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Shane Hollander needed a job.
Because, allegedly, it was no longer cutting it for him to remain a Boston University student that relied entirely on the generous donations of his parents.
"Shane you need actual work experience, everyone should work a minimum wage customer service job once in their lives to build character!" His mother had said.
"You have to diversify your resume, now that you can't be a hockey camp counselor you have to pick something else. They want you to be well rounded, you know!" His father had warned.
(The unwarranted reminders of his life-altering injury had the ability to turn his mood sour like nothing else could)
He had heard it all. And, quite frankly, he had become sick of it.
So after months of dragging his feet, incessant nagging from his parents, and a shining recommendation from his best friend Rose Landry, Shane had reluctantly accepted a job at the Skyline Grove Country Club nestled in scenic Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
The official job title was "Seasonal Hospitality Associate" which was just a fancy way of saying he flipped burgers, scooped ice cream, and served mixed drinks to snotty businessmen with money falling out of their pockets and their bratty kids that never learned proper manners.
The job came with many benefits. The snack stand was located directly next to a state-of-the-art Olympic sized pool, open to only the highest paying members of the country club. Hefty tips were a plus, the filthy rich old-money investors of Chestnut Hill made sure to reward him handsomely for doing what could be considered the bare minimum. If Shane were straight, perhaps he would be fawning over their busty housewives that leaned over his counter with flirty smiles and suggestive winks. But he was gay. So intensely gay.
In which case, the most rewarding benefit had less to do with the status of the club members and more to do with the other workers employed at the club's "Aquatic Division". Particularly one absurdly handsome lifeguard by the name of Ilya Rozanov.
It was actually stupid how beautiful the tall, muscular Russian was, Shane knew he was not the only one who noticed. He watched the well off trophy wives as they applied their sunscreen over their chests with more sensuality than strictly necessary. The way they ogled shamelessly at Ilya's spectacular body. The way they found the most minor inconveniences in order to garner his attention.
It was pathetic. Shane couldn't imagine ever acting so outwardly depraved. Instead, he watched from the sidelines as Ilya catered to their every whim while also managing the poolside like the navy. Ilya was a sucker.
A sucker that was, for whatever reason, obsessed with ruining Shane's life.
The flirting was getting out of hand. When Ilya was not demonstrating his frustratingly admirable work ethic, he was sauntering over to the snack stand with one thing in mind: pretending to have any interest in Shane Hollander.
It was a cruel, sick joke.
Shane knew what was going on, and he would not be falling for it. Ilya was obviously a teasing, homophobic asshole. He had clocked Shane and was using his queerness against him, Ilya certainly was not the first person to do so.
The thought of it made Shane's cheeks burn with rage every time he made eye contact with the lifeguard (which was often and always followed by an over the top wink).
From an outsiders perspective, perhaps it was not so obvious how Shane knew it was all a mean-spirited prank. To the untrained eye maybe it looked like genuine flirting on Ilya's part.
From Shane's point of view, it was as clear as the ultra chlorinated water of the pool.
It was hard to miss the way Svetlana, Ilya's Russian best friend (who acted much more like a girlfriend, in Shane's opinion) and fellow lifeguard, giggled and laughed as she watched their disastrous interactions. She snickered in a fashion that could only be described as someone watching their friend pull of a successful prank.
It never failed to make Shane roll his eyes.
And more-so, Shane noticed how Ilya blushed despite his protests that, "Russians do not do that". Obviously he was red from the guilt of torturing poor Shane, the same kind of sheepish red Shane turned when he told a glaring lie.
Ilya was clearly insane.
Rose Landry wouldn't listen to Shane complain about it for one more second.
"Shane are you sure you're not just reading too far into it?" She would say.
"I know you hate when people put words in your mouth, why are you doing it to Ilya?"
And maybe she was right. Shane did hate when others over-analyzed his every word and expression (or lack thereof). When he said something, he meant it, and he meant it literally, god dammit!
One aspect, of many, he had never understood of social interaction was everyone else's need to put an emphasis on what was left unsaid. If Shane really meant the opposite of what he said, then why would he say it at all?
People did not make sense.
Especially not Ilya. Who was the total opposite of Shane. When Ilya said something, it was clearly facetious. Judging by his smirk, the laughter he held back, the intensity of his eyes, Shane knew Ilya was just looking for a reaction.
Well if it was a reaction he wanted, it was not something he would get from Shane.
Shane had nerves of steel, he would not let this hunky lifeguard ruin his, admittedly fun, summer.
Instead he would sit at the snack stand like the gold star worker he was and pout as he watched Ilya and Svetlana put their hands all over each other.
Part of what made the whole situation even more sinister was the way the Russians so shamelessly flirted together.
Svetlana found every opportunity to touch Ilya as she pleased. She would grab his arm and point towards Shane and Rose as they worked at the snack stand, whispering something in Russian with a sly smirk.
And every time, without fail, Ilya would saunter over to him and begin his attack. It was pathetic, the way that Ilya acted like Svetlana's obedient dog. When she said fetch, he wagged his tail dutifully.
Shane watched as Svetlana applied sunscreen to Ilya's back for what had to be the millionth time in the last three hours. Did she really think it was that necessary? It was quite ironic to Shane how the sunscreen did little to stop Ilya from darkening to a sweet golden tan in the sweltering summer heat.
Even from the distance of the snack stand, Shane could see the way Ilya's frustratingly toned chest dripped with sweat, shining in the afternoon sun's rays. He could also see the wink that the Russian gave him when he noticed Shane's wandering eyes.
Shane grumbled and turned back to the milkshake machine he had been previously cleaning. Vigorously scrubbing the dots of ice cream residue hardly served to rid Shane's mental image of Ilya's perfect body glowing in the sunbeams.
"Shane? Hello? Earth to Shane!" A nagging voice dragged Shane from la-la-land back to the snack stand.
"Hm?" He hummed noncommittally.
"You're so impossible. You have a customer." Rose snipped from the back room where she was diligently washing the dishes.
Shane whipped his head around to the front counter, where a completely unwanted guest had perched himself on the ledge, searching for ripe meat like a vulture. A smirk creased the dimple in his cheek. Shane scowled at the sight.
"Hello, Shanya!" Ilya beamed peeking his head into the stand an inch too far for Shane's liking.
Shane threw his towel on the counter and grumbled, "What do you want."
"You know it is my break time, I would like one vanilla ice cream cone." He held up his pointer finger to indicate the number, as if Shane was stupid or deaf or both.
"Do you know the word 'please' or is that above your vocabulary level?" Shane snipped, he knew it was very bitchy and almost regretted it the moment it came out.
Instead of being offended, Ilya laughed, much harder than was necessary, "You are a hoot! Rose taught me that one. I think she forgot to teach me please, though. Maybe you could help with that?" He continued to grin, plump lips stretching handsomely over white teeth.
"Sugar, waffle, or cake cone." Shane said with a flat expression. Ilya's smile remained unwavering.
If there was anything to admire about Ilya, it was his ability to take Shane's disinterest on the chin. He was nothing if not persistent.
"Sugar cone, please." Ilya requested politely as he maintained intense eye contact with Shane.
"You're learning." Shane replied, breaking his gaze and reaching towards the box of sugar cones, "Did you want soft or hard vanilla?"
Ilya snorted through his nose, "Никогда не мягкий. Не с тобой."
Shane felt the hair on his neck stand up. He hated when Ilya slipped into Russian like that, clearly hiding an insult behind the language barrier. He didn't need to be fluent to sense the mocking nature behind it.
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, I asked you hard or soft serve vanilla?" Shane asked again, shooting a glare over his shoulder to convey his annoyance further.
"Let us go with soft, for contrast." Ilya winked, sliding off from where he sat and leaning in with his palms pressed to the counter, making his chest look irresistible.
Shane felt a blush rise to his cheeks despite himself. As annoying as Ilya was, Shane was a hot blooded man with eyes.
"Whatever that means…" Shane mumbled, holding the cone under the machine with a shaky hand. He found himself holding his breath as he attempted to make the most perfectly swirled cone. Which was hard to do on a sugar cone. It had to be precise. He was not going to reflect on why.
Ilya bit his lip as his eyes zeroed in on Shane's trembling hand.
"No sprinkles, or whatever?" Shane asked as he pulled the impossibly straight, incredibly impressive cone away from the soft serve machine that whirred metallically from its use.
Ilya shook his head, looking offended, "I am a grown, Russian man. We do not do this sprinkles." He held out his hand lazily, waiting for Shane to deliver the sweet treat.
"You usually ask me for cotton candy with whipped cream and a cherry on top." Shane said flatly, calling out Ilya's hypocrisy.
Ilya scoffed and grabbed the cone, "That is very manly treat, only big strong sexy men like me order that."
Shane rolled his eyes and picked up a rag to make himself look busy.
The two maintained eye contact for a beat longer, daring the other to look away first. Ilya remained planted in his spot as he moved the ice cream to his mouth and began to lick it obscenely.
His tongue slid up the side of the cone and smoothed out the lumps of the swirls in its wake. White sugary cream painted itself over his noticeably plump lips. He pushed the tip of the treat into his mouth, making a mess by letting it melt and dribble down his chin.
No grown man had ever made this much of a mess over a damn ice cream cone. But of course, when Ilya did it, it wasn't disgusting in the slightest. He made everything he did look effortlessly sensual. Shane felt equally as jealous about this as he did turned on. It was quite a confusing mix of emotions, really.
He continued to watch as Ilya sucked and slurped at the vanilla cone. He couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to have those lips wrapped-
That was Shane's cue to look away.
He knew Ilya had to be doing it on purpose. Normally he would not consider himself a weak man, but the image was downright sinful, and Ilya Rozanov was as tempting as the devil. The sight would be burned to the inside of his eyelids, he would see it in his dreams, no— his nightmares.
It was all incredibly cliche.
"Would you like to take a picture or I can pose as you stare at me?" Ilya asked, words drenched in malice but expression feigning playful innocence. He knew exactly what he was doing. Possibly the worst part of Ilya Rozanov was his intimate knowledge of exactly how to rile Shane up.
"I'm waiting for you to leave so I can wipe up the sticky mess you're making, actually." Shane complained, gesturing towards where splotches of vanilla cream from Ilya's cone had in fact melted on the counter top. It was 90 degrees out for Christ's sake! This was a classy establishment that Shane was in charge of running.
Ilya pouted, lips deliciously swollen and shining from the treat he was finishing with haste, "But then I must go back to work." He whined, sucking on the bottom of the sugar cone to get the most out of its crevices, his tongue dipped into it and ran circles around the edges.
Shane wiped the spot underneath where Ilya stood, "You mean the thing you're on the clock being paid to do right now?" He deadpanned, looking over to the edge of the pool where Svetlana stood impatiently waiting for the Russian's return.
Normally she loved to watch Ilya prank Shane with his antics, so it had to be serious for her to actually look annoyed with him.
"Your coworker looks like she needs your help." Shane hissed, poorly attempting to hide the vitriol in his tone. He wasn't jealous in the slightest, simply annoyed by the two Russians' antics.
Ilya grinned as he crunched unabashedly on the bottom of the cone, finishing it with one last gulp, "If I did not know my Shanya better, I would think you are jealous." His tongue poked out to lick the residue on his chin.
Shane turned up his nose, "I am not your Shanya. And I am not jealous." His words were clipped, feeling suddenly like there was a frog in his throat.
Svetlana was undeniably beautiful. It made sense why Ilya would pick on Shane like this in front of his girlfriend, he was clearly trying to scare away any competition. Not that Shane had eyes for the woman, or any woman for that matter. Still, it stung.
Ilya's hand reached up to Shane's face and pinched at his cheeks like a touchy grandmother, "You are so cute." He mocked, leaving Shane with a soft pat to the cheek and returning to Svetlana's side like the obedient boyfriend he was.
Shane felt his stomach churn.
—
Occurrences like these had become daily, and as the summer dragged on, they seemed to become more frequent. Shane continued to pretend that Ilya's banter had no effect on him whatsoever, but his resolve was beginning to wear thin.
On a particularly sunny afternoon, business was slow. It was mid-week, and families were likely staying inside during the heat wave, or perhaps using their own personal pools. Shane took cover under the awning of the snack stand, chatting absentmindedly with Rose. The overworked hum of the fans above them did little to stifle the humidity lingering in the air like a damp blanket.
The two coworkers watched as Svetlana and Ilya sat near the edge of the pool, keeping an eye on the handful of children splashing in the shallow end.
As always, Shane's attention inevitably drifted toward Ilya, watching as his toned chest dripped with sweat. Ilya had long since abandoned his muscle tee, instead wearing nothing but his tight red board shorts that clung to his meaty thighs and a bright orange whistle that hung from his neck. Shane could swear the shorts were getting tighter and shorter as the days went on, but perhaps it was his mind playing tricks.
Unfortunately for Shane, he was soon caught in the midst of ogling the sheen of sweat accumulating on Ilya's washboard abs. A smirk formed on Ilya's handsome face. He pushed himself up from the concrete, called something in Russian to Svetlana, and immediately started making his way toward the snack stand.
Shane considered hiding in the freezer.
"So, like, what do you think I should say to her? Clearly she wants nothing to do with- oh god they're coming back again." Rose's story was cut short when she spotted the Russian lifeguards sauntering towards them for what had to be the umpteenth time that shift.
"Don't look so excited to see us." Svetlana laughed, pointing at the unimpressed expression Shane hadn't bothered trying to hide.
Rose blushed, blinking at the beautiful woman in front of her. Shane's best friend wasn't often left speechless, but Svetlana had that effect on her. It was honestly embarrassing how quickly Svetlana reduced her to silence.
He didn't want to burst Rose's bubble but it was so clear that Svetlana was already spoken for. Shane watched as Ilya wrapped his arm protectively around his girlfriend. Case closed!
Shane didn't blame Ilya, however, what with the way Svetlana was eyeing Rose, he wouldn't be surprised if she left his sorry ass in the next 30 seconds.
Growing irritated with Rose's complete inability to function, Shane jabbed her in the side with his elbow. She responded with a swift stomp to his foot, he winced, checkmate.
"I do not think you should be abusing each other in front of the customers." Ilya offered his unhelpful advice.
Shane crossed his arms over his chest defensively, it took everything in his power to maintain eye contact with Ilya and not allow his gaze to drift towards the magnetic pull of Ilya's bare chest, "I do not think you two should be abandoning your post and letting children drown because you're distracted."
Both Ilya and Svetlana burst out in laughter, clutching their stomachs as they giggled. Shane wasn't trying to be funny, he was totally serious about his concern. It was a common occurrence, people laughed as though he had delivered a punchline when he was being completely sincere in reality.
Yet another thing to add to his ever growing list of things that did not make sense about social interaction.
Rose laughed along with them, eyes locked onto Svetlana. Shane would bet money on the fact that she hadn't even heard the quip that had caused them to laugh in the first place. She was a disaster.
"You are funny, Shane, really. Cliff is taking over while we have a break." Svetlana reassured, gesturing behind her shoulder. Sure enough, Shane could see as Cliff Marleau waved over to them, whistle nestled between his blindingly white teeth. Was it a requirement for this place to hire only incredibly beautiful people?
"Rosie, любимый, would you get me a water please? I am dying out here in the sun!" Svetlana requested, stepping toward the counter and levelling Rose with her most devastating pair of puppy dog eyes. Rose nodded, still not having said a word since the interaction started, and began making a cup of ice water for Svetlana.
Turning his attention away from whatever those two had going on, Shane looked at Ilya, who was already grinning at him in that stupid way he always did.
"And what can I get for you?" Shane asked sweetly, the artificial kind. He reached behind him to tighten the bow-tie of his apron, squeezing his waist tighter. The pressure eased the nervous tension gathering in his muscles.
Ilya, unashamedly, looked Shane up and down before settling on intense eye contact. It was a usual intimidation tactic of his. Just that and nothing more. Shane felt a shiver run down his spine. He wouldn't back down.
"I was wondering if you could help me." Ilya propositioned, licking his lips and smiling wide like a Shark hungry for blood.
Shane immediately became suspicious, "With what, exactly?"
Knowing Ilya, it was likely some bullshit specially designed to torture him. Judging by the look on the Russians face, Shane was right in his apprehension.
"Well it is very sunny, yes? UV is 10, this will cause skin damage if I do not protect it." Ilya frowned, fanning himself exaggeratedly. Shane already knew where this was going. The nervous pit in his stomach began to shift into something more sinister as he let his eyes wander over the sun-kissed pink of Ilya's skin.
"I am making it sound nerdy. I need your help to apply sunscreen to my back, I cannot reach the right spots. You will assist me?" Ilya asked, turning around and looking over his shoulder. He demonstrated the limited range of motion, his hand stopping short of the upper middle half of his back. Shane couldn't help himself as his eyes locked in on Ilya's impressively toned traps and lats. He wanted to bite them.
Nobody should have that many visible muscles, it was greedy.
"Pretty boy?" Ilya teased lightly, turning back around and holding out the bottle of sunscreen for Shane to take.
Shane's face burned as if he had been under the sun all day like Ilya. Hot from the embarrassment of being caught staring again, he snatched the bottle and stepped out of the snack stand's side door. He could feel his hands trembling with anxiety at the thought of having to touch Ilya so explicitly.
Ilya smiled warmly at Shane and spun around so his hands were propped on the counter and his back was open to the man that stood uselessly behind him. Shane didn't know what to do with his hands. When was it an appropriate time to start lathering? How many seconds would it take for him to not look so eager? What spf was the sunscreen, would it actually do any good in this high of a UV index? What would Shane do if he started to-
"Your head is very empty today, Shanya." Ilya made fun of the boy behind him, voice singsongy.
"I am just confused why you would want me to do this and not your girlfriend who is right there?" Shane blurted out, side eyeing Svetlana who was paying absolutely no mind to the two of them, deep in conversation with Rose.
Ilya remained silent for a moment. Shane cursed himself, he had made it totally weird. It was just two guys, two bros, two platonic coworkers that were bathed in swelteringly hot sunshine. Of course it was normal, Ilya couldn't reach his back, he really needed the sunscreen, Russian's weren't exactly known for their natural tans.
"My girlfriend?" Ilya asked, voice climbing an octave. He looked at Shane over his shoulder, eyes intensely concerned.
"Yeah, Svetlana, she's right there. I just thought you might want her to put the sunscreen on. I heard that its kind of sexy to have your girlfriend do that for you, right?" He was making a fool of himself. He wanted to melt into the pavement like the ice cream he should be scooping.
Ilya turned around fully, looking both bewildered and extremely amused, "Maybe it would be sexy," A shit-eating grin began to form on his lips, "if Svetlana was even my girlfriend."
Shane's jaw dropped open.
Ilya threw his head back in boisterous laughter.
Shane blushed, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. The amount of miscalculations he had made were quite concerning. If this were a math quiz, he would have failed ten times over.
"I- you- she's not? She's not your…" Shane trailed off, synapses firing like crazy in his mind.
Ilya continued to cackle, wiping the single tear that ran down his cheek, "You thought that me and Sveta were together? блядь, Shanya, are you serious?"
Unfortunately, he said this loud enough to attract attention. Svetlana and Rose had been rudely interrupted in their conversation. They were staring at the two men with equal parts confusion and annoyance.
Shane briefly considered faking his own death and flying overseas.
Shane reached out and gripped Ilya's shoulder, attempting to quiet him, "Alright, please, will you stop making fun of me for once and quiet down!" He hissed, wincing apologetically at the women who still had yet to return their attention back to the previous conversation.
"Sveta, you must hear what Shane has told me. You will not believe it." Ilya said, clutching his stomach as his giggle fit slowly subsided.
Svetlana rolled her eyes, "What could possibly be so funny."
"Ilya please just let me put the sunscreen on we can forget the conversation even-" Shane began to ramble before being interrupted by the beefy blonde.
"He thought that we, me and you, were dating! He called you my girlfriend! Is this not hilarious!" Ilya snickered, patting Shane on his back in an attempt to comfort the man.
Svetlana smiled, it looked pitiful, "Oh Shane, you are very sweet and clueless." It was rude, but Shane couldn't be too mad, she was speaking the truth. He had never felt so stupid in his life, his face continued to burn bright red. He wanted to sneak into the back and hide for the rest of eternity.
The heat, the embarrassment, and the laughter were combining into a truly miserable experience.
"Shanya, Svetlana is a big, massive lesbian. I am her worst nightmare, not her boyfriend." Ilya explained, gesturing towards the slender woman who stood with a defiant hand on her hip. She did not look as amused as Ilya, she looked… almost sorry?
"Ilya is wonderful, but I would rather throw up in the pool and clean it out with my hands than have to date him." Svetlana explained, making a disgusted face at the idea.
"Ew, Sveta…" Rose gagged from behind the counter at the description.
"Sorry, Rosie, I will ignore them now. Goodbye!" Svetlana turned her full attention back towards Shane's best friend who was clearly stifling a laugh. Traitor.
Shane turned back towards Ilya and folded his hands over his chest, he pouted, looking like an angry little kitten. He was thoroughly embarrassed, which he should have expected would happen the moment he saw the dynamic duo make their way over to the snack stand. Regardless, that didn't help how socially awkward he was feeling.
Ilya continued to smile, he appeared almost endeared, "Do not be embarrassed, Shane. I understand, you see a sexy man with big muscles and a beautiful woman with long legs rubbing sunscreen on each other all day, you make assumptions." Ilya leaned against the counter, looking calm and collected.
Ilya shrugged, "Sveta is tired of having to apply the sunscreen to my body, I thought I would have the next prettiest thing do it for me this time." He turned his behind to Shane again, offering up the expanse of his back to be claimed by Shane's shaking hands.
Shane gulped, failing at his attempt to remain collected. It was scorching out, there was no possible way to stay cool in any sense of the word. His forehead dripped with sweat and he used the back of his wrist to pat it away. He continued to stare, eyes glued to the moles that dotted across Ilya's back like little constellations. Shane remained frozen.
Ilya coughed, getting impatient, "I am waiting." Being blunt was his strong suit.
Shane snapped out of it, "Right! Sunscreen… Sorry!"
The cap of the bottle clicked open and Shane held his sweaty palm underneath it. A gross squirting noise resounded from the bottle as he squeezed, he cringed. Sometimes noises like that bothered him, scratching into his ears in an unpleasant way that couldn't be described but simply felt wrong.
He reached over to the counter, placing down the bottle and in the process leaning closer to Ilya. Shane's chest brushed against Ilya's back for a moment, and he felt it roll throughout his entire body like a shockwave.
Ilya's muscles shifted deliciously underneath his skin as he gripped the counter. Shane lathered the cream over his palms and took a deep breath. Hands collided with soft skin, Ilya hissed at the feeling of the cool sunscreen against his overheated body. Immediately, he let out an involuntary groan.
"Is it too cold? I should have warmed it up more." Shane whispered, massaging the salve into Ilya's shoulders, watching as white turned to clear when he rubbed it in.
Ilya shook his head, cropped curls bouncing, "No. Feels good." The slightest strain could be heard in his tone, which was unusual for the overly confident Russian. Shane smirked at the idea that Ilya could potentially be knocked down a peg.
"Sorry if I'm being too rough, just making sure it actually gets in there, you know?" Shane explained, hands making their way down to the base of Ilya's spine. He knew that the lifeguard likely could reach there himself, but he had the urge to be thorough. The last thing any lifeguard spending all day in the sun needed was sun cancer!
"Nope. N-not too rough! I have lots of knots, just keep going." Ilya's voice took on a breathy quality, he looked up towards the sky. Shane wished he could read his expression, because he was never good at reading tone.
Shane obliged, digging his thumbs into Ilya's shoulder blades, searching for said knots as he continued to apply the sunscreen. Ilya was surely covered by then, Shane figured. He slowed his movements, giving the expanse of Ilya's back one last sweep of contact before pulling his greasy hands away. He rubbed his fingers together, making a face at the uncomfortable texture.
"I think I did well, not to toot my own horn or anything. You'll be perfectly protected!" Shane declared, wiping his hands against the apron tied around his waist.
Ilya let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it, and looked over his shoulder, a sheepish smile on his lips. His cheeks looked flushed, Shane wondered if he had drank enough water today.
"Thank you, спасибо, Shanya." Ilya's voice was gravelly, accent thick. He cleared his throat and faced Shane head on. His chest heaved as he took a few deep breaths in succession.
"You're welcome! Let me know if you need help reapplying," Shane supplied happily and smiled as bright as the sun felt, looking as innocent as ever.
Ilya nodded and bit at the corner of his lip, it was rare he didn't have a smart quip locked and loaded, "Of course. I will come bother you later."
Shane nodded and watched as Ilya tapped Svetlana on the shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She rolled her eyes as a response and glanced in Shane's direction. Before leaving the stand, Ilya said goodbye to Rose and Svetlana blew her a kiss. The two made their way back to the lifeguard post, bickering between each other.
Shane looked at Rose, a smile still tugging at his lips for a reason he couldn't place. Her expression was nothing he had seen before, like she had just eaten a sour candy. He tilted his head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He questioned, and made his way back into the stand.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She deadpanned.
"What!" Shane whined.
"Oh come on. He wants you so bad, Shane." Rose smacked him on the arm, he winced.
Shane shook his head vehemently, "Absolutely not, he just needed help. He clearly didn't want to stay and talk to me anyway."
Rose barked out an incredulous laugh, "Yeah, he didn't want to talk to you because he wanted to fuck you! Did you see the way he was looking at you! Don't even tell me you didn't. That whole interaction felt like I was watching the start of a cheap porno."
"What are you even talking about! He couldn't reach his upper back. I put on the sunscreen. Most boring porno ever made, more like." Shane grumbled. He felt shocked and almost betrayed that Rose could ever think that Ilya would feel even a modicum of anything real for him.
"Ilya is like the straightest man in the world, come on. You see the way he's always making fun of me, we talk about it all the damn time! You can't switch up on me like this Rose, please." Shane felt his face flush, he didn't know why he felt the need to defend himself. He grabbed his water bottle and began to chug it.
Instead of giving a worthwhile response, Rose stared. Shane had never seen someone look so unimpressed.
After a beat, "I don't think 'the straightest man in the world' gets rock hard when his friend applies sunscreen to his back, but maybe I don't know what goes on with straight men."
Shane began to choke on his water, "What!"
—
At the end of the week, the sun had set over Skyline Grove, tinging the sky with hues of pinks and purples before fading to black like the credits at the end of a film. It was Friday night, and Shane could feel a buzzing energy flitting around the warm air.
There was an ice cold ginger ale calling his name at home. He couldn't wait to kick off his shoes and crack it open. That was all the excitement he needed for the rest of the night.
Rose had finished doing the dishes, and there was a lot of them. Friday nights were always brutal at the snack stand. There was less time for arguing with blockhead lifeguards and considerably more time spent cleaning grease splatters and melted ice cream off every available surface.
Shane was finishing up closing out the registers, writing down the totals and making up a number for the amount of nickels left in the drawer. No one would check his work. Probably.
"Rosie! Shane! What are you two up to tonight?" Hayden Pike appeared at the front of the stand looking far too energetic for someone who had also just worked an entire shift. That was just him, he was easily the most likeable of the rest of his lifeguard coworkers.
Rose peeked out from the back with a giant grin gracing her features, "I thought you'd never ask, Pike." She flounced to the front of the stand and greeted Hayden with an enthusiastic fist bump.
Shane smiled to himself, continuing his work. He was happy to let Rose do the talking, the quarters wouldn't count themselves, unfortunately.
Behind Hayden stood the usual Friday night entourage consisting of the two inseparable Russians, Cliff Marleau, and Hayden's girlfriend Jackie. The four horsemen of inconveniencing Shane.
They all were dressed in skimpy summery clothes, looking ready for a night out. This was a normal occurrence for a Friday night, a tradition for the lifeguards to go out to the bars after their shift.
They worked, they complained, they got shitfaced, and rinsed and repeated every 7 days. Shane had never tagged along mostly because he had never been asked to, and he liked it that way.
"Shane! My man, you coming with us tonight?" Hayden grinned, gesturing towards the group that lingered behind him.
Shane looked up, nearly dropping a fistful of change, "Oh, uh, I wasn't exactly planning on it. I don't have a change of clothes." He hoped that answer would suffice.
Hayden scoffed, "Oh come on, trying to impress the ladies or something?"
Shane laughed to himself and continued to count the money in the drawer, "You're funny. No, I just don't like feeling all sticky after work."
"Just come in your birthday suit." Ilya suggested unhelpfully, materializing next to Hayden.
Shane glanced up and snorted at the suggestion, "I bet you'd love that." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ilya licked his lips, "You know me so well, Shane. Come with us, I'll buy you shots." It should have been illegal for somebody to look so pleased with themselves.
"I really wasn't planning on doing anything after my shift…" Shane said reluctantly. He hated feeling left out but also hated having to change his plans last minute. He had already decided on that ginger ale, he couldn't just abandon those plans because Ilya was looking at him with those pretty hazel-green eyes.
Rose grabbed his shoulder, "C'mon Shane pleaaase, you never want to go out with me, I've never seen you drunk!" She begged, pouting and giving her best puppy dog impression. Shane had to admit he felt swayed.
Alas, he stood his ground, "And I'm gonna keep it that way."
Ilya mirrored Rose's facial expression and grabbed Shane's hand pleadingly, "Listen to your friend. Not only is she beautiful, she is also incredibly smart!" He begged.
Shane groaned and threw his head back in frustration, "The more you ask me to come the less I want to go."
Rose crossed her arms over her chest, "You're no fun! It's friday night and we're young! You're only in your 20s once in your life. C'mon. Maybe mister right will be out there."
Shane gave her a look that intended to communicate several things. Primarily: absolutely not.
When it came down to it, the real reason he didn't want to go was standing in front of him with a mischievous glint in his eye. He didn't know what the Russian could conjure up while shit faced, and he certainly didn't want to find out. Shane was not one to enjoy unpredictable variables.
Not only that but Shane knew his guard would drop once he had a few drinks in him and he'd end up saying something embarrassing. The last thing he needed was to spend an evening staring at Ilya and letting his sober thoughts come through in the form of drunk words.
His filter melted away completely with tequila, Ilya did not need to find out this information and use it against him. If he had to spend a whole night near those pecs peeking out temptingly beneath that muscle tee, there was no telling what he might do.
Nope. No going out for Shane. Not tonight. The ginger ale seemed increasingly appealing.
"Mister right, eh?" Hayden asked, sporting a supportive smile on his face.
"I'm definitely not coming if she's going to keep publicly outing me." Shane joked, punching Rose lightly on her shoulder.
Ilya's grin widened impossibly further, he looked like the Cheshire cat. It was disturbing.
"I know the perfect spot for us. They make the strongest drinks and the DJ is not so bad on Friday nights. It is right near the Back Bay station, you have to take the orange line home anyway, don't you?" Ilya suggested, the man was annoyingly persuasive.
Hayden nodded, "Yeah man, I'd be fine with a gay bar as long as its with you!"
Shane felt his face heat up, "Guys, please. I really didn't plan on it tonight. How about next week?"
He needed time in advance. Maybe it made him stubborn, maybe it made him seem like a cranky old man, but it was difficult for him to change plans on a dime. If he could know a week ahead of time, he would be much more agreeable.
Miraculously, it seemed that Rose sensed his silent cry for help and she put him out of his misery, "Alright, not tonight. But you owe us next week! I'll even buy you a tequila sunrise. I know you love them, you can't deny it." She smiled and rubbed his arm soothingly.
"It makes sense you would like such a fruity drink." Ilya joked, the entire group began to laugh, which felt entirely inappropriate.
"See, this is exactly what I mean, I'm not going to go out with you if you're gonna make homophobic jokes like that to me." Shane frowned, feeling stung.
The group went quiet, an awkward silence falling around them. No one said anything for a beat until Ilya began to snicker, which eventually evolved into a full blown belly laugh. Shane rolled his eyes, he felt as if he was about to cry. This was the middle school locker room all over again.
"You are going to kill me, you cannot be serious." Ilya wheezed.
"Serious as a heart attack. You can't make gay jokes like that, it's not nice." Shane stood his ground. He was sick and tired of the way Ilya treated him like a total joke.
Shane watched as Ilya's face fell, realizing that Shane really was dead serious.
"Wait, you are not joking?" Ilya asked, tone adopting a high pitched lilt.
"No! Quite frankly, its getting a little embarrassing for you. The way you keep teasing me. I let it slide before because it seemed harmless enough, but I can't take it anymore!" Shane's voice rose. Tears began to well in his eyes, if he continued to speak about his feelings, the dam would break free.
Ilya looked around frantically, seeing if anyone else was listening to their conversation, "Shane, what? What do you mean? Come out here, let me talk to you privately." He gestured towards the door.
Shane locked up the register and flicked off the lights, Rose shuffled out to talk with the others, Shane followed her lead and locked the door behind him. She gave him a supportive pat on the back before sauntering over to Svetlana and Jackie.
Outside the snack stand, Ilya guided Shane toward one of the picnic tables tucked away from the rest of the group. The moment they sat down, Shane wished he hadn't come. Their legs bumped beneath the table but neither of them acknowledged the contact.
Shane sighed, "You know what I'm talking about."
"I genuinely do not." Ilya appeared earnest.
"The flirting? The jokes? The inappropriate comments? You're obviously making fun of me because I'm gay. We get it, you're straight, you want to impress the women and I'm just the awkward queer boy who's an easy target." He sniffled, holding back the tears from falling. He turned away.
Ilya shook his head and turned Shane's face back towards him with his fingers, "Look at me Shane, please. Look at me." He commanded, gaze flitting across Shane's features.
"The ice cream, the sunscreen, the nicknames, the staring! You can't deny it!" Shane continued, spiraling out of control. The words he had wanted to say all along spilled out of him like a faucet.
"Shane, listen to me-" Ilya attempted.
"Please, just let up a little?" Shane whined.
Ilya let out a strained laugh, "I cannot believe it is not obvious but I will spell it out for you simply. Shane, I'm not straight. I am bisexual, or whatever you want to call it. I like everybody."
Shane's lips parted, his eyes widened. He felt speechless. He felt oblivious and stupid and clueless. There was no way. Ilya was the most straight man he had ever met, how could he be bisexual! That did not make any sense to Shane. That would mean this entire time all the jokes hadn't been at his expense.
"Oh," was all he could manage.
"Yes 'oh'! I did not know you thought I was straight! You thought I was making fun of you this whole time?" Ilya asked, looking entirely unbelieving.
Shane felt his face burn bright red. Misreading a situation was nothing new to him, but this had to be the biggest social miscalculation he had ever made. A guilty feeling pooled in his gut, he couldn't believe he had been so quick to judge.
This was Ilya! The same Ilya that looked like he belonged on a billboard, the same Ilya that flirted with every woman that breathed! Actually, when Shane thought of it, he rarely saw Ilya flirting with anyone other than himself. Shit.
The two remained silent, Ilya staring at Shane as he waited for a response and Shane avoiding all semblance of eye contact. The tension between them was palpable, neither knew what their next move should be.
"Well, yeah. Maybe I did think you were making fun of me. You wouldn't be the first to do so." Shane broke the silence, body language meek. He felt exposed and vulnerable for admitting this.
Ilya clenched his jaw and shook his head, exhaling through his nose in exasperation, "I do not know what to say. I feel like I should apologize to you? Hurting your feelings is the total opposite of what I meant to do." He explained, placing a gentle hand on Shane's knee as an attempt at comforting him.
Shane bit his lip and watched as Ilya's thumb rubbed soothingly against his exposed skin.
"I feel really stupid." Shane said bluntly.
Ilya sighs, "No Shane, you are not stupid. That is all me. I should have made my intentions more clear," he takes a deep breath, preparing himself before he says, "I am working on being more open with my feelings. I tend to hide behind jokes and teasing, I thought you being stubborn was your way of flirting back. Svetlana always tells me I need to be more genuine."
The explanation hits Shane in his chest like a fastball, that the jokes might allude to real feelings, real romantic feelings. He wanted to throw up, suddenly feeling bashful, he wrung his hands together anxiously.
"So you're saying-"
"Hollander! You coming or what! We're getting antsy over here." Hayden calls out abruptly, jogging up to the two lovebirds perched on their private bench. His timing was impeccable.
"Pike can't you tell we are having a moment here?" Ilya complains through his teeth, shooting daggers from his eyes at his clueless coworker.
"Well can you have a moment at the club or does it have to be here when we were supposed to leave half an hour ago?" Hayden says, tapping his foot with stubborn impatience.
Ilya looks back at Shane with a desperate glow in his eyes, "Shane, please, come with us?"
A sour taste crawls up his throat. He needs time to process this information, to rethink every interaction he's ever had this entire summer. The last thing he needs is to get shitfaced around the man who essentially just confessed to having a crush on him. It didn't help that Ilya was still as gorgeous as ever.
After a beat, Shane shook his head no. Ilya practically deflated, looking entirely disappointed.
"I-I need to go home. There's a lot I have to… think about." Shane stuttered awkwardly. His throat felt tight, he couldn't speak, he needed his bed, he needed to think. He needed everything but being there in that moment.
Shane scrambled off of the bench and gave them an apologetic look, opening his mouth to speak but failing to find any words. He began to back away. It's what he did best.
"I'm sorry, Ilya, I'll see you tomorrow, we'll talk tomorrow, I promise." He managed to choke out before scurrying towards the exit, where Rose and the others were chatting animatedly.
"Wait, Shane!" Ilya shouted in his direction, cupping his hands around his mouth, but it was too late. Shane had already made his escape.
He said goodbye to Rose, who looked beyond concerned, and made a quiet promise to her that he would explain everything later but he needed to go home now. Luckily she was the words most understanding friend and allowed him to leave after a quick hug and a sad smile.
Shane slipped out of the gate, refusing to make eye contact with Ilya who he knew was staring at him. Guilt consumed him as he walked away towards his train stop. He couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if he stayed.
Despite the guilt, he felt relief.
Relief for multiple reasons. Relief from his embarrassment, relief from dodging peer pressure from his coworkers, relief that maybe he did have a chance with Ilya after all.
__
Saturday night, the day after their fateful Friday encounter, Shane found himself cleaning up the snack stand once more. Rose had already left early, begging Shane to allow her to do so when she saw Svetlana clocking out.
For nearly the entire shift, Shane had to listen to Rose gush about their previous night out. How magical it was, how much he was missing out on, and how much her and Svetlana had made out under the blinking lights of the dance floor.
Apparently this was yet another thing he was oblivious to, the push and pull of Rose and Svetlana. She was offended at first when Shane swore he didn't notice the will-they won't-they energy that had allegedly been happening since their first day on the job. It was becoming scary, realizing just how clueless he was.
Since she had mentioned it, everything clicked into place like puzzle pieces. He watched their interactions that day under a different light, and wondered why he had been so blind to it before. He felt pathetic, his attention had been focused entirely on how Ilya treated him that he had failed to notice the budding relationship between his best friend and the person he had assumed was Ilya's girlfriend.
After going home last night, Shane enjoyed his ginger ale and the scent of his teakwood candle under the cool covers of his queen sized bed. It was there that he reviewed every interaction between himself and Ilya, starting with the first time they locked eyes and ending with his great escape.
He was fucked.
Nothing was more obvious to him than the fact that Ilya totally did want him. He had been flirting with Shane the entire time, and it totally was not a joke.
Rose was right, straight guy friends probably don't act so suspicious after allowing their buddies to apply sunscreen to their back. Straight guys didn't allude to taking their male coworkers out on dates every day. Straight guys don't beg you to come out with them so they can buy you a drink after confessing to being bisexual.
Shane felt as though he was floating during his shift, his customer service had never been so impeccable. Despite feeling so giddy with his realization, his stomach still churned with a nervous anxiety. He felt like a schoolboy with a crush.
Sooner or later, he would have to confront Ilya again with the weight of the truth balanced on his shoulders.
Shane was no virgin, he had a handful of flings and even a boyfriend or two in his time at Boston University. But with Ilya, it felt like something new. It felt like something out of a romance novel. He knew when the time came for him to speak to Ilya that night, he would stumble over his words like a newborn deer.
So while Rose left with Svetlana to do whatever it was they had planned (Shane did not care to know the details of that), Shane closed out the registers and finished the last bits of his closing routine.
He could feel a presence lingering, voices echoing from across the pool. As he grabbed the broom to prepare for his final task, he heard quiet footsteps make their way to the snack stand.
Of course, it was Ilya, who was waving goodbye to Marleau. It was way too late for any of the lifeguards to still be here, so Shane knew that it was likely just the two of them left alone for the rest of the night. He blushed pink at the thought.
A small smile played at the corners of his lips, he nodded his head in shy greeting of the Russian man that leaned against the frame of the building.
"Hey, you need help in there?" Ilya asked, remaining nonchalant.
Quite frankly, he looked incredible. His hair was damp and curly, a tight white t-shirt pulled against his chest, emphasizing the definition of his pecs. Shane's mouth watered, he felt less guilty than usual as his eyes raked over Ilya's abs that were obvious underneath the dampened tee.
"Um sure, yeah, if you wanna grab the other broom." Shane replied, swallowing the drool that had begun to well up in his mouth. Butterflies was not an accurate comparison for what Shane was experiencing in that moment. A wild attack from a murder of crows would be more apt. Or perhaps a swarm of horny wasps. Metaphors were not Shane's specialty.
Ilya walked in the door to the stand, looking like a Greek god underneath the glow of the fluorescent lights. How he did it, Shane did not understand. He had to be the only person on earth that actually looked this good under the humming yellow tinted lights after a full day of work in the hot sun.
"This one here?" Ilya asked, picking up the broom that typically belonged to Rose. Shane nodded.
Neither could bring themselves to bring up the elephant in the room. They remained silent, the only sound coming from the light scraping of the brooms bristles against the tiled floors and the occasional sniffle or throat clearance.
Shane couldn't take it for one more second, "So…" He broke the silence, unsure of where the rest of the interaction would go but staying open minded towards all situations.
"How did you thinking go last night?" Ilya said, voice betraying his bitter mood towards Shane ditching at the last minute.
"I had thoughts." Shane shrugged, spending too long sweeping up the rainbow sprinkles out of the back corner in order to avoid meaningful eye contact with Ilya.
"Quarter for your ideas? Or whatever it is they say."
Shane barked out a laugh, "You mean 'penny for your thoughts'?"
"Yes, penny, quarter, fucking one million dollars, I do not care about the price just tell me you do not hate me." Ilya's tone suggests frustration but the soft smile on his face betrays his underlying endearment for the flushed and freckled man in front of him.
Shane shook his head, "I don't hate you, I didn't even hate you before I… before I realized I had made some incorrect assumptions. You're impossible to hate." His voice trailed off.
Ilya bit his lip, giving Shane an obvious once over, it was as if he had been given the go ahead to turn his flirting switch on, "What makes you say that?"
Shane stared at his feet, more interested in inspecting his shoe than making intense eye contact with Ilya, "You're too handsome. And maybe I just feel bad for you, your attempts at flirting."
Ilya took a step closer causing Shane to look up with the movement, "I think it is rude to call it an attempt at flirting when clearly it is working on you. Give me my credit please." Ilya held out his hand with the playful request.
"The only thing that should be working is you. Keep sweeping, we're almost done, I want to go home." Shane smacked his hand out of the way but continued to smile like a kid with a crush.
"Alright, alright, yes Mr. bossy." Ilya sighed and continued his diligent work.
Shane couldn't help himself, he watched the contour of Ilya's muscles pull against the lightly tanned skin of his arms as he swept the floor and pictured himself gripping onto them. He stared at the glimpse of Ilya's abs through the fabric of his tee and pictured himself licking them. He stared at the defined curls in Ilya's hair and pictured himself tugging on them.
Shane was down bad and he knew it, but for the first time that entire summer it felt acceptable, it seemed not so far out of reach, and Shane had remembered to stretch.
"I can feel your eyes on me, Shane." Ilya observed, voice remaining calm, he did not bother looking up at the man that sputtered next to him.
"Sorry, I was just going to fill up the mop bucket." He grumbled, shuffling into the back where the bucket waited underneath the skin.
As the water from the hose splattered into the container, Shane allowed a moment to collect himself. He practiced breathing the way his therapist had suggested, letting the oxygen fill his lungs and calm the racing thoughts in his brain. Embarrassing himself in front of Ilya was a thing of the past, Shane vowed to remain cool as a cucumber when he re-entered the room with two sopping wet mops.
"Here you are!" Shane's voice cracked, he watched as their hands brushed together when he passed off the stick to Ilya and felt a shock travel through his fingertips straight to his heart like a defibrillator.
The two got to work, locking in and scrubbing the floors cleaner than they had found them. Shane let the monotonous task of cleaning the colorful stains of hard ice cream stuck to the tiles turn off his brain for time being.
And if he snuck a few subtle glances at Ilya's sculpted back while they finished up the job, that was for himself and no one had to know.
"Was that the last task of the night?" Ilya asked, placing his mop in the back room next to the sink.
"Yup! Just need to dump out the water and you're free to go," Shane smiled, "Thanks, by the way, for helping me out. It was a really busy day."
"You need a reward for all your hard work, honestly." Ilya suggested, leaning casually against the counter.
Shane rolled his eyes, "What are you gonna suggest, that you'll show me a good time for my reward." He wiggled his eyebrows and flexed his biceps, doing a borderline offensive impression of Ilya's accent and deep affect.
Ilya laughed at the joke and sucked in a breath, "Mm, you are funny. But no, I was thinking something more risky."
Shane raised his eyebrow at the suggestion. Knowing Ilya, risky could mean anything. He put the cash from the registers in the safe and turned off the lights before letting Ilya out of the stand and locking the door behind them. As soon as the door shut, Ilya's smile widened into a devious grin.
"I don't like the look on your face." Shane warned.
Ilya shrugged, and began to back away in the direction of the pool, "Why not? What are you afraid of?"
Shane felt a nervous energy well up inside of him. What had Ilya planned? Was he secretly a serial killer all along? Shane felt the urge to grab his cell phone and tell his mother he loved her.
Ilya must have noticed the timidity wafting off of the freckled man,"Relax, Shanya, it is nothing crazy. I was just thinking the pool must be very nice at night when there are no children to ruin the mood."
Shane could be clueless sometimes, but he knew that what Ilya was suggesting would likely end up with them in serious trouble. It was against policy to swim on the clock, plus the fact that it was way past closing time. If him and Ilya didn't leave then, they would likely be locked in for the rest of the night.
He shook his head with obvious reluctance, "No way Ilya, we can't get in that pool! It's right in the employee handbook, no one is to swim while on the clock."
Ilya's mood brightened even further, if possible, "Ah, exactly! We are no longer on the clock, this means that we are free to swim." A layer of smugness coated his words like sugar.
"That is not what it means and you know it." Shane sounded unimpressed, but secretly loved the twinkle forming in Ilya's eyes.
"Do you think that I will not be able to save you? Do you even know how to swim?" Ilya taunted, if Shane would have sworn that the Russian was capitalizing on Shane's competitive personality.
Shane frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the sticky feeling of the ice cream stains on his shirt. He was not going to let Ilya get away with teasing him like that.
"Oh please, I have more athleticism in my pinky toe than you. It's you that would need saving, not me." Shane was stubborn and he could dish it out just as well as Ilya could, he was a server after all.
"I do not believe you. I have never seen you touch the water, like a witch. You will melt if a drop gets on you." Ilya continued to egg him on, inching closer and closer to the edge of the pool.
Without thinking, Shane followed him mindlessly, allowing himself to get caught up in the heat of the moment, "You know what you're doing and its not going to work. I'm not getting in that water."
He knew that if he continued any further down this path they would end up in the pool, and more than that, they would end up fired for breaking company policy. Or worse, they would be arrested for trespassing.
"You think too much, Hollander." Ilya blurted, studying Shane like he could read the man's soul.
Shane narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, I think a lot. I think that this is a stupid idea and you'll get us both in trouble."
Despite Shane's reluctance, Ilya continued to get closer to the pool until his heels knocked against its edge. In a blink his shirt was pulled off, revealing his statuesque body that still wore a sheen of sweat which reflected temptingly in the moonlight.
"I have a lot of stupid ideas, I am thinking of an extra stupid one right now." Ilya said with a quiet arrogance.
Shane put a hand on his hip, "And what is it?"
"I will show instead of tell." Ilya responded simply.
Before Shane had a moment to process his words, Ilya's hands were on him, gripping at his hips with practice. Shane gasped, letting Ilya pull him close to his body. Ilya's face found purchase on Shane's shoulder and leaned in closer to whisper,
"Hold your nose."
Ilya picked him up with one arm supporting his back and another under his knees. In one swift motion, Ilya lifted Shane as if he weighed that of a life preserver and threw him in the water as such.
Warm water surrounded Shane, engulfing his overheated body like a hug. His eyes opened under the water, the shine of the pool lights blinding him. He began to flail, legs treading in order to get his head out of the pool to scream at Ilya.
"You fucking asshole!" Shane shouted, gasping for air, splashing his arms around like a drowning toddler.
Laughter echoed around the empty pool, Shane wanted to yank Ilya by his ankles into the water with him as payback. Before he could swim to the edge Ilya had jumped over him, diving in with smooth precision, holding a bright red rescue tube.
"Oh no! It looks like somebody needs to be saved!" Ilya shouted, previous laughter still infecting his words.
He swam towards Shane who resembled a drowned rat and placed the rescue tube underneath his chest. The absurdity of it all caused Shane to laugh, he splashed at Ilya's face in revenge.
"Oh fuck off, I can swim just fine!" Shane cackled, pushing the buoy away from his body.
Ilya rolled his eyes and swam up beside Shane, "No, you must play along, this is training for me."
"What kind of establishment is this, shouldn't you be certified already?" Shane teased, feigning concern.
He cupped his hands in the water and pressed his palms together, forming a small geyser, the way he did when he was a child. Ilya had a way about him that allowed Shane to feel like a kid again.
"I am certified but it is always a good idea to practice my mouth to mouth!" Ilya said with a cheeky wink.
Subconsciously, the two men had backed themselves up against the ledge of the glowing pool, Shane's back pressed along the vinyl lining and Ilya's chest brushing against his skin. The smell of chlorine and sunscreen penetrated Shane's nose, making him dizzy.
Water splashed against the wall rhythmically from the wake of their body movement, the sound hypnotic to Shane's ears. Humidity was present but it was his proximity to Ilya that made it hard to breathe.
Arms bracketed around Shane's shoulders, Ilya remained silent, communicating only through half lidded glances between Shane's big brown eyes and full lips. Both knew that someone needed to make a move, but they remained paralyzed by the light in each others eyes.
Still staring at Shane's mouth, Ilya bit his own lip between his teeth. A pleasant tension buzzed between them.
"I really want to kiss you right now." Ilya whispered, eyes low and full of intention.
Shane giggled and looked away, feeling butterflies aplenty soaring through his stomach. Boldly, he hooked his foot around Ilya's leg and pulled it towards him, forcing their bodies to touch.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Without another moment wasted, their lips crashed together, holding the passion of their every interaction over the summer. Every second spent working each other up had led to this, and god did it feel good.
Shane was not surprised to learn that Ilya was an amazing kisser, the best he had ever had at that. He moved slowly, only nipping and biting when it felt right, sucking in Shane's bottom lip and using the perfect amount of tongue.
If Shane was more lucid perhaps he would be in his head wondering where Ilya learned to kiss like that, but his brain had melted completely into the movement of their lips.
While moaning into the kiss Shane couldn't help the twitch of his hips, his growing erection grinding against Ilya's muscled thigh without subtlety. He felt Ilya grin against his mouth as he noticed just how effected Shane had become. Embarrassment had no place in Shane's mind that screamed only "Ilya, Ilya, Ilya".
Ilya gripped his shoulders, massaging them with gentle hands and feathery fingertips. Shane felt as if his body was floating, and not just because he was submerged to his chest in a pool.
The lifeguard's hands continued to roam, leaving wet fingerprints in their journey up to Shane's hair, where they buried themselves into his jet black locks, tugging with care. More groans escaped him, blending in with the sound of their mouths smacking.
Shane continued to work himself up, losing focus to the ache deep in his belly from the drag of his cock. Ilya pulled away, keeping a hand in Shane's hair but putting space between them in order to catch a glimpse of what was taking place under the glowing blue water.
Ilya bit his lip, eyes glued to the motion of Shane's hips as he continued to grind without shame, "Have I ever told you that you are beautiful?"
Shane allowed their eyes to meet, embracing the intensity between their gazes. Typically, he would feel scrutinized, but he found himself believing Ilya's words.
Shane nodded, "Yes, you have," he breathed out, chest heaving, "Can we keep kissing?"
A light laugh escaped from Ilya, "You are adorable."
Shane whined, slowing his movement to a stop to regain his focus, "'m not adorable."
"The cutest. I will let you kiss me some more if you beat me to the other side of the pool!" Ilya shouted, pushing off of the wall before Shane could process his words.
"Hey! Not fair!" Shane yelled and splashed after him, gaining speed, needing to prove something.
The two man-children raced their way across the expansive pool, Ilya choking on the chlorinated water as he laughed. Shane couldn't help his giggles, just barely losing against Ilya's clear skill.
"You're the lifeguard, it would have been embarrassing if you beat me." Shane huffed, pushing wet strands of hair out of his eyes.
If the short break from physical contact was supposed to calm Shane down, it had done the exact opposite. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins, there was nothing Shane loved more than a little bit of competition, the thrill of a game.
It was Shane's turn to push Ilya against the pool, he attempted to start where they had left off. Shane ducked down to conjoin their lips once more, but Ilya turned his head at the last second, causing the kiss to land square on his cheek.
Shane felt his face burn from the embarrassment of misreading the situation, "I'm sorry, I'm doing too much. We can just call it a night, I can go home, sorry-"
"Please stop talking." Ilya interrupted ever so bluntly. He looked amused to Shane's relief. His eyes filled with an emotion that Shane could not quite place.
"Sorry."
"And please stop apologizing."
Before Shane could open his mouth to apologize once more, Ilya placed his pointer finger over his lips to silence him.
"You're silencing me." Shane said flatly, licking Ilya's finger immaturely.
"Yuck!" Ilya screeched, wiping his moist finger against Shane's wet chest, effectively accomplishing nothing.
The two began to giggle, Shane slapping Ilya's shoulder in laughter.
"First, I told you if you wanted to kiss me again, you had to beat me in the race. So, no kiss for you." Ilya explained. Shane pouted.
"Second, I had an idea."
"I didn't know you knew how to do that." Shane retorted with a sly smile.
Ilya kicked him in the shin under the water, "You are rude. What I was going to say before you insulted me was that we should get out of here and get into the hot tub."
Shane looked at him with disbelief, "The hot tub? It's eighty degrees out, Ilya."
Ilya shrugged, "And the hot tub is over one-hundred degrees, I am glad you remember your numbers."
Shane responded with a splash to Ilya's face, causing the lifeguard to sputter. Shane giggled, feeling like a menace. If you told him a month ago that this is how he would be spending his night after a shift, he would have scoffed in your face.
But here they were, interacting like a couple that had known each other for years. Shane was growing to love the feeling, knowing that they felt the same for each other, that it was never a joke, that it was possible for someone to want him the way he was.
Ilya broke Shane out of his thoughts with a soft kiss, lips warm and wet from the water, "C'mon."
Water dripped from Ilya's trunks as he pushed himself out of the pool using its edge. Shane's eyes zeroed in on the chords of muscles that tugged at Ilya's forearms. The definition in each part of Ilya's body was unreal, Shane would have felt jealous if not insanely turned on at the sight.
A hand reached out in front of Shane, which he grabbed and allowed Ilya to pull him out of the water as if he weighed nothing. Yet another thing to add to the growing list of traits that made Shane want Ilya even more.
"You should take your shirt off, Shane. It does not look very comfortable." Ilya suggested.
"Oh sure, you want me to do that for my comfort." Shane rolled his eyes.
Unfortunately for Shane, Ilya was correct. It was quite uncomfortable. He didn't have a chance to change into the appropriate dress for the pool when Ilya had thrown him in against his will earlier.
So he obliged despite the urge to protest and pulled the soaked material over his head, putting the toned lines of his chest on display for Ilya to ogle over. This was the first time he had seen Shane without a shirt, which was ironic considering the fact that Ilya was shirtless on a near daily basis.
Hand in hand, they made their way over to the hot tub that sat glowing dormant, water looking inviting. With the flick of a hidden switch, Ilya turned the jets on in the tub. Bubbles began to form as the water churned to life.
"Ladies first." Ilya gestured towards the tub with a grin.
Shane rolled his eyes but climbed in regardless of his annoyance. His muscles relaxed instantly as he sunk into the warmth of the hot tub. The jets pulsed against his back, massaging out the tension that had been building since the events of last night.
Ilya climbed in and nestled up against Shane's side, faking a yawn in order to wrap his arm around the brunette's shoulders. Shane couldn't help but smile at the cheesiness of the action.
Shane continued to look ahead, letting out a sigh. He could feel Ilya's eyes staring a hole into the side of his face.
Wet fingers tapped lightly at Shane's cheek, urging his head to turn in Ilya's direction, "Look at me, зайчик."
Ilya's hand didn't move, staying parked underneath Shane's chin, keeping his gaze locked in Ilya's direction. Shane felt the blood from his head rush south. He couldn't help but enjoy it when Ilya took charge of the moment.
Pulling Shane's face towards his, Ilya joined their mouths once more, this time there was no hesitation, no time to be gentle. It was fiery and hot, much like the water they found themselves in.
Teeth clashed against each other in desperation, their tongues met in the middle, lips moving frantically. A wet pop resounded as Ilya moved from Shane's mouth down to the sharp angle of his jaw. He nipped lightly, leaving a trail of kisses before ending up with his face tucked between the junction of Shane's jawline and neck.
Moans escaped Shane as he lost himself in the feeling of Ilya sucking bruises into his neck. It was going to leave a mark but he did not care. It turned him on, the idea that everyone could see what they had gotten up to, that there would be a visible reminder of what Ilya had done to him.
He wanted to live in the moment forever.
"Fuck, Ilya, more." Shane gasped as Ilya continued to bite at his neck like a vampire. He could feel the cocky grin forming against his skin.
"More what, зайчик? I am already kissing your neck, you are being greedy." Ilya teased, pausing between words to leave sweet pecks.
"I don't know, I just need you, I need you so badly Ilya." Shane whined, feeling frustrated by his inability to express what exactly it was he wanted.
Instead of using his words, Shane swung his leg over Ilya and straddled him under the water, his ass nestled on Ilya's lap. Their chests heaved as they looked each other in the eye with the intensity of the summer sun.
"Take what you need then." Ilya said, voice hushed. He looked mesmerized gazing up at Shane from where he sat bracketed between his tanned arms.
Shane took the suggestion and continued to kiss the man underneath him. It was steamy with all the same passion as their last kiss.
Underneath his ass, Shane could feel the length Ilya's cock pressed up against him. Just the knowledge of his ability to turn the man on this much caused his own dick to twitch in his shorts, the material of which was quite uncomfortable and not meant to be soaked like this.
"I need to take off my shorts." Shane grumbled, fumbling with the button and zipper of his four inch inseam shorts that Rose had told him were entirely too slutty to be wearing to work. Shane never cared because if anything it got him more tips and more lingering glances from Ilya.
Ilya laughed, "Woah, take me to dinner first! You are not being gentleman."
"Shut up, you threw me in the pool, I didn't have a chance to change into swim trunks." Shane complained and lifted his hips in order to pull the shorts off of his legs leaving himself in only his black boxer briefs which left little to the imagination in their soaking wet state.
Shane took a moment to admire the man underneath him. Ilya looked wrecked and they hadn't even done anything more than kiss, his pupils were blown out underneath his lidded stare, his curls mussed up and dripping, his lips swollen and pink. He looked delicious.
"Come back here." Ilya suggested, voice deep with lust. He pulled Shane's hand to bring their bodies together once more, "Grind against my thigh."
Shane's eyes widened at the command, feeling like a deer in the headlights. He stayed perched unmoving on Ilya's lap.
"Shane, go on, make yourself feel good." The tone of Ilya's voice was hypnotic, intoxicating to Shane's suggestible ears. He punctuated his sentence by moving his thigh further up between Shane's leg, providing a place for the man to get to work.
Shane let out a shaky breath and obeyed, rubbing shyly against the meat of Ilya's thigh. His movements started out slow and uncertain, but quickly became more frantic as the heat in his gut expanded like nuclear fission.
"That's it, ride my thigh, good boy." Ilya encouraged, biting in lip as he looked up at Shane in awe of his beauty.
Shane's mouth dropped open at Ilya's words. He didn't know Ilya got down like that, but it didn't surprise him. And, well, it was extremely fucking hot too.
"Fuck, you're a freak Rozanov."
There was that annoying smile again, "You seem to be loving it."
Shane's head fell back towards the sky as he continued to grind his leaking cock onto Ilya's thigh underneath the bubbling water of the hot tub, "Feels so good."
Ilya nodded and cooed, "Does it? Feels good rubbing yourself all over me?" It was teasing and bordering on degrading, but it only turned Shane on more. Something was wrong with him, he didn't want to fix it.
Lost in the pleasure, all Shane could do was nod. Ilya's hands gripped at his hips, fingers digging into the top of his ass.
"Getting close, gonna cum." Shane moaned, eyebrows furrowed together.
Ilya shook his head and held Shane's hips in order to stop their movement before he could work himself up any further, "No, зайчик, you are not going to cum. Not yet. Wanna get my fingers in you, if you would let me."
Shane whined in frustration, hips twitching under the imposing grasp of Ilya's hands, "But we don't have lube."
Ilya looked utterly devious as he held up a hand in front of Shane's face, "Open your mouth, Shanya."
Without thinking, Shane followed Ilya's orders, opening his mouth wide. Ilya's pointer and middle finger rubbed against his tongue, daring him to suck. Shane's lips closed around the intrusion, wetting the digits with his tongue.
His lips pursed around Ilya's fingers, Shane could feel himself get carried away, sucking on them the way he craved to suck on what Ilya was hiding beneath his swim trunks. He knew he looked obscene, cheeks flushed from the heat of the hot tub, hair a mess over his forehead from when Ilya had gripped it earlier.
"I have had many thoughts about you, but I did not think you would be such a horny boy." Ilya took advantage of Shane's silence to poke some fun at him. Shane responded with a middle finger towards the lifeguard.
A wet pop sounded as Shane pulled off of Ilya's fingers which dripped with spit, shining in the light of the full moon.
"Fuck off. You're probably about to cum in your shorts." Shane fired at the man below him.
"I have no shame." Ilya said vaguely, "Get off and bend over the edge of the tub."
Shane obliged, of course, and lifted his body out of the water, leaning over the rim of the hot tub. He was past feeling embarrassed.
Ilya bit his lip as he stared at the sight in front of him. Shane's thick ass looked explicit underneath the damp black briefs that clung to his body. Ilya had spent a lot of his summer with his eyes glued to Shane's backside, but this time took the cake, literally.
Shane looked incredible looking back at Ilya. The lifeguard couldn't help but let his mind wander, allowing himself to imagine his hands in Shane's hair, pulling as he fucked into his plush ass.
"Pull down the briefs." Ilya asked.
"No, you do it, since you want it so bad." Shane replied.
"You are a brat, and you are gagging for it." Ilya responded calmly, but listened to Shane's request and used his free hand to pull down the fabric of Shane's underwear, which exposed his entire backside to Ilya, "Spread your legs."
Reluctantly, Shane obeyed, spreading his knees further on the seat of the hot tub, making the dusty pink of his hole visible to Ilya.
"There we go, such a pretty hole, want me to get my fingers in there?" Ilya asked, wanting to make sure this was something Shane really did want.
Shane nodded frantically, his cool demeanor falling to reveal his true desperation, "Please, fuck me with your fingers Ilya. Need it."
Ilya smiled softly and brought his hand, still dripping with Shane's spit, down to Shane's ass. His free hand grasped at one of his cheeks, pulling it open to make his hole even more available. Shane hissed as he felt the warm night air blow against the most intimate part of him.
Listening to Shane's orders, Ilya's pointer finger rubbed delicately against Shane's entrance, poking and prodding with intimate curiosity.
"Have you ever done this?" Ilya questioned, punctuating his sentence by entering Shane with the very tip of his finger.
"Been fingered? Of course, I'm gay, and a bottom." Shane scoffed, insulted that Ilya thought he might be the first man he'd ever been with.
"To yourself, I mean, do you do this to yourself?"
"Again, of course. All the time. Please get on with it." He was beginning to feel frustrated, pushing his ass back to chase after Ilya's finger, needing to find relief from the hot pressure built up inside of him.
The rest of the digit was sheathed inside of Shane's tight warmth. Ilya squeezed his eyes shut. He had imagined this moment for so long.
"Impatient зайчик." Ilya commented, pushing his finger in and out of Shane's hole with a gentle rhythm, searching for the spot that would bring him electrifying pleasure.
Short moans slipped from Shane's mouth as he allowed the feeling to wash over him with the same warm intensity as the jets in the tub.
Much of Shane's summer had been spent admiring Ilya's strong hands, his long fingers, and the grooves of his veins flowing like rivers up through his toned forearms. He couldn't believe that those same fingers were deep inside of him, working him open, preparing him for what was likely to come — no pun intended.
A sharp involuntary gasp resounded from Shane as Ilya found exactly what he was looking for. Realizing what he had done, Ilya continued to hook his fingers expertly up into Shane's prostate, extracting more and more noises from the man's lips.
He wanted to record Shane's sweet sounds and make it his ringtone.
But that would be strange.
"Ilya! Right there, keep going." Shane encouraged, eyes squeezed shut and lips parted wide.
With a light smack to Shane's ass, Ilya dared to push in a second spit coated finger alongside the first, stretching Shane wider with ease. It was clear that Shane was used to this, and it turned Ilya on tenfold to imagine the man in front of him desperately fingering himself late at night with bated breath.
"You like that, baby? My fingers so deep inside of you. You take them so well, angel." Ilya's voice soothed the last of Shane's nerves, worming their way straight into the core of his being.
He nodded, completely blissed out, hips moving back onto Ilya's fingers on their own accord. Shane didn't expect Ilya to be so mouthy, he had predicted Ilya to be a selfish lover. This was clearly not the case.
His prostate continued to be pressed incessantly, if this continued any longer he would cum into the hot tub, which was disgusting. The last thing he wanted to do was clean that up.
"Ilya, Ilya, I'm close again, I'm gonna cum." Shane warned, feeling the familiar pressure of his orgasm building up in his belly.
Carefully, Ilya slowed his movement and removed his fingers one by one. He watched as Shane's hole twitched as if it was begging for more. Ilya wanted nothing more than to pull his own cock out and bury it deep inside of Shane, but that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him.
"Can't have you cum in here." Ilya observed, patting Shane's behind and gently pulled the waistband of Shane's briefs back up over his hips.
Shane allowed himself a moment to catch his breath before turning around and facing Ilya head on. His chest was flushed red, his cheeks blushing considerably. His eyes were glazed over as he used them to take in the view before him.
Ilya looked incredible, like a Greek god staring down from the sky. His soaked through swim shorts left nothing to the imagination, the outline of his erect cock large and imposing against the fabric. Shane craved the weight of it in his mouth.
"Can I please suck your cock?" Shane asked shamelessly, still in a trance.
Ilya couldn't help his laugh at Shane's boldness, "You're asking for a lot tonight."
A cold feeling washed over Shane, taking Ilya's words as a rejection, "Sorry, we don't have to do anything else."
Taking Shane out of his misery, Ilya straddled him and planted a fat kiss on his cheek before moving down to nip at his jaw playfully, "You are killing me, котенок." He groaned, cock brushing unintentionally against Shane's abdomen.
"What are these Russian words you keep using? Zay-chick? Kot-yo-nock?"Shane questioned. He looked adorable when he was confused.
"Do not worry about it, they are simply silly pet names." Ilya dismissed, suddenly feeling sheepish at the thought of having to explain to Shane that he had just compared him to a kitty. It was quite accurate.
Shane didn't approve of the non-answer, but let it go regardless.
"So can I?" He leaned in, pressing his face against Ilya's strong thigh painted by the swim trunks. If he just stuck his tongue out he would be able to feel the head of Ilya's dick through the fabric.
Ilya felt his resolve begin to slip, "Fuck, Shane, I really want you to. But I think we should take this somewhere else before we do something we cannot take back."
Shane appeared disappointed, but understood what Ilya wanted. He almost defiled the entire hot tub, there was no way they could go any further without risking their jobs more than they already had.
"Fine." Shane replied, legs still shaking under the water from how close to the edge he had gotten moments ago. He wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to get out of the tub safely.
"You can come to my place, Svetlana is my roommate but she will not be home tonight, I made sure." Ilya reassured, a playful glint in his eye that made Shane feel even more giddy.
Shane smirked at the thought of Ilya begging his best friend to leave their apartment for one night so he could bring his coworker home to fool around with. Knowing Svetlana's temperament, she was not happy about it.
Ilya clambered out of the tub, legs dripping. He shook his head like a dog, water droplets flinging off of his hair like a sprinkler.
"Do you need help, pretty boy?" Ilya asked, holding his pruned hand out for Shane to steady himself as he stood. Still blushing, Shane allowed the Russian man to assist him out of the tub. He refused to let on to the weakness in his knees. Stubbornly, he could not show Ilya how much he had been effected.
"Thanks." Shane said simply.
Ilya gave him a quick once over before the mischievous look he often wore returned to his face.
"Last one to my car is a stinky egg!" Ilya shouted before taking off at lightning speed. Why did everything have to be a competition with him? And why did Shane get off on it?
Feeling the adrenaline rush of competition return to his body, Shane ran after him. Even with shaky legs, Shane would never allow Ilya to win. Their dynamic had always involved a competitive spirit.
"Fuck you, you can't trick me like that twice in one night!" Shane yelled as he began to pick up speed, the distance between them slimmed.
Shane's legs burned as they pumped with all of the energy he had left, Ilya couldn't win a race for a second time, Shane would not allow it. They made their way across the pool grounds, ignoring the suggestion of the bold NO RUNNING signs. Just as Ilya was about to reach the surrounding gate, Shane pushed past him and won by mere seconds, his hand grasped against the chain link fence.
The two men laughed, Shane felt lightheaded as he caught his breath. He knew it was silly, but this was the most fun Shane had had the entire summer. Ilya made him feel alive, as radiant as the summer sun.
As their giggles died down, they stared into each others eyes, saying a million words they couldn't speak aloud with just a look. Ilya took charge of the moment and pressed Shane against the fence much like he had earlier in the pool.
Their lips met yet again, moving passionately against each other, Shane felt as if they were the only two people in existence. And if that were true, it wouldn't be half bad.
Ilya continued to press against him, grinding their hips together, moaning down Shane's throat with abandon. Nothing could snuff the flame building between them.
Except-
WOOP! WOOP!
The sound of an alarm blared across the pool, the locked gate of the fence had triggered the anti-theft system.
Shane and Ilya jumped, both cursing at the unwanted disturbance. Lights flashed, the alarm continued to go off without caring that it had interrupted the heat of the moment. Shane covered his ears, looking around wildly. This dream had quickly soured into a nightmare.
"Do you have the key!" Ilya shouted.
"No! Fuck! Where did I leave my shorts!" Shane yelled, beginning to panic.
"Go over the fence! I will boost you!" Ilya commanded, grabbing Shane by his legs hoisting him up.
"Ilya! Stop!" Shane screamed, gripping the fence for dear life as Ilya pushed against his ass and launched him to the top so he could climb down the other side.
"Go! Run to my car! I will be over!" Ilya said.
Shane didn't have time to watch as Ilya climbed up the fence with experience. His body tingled as he recalled just how easily the Russian man had lifted him up, as if he wasn't two hundred pounds of muscle. His legs kicked back into overdrive as he sprinted towards the lone car sitting in the light of the parking lot.
A beep sounded as Ilya unlocked the car using his keyfob. Where Ilya had grabbed that, Shane did not know, but he felt grateful as he yanked the door open and launched his body inside.
Moments later, Ilya had reached the driver's side, similar to Shane he frantically opened the door and slammed his ass into the seat. Continuing to act on auto pilot, Ilya turned the key and the car roared to life.
"Tell me if you spot any cops." Ilya said behind gritted teeth as he floored the gas pedal. The rubber of his tires squealed against the pavement, they flew as fast as possible out of the lot and through the quiet country club.
After a few seconds of silence, Shane began to laugh. The laugh soon turned into a cackle, becoming more manic. The tension in Ilya's shoulders released as he laughed along with the man in the passenger seat. Ilya's vehicle had transformed into one fit for two clowns.
"Holy shit, Ilya!" Shane gasped, tears streaming from his eyes.
They peeled out of the country club, Ilya taking the first turn he saw. In the distance they could hear what sounded like police sirens. Shane watched flashes of red and blue lights flicker through the trees. It seemed they had gotten away with their misdeed just in time.
"How is this for a first date?" Ilya joked, grinning as he looked over at Shane.
"We are fucking crazy. We're going to be arrested! We're going to jail for life, Ilya!" Shane shouted, half joking but half panicking for real.
"We are Bonnie and Clyde, baby." Ilya said, biting his lip to keep himself from snickering.
Shane punched him on the shoulder lightly. They continued to weave up and down streets, Shane's world had been completely flipped, he had no idea where they might be or where they could be going. Deep in his chest was a feeling that he couldn't describe.
He felt scared, he felt horny, he felt excited, he felt like he wanted to lean over the center console and touch Ilya wherever his hands could reach.
So touch he did, and feel he felt.
Boldly, Shane went straight for Ilya's thigh, frisking him like a security guard.
"What are you doing?" Ilya asked, knuckles turning white against the steering wheel.
"Need to touch, need to make sure you're real." Shane mumbled, hand stroking over the peaks and ridges of Ilya's toned thigh. His other hand found purchase against the straining muscles hidden underneath Ilya's oversized biceps.
It was heaven to Shane, having the power to turn his thoughts into actions. His wildest fantasies were at his fingertips, it didn't matter how the night ended, the dam had been broken, and the man he wanted most had become attainable.
"Fuck yes, this better be real. Pinch me, Shane." Ilya asked, yelping at the responding nip of Shane's sly fingers against his inner thigh.
The hand on Ilya's thigh traveled impossibly higher, Shane's digits brushing cheekily against the tempting bulge that had yet to go away since they jumped in the pool. A wicked part of his mind felt proud of the effect he had on Ilya.
"I want you so bad." Shane breathed out, the filter in his brain was left long ago when he had cleared the pool water out of his ears. He had spent the summer denying his true feelings for the lifeguard, it was time to come clean to himself and to Ilya.
Ilya glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, still trying to remain focused on the road in front of him. They were getting further and further away from Chestnut Hill. Ilya could be kidnapping Shane and he wouldn't have a care in the world.
"Let me focus please, I want to get you to my place in one piece." Ilya grunted, averting his eyes from the hands that rubbed against the straining hardness in his swim shorts that were leaking into the driver's seat.
"I think I've wanted you all summer." Shane admitted, continuing to torture Ilya with the gentle touch of his hands.
A low groan ejected itself from deep in Ilya's chest, "You cannot say things like this."
"It's true! I wasn't allowing myself to admit it because I thought you'd never feel the same." Shane said sheepishly, though his actions remained confident.
"Shane, I cannot pay attention to the road if you touch me like that, if you tell me exactly what I want to hear." Ilya hissed, trying to steal whatever glances he could afford in Shane's direction.
Eventually they pulled up to a red light, the road empty in the late hours of the night. Shane knew it was time to make a big move. Slyly, his hand reached under Ilya's waistband with a one track mind.
Immediately he was met with the rigid skin of Ilya's cock which had been leaking against the seams of his swim shorts all night. If he was completely out of his mind, he would have pulled it out and taken it into the back of his throat, but they had been reckless enough for one night and a car crash was not necessary to make it unforgettable.
Shane's hand gripped the shaft firmly and began to stroke at a temptingly slow pace. He bit his lip and stared at the side of Ilya's face as he continued to drive, his fingers gripping even tighter around the steering wheel.
"You are going to make me crash this car right now, we are almost home, please." Ilya warned, unable to help the jerk of his hips against the feeling of Shane's strong hand wrapped around him.
Shane couldn't help the satisfied smirk that began to form on his face, lips curling at the corners deviously.
"I'm only touching." Shane said simply.
"You know what you are doing." Ilya moaned, gasping as Shane began to pick up the pace, dragging his tight fist up and down the surprising length of Ilya's cock.
Shane giggled, watching the Ilya's reactions with an intense satisfaction. Having this effect on Ilya made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, arousal digging into the depths of his stomach. Pleasing Ilya had him floating on cloud nine, brain fogging over like the condensation of a frozen margarita sitting in the sun.
"Fuck." Shane whispered to himself as he felt Ilya's cock lurch in his hand. If he wanted to, all he had to do was lean over the center console, bring his face closer to Ilya's crotch, open his mouth and-
A strong hand reached out to push Shane away by his forehead, stopped in his tracks, his plan foiled. Shane began to pout as Ilya held him away.
"If you do that, this will not last much longer. You are being greedy." Ilya warned, a clear battle happening in his head. Shane wanted him to give in, to allow what they both knew they wanted the most.
Before he could make another attempt to lean in, the car made a sharp turn into a parking garage attached to a fancy newly built apartment complex. Shane frowned, how did Ilya get enough money to make rent here on just a part time lifeguard's salary?
Before the thought could fester longer than a few seconds, Shane sat up out of his daze and watched as Ilya tucked his dick back into his swim shorts before expertly backing up his car into a reserved spot. Weirdly, the sight only served to turn him on even more.
The two of them scrambled out of the car, still damp from the pool and half naked. Sneakily, they made their way to the elevators, avoiding anyone that might question their state of dress. During the short ride up to Ilya's floor the two men used all of their willpower to stay away, simply staring at each other with hunger in their gaze.
Shane's hands twitched as his eyes raked over Ilya's body without shame. He had every right to drop to his knees then and there and take what he had been craving all night, but he was sound of mind enough to remember they were technically still in public. So, he stayed put, only moving when the doors opened and Ilya wordlessly guided them to the door of the apartment.
This was it, the moment they had both been anticipating for longer than either of them cared to admit. The energy was palpable, the tension was thick, and the moment the door clicked shut behind them, Ilya was on Shane like an animal.
Wasting no time, Ilya kissed Shane with bruising force, pushing him backward and leading him blindly through the hallway towards his bedroom. They both knew what they wanted, there was no need to ask any questions, there was no time to think about what came next.
Shane knew exactly what he needed to do once they had fumbled their way into Ilya's surprisingly minimalist bedroom.
He pushed Ilya up against the bed, the back of his knees knocking against the mattress. After separating their lips, Shane sunk to his knees, looking up at Ilya darkly. He hooked his fingers into the swim shorts and began to pull them off.
"Beautiful, you look beautiful down there." Ilya praised, his thumb rubbing gently over the tops of Shane's rose tinted cheeks.
Shane smiled softly before turning his attention back towards the display in front of him. His eyes widened as he watched Ilya's now half hard cock spring out of his waistband. Of course he had noticed how big it was in the car, but with the low light and the dazed state of mind, it was nothing compared to how it appeared in that moment.
Shane felt his mouth begin to water, spit welling up on his tongue. Ilya's cock began to fill out more as he stared down at the man on his knees in front of him with an unreadable look.
"I've wanted to do this for a while now." Shane confessed, once again wrapping his hand around the length of Ilya gently, stroking it to full mast.
Ilya bit his lip, eyes squinting in pleasure at the delicious skin to skin contact, "Yeah, baby? You thought about getting on your knees and sucking my cock?"
Shane nodded slowly, seductively. He had no idea how tempting he looked. Ilya hissed as Shane's plump lips made contact with the thick, pink head of his dick.
"Mhm, can I?" Shane asked innocently, licking the head teasingly, tongue shiny with spit.
Ilya nodded frantically, "You can do anything you want to me, anything at all."
Shane couldn't help but laugh at the eager consent and felt a little horny knowing that Ilya wanted him that badly. He continued to lick, this time moving further, suckling along the length of his shaft, running his lips against the bulging veins.
He was in his element, he was exactly where he wanted to be. Ignoring the carpet burn settling into his knees, Shane took the head into his mouth and sucked lightly. Ilya moaned above him, grasping the back of Shane's head to guide him further down his length.
"Look so pretty with a cock in your mouth, you love it don't you?" Ilya's voice was deep with arousal, he gripped Shane's hair at the pleasurable feeling that washed over him.
Shane moaned around the cock sliding deeper into his throat, still staring up at Ilya with expectant eyes. The praise shot straight through his body, igniting every nerve in an explosion of fireworks. He never wanted to leave this position, not if Ilya continued to speak like that.
"C'mon, зайчик, I know you can take it further, open that throat." Ilya said supportively, continuing to usher Shane further down the impossible length of his cock.
Shane's eyes began to water, but he wanted nothing more than to please Ilya, to follow his orders obediently. Part of him thought he should feel a little pathetic, that he was acting too easy.
Attempting to free himself from the shackles of overthinking, Shane swallowed Ilya down further, sputtering at the feeling of Ilya's head hitting the back of his throat. He felt full, lips stretched and rosy around the girth of Ilya's dick.
Ilya patted the side of Shane's face, feeling the bulge of his shaft against the hollow of his cheek, "Want me to fuck your face, pretty boy?" Ilya asked, tone verging on patronizing.
Shane felt his own erection twitch, undoubtedly leaking like a hose into his still-damp boxer briefs. He pulled off of Ilya's length with a sickeningly wet pop, a thin trail of spit woven between Ilya's cock and his tongue.
He nodded, "Please, please, fuck my throat, wanna make you feel so good." Shane begged, he felt his cheeks heat with delicious embarrassment. Ilya made him forget how to act.
A sinful smirk played at Ilya's lips as he continued to stroke gently at Shane's hair, "Did not even ask you to beg, look at you, you are desperate." He mocked.
Shane wanted to protest against the rude tone in Ilya's voice, but his body wanted the opposite. No one had ever treated him like this, none of Shane's past boyfriends or flings had unlocked this feeling in his brain like Ilya had.
He wanted more, he needed more. Ilya's words swam around his head making their way into the deep end. Shane felt lightheaded, like he was drowning. He did not want to be saved, embracing the fuzzy feeling clouding his judgment.
Shane leaned forward to mouth at Ilya's cockhead once more, attempting to take it back into his mouth. Before he could make contact, Ilya pulled his hips back, depriving Shane of what he wanted most.
"Ah ah, no зайчик, I did not tell you to suck yet. Open your mouth, wide." Ilya chastised, pulling Shane's head away from his leaking cock with a strong grip in his hair.
Shane pouted, holding back the whine crawling up his throat and obeyed the request, opening his mouth as wide as it would go, sticking out his tongue. He knew it looked filthy, but the thought only turned him on further.
Ilya smiled warmly, enjoying how pliant Shane was in this state, "Good boy. Knew you would be a good listener."
The hand not buried in Shane's hair reached forward cautiously. Ilya slipped his thumb into Shane's mouth, pressing down on the pink tongue that lolled out onto Shane's chin.
"Hands on my thighs. You tap me three times if you need me to stop, okay?" Ilya said, something serious flashing over his features.
Shane nodded, gripping Ilya's thighs as he was told, "Please." He begged one last time, giving Ilya his most convincing puppy dog eyes.
"Cannot resist you." Ilya said simply before thrusting his hips forward, letting his cock drag against Shane's tongue and into the depths of his throat with one swift movement.
All semblance of gentleness was thrown out the window. Ilya shoved his cock into Shane's willing mouth as far as it could go, which was practically to the hilt. Balls smacking against Shane's chin, sticky with spit, Ilya began to thrust repeatedly.
Shane's eyes rolled into the back of his head, completely blissed out on the feeling of being used like this. The room is filled with the filthy sounds of Shane gargling around the length deep in his throat. Shane began to moan, the vibrations traveling up Ilya's cock straight into the base of his being.
Ilya quickened his pace, losing his mind in the feeling between his legs, "Take it so good, not even gagging. You were made to suck cock, hmm?" Ilya praised, pulling Shane's hair as he continued to indulge himself with deep thrusts.
Shane nodded as best he could with the intrusion of Ilya's erection. His hands gripped the meat of Ilya's thighs tightly, using them to balance himself when it got too warm and dizzy inside his head.
"You look so fuzzy already, just from having your face fucked." Ilya observed, awe in his tone. As turned on as he was watching his cock slide in and out between Shane's swollen lips he was equally impressed.
Drool built up at the corners of Shane's mouth, dripping down his chin, the slick sound reverberated against the walls of Ilya's bedroom.
"Fuck." Ilya groaned, hips stuttering. He began to slow down, his chest heaved with the effort to hold back his own orgasm.
Shane whined as Ilya pulled his cock out of the heat of Shane's throat. He felt empty, the only thing on his mind was the urge to be full, constantly full.
"I know зайчик, you want more. Greedy thing. Had to stop, or I would cum down your throat." Ilya said simply, no shame in his voice.
"Want that." Shane whispered, voice scratchy from the abuse to his throat.
Ilya smiled and pet Shane's head lovingly, "I know. I want to give it to you. But I need to get inside you."
Shane smiled dazedly at the admission. Ilya's hand parted from his hair and grasped his cheek, thumb rubbing soothingly against the sticky skin of his chin.
"Want that too." Shane sighed, still looking up at Ilya as if he was the sun itself.
"You want everything." Ilya said airily, offering his hand to help Shane up off of his knees and pulling him into a sweet kiss.
"Want what you want to give me." Shane replied cheekily, mouthing along Ilya's jawline in staccato kisses before nuzzling into his neck and breathing his scent deeply.
Ilya moaned softly at the sensation, butterflies dancing around his stomach, "You will let me do as I please?" He asked, pushing Shane away by his shoulders in order to look him properly in the eyes.
Shane nodded in agreement, "Yes, Ilya, do whatever you feel like."
The two of them held their breath, waiting for the right moment to act. Ilya grinned softly and shoved Shane playfully so he fell backward onto the bed. His expression resembled that of an angry kitten, surprised by the sudden action, Ilya found it incredibly adorable.
"Hey! Get over here!" Shane yelped, hooking his foot around Ilya's leg and pulling him on top of himself.
They began to wrestle lightheartedly, a mess of limbs tangling together, hands finding every inch of skin to press it into the mattress. It was becoming a pattern, the two men couldn't last a few minutes without turning the situation into a competition.
Shane couldn't help but admit to himself that he liked it, the rush of adrenaline that Ilya could provide him.
Their fight came to a stop as Ilya had pressed Shane face first into the pillows with his hands crossed behind his back.
Ilya brought his face towards Shane's head, nipping at his ear before whispering, "Don't even try to move unless I tell you to, got it?"
Shane groaned but nodded, wanting nothing more than to obey. Ilya responded with a light smack to the other's ass, Shane retaliated with a kick and a maniacal laugh.
"Quit laughing, lift your hips, let me get these off of you." Ilya said, hooking his fingers into the waistband of Shane's boxers, still clinging to his ass. He yanked them off, Shane continued to giggle under him. Ilya's face burned at the sight.
In one practiced motion, Ilya spread Shane's cheeks with his palms and leaned down to lick a fat stripe over his puckered hole. Shane's laughter quickly devolved into a surprised moan.
"Not so funny anymore, huh?" Ilya mocked before continuing with his task of opening Shane up with his tongue.
Shane hiccuped a gasp, sucking in all of the air he could get, "Fuck, Ilya, deeper."
Ilya smacked his cheek, leaving a light pink handprint in its wake, "Just got my tongue in you and you're already begging me to go deeper? Such a greedy boy."
A fire ignited under Shane's gut at heat behind Ilya's words, a thousand sparks flew throughout his system. His hips pressed back onto Ilya's face instinctively, chasing the pleasure. Whatever it was Ilya gave him, he couldn't get enough.
Ilya continued to tongue-fuck Shane's hole, daring to breach the tight heat with his fingers as well. Shane was already pliant, still somewhat stretched from their earlier activity in the hot tub.
"Still so tight, can't wait to get inside of you." Ilya slurred, getting drunk on the taste of Shane.
"More fingers." Shane gasped, once again begging for more more more.
Ilya obliged, tucking in a third finger beside the first two, still lapping excitedly at Shane's rim beside them. He watched in awe at the sight of Shane's greedy hole wrapped tight around his fingers. He wanted to sink deep inside and take what he needed.
"Such a pretty hole, will you let me fuck it?" Ilya asked, continuing to scissor his fingers inside of Shane, knowing he needed to adequately prepare the man for his ample size.
Shane nodded, drooling into the pillow below him. He looked back, eyes glazed over and pleading.
"Please fuck me, Ilya."
The sound was music to Ilya's ears, the sight of Shane's ass waving temptingly in the air took his breath away. Without hesitation, Ilya leaned over and opened his bedside drawer where a bottle of lube and a strip of condoms resided. He pulled them out, showing them to Shane before uncapping the lid.
"No condom, want you to cum inside me." Shane asked, his hole flexing involuntarily against the cool air of Ilya's air conditioned room.
"Are you sure?" Ilya asked, a tightness forming in his chest.
Shane moaned, closing his eyes at the thought, "I've never wanted something more, I'm clean I promise, need your cum."
Ilya's cock lurched at those words, "Okay. Okay, yes."
Shane smiled blissfully, looking satisfied by getting what he wanted. He propped himself up on his elbows, arching even further into the bed, actively trying to look as sinful as possible.
It was certainly working. Ilya poured a significant amount of the clear liquid onto his hand and spread it evenly over his cock, getting lost at the feeling of his hand stroking over the rosy head as he stared at the vision before him.
"Hurry up." Shane hissed, looking back at Ilya with a fire in his eyes.
"Feisty котенок." Ilya commented, swatting Shane's ass once more before lining the tip of his cock against Shane's willing entrance, reveling in the heat that radiated from his core.
An attempt was made on Shane's part to push his hips back onto Ilya's dick, but it was futile. Ilya's strong hands wrapped around Shane's (surprisingly slim) waist and pressed it into the mattress unceremoniously, rendering Shane paralyzed.
"Enough. I am in charge here." Ilya growled while simultaneously pushing his cock inch by inch into the inviting warmth of Shane's hole.
Shane let out an unfiltered moan, enjoying the feeling of being full once more. Ilya was so big, the slight pinch of pain struck deep inside of Shane, but he would be lying if the feeling didn't turn him on even more.
"So fucking big, so deep." Shane stated, unable to move his hips with Ilya gripping him so tightly.
"Yeah? Love my big cock?" Ilya asked, sliding out to the tip before thrusting back in at the pace of smooth molasses. It was slow, it was teasing, it was everything Shane could have hoped for.
"You're conceited." Shane managed to choke out, a giggle following suit.
Ilya couldn't help but smile, of course Shane would make a silly comment in the middle of sex.
"I have good reason, no?" Ilya replied playfully, responding with a sharp thrust deep into Shane's fluttering hole.
Shane's laughter was cut short at the feeling, Ilya had managed to find the perfect angle that made him melt into the sheets, "Oh fuck, right there."
Ilya bit his bottom lip, the corners of his mouth curling up into a proud grin. Ilya talked a lot of game, but if there was one thing true about him, it was his insatiable desire to make his partner feel good. Yes, he tended to take charge, but what he really craved was the confirmation that his partner was thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Mm, Shanya, you take it so well." Ilya praised, his hand trailing up from Shane's waist towards his hair, gripping tight and pulling him backward, his arching back flush against Ilya's chest.
His pace became relentless, punching directly into Shane's prostate. He began to mouth at Shane's ear, moving down and kissing excitedly at the junction between Shane's neck and shoulder.
Their bodies slid together deliciously, sweat spreading between them, their moans unabashed. It was just the two of them and the pleasure they created together. It was pure magic.
"Choke me." Shane said, surprising them both.
Ilya's thrusts faltered, his grip on Shane's hair wavering. That was certainly not something he expected to hear from the man he was deep inside of.
"Please." Shane whispered, eyes teary.
After a beat, Ilya continued his movements, balls tightening at the base of his cock as he regained the speed he had lost previously. The stamina he possessed in that moment could break a world record.
"God, Hollander, you are such a freak." Ilya was surprised, to say the least. But not upset, far from it. It was like Shane had been plucked from his perfect fantasy and put right in front of him. He felt selfish for having access to the perfect man.
Instead of questioning Shane further, Ilya used his free hand to slide up Shane's chest and towards his willing neck. Shane's head lolled back onto Ilya's shoulder, providing better access to where he wanted to be touched the most.
Shane's cock twitched expectantly between his legs, leaking onto the bed with no regard for how messy the sheets would be in the aftermath. He was close, just from the constant pressure against his prostate. He was going to cum hands free at the rate they were moving.
Ilya's calloused hand rubbed delicately at the skin of Shane's neck, preparing him for what was to come.
Gently, oh-so gently, Ilya wrapped his thumb and pointer finger around the middle of Shane's' neck, carefully avoiding the windpipe. Despite his surprise at the request, it was not Ilya's first rodeo. He squeezed a slight pressure against the sides of Shane's neck, restricting blood flow beneath the skin.
Shane's jaw dropped at the feeling, eyes closed in a daze. He had died and gone to heaven, surely. Ilya was perfect, they were made for each other, Shane was certain of it.
Ilya continued to thrust deep inside of Shane, focusing on hitting the perfect spot. By the airy sounds coming out of Shane's mouth, he had found the best angle. There was no way he would last much longer.
"So beautiful, котенок, with my hand wrapped around your neck. You look so out of it." Ilya narrated, squeezing just a bit tighter and reveling in the feeling of Shane's hole clamping down on his cock.
After a few more seconds, Ilya let his grip up, allowing Shane to get in a few deep breaths. He held Shane up by the chin, not allowing him to fall back onto the bed. He kissed Shane's cheek sloppily, keeping his eyes glued to the man in front of him, making sure everything was still alright.
"More." Shane groaned, voice hoarse from their activity.
"Beg." Ilya whispered into the shell of his ear.
"Please, Ilya, I'm so close, need more. Please, keep choking me, keep fucking me. Please-"
Shane's words were cut off by the feeling of Ilya's hand squeezing the sides of his neck once more. White hot pleasure coursed through his veins, blinding his vision. All his inhibitions had been dropped, he was stripped to his base needs. No one had ever made him feel so alive yet so high.
"Take it baby, you are so close, I can see it." Ilya grunted behind clenched teeth. It took a lot of self control to focus on Shane entirely and hold of his own building orgasm. He would rather die than cum first.
"Need you to cum inside me, please, fill me up. I'm so full, please." Shane babbled when Ilya loosened his grip once more.
The hand gripping Shane's hair pulled even tighter, securing Shane against his chest as he pounded directly against Shane's prostate.
"Gonna fill you, gonna cum deep inside. Need you to cum first though, baby, can you do that? Can you be a good boy and cum for me?" Ilya asked, once again providing pressure to the sides of Shane's neck and choking him the way he needed.
Shane nodded, eyes squeezing shut. He focused on the pleasure, on the burn, on the feeling of Ilya holding him up by the throat.
He thought about the events of the night, about the adrenaline that hadn't stopped since the beginning of the summer. He thought about his obvious crush on Ilya, on how oblivious he had been, but how amazing it was to find out that it was never a joke.
He thought about their race from the tub to Ilya's car and thought about how much he wanted whatever they had to last forever.
To Shane, this was one last competition, and he was going to win. He would make it to the finish line before Ilya, show him who was really the boss.
The tension that had been building since the moment Shane and Ilya had laid eyes upon one another came crashing down all at once, filling Shane with the warmth of the hot summer sun.
Shane came back to reality, just on the brink of the edge, he allowed the feeling of Ilya overstimulating his prostate wash over him. His orgasm tipped over, his cock spilling out onto the sheets in thick ropes. Shane was unaware of the noises coming out of his mouth, accepting that he looked and sounded completely fucked out.
"Fuck, yes, Shanya. Cum for me, cum on my cock, good fucking boy." Ilya praised, knowing it would only push Shane further off the ledge.
Shane's orgasm continued to rip through him, longer than he had ever experienced before. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, his hips twitched as Ilya continued to thrust inside of him relentlessly.
"Ilya, please, cum inside of me." He begged once more, voice trailing off at the end.
"Fuck, I'm cumming!" Ilya shouted, sheathing himself inside of Shane completely, his cock pulsing deep into Shane's hole. His hand fell from Shane's neck, instead stroking Shane's dick through the aftershocks of his climax.
He continued to thrust through his own orgasm, enjoying the feeling of Shane continuing to tighten around him. He never wanted to leave this position, he wanted to bury himself alive inside of Shane.
"So full, thank you, Ilya." Shane hummed, a distant smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Gently, Ilya laid Shane down face up onto the sheets, staring at him with concern. He gave the man a once over, making sure he hadn't harmed him in the moment. Judging by the look on Shane's face, Ilya had done anything but.
"God you are unreal." Ilya said, shaking his head reverently. Shane smiled sheepishly, hiding his eyes beneath his forearm.
"Shut up." Shane said breathily, head lolling to the side against the soft fabric of the pillows. Of Ilya's pillows. God, he was inside of Ilya's apartment. If you had told him a week ago that he would be here, he wouldn't believe it.
But he would be overjoyed.
"I cannot believe you actually want me." Ilya admitted, leaving Shane in order to grab a towel from his closet.
"What are you talking about, you're like the hottest man ever." Shane complimented, filter still gone.
Ilya rolled his eyes, "That's you. And you have not wanted me all summer, forgive me for being surprised."
Shane bit his lip, "Mm I wouldn't say that."
Ilya raised his eyebrows as he cleaned off Shane's stomach, opening his legs and watching as his cum leaked out from Shane's ruined hole. He wanted to take a picture and make it last forever.
"Pretty hole for the prettiest boy." Ilya said, it seemed the pair of them had left their filters at the pool.
"Ugh! You are so nasty!" Shane whined, feeling embarrassed at the inspection that was currently taking place.
Ilya lifted Shane's hips and placed the towel beneath him, attempting to quell the mess leaking out of him.
"You were not complaining just now." Ilya said smugly, crossing his arms over his wide chest.
Shane couldn't help but stare at the muscles that bulged there, just like old times.
Suddenly, for the second time that night, they were rudely interrupted. This time by the sound of Ilya's ringtone blaring from the phone that sat on the night table beside his bed. Ilya groaned.
"Who the fuck is calling me at this hour?" He asked, reaching out for the offensive object and turning it so the screen faced him.
His eyes widened as he read the name of the contact.
"Ilya, who is it…" Shane said, voice quivering at the fearful look in Ilya's expression.
Slowly, Ilya showed the phone to Shane.
MR. SCHWARTZ - BOSS
Is what the name read.
Shit.
They were in deep shit.
Reluctantly, Ilya answered the call, "Hello Mr. Schwartz, what's up?"
Shane strained to listen as he heard the angry voice of their boss through Ilya's speaker, he couldn't quite make out the words but judging by Ilya's face, there was nothing friendly about the disruption.
Ilya winced as their superior berated him through the phone, his attempts and apologizing were lost entirely on deaf ears.
"I understand, again, I am so sorry, it was a mistake it won't happen again." Ilya expressed his regrets, clearly attempting to smooth things over.
"Oh… Okay, yes. I will let him know. Okay. Okay. I am sorry. Goodbye Mr. Schwartz." Ilya's voice sunk just before ending the call and looking at Shane with sympathy laced into his features.
"What did he say?" Shane asked, voice shaky.
After a beat, Ilya burst out laughing, hunching over Shane's body.
"We're fired!" Ilya exclaimed between gasps.
Shane's mouth fell open.
"Are you fucking serious?" He screeched.
"As a heart attack!" Ilya laughed maniacally.
Shane began to laugh with him, they couldn't help themselves. It sounded as if the room was full of a group of clowns. They embraced as they allowed the amusing situation to settle in.
There is no way this summer was real.
But Shane wouldn't have done it any differently if he could.