectively.”

“Plus, I’m sure your sex life is fucking awesome,” Cassie sighs longingly before looking pointedly at Bood.

Bood just blinks in awareness before zoning in on the conversation with a new level of focus. “Okay, so. How do you figure out what you like? You just throw on some cat ears and see how it feels? Help us out here, man.”

Ilya huffs a laugh. “Easy there, Bood. It can take years of experience to get to something like what Shane and I have. And I highly doubt you all are looking to go into it as deeply as we do, but if there is an interest in doing a BDSM deep-dive, I have already spoken to Ivan about doing an intro event with a variety of demos. We can hit some of the high points. Have an open panel where you can ask the demo leaders all of your pressing questions. It would be a good way to sample what’s out there without having to jump in headfirst without any prior knowledge.”

“That sounds really cool, actually,” Lisa agrees as she leans against Wyatt. “I have no idea if I’d be into any of this, but I’d love to learn about it! Especially if there’s something to be taught on the communication front. Every couple, vanilla or not, could probably stand to benefit from those conversations, no?”

“It definitely allows for better transparency,” Ilya confirms, wrapping an arm around Shane’s waist as he moves to stand at his side. “And if there is a want to try anything in the bedroom, even if it is nothing too out of the ordinary, it allows for much more open discussion. One of the first things we suggest when looking to get into BDSM is printing out a kink list for each partner to fill out. That way, you can see what’s out there, and you can know your partner’s comfort level with each kink right off the bat. Again, this does not have to be anything crazy. Maybe you just want to do a little impact play or pull out the handcuffs every once in a while, but having each other’s preferences listed out and discussed ahead of time really helps to make sure you are both on the same page.”

“Impact play meaning spanking?” Lisa quips.

“That is one option.” Ilya’s lips quirk in response. “It can mean paddles, whips, riding crops.”

Shane swallows as Wyatt and Bood’s eyes dart to him. “That doesn’t mean—”

“These are just things that exist,” Ilya cuts in before anyone can get the wrong idea. “There are things that Shane and I like, and there are things that we have not and will never do. That is what the kink list is for.”

“So, what about the pet stuff? I still want to know more about that,” Cassie expresses excitedly. “Is it just like…ears and head scratches? Crawling around on all fours?”

“Dude, head scratches,” Troy says achingly as he comes stumbling into the room. His lips are bright red, and his hair is disheveled.

Shane’s stomach swirls enticingly. He really, really hopes Troy isn’t messing around with this puppy stuff. Shane doesn’t want to get excited only to be let down if Troy’s not actually interested.

“Who the fuck wouldn’t want to get their head scratched? Is it really any different than being a human? Like, come on. What’s with the judgment?” He rolls his eyes and then turns to Ilya. “Can I please pet this super sweet kitty? I mean, look at him. He’s been dying for it all night, I bet. He’s so fucking cute, Rozy. Please.”

Shane’s heart picks up in his chest while he waits with bated breath for Ilya’s answer.

“Yes, you may pet him, but just be gentle, okay?” Ilya hums, surveying Troy like he’s trying to get a sense of how drunk he is.

“I am so gentle,” Troy says confidently with his hands on his hips.

He looks pretty fucking cute himself with his sharpie-covered black-spotted eye and his folded puppy ears. He looks like the exact type of pet that Shane would love to curl up with, or chase around, or go on a fun walk with around the park.

Shane realizes after a beat that Troy is waiting for him to give his okay as well, which Shane really appreciates, but also, Troy should know by now that Shane would always welcome a pet from him. He smiles and tips his head forward in permission, regardless.

“Oh, there’s my good kitten,” Troy smiles as he sinks his fingers through Shane’s hair, scratching behind one of his big leopard ears. “I could tell you were sad because no one was cuddling you.”

Shane hadn’t actually been that upset about it so far, but now that he’s getting a real nice petting from his favorite puppy best friend, fuck yeah, he wants more. He turns to Ilya desperately with one hand on his chest. “I—please. Please, can I—”

Ilya’s eyes soften at the barely uttered request, but Shane knows Ilya understands what he’s trying to ask right now. “Course, you can, baby. I told you you’re always welcome when it comes to Troy, but I appreciate you checking with me.”

Shane preens at the praise before catapulting into Troy’s arms to give him a crushing hug that nearly knocks Troy off his feet.

“Jesus,” Harris mutters as he slips into Shane’s previous spot next to Ilya. “They’re going to be the death of me.”

Ilya lets out a slow breath of a laugh before turning to Harris to smirk in agreement. “You have no fucking idea, man.”

Shane is nuzzling into Troy’s neck while Troy rubs at his back, the two of them trying to get as close to each other as possible while they let out a series of drunken giggles. Shane manages a nip on Troy’s neck, and he’s stunned when Troy gasps before biting him back on the shoulder.

Shane jumps in surprise at the unexpected display of affection, and for a second, he just sizes Troy up for a minute, trying to decide whether this animal is friend or foe. He turns to make eye contact with Ilya, who appears content to let this play out however it may, but when Shane’s gaze lands on Troy again, he feels nothing but excitement in his stomach. His eyes darken slightly when Troy grins and reaches to link their fingers together. Shane mimics his expression and meets him halfway.

“See, for my kitty, pet play is usually very affectionate. Lots of licking or nibbling. He can be very playful or silly. It is basically an excuse to give in to your more primal instincts, hm? We are all animals at heart; sometimes, it can be sexy to strip ourselves down to the way Mother Nature intended. Relying on scent or sound to guide our interest. Not having to put our complicated emotions into words. When you are a pet, you can just focus on feeling. If something feels good, you chase after it. If something feels bad, you reject it. Can be very relaxing to let go like this,” Ilya explains to their crowd of onlookers as Shane and Troy continue to explore each other like a puppy and kitty would, not inappropriately, just curious.

“So, this is where you take on the role of the owner, right?” Harris takes a stab at trying to understand. “Make sure he’s safe. Not going to hurt himself. Not doing anything that’s going to get him in trouble.”

“Exactly, yes. Because when he is in a kitten headspace, he does not always understand right from wrong, the same way an actual pet would not.”

“Like, what?” Bood laughs. “Piss outside of his litter box if he’s angry with you? Knock something off the counter? I thought cats were pretty harmless.”

“I have had to stop him from tearing up the leather of my couch before,” Ilya shrugs. “Sometimes he tries to bite people or does not understand the concept of personal space.”

“Lisa doesn’t mind if Shane wants to bite me, right?” Wyatt double-checks with her.

“Oh my god. I don’t know why you always think Shane’s going to suddenly awaken something within you.” Lisa rolls her eyes while offering Ilya and Harris a look. “I’m fairly certain he’s entirely straight, just so you guys know. I think his weird fantasy has more to do with Shane being the best player in the league than it does with Shane being a man. He’s been making these comments since before Shane even came out.”

-

Ilya just smirks in acknowledgement. He was quite used to his precious kitten awakening something within people. He had seen it happen with countless members of the club. Not to mention Troy, Cedric, Ivan, Harris, and now even the WAGs. There was something about Shane in general that just seemed to mystify people. He was the golden boy in more ways than just hockey. In fact, he was probably one of the brightest stars in the sky period.

“He’s not the only one.” Cassie rolls her eyes. “Zane’s been freaking obsessed with him for years. He made me watch that stupid workout video like a million times.”

Lisa laughs brightly. “I’ve seen that one. To be fair, though, I did try the yoga routine, and it totally relieved some of the pressure in my lower back. Plus, it opened my hips up a lot, too. So, you know. Thanks for that, Shane.”

“Thank you, Shane,” Wyatt whispers up at the sky in prayer.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” Harris cuts in with a disbelieving laugh. “Are you saying there’s a workout video of Shane, and Zane and Wyatt have been watching it? Like, often?”

Cassie and Lisa give each other knowing looks in amusement.

“Oh, like all the time,” Lisa nods. “Wyatt works out with it. Says it motivates him.”

Ilya raises his eyebrows and turns to Wyatt. “Works out with it how often would you say?”

“Once a week? That I’ve noticed. But I work long hours at the hospital, so. It could be more,” Lisa replies with a shrug.

“Zane is always watching that home tour one, too.”

“Hey, not always,” Bood argues.

“The one of his cottage? Yeah, I’ve seen that one.” Lisa cackles.

“Okay, yeah, maybe like one time. Only cause it just came out,” Wyatt clarifies.

“Yeah, we were literally waiting on the premiere of it,” Lisa recalls. “The little YouTube timer still said 3 minutes, so we just waited for it to come out.”

She and Cassie are in stitches as they relay their shared experiences, but Ilya just furrows his eyebrows slightly as he looks between Bood and Wyatt. Before he can react any further, though, Shane is rushing past him with Troy in tow, and Ilya turns sharply in inquiry. “Ah, excuse me. Where are you going?” Ilya calls over his shoulder.

“I have to go to the bathroom, so Troy is coming with me!” Shane shouts back.

“Oh, no, no, no. Absolutely not.” Ilya strides out of the kitchen to rush after them.

Aside from the fact that there was no reason whatsoever they needed to go to the bathroom together, Shane was also in a cock cage, and that meant that he wasn’t going to be able to pee standing up unless he wanted to piss all over himself. Something tells Ilya it’s not a revelation Shane’s going to want to come to with Troy in the room.

“Shane,” Ilya says sternly, stopping to cross his arms over his chest. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”

Shane instantly pauses, and Ilya can see the way concern slips across his leopard features.

“Is that okay?” Ilya repeats, tipping his head when Shane still hasn’t reacted in the slightest.

“I’m gonna go see if Harris wants to kiss again,” Troy whispers loudly before rushing off back in the direction of the kitchen.

“You are not in trouble, little leopard. Can I come to the bathroom with you?” Ilya offers, reaching to link his fingers with Shane’s.

Shane’s expression loosens a bit as his lips pull into a smile. “Okay. I really do have to pee, though. Like right now.”

“Then, let’s go pee. Like right now.” Ilya smiles back at him, tugging Shane in the direction of their bedroom.

When they get to the master bathroom, Ilya carefully shuts the door behind them and leans against the wall as Shane starts to undo his belt.

“What did you want to talk about?” Shane asks, and he’s obviously struggling to unhook the belt with all the fur in the way, so Ilya steps forward to help him.

“Mm, mostly I just figured you might need some help in here,” Ilya admits, getting the metal prongs out of the holes to pull the belt loose.

“Need help?” Shane’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “With what?”

“With peeing,” Ilya answers, working to unbutton Shane’s jeans now and push them down his thighs. “You are going to have to sit down to go to the bathroom.”

Ilya watches as Shane’s life flashes resolutely before his eyes, the realization settling over his features deliciously.

-

Shane had nearly fucking forgotten about the cage. He’d been so caught up in playing with Troy, in drinking, in having a good time, that he’d barely even noticed it for most of the evening. Not until Ilya started to call attention to his predicament by pressing Shane’s hips into the counter and reminding him of who was in charge.

Shane’s throat feels thick when Ilya tugs his boxers down too, revealing the sight of his dick kept and locked away in a pretty pink cage.

It looks small. Smaller than Shane’s maybe ever seen it. Compact. Neat and tidy. It’s cute, almost. It makes him feel cute as well.

“I can’t do it standing up?” Shane sucks in a breath, meeting Ilya’s gaze to assess his eyes for confirmation one way or the other.

“If you would like to make an absolute mess, you may…” Ilya trails, lifting his shoulders in indifference like it's Shane’s right to decide.

Shane swallows and glances back down at his dick; then, the toilet. He looks helplessly over to Ilya once more before finally coming to terms with his fate, a mix of defeat and acceptance washing over him.

“You remember why we’re doing this, don’t you, baby?” Ilya’s soothing voice permeates the hazy air around them.

Shane thinks the alcohol is starting to mess with his head. Either that, or he’s getting even more drunk off Ilya’s words.

“We are doing this so you remember who you belong to. Because you have been having some trouble with communication lately, yes?”

“Yes,” Shane gasps, feeling his cheeks start to heat up at the way Ilya is talking to him. At the way Ilya is looking at his cock. “But I’m going to do so much better. I promise I’m going to be so good.”

“You are so good for me, мой большой котик. You are good for me always. You have been on your best behavior all evening. You have stayed out of your kitten space just like I asked, hm?” Ilya’s lips curl up at the corners. “Now, sit down and go pee for me. I want to watch you.”

Shane’s dick throbs in a way that makes him want to fall to the floor at Ilya’s feet. Ilya is still looking at him expectantly, his arms crossed over his chest like Shane is wasting his time. Like he’s making him wait unnecessarily.

“Sometime today, angel. I do not want to be gone from the party for too long,” Ilya encourages him with a nod. “You said you had to pee, didn’t you?”

Shane shakes himself out of his stupor and springs into motion, nearly tripping over himself with the way his jeans and boxers are still bunched around his knees. His cheeks are flaming red as he sits down on the toilet.

He’s peed around Ilya before, obviously. He’s even peed with Ilya one time when Ilya couldn’t wait his turn, so instead, he went at the same time as Shane and tried to cross streams. But this is much different. This is sitting down to pee. Ilya staring at him with the key to Shane’s cage right in his back pocket. Shane is having so much performance anxiety that he isn’t even sure he’ll be able to go, despite the fact that he was aching for it just minutes prior.

He closes his eyes and tries to picture that he’s alone, thinking maybe that will help, but all it does is just make the cage feel that much more present. That much heavier on his cock. It feels like it’s tightening. Shane burns with the realization that it’s because his dick is trying to get hard.

“Am I making you nervous, sweetheart? Do you want me to wait outside?” Ilya’s strong accent rings through the air. It gets thicker when he’s been drinking, and since he doesn’t usually drink much around Shane, Shane never really has the pleasure of hearing it like this.

Sometimes, Ilya’s accent could be stronger in the mornings when he was barely awake. His first words of the day were often in Russian—muddled with sleep and pressed into Shane’s ear. Shane would shudder with the force of it. The warmth of Ilya’s breath mixed with the vibrato of his lungs against Shane’s back. Their bodies glued in a line together. Ilya’s arms like a furnace around him.

Shane lets out a small whimper, but it turns to a gasp at the sudden feeling of a hand in his hair.

“Hey, just relax for me, yeah? Think of something peaceful,” Ilya instructs, scratching his fingernails just right over Shane’s scalp.

All of Shane’s tension instantly flows out of his body as all of his safety signals kick in. Ilya’s cologne. The weight of his hand on Shane’s head. The remnants of his instructions still wavering through the air.

Shane’s urine starts to flow out of him before he’s even mentally aware of it. He’s so tethered to Ilya’s presence at his side, the way Ilya hasn’t stopped moving his fingers, the way he recognizes that Shane doesn’t want to be made fun of right now, even though, sometimes, if he were in the right mood, it could sort of turn him on.

“Good boy,” Ilya murmurs softly, giving Shane’s hair another appreciative rub. “You’re mine, aren’t you? Tell me.”

Shane inhales slowly as he continues to pee. His eyes are still closed. He’s terrified to open them, to see the way Ilya must be looking at him. “I’m yours.” And he feels the cage around him solidifying it. He was completely Ilya’s right now. Ilya held the key to a part of his body. His most sensitive organ, the one that controlled pleasure, and pain, and apparently fucking piss.

Shane drops his head forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

But then Ilya is crouching down next to him and rubbing his back, squeezing the back of his neck, touching him all over. Fuck, Shane wants to suck him off so badly. Wants to sit here on the toilet just like this and have Ilya slowly nudge his cock down Shane’s throat. He wants to nurse on it for a second, to feel the weight of it on his tongue, the flavor of Ilya on his taste buds. And then he wants Ilya to fuck his throat until it’s raw, until Shane’s voice is so ruined that he has to rest it all day tomorrow, and Ilya is forced to speak for him. During morning practice. At the game. Later with Cedric and Ivan. Shane just wants to be a voiceless, thoughtless, obedient pet at his side.

Shane whines as the last few drops trickle out of him. He can feel himself dripping against the cage, but Ilya is an everlasting comfort in his ear.

“You did so good for me. Absolutely perfect,” Ilya praises, his voice gentle but solid. “I’m going to give you exactly what you need later, okay? As long as you’re good for me, I’m going to be good to you. You are doing everything I asked for this evening, and I am very, very happy because of it.”

Shane sits up to pull him into a hug because he needs Ilya closer. He feels so needy right now. He wants Ilya to climb on top of him and hold him down, suffocate him until all Shane knows is the weight of Ilya on his chest.

“Oh, hi, precious,” Ilya coos at him, wrapping Shane up in his muscular arms.

If Shane were a cat right now, he’d be purring, but Ilya is telling him everything he wants to hear, and he doesn’t want to risk messing up by slipping this close to the end of the night. It was getting late, after all, and they still had morning practice before their game tomorrow, which probably meant the party would be wrapping up pretty soon.

Shane doesn’t want to let go of Ilya, but eventually, Ilya reluctantly pulls away to help him stand and get cleaned up. Shane tries not to get too emotional when Ilya wipes his cage with extreme detail, being extra careful to make sure he doesn’t jostle Shane’s cock unnecessarily. Shane pulls him into a warm kiss after Ilya gets his jeans up and buckles him resolutely into his belt.

Ilya hums into his mouth happily, which makes Shane feel gooey all over. He can’t believe he’s kissing his soon-to-be husband. He can’t believe they share a house now, a team, one fucking soul, it could seem, at times.

Shane cups Ilya’s jaw to pull him closer, licking tenderly into his mouth as Ilya sucks on his tongue in response. It makes Shane a little weak in the knees, but Ilya just grips him more firmly at the waist. You’re okay, the action tells him affectionately.

I love you, Shane tries to kiss back in response.

He thinks Ilya must get the message if the look he gives him after they pull away is anything to go off of.

-

After another hour or so of socializing, the last few remaining Centaurs start to make their way towards the exit. It’s mostly just Troy and Harris who have decided to linger behind, almost like they’re looking for an excuse to keep hanging out with each other. Any other time, Ilya might have the patience to explain that they’re more than welcome to retreat to either one of their houses after this, but right now, he has a slutty little caged-up leopard that needs tending to, and admittedly, a one-track mind.

“Thank you sooo much for having us,” Troy slurs as he attempts to grab onto Ilya.

Shane actually fucking growls when he tries to get close, so Ilya just pulls Shane in front of him to ensure Troy keeps his distance, but the only thing that achieves is Troy wrapping his arms around both of them in a big, bear hug.

Troy sighs happily. “I love you guys so much. You fucking rock, you know that? Like, how fucking cool is this? Halloween with all my gays.”

Ilya grins when Shane laughs and sinks forward to press his nose into Troy’s neck.

“You’re going to come to the club tomorrow, right?” Shane murmurs, brushing his hair softly against Troy’s jaw.

Ilya tries to avert his eyes. He feels like he’s intruding on a private moment, and this probably shouldn’t be getting him half-hard in his jeans right now, but it is. He tells himself it’s just because of Shane’s costume. He tells himself it’s just because of the way Shane’s cock has been locked up in a pretty little cage for the entire night. But deep down, he knows a new aspect of their relationship is blooming right in front of him. He knows that their playdate with Ivan tomorrow could change things permanently going forward.

There would always be boundaries, of course. Ilya has no interest in sharing his Shane. But he couldn’t deny that seeing Shane with others did something to him. It was like watching porn that had been crafted specifically for him, like it was made to his exact preferences, designed to get him off in the perfect way. And naturally, Ilya’s preferred type of porn would always star his favorite hockey player of all time, Mr. Shane Hollander. And since Ilya found Shane’s kitten tendencies to be particularly mouth-wateringly delicious, he definitely couldn’t deny that it felt all too good to watch his Shane lose himself in the presence of another pet.

“Yup,” Troy hums, shutting his eyes as he grips onto just Shane this time, Ilya slyly pulling away from the duo to try and keep his increasingly obvious erection to himself. “You have your playdate with Ivan, right? After the game?”

Shane takes what Ilya thinks is meant to be a discreet inhale of Troy’s scent before nodding against him. “Yeah.” He brushes his chin over Troy’s shoulder. “But Ilya said you can come still. It’s the official opening first. The playdate is, like, later in the night.”

Troy smiles and pulls away to look at Shane properly. “Are you and Ivan going to be wearing your ears? Maybe I should wear mine,” he jokes, but Ilya can see the undercurrent of truth in his voice.

“I do not want you wearing ears at the club unless you have someone to keep an eye on you,” Ilya voices lightly in concern, because he’s seen how Troy could get when he was around Shane, and Shane was certainly known for being able to lure others down into his very convincing pet space.

“Oh, uh. Is it cool if I go?” Harris offers himself up awkwardly, but Ilya feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. “I mean, I’m happy to hang out with him. Make sure he’s okay or...” Harris’ eyes drift to Troy. “Whatever he needs.”

If Harris and Troy were really ready to start giving their feelings a proper exploration, then maybe Ilya would actually be able to let Shane have this. Another pairing he could be totally himself around. A person on their team, someone who would have Shane’s back no matter what—on and off the ice. And it couldn’t hurt to have another Dom to talk to, either. Ilya liked Harris; he liked him a lot. And he especially liked the fact that they were building quite the community around themselves. Their team was shaping up to be everything he had hoped for and so much more.

“Absolutely. I think that’s a great idea. Actually, Harris—” Ilya jerks his head in Troy’s direction. “You should probably make sure Troy gets in his Uber alright.”

“Oh, that’s not an issue. I’m just going to drive him home,” Harris beams warmly. “Right, Barrett?” He teases.

“Heyyy,” Troy whines around a huff, letting go of Shane to playfully punch at Harris’ chest. “I told you. I like it when you call me Troy.”

Harris laughs in delight. “So, should I just call you Barrett in the locker room, then?”

“You should call me Troy always. In the locker room or…in my room…or…” Troy lists off, eyebrows furrowed together as he loses his train of thought.

Ilya barely has time to react before Shane is collapsing heavily into his arms, causing Ilya to stumble back a bit at the force of him. “Oof. Hello there, маленький леопард. Are you that tired already?”

But the way Shane growls lowly and bites him in response tells Ilya that Shane is actually not tired at all. In fact, Ilya would be willing to bet he’s the exact opposite of tired with the way that cage must be weighing on him after going so many hours restrained.

When the door shuts resolutely behind Troy and Harris, Ilya bends down to throw Shane over his shoulder while still being extremely mindful of his cage.

Shane lets out a smooth mrowl like a leopard might, and Ilya grins at the idea of getting to roleplay this a bit.

“I am sorry, Mr. Leopard. You have breached containment, and I was brought in to wrangle you and take you to my big cat animal training school.”

Shane twists in his arms like he’s trying to get away, but Ilya knows he’s not very far down right now. The cock cage has been a surprisingly good distraction so far. If Ilya had to guess, anyway. He’d have to get full confirmation from Shane later, whenever his boy was done dissecting the experience from every angle before coming to an overall conclusion with his thoughts on the matter.

“I do not have time for your squirming. I have to get you trained up very quickly if you expect to graduate from my training school. My school is only for the best of the best, you see. I cannot have any kitty cat causing trouble and messing up my good name. Not every kitty is worthy of wearing Rozanov across their back, after all.”

Ilya has no idea where he’s going with this plotline, but as usual, Shane is incredibly receptive to the picture he’s painting. Ilya carefully sets him down on the bed when he makes it to their bedroom, and then Shane is watching him with wanting, waiting eyes.

“Why don’t you take your shirt off for me, baby?” Ilya tries out, because he feels like giving a command.

Maybe the cock cage hadn’t physically affected Shane as much with all the other stimulation from the party, but Ilya would be willing to bet it was still rather mentally stimulating. Especially with the sudden awareness that he’s been locked away this entire night, unbeknownst to all of their guests this evening. And Ilya still held the key in his pocket, the one thing standing between Shane and an orgasm. A real one, at least.

Shane looks like a leopard possessed as he moves at lightning speed to strip out of his (Ilya’s) spotted button-up.

“Mm, let’s try a little slower next time, yes? I know you are a leopard, and you are very fast, but I need to make sure you are doing things correctly to your training,” Ilya tells him, slipping into that voice that can always make Shane’s eyes go half-lidded. “Plus, you are very pretty. I want to look at you and all your perfect spots.”

Ilya takes in Shane’s cute glitter tattoos on his cheeks. He would have to be very gentle when removing those before they went to bed tonight. Shane’s inner corner eyeliner has smeared a bit, but he still looks like the most devastatingly gorgeous creature to walk this Earth.

Ilya pulls the soft cotton rope belt from around his waist and watches as Shane’s brown, doe eyes slowly widen in response.

“Can you tell me your color, sweetheart?” Ilya tips his head, looking down at the piece of rope in his hands before glancing back up at Shane.

“I—I’m a little tipsy,” Shane blurts out, and Ilya pauses for a moment, letting the rope drop down to the bed in front of him.

“Okay. That’s okay. Would you like to stop for the evening?”

“No,” Shane shakes his head fervently. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant, um. I just…I thought I should tell you.”

Ilya’s lips curl into a soft smile. “I know you are not completely sober, but I’ve been keeping a close eye on you, baby. You seem very lucid, and you have not had a drink in over an hour. Do you think you will be capable of using your colors if you need to?”

He receives a jerky nod in return. “Yes. I’m green,” Shane breathes out, shifting in his spot on the bed.

“Good boy,” Ilya praises. “Why don’t you get yourself out of your pants for me, hm?” He suggests next, watching as Shane scrambles to complete the request. “Slowly, remember? Boxers, too.”

Shane takes the instruction in stride, slowing his movements down to the pace of a snail, which Ilya greatly appreciates. His boy is all caged up and putting on a show for him. Ilya picks the rope back up and idly wraps it around either of his hands as he waits for Shane to finish.

“That’s very pretty, leopard. You are taking your training so well,” Ilya compliments, keeping his voice level and low. “Now, are you going to be okay if I tie your wrists? I need you to stay up enough to let me know if you are experiencing any discomfort. Do you think you can do that?”

Shane is fully naked now, save for his pretty, pink cock cage, and Ilya can’t help looking him over in a mix of appreciation and hunger. He looks more seductive than all of Ilya’s wet dreams combined. He’s still got his leopard ears on, and his skin is flushed deliciously pink, possibly from the alcohol or maybe just from whatever Ilya’s commands are doing to him.

“I’m green,” Shane says again, which is good, but Ilya can also tell he’s losing access to his vocabulary the deeper into this they get.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re doing so well for me,” Ilya rewards him as he crawls across the bed to meet Shane at the head of it with a warm kiss. “Can you raise your arms?” He prompts, admiring the way Shane’s biceps flex as he lifts his wrists up in the air, pressing them together in offering.

Ilya’s boy was so damn gorgeous. He feels desire burn in the pit of his stomach at the thought of getting to have this every day for the rest of his life.

He has Shane budge up a little so Ilya can adjust the pillows behind him to sit a bit more comfortably, and then he gently takes Shane’s wrists in his hands and pulls them until they’re looped through the frame of the bed.

“This is not real rope,” Ilya reminds him, offering up the fabric for a second for Shane to see before he touches it gently to the skin of Shane’s arm. “It is not going to tie as well as real rope does, but that is perfect for us. If you need to get out, it will be very easy to do so. I am going to be watching you the entire time. If you are even slightly uncomfortable, we will stop, okay? Can I have your color again?”

“Green.” Shane looks up at him with a dazed expression, almost like he’s endeared by the number of times Ilya has stopped to check in with him. “I trust you,” he adds, and Ilya hates to admit how much it makes him feel at ease.

He smiles at the reassurance, and as he starts to secure Shane’s wrists to the bedframe, he can’t help but think of the similarities between this scene and the one at the cottage where Shane had tried to Dom him. It had been scary and a complete disaster, really, but it had also brought them much closer that night. Ilya had been able to step into Shane’s shoes for an evening to see what it was like to give up control; he’d hated it, but he had developed a newfound respect for Shane and anyone who chose to sub in general.

Being a Dom was difficult, yes. It was almost second nature to Ilya at this point, but that didn’t mean it was easy. Being a sub, though…well, Ilya thought they had the hardest job in the world. The ability to just let go and give yourself over like that was not something that Ilya took lightly. He sees it now in the way Shane’s eyes have gone a little milky around the edges, like he’s not fully all the way there, as he shifts in his new position.

Ilya loops his fingers through the rope just to make sure it’s not at risk of cutting off Shane’s circulation, but it’s too bulky to sit flush against his skin, anyway. Ilya takes Shane’s hand and presses it onto the wall behind him.

“If you need to color out for any reason, I want you to knock on the wall for me. Like this.” Ilya demonstrates by wrapping Shane’s knuckle against the wall. His wrists are tied in the perfect place to reach it. “Can you show me how you would do it?”

Shane looks a little breathless, but he’s still cognizant. Still following instructions. He knocks his hand into the wall just as Ilya has asked.

“Good boy,” Ilya smiles, shifting to strip out of his cropped safari vest to reveal his bare torso. He doesn’t miss the way that Shane’s hungry eyes track the movement. “I am going to use your mouth. Because you are nothing but a hole for me right now.”

Shane sucks in a small gasp at his words, but Ilya doesn’t react. Instead, he looks down at himself to start unbuttoning his cargo pants, pausing momentarily to fling his safari hat across the room before stripping out of the rest of his clothes.

“Tied up, cock locked away, just waiting for me to do whatever I want with you,” Ilya taunts, dragging his palm down the expanse of Shane’s chest before stopping to thumb at one of his nipples.

Shane pants and squirms slightly in response.

“You wanna suck my dick for me, baby? Want to show me how good you can be? Maybe you can earn yourself an orgasm if you let me fuck your throat nice and pretty. You’d probably like that, wouldn’t you? Getting to serve your owner like it’s all you were made to do. Who owns you?”

Shane must not realize he’s been asked a question, so Ilya reaches down to cup his cage in reminder, very conscious of the fact that he’s still got the key in the back of his pants, which now lie discarded on the floor.

“I—fuck. You do. You own me,” Shane moans. “Every part of me.”

“You wanna suck my cock?” Ilya tips his head.

“Yes. Please. Please, I wanna suck it so bad,” Shane begs, his eyes eager and desperate, like he thinks Ilya isn’t going to give it to him if he doesn’t put on a good show.

Ilya shuts him up by shoving two fingers in his mouth. “Why don’t you show me what you’re going to do? Practice on my fingers. Prove to me that you’re going to make me feel good. That I did the right thing by taking you in to train you.”

-

Shane splutters around the fingers Ilya presents to him, but he recovers quickly by hollowing his lips and giving Ilya his best kitten eyes. The ones he’ll usually pull out when he wants to convince Ilya to give him something he wants. Except Shane actually has no idea what he wants right now. His hands are tied over his head, Ilya is stepping over to straddle his chest, and all Shane can focus on is swirling his tongue around the ridges of Ilya’s fingers in his mouth.

The taste of Ilya’s skin is more present than usual, and Shane realizes it’s because his hard cock isn’t distracting him from the task at hand. It isn’t clouding his judgement, swaying his thoughts like it normally would. Right now, his only thoughts are on making Ilya’s fingers as wet as possible. He’s putting his all into the task. He feels hyper-sensitive to Ilya’s every command, every breath, every reaction.

“Oh, that’s real good, baby,” Ilya says through hooded eyes as he drags his saliva-covered digits all over Shane’s lips and chin.

Shane closes his eyes and tries to nuzzle up closer to him, but by then, Ilya’s hand is a sharp pull in his hair, and Shane’s eyes snap open wide in awareness.

“I’m going to fuck your throat now,” Ilya tells him, ducking down until they’re face-to-face. “I need you to please knock on the wall if you’re struggling to breathe or if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Show me one more time that you understand.”

Shane whimpers and wraps his knuckles against the wall once more, shifting in anticipation as Ilya’s cock head glides across his lips. “Please. Please, please, please,” he begs, feeling his dick start to ache in his cage, but there’s nowhere for it to go. The cage keeps him locked in place, and all he can do is buzz in anticipation.

Shane kitten licks over the tip of Ilya’s cock when Ilya gets close enough for him to reach, but Ilya pulls him back roughly by his hair in reprimand.

“Did I say I want you to lick me like a baby kitten? No, I said I am going to fuck your throat now. Who is in control, Shane? Is it you or is it me?”

“It’s you,” Shane says raspily. “You’re the one in control. You’re the one who owns me.”

“That’s right,” Ilya agrees, pushing into his mouth all of a sudden.

Shane makes a choking noise around him as he grips onto the bedframe for purchase.

“Uh, uh. Just let your mouth go lax around me. I do not want you to get hurt,” Ilya warns when Shane starts trying to suck at him again. “You are a hole for me to use right now. I need you to open your mouth and let me use you. You should be a snotty, drooling mess by the time I am done with you.”

Shane moans around him and lets his face completely relax. Ilya is still just waiting, probably trying to give Shane time to get used to the feeling, but it isn’t long before he starts thrusting into him.

He starts slow, like he’s trying to find his rhythm; over time, though, he picks up the pace. His balls are fucking smacking against Shane’s chin while Shane’s eyes roll back into his head. His mouth is leaking like a waterfall all over his face, and he’s making these god-awful gagging sounds every time Ilya hits the back of his throat. But more than anything, he feels so fucking good and used.

He’s doing what he was made to do. He’s serving Ilya. He’s getting his owner off while not sparing a single thought to his own pleasure. Ilya is his pleasure. He gets pleasure from anything Ilya wants to do to him. If Ilya wants to keep him denied for hours, or even days on end, then Shane will gladly bow at his feet and beg for an orgasm until he’s earned it. He knows Ilya is always going to take care of him. He knows Ilya is always going to give him what he needs. All he has to do is listen and obey; Shane finds it to be a remarkably easy and rewarding task.

“My messy fucking leopard,” Ilya grunts as he pounds into him, gripping onto his hair so tightly. “I love to be sweet with you, but other times, all I want to do is fucking ruin you. Watch you take my cock with your sloppy mouth. Fuck, Shane.” Ilya throws his head back in pleasure.

The noise of Shane’s spit accumulating around Ilya’s length and the smack of Ilya hitting the back of his throat, pulling choking gags out of Shane every time he thrusts forward, is all that fills the room. Shane is out of his body. He feels like a sex toy whose entire purpose is to be used and denied.

He barely notices when Ilya pulls out of his mouth. His eyes are closed and leaking like the rest of his face. He sniffles to try and clear some of the snot in his nose, but Ilya just rubs his hand through the mess until Shane has no choice but to hiccup a sob. He’s overwhelmed. He’s experiencing feelings he’s never felt before. His body feels weird from the inability to produce an erection. It’s sending bizarre signals to his brain.

“Are you okay, baby?” Ilya leans down to address him, pressing a kiss to his ruined, red lips.

Shane blinks hazily up at him. Ilya cups his chin, and Shane immediately turns to suck Ilya’s thumb into his mouth to give himself something to focus on.

“You’re so fucking good for me,” Ilya whispers low in his throat. “It’s like it is in your blood to submit to me. I am constantly amazed by how perfect you are.” Ilya leans in to kiss Shane’s messy face once again, and then he reaches for Shane’s discarded leopard shirt next to them to wipe up some of the saliva and snot from his lips and nose. “Oh god, you’re just beautiful, aren’t you? You get more beautiful every day,” Ilya keeps talking to him while caressing his cheeks.

All Shane can do is try to nuzzle up to him whenever Ilya gifts him with a touch. He can’t reach for him, so he just has to take what Ilya is willing to give. He has to accept that it’s not for him to decide. Every moment with Ilya’s attention on him feels like a blessing. He never wants it to stop.

Shane whines out when Ilya’s lips press against his ear in a kiss, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Your dick is all locked up, baby. So, tonight, we are going to focus on your ass,” Ilya murmurs against his skin, letting his tongue glide along the ridges of Shane’s inner ear before he sucks the lobe into his mouth. “I need you to pay close attention if you want to come.”

Shane has no fucking idea what he’s talking about, but he feels like he’s beyond drunk. Ilya’s grazing over his chest just lightly, just enough for it to tickle, and then Shane jerks when wet fingers start to rub over one of his nipples.

Ilya is all over the place. He’s licking at Shane’s armpits, massaging Shane’s pecs with the occasional flick of each nipple, pausing every so often to kiss Shane sloppily with his tongue.

Shane doesn’t know right from left. He feels really good and mindless, like a perfect caged slave should be, and Ilya decides everything for him because Shane doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. He moans out helplessly and pushes his legs against the bed just to have something to do.

“I know, gorgeous. It can be a very strange feeling, yes? Being turned on but not being allowed to really feel it,” Ilya goads him, fingers dancing across Shane’s hip bone now as he presses one of Shane’s thighs up towards his chest. “Your dick is nothing to me right now. It’s worthless. I want you to forget about it completely,” Ilya says with a fire in his eyes. “I am going to make you feel really good, but I need you to be a good boy and think about what I am doing to you down here, okay? Do not think of anything other than my mouth, my fingers, my cock, and your slutty fucking hole.”

Shane twists helplessly. He wishes he could grab onto Ilya’s hair or press his face into one of Ilya’s hoodies or have Ilya suffocate him with his entire weight.

Before any of that can happen, though, all of Shane’s thoughts are cut off by the feeling of Ilya spitting on his hole.

“Yours,” Shane gasps, feeling fucking feral with the way his arousal is all trapped inside him. He can feel it buzzing under his skin, simmering under the surface, but where it would normally fill his cock, now it just stays within him like burning sparks off a fire crackling nearby.

Ilya massages the spit into him with his thumb and then flattens onto his stomach to press a few biting kisses to Shane’s inner thighs.

“Please, please. Please, sir. Please—”

“Who’s in charge here?” Ilya reminds him.

“You are,” Shane cries out, tipping his head back into the pillows because he needs more.

“Who owns you?”

“You do,” he says firmly.

“Okay, then please shut the fuck up and take what I give you.” Ilya bites at one of his ass cheeks this time, and Shane yelps helplessly.

“Yes, sir,” he manages, an inhuman noise coming out of him when Ilya’s tongue finally comes down wet and steady against Shane’s hole. “Oh, fuck,” Shane sucks in a frenzied gasp. “Oh, fuck. Please.”

Ilya presses Shane’s other leg up in order to spread his ass nice and wide so he can start lapping incessantly at him, and Shane does his best to focus just like Ilya asked him. It’s not like he can focus on anything else as Ilya’s fingertips start creeping in next to his tongue. He’s massaging Shane’s rim with what feels like his middle and his pointer finger, dipping them down once or twice as he continues to swirl his talented tongue across Shane’s sensitive puckered skin.

He’s going crazy at not being able to touch him, but it really solidifies the fact that Ilya is in control of everything right now. Shane’s not allowed to do a single thing without his permission; in fact, he’s not even physically capable. He can’t come, he can’t move, he can barely form a coherent thought other than please and yes, sir.

Ilya licks down his crack and presses one finger inside of him, just a little bit. Just enough to draw Shane’s attention to where he’s breaching his entrance. And then Ilya’s tongue is back near his fingers again. He pulls away to spit messily at Shane’s rim before lapping at him nice and close, the scruff of his chin rubbing against the back of Shane’s cheeks.

“Holy fuck,” Shane gets out desperately, pulling a bit at his wrists just to feel the bite of the restraint against him. The fabric of this rope is so much better than the one last time. “Shit,” Shane whines when Ilya presses into his prostate. “Oh my god.”

“Right there, baby?” Ilya double-checks, pulling his fingers back for a second before pressing into it again.

“Fuck,” Shane moans. “Fuck, right there. Yes. Yes, please. Fuck. Fuck,” he stammers repeatedly because it feels so good. Better than it’s ever felt before. He feels white-hot pleasure, but it’s not in his dick like it usually would be. It’s lower. It’s deeper. It’s inside of him. It’s so fucking intense that Shane doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Ilya goes back and forth between massaging that bundle of nerves and working him open to take more fingers. Shane thinks he’s going to get fucked tonight, which is good, because he’d prepped extra well for it earlier in the day, and he needs to feel like a bottom right now. Like a hole. He needs to get pounded into good and deep. Tied up just like this with Ilya’s big hands holding him steady, his addictive voice spewing filth into Shane’s eager ears. He wants to feel like a toy for Ilya’s amusement. He wants to feel like an object whose only purpose is to be useful to someone else.

He feels like he’s being pretty useful right now. Ilya is fucking playing with him, after all. He must be enjoying himself if the way he’s looking at Shane is anything to go off of. Shane can’t look away from him. He feels like his brain is being fucking rewired right now. He pants heavily just to have a way of releasing some pent-up energy.

Ilya’s lips are dripping wet when he smirks at him before spitting onto Shane’s hole again.

Shane whines as he watches Ilya swirl his tongue deeper into the open space between his fingers, until it feels like Ilya’s tongue is all the way inside him. Shane arches slightly off the bed. He’s so turned on that he thinks he’s going to start levitating. Something is building in his body, but he has no idea what.

And then Ilya is pulling away from him all at once, and Shane starts to hyperventilate.

“Fuck, please. Please, more.”

“Are you being greedy, angel?” Ilya tuts in disapproval.

“No, sir,” Shane swallows, shutting his eyes tightly.

“I should not have to keep reminding you who is in charge here.” Ilya massages over Shane’s hole with the pads of his fingers, and Shane’s mouth drops open. “I want you to fucking beg for my cock.”

“Please,” Shane says desperately, his eyes going wide like it will help to portray just how emphatic he’s being. “I need your cock so badly. Need to feel you inside of me. Fuck, I want you so bad. Please, please. Can I have it? Please?”

“Hm,” Ilya says contemplatively, looking Shane over in consideration. “Is it going to feel good for me?”

Shane looks at him helplessly. “I—yes. I…I think so. Fuck, I hope so,” he replies, feeling nervousness start to consume him all of a sudden.

“You are going to take me very well, yes? Take everything I give you? Squeeze around me extra tight?” Ilya asks, massaging his hands over Shane’s thighs, his legs still pressed up against his chest.

“Yes,” Shane nods jerkily. “Gonna be so good for you. I promise. I promise it’ll feel good.”

“Yeah?” Ilya crawls forward to grip his hair again, their eyes just inches from each other. “Who owns you, baby?”

“You do,” Shane moans, staring up at Ilya’s gorgeous blue eyes.

“And the next time you are unsure of something, who are you going to call?”

Shane’s breath hitches in the back of his throat. “You. I’ll call you.”

“If you are ever in trouble or you feel uncomfortable, who are you going to call?”

“You,” Shane whines.

“If you are upset, or if you need help, or if you need anything at all—”

“You. I’ll call you for everything, Ilya. Please. Please. I’m sorry,” Shane gets out frantically as the dam inside of him finally breaks and the tears start to flow. The guilt from upsetting Ilya earlier, by having Troy pay for his nails, leaks out of him, dissipates through his pores, and seeps onto the bed beneath him.

Ilya is petting soothingly over his tummy. “That’s my good boy. You’re doing so well for me. Just keep focusing down here, sweetheart,” he reminds him, giving his hole a little flick that makes Shane’s whole body spark up in want.

“Oh, please,” Shane cries out, sniffling pathetically. “Please, please. I need it. Need you to fuck me.”

“You are such a fucking slut for me. So fucking needy. All you do is cry and whine.” Ilya spits down into his hand this time, and Shane watches in anticipation as Ilya places it over his rock-hard, nine-inch cock and gives it a firm stroke. “That’s it. Watch me. I want you to see what a real cock looks like. Now, look at yours,” Ilya instructs, nodding towards where Shane’s dick is still sitting lifeless in its cage.

Shane hiccups a breath, teary eyes zeroing in on Ilya once again after he’s taken a good look at his locked-up cock. He only has one second to process what’s going on before Ilya is sliding into him, the drag of his bare cock making Shane’s groin flutter all over. He puffs out a few exhales in quick succession.

Ilya is watching him with rapt attention, and Shane can tell there’s more going on inside his head than just the dirty talk that’s been spilling out of his mouth. He’s checking to make sure it’s not too much, that Shane isn’t feeling too overwhelmed, or going too far, but Shane just feels the perfect amount of everything right now. He’s exactly where he wants to be. He’s with exactly who he wants to be with.

“I love you. I’m yours,” Shane manages around a choked noise as Ilya fucks into him hard. Shane tips his head back to stare at the ceiling while stars appear behind his eyes, and then, he gets the fucking of his life.

Ilya is driving into him like a man on a mission, his hands wrapped around the backs of Shane’s knees so he can keep him folded up like a pretzel. It makes his strokes deeper, and it’s pulling soft little uh, uh, uh’s out of Shane as the pillow behind him keeps his head from knocking into the headboard.

Ilya’s face is pinched up in focus, and he keeps adjusting his hips slightly. Shane doesn’t really understand why until Ilya pounds directly into his prostate, causing him to hold his breath and squeeze down around him intensely.

“Oh, fuck. That’s it, baby. Squeeze real tight for me,” Ilya requests, pushing down on Shane’s thighs this time as he makes it his personal mission to hit that same spot with every thrust.

Ilya dick is big, and long, and thick, and with it jamming into him this hard, this repetitively, Shane has no choice but to cry out with every slap of Ilya’s balls against his ass.

“Come on. Let me fucking hear you. Am I hitting your spot, sweetheart? Does that feel good?”

Shane nods because he can’t get the words out, twisting his hands up in the rope around his wrists while stupid noises continue to spill out of him. “Ah.” He closes his eyes tightly as Ilya picks up the pace. Shane is starting to get sensitive, and he can feel something building inside of him, but he has no idea what it could be. His dick is still straining against his cage, and the lock keeping him tightly bound is rattling a bit as Ilya continues to fuck into him.

“Look so fucking gorgeous like this,” Ilya groans, pressing Shane’s legs up higher to jackrabbit into him even harder. “Fuck, Shane. Fuck, that’s my good boy.”

Shane can do nothing except for lie there and take it. He exists completely for Ilya’s pleasure right now, a doll for his amusement. He’s going to be happy with whatever he can get. He feels something enticing drift all over his body. It’s warm and burning and glowing from within him. He keels high in his throat. “Uh,” Shane cries out, his mouth falling open as his abs tense up. Holy fuck. Holy fuck, Ilya feels so good. Shane can hardly breathe. There’s something swirling in his lower tummy, something stirring right behind his dick, only slightly lower.

Ilya is quite literally ramming into him at this point, and it feels like they’ve been going at this a while. He looks like he’s trying to hold himself off, like he’s waiting for something, although Shane doesn’t know what.

He’s hiccupping gasps with every thrust, moaning like a little bitch, whimpering and whining like a stupid, desperate puppy. And Ilya’s eyes are fucking black. The veins in his forehead are pulsing like they always do when he’s straining to achieve something. Shane feels like he’s having a religious experience.

And then something happens that he doesn’t have a name for, something that makes his entire body tense up, something that rips the most ungodly cry from his throat.

-

“Fucking hell,” Ilya curses, holding onto Shane’s hips as Shane squeezes like a vice around him. “Ты просто, блять, безумна. Самое горячее, что я когда-либо видел. Ты вся моя.”

Ilya fucking loses himself when Shane’s eyes roll back into his head while his body starts to convulse. His hole is clenching down so tightly that Ilya feels like his orgasm is ripped right out of him as he gets his last couple of thrusts in and paints Shane’s walls with his come.

Shane is moaning and throwing his head back like a fucking pornstar, but Ilya is so turned on by the fact that he knows Shane isn’t exaggerating. He knows Shane is in bottom fucking heaven right now, having a hands-free anal orgasm with his cock all wrapped up and bound in its cage.

“God.” Ilya’s eyebrows press together when Shane’s legs start to quiver underneath his hands, and his dick starts to leak from where it’s still locked away. “That’s it. Good fucking boy. You are so fucking perfect. Holy shit, Shane.” Ilya lets out a heavy breath, collapsing forward to press kisses all over his sweaty face.

Shane is still panting, and his eyes are dazed like he can’t force them to focus on what’s in front of him, but that’s okay. Ilya is ready and willing to take over everything. Shane has been so good for him all night. He stayed up around the boys, he hadn’t slipped into his kitten space, and he had even come just from getting fucked, just from getting his prostate stimulated—with nothing for his cock whatsoever.

Ilya presses his fingers through Shane’s hair to give him a little scratch behind his leopard ears, and he can’t help but smile when Shane arches needily into the touch. “Feeling good, baby?” Ilya questions, kissing his forehead and then into his hair.

His cheeks are flushed, and Ilya notices he’s starting to twist his wrists restlessly, so he immediately reaches up to untie them, squeezing Shane’s hands groundingly in his own to try and encourage some extra blood flow. Then, he brings Shane’s hands up to his lips and presses a round of kisses there, too.

“Wrists feeling alright?” Ilya asks softly, giving Shane’s hair another pet to try and soothe him as he comes down from whatever high he’s on right now.

Shane just sighs and lets his eyes slip closed, a tiny satiated smile curling up on his lips. It makes Ilya smile as well.

He lets them stay like that for another couple of minutes. Shane’s hole is still fluttering in aftershock around him, and it’s a welcome comfort that makes Ilya glide his hand meaningfully over Shane’s abdomen, massaging his skin wherever he can reach.

“You did so, so good,” Ilya murmurs quietly, blue eyes grazing over him in appreciation. “You were such a beautiful leopard tonight. So well behaved for me, precious. I am extremely proud of how you did with your cage and keeping out of your kitten space.”

Shane purrs in response, so Ilya ducks down to peck his nose, which still looks a bit like a leopard’s.

“I love you more than anything in the world. Fuck. You are so, so special to me,” he says earnestly, tracing over Shane’s precious freckles and leopard spots with his thumb.

Eventually, and much to his dismay, he’s forced to pull out and deal with the mess they’ve created. Shane is only half aware of his surroundings as Ilya cleans him up with a wipe before maneuvering him into the bathroom to get him out of his cage.

Shane is standing up when Ilya finally unlocks him, but his knees start to buckle once Ilya gets him entirely free, one of Ilya’s arms catching Shane steadily around the waist so he’s not at risk of falling.

“Easy, easy,” Ilya soothes, placing the cage on a towel on the counter to be cleaned before he deposits Shane in the bathtub.

He feels like he’s running a kitty groomer shop as he rushes around left and right trying to find all of the necessary tools and equipment needed to handle his kitten’s delicate bath routine. Shane is tired and sore and clearly wants some attention, if his incessant whimpering is anything to go off of, but Ilya needs to get his face tattoos off ahead of their game tomorrow. He needs to thoroughly clean Shane’s body and help him with his elaborate skin care routine, and then he has to get Shane some water and a snack to gradually start bringing him back up before they go to bed.

By the time he’s done all that, he’ll be able to relax completely, but for now, he’s on high alert. He loves this part of being a Dom. Of having Shane rely on him fully while Ilya tends to his every need. He loves looking after him, loves doting on him, loves getting to admire him in such a raw and unguarded state.

Ilya could spend all day staring at his freckles. The warm chocolate brown of his eyes. The ever-present tint of his cheeks.

“You’re mine forever and ever,” Ilya presses into Shane’s neck once he’s got him against his chest in the bathtub. “I can’t believe we’re going to be husbands soon. I can’t believe you want me just as much as I want you.” Ilya squeezes him tightly, kissing across his skin.

He pets over Shane’s collar and admires the way his tattoo looks poised next to it. He hums contentedly at the way it makes Shane curl up closer to him in response. His heart warms at the sight of his engagement ring glinting on his chest right next to Shane’s sleepy, sated face.

He’s still so conflicted over what he wants to do for his own proposal. All of his past ideas didn’t seem special enough now that Shane had already beaten him to it. In some ways, it felt like their proposal was over and done with. Whenever anyone asked the story of how it happened, they would say that Shane popped the question. That was the truth, and nothing would change it.

So, what did that leave Ilya with? If Shane had scooped him on the marriage proposal, the only other thing that Ilya could think of was some kind of official D/s proposal. A way to symbolize an eternal commitment in their dynamic as well, since it often felt like they were living a double life recently, constantly straddling between their two worlds, between their two identities.

Ilya blinks as the idea hits him all at once.

Fuck. Of course. A collaring ceremony. Something to solidify a permanent bond between them. Dom and sub. Kitten and Owner. Alpha and omega.

Shane already had an everyday collar, obviously, but maybe Ilya could get him something nicer, too. Something for special occasions. Something for when Shane was feeling like a particularly fancy kitty. Like on their real wedding day, for example. Something with diamonds.

When his head finally hits the pillow later that evening, and the events of the day start to flush out of him, Ilya pulls Shane close and shuts his eyes with that picture fresh in his mind. Diamonds glinting off his kitten’s neck for all the world to see. Shane wearing Ilya’s hard-earned money across his chest as a declaration, as a symbol of being claimed by someone who was willing to do anything and everything for him.

His body feels so relaxed to be wrapped around his favorite person, to be smelling his favorite scent, to be experiencing his favorite heartbeat right under the palm of his hand. And as he drifts into slumber, he commands his brain to take him to whatever dream world he has to go to in order to find Shane in his sleep. They’ve already spent so much time apart when they should have been together. He doesn’t want to lose another second.

-

Chapter End Notes

here's an example of what the cock cage might look like!

Thank you all for your patience with this chapter. With how long the past two have been, it's been taking me longer to write/edit, as I'm sure you can imagine! But I'm still here and very committed to this fic! Thanks again for all your lovely comments, and can't wait to hear your thoughts as usual!!

I did want to give a small heads up, as we head into Shane/Ivan's playdate next chapter, that there will be minor elements of group play coming up in this fic. Ilya and Shane are extremely possessive, so it's never going to be anything that pushes them too far out of their boundaries as a pairing, but I did want to call that out in case anyone had any questions or concerns going into future chapters. For Shane and Ivan, I think we are looking at some light pet-on-pet play, similar to what you saw from them in the last book—mostly just pet-adjacent behavior. Other than that, there will be some play within each couple while in the same room.

Once again, please feel free to ask questions in the comments if you feel you need clarity on something to continue reading. I cannot make that judgment for you :)