Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types, Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Rose Landry, Wyatt Hayes, Luca Haas, Jean-Jacques Boiziau | J. J. Dagenais, Hayden Pike, Troy Barrett

Additional Tags:

Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, Shane Hollander Loves Ilya Rozanov, Autistic Shane Hollander, POV Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov Needs A Hug, Good Friend Rose Landry, Good Friend Hayden Pike, Frenemies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Childhood Memories, Summer Camp, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Alternate Universe, Hockey, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, First Time, a cupcake can be lifechanging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV Ilya Rozanov

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-07 Updated: 2026-04-15 Words: 9,494 Chapters: 2/11

what's the best that can happen?

Summary

Shane Hollander returns as a cabin leader at Camp Ridgewater- this time as head councillor. Unfortunately, Ilya Rozanov returns as well.

or

Since childhood, Shane & Ilya seemed to always be orbiting one another. After 11 long years, maybe all they needed was one more summer to finally collide.

Notes

find me on twt @ ilyaskotenok! i post 1 billion fic ideas and sneak peaks there

Do not feed my work through AI or create generated images based on the story. As a working composer and writer in film & games professionally, I'm INCREDIBLY Anti-AI. Support real artists and create your art using your big beautiful unique brain.

spotify playlist for this fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5x1MaPwh3f6w6Dv0Mag6CF?si=4113c32919ff4398

Chapter 1: old friends & older enemies

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

It was Shane’s 3rd summer in a row as leader of Cabin 1 at Camp Ridgewater. The campgrounds were well tended to, as were the activity areas with bouldering, kayaking and canoeing, bracelet making, and more. The forest and beach area had a special place in his heart. Shane had gone to overnight camp and stayed in the very same cabin he was now in charge of back when he was a kid. He had eight years worth of memories stemming from the cool, buggy summer nights and sweltering sunny days - both good and bad. He had his first kiss down at the dock, had his first heartbreak in the woods, he broke his arm falling out of a tree after an ex best friend dared him to climb as high as he could - his mom wasn’t too happy about that one. Shane looked forward to coming back here every summer, even if the head of Cabin 2 made him want to blow up the entire campgrounds and go on the run. Thankfully, he wasn’t going to be here this summer - or so he had been told. Shane began to unpack his belongings in the staff cabin like he normally would.

He took his toiletries in a bag into the bathroom and placed them under the sink, still zipped up of course. It was a camp, there was no way he was going to be leaving his toothbrush out of its cover and separate baggy. He chose the same bed as always, one with blue covers by the very back corner of the cabin where the window looked out towards the beach. The sun always came in through the broken blinds that the maintenance crew never fixed and blinded him in the morning, but Shane didn’t mind. It was all part of his routine. He unzipped his suitcase and opened the top drawer of the oak dresser by the door to find that it was already full of t-shirts and sweaters haphazardly thrown about. Shane placed his neat stack of boxers back where they came from and put his hands on his hips. He didn’t see another bag in this room anywhere, and the bed on the opposite wall didn’t have any belongings around it. He was certain that he was the first councillor here, as always. He would arrive bright and early to make sure everything was how he liked it. After him would be Rose and Troy most likely - carpooling together from Troy’s grandmother’s house. Then Hayden, J.J, Wyatt and Luca would follow.

He wasn’t sure who was taking over Cabin 2 this summer, but he was sure they would be fine. Unless, of course, it was them who had gotten here first and completely ruined his unpacking protocol before he even really began it. Unable to stop himself, Shane started to refold the clothing in the top drawer to make more room for his own stacks of shirts and boxers. He folded about four different plain shirts until he picked up a black and yellow cropped t-shirt and held it out in front of him. Fucking hell, he thought. He stared at the Boston Raiders logo and immediately knew that the rumours had been wrong. Ilya Rozanov was still the leader of Cabin 2. 

Shane finished up in the staff area and trudged to the dining hall. He knew he’d find Rozanov in there, shoving his face full of greasy food that Martha would have volunteered to make him. The old gravel path up the hill crunched under his feet, the sun finally hovering above the tree line. Shane wished he could have had a moment of peace by himself down by the lake before getting on with the first day of check-ins, but of course Rozanov had to destroy that short-lived daydream. Shane opened the screen door to the dining hall and found him exactly where he’d expected. Back wall table, window open, cigarette hanging out of it. 

“Weren’t you supposed to be back in Russia this summer?” Shane started, walking nonchalantly towards him. Rozanov looked up and allowed a smirk to grace his face. 

“Nice to see you too, Hollander.” He took a drag and blew the smoke out the open window. 

“You know that’s still considered smoking indoors, right?”

“No, Hollander. You’re mistaken. I am smoking in windows.” He gave Shane a wink before snuffing the cigarette out in his empty coffee cup. “We are sharing room together this time.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Shane grimaced, grabbing Rozanov’s plate and cup and stomping towards the kitchen. He stood and followed close behind.

“You are not excited? It will be like old days.”

“Old days like filling my bed with soil old days or losing to my team at World Juniors old days?” Shane dropped the dishes in the sink and turned to shoot him a smile. It didn’t reach his eyes. Rozanov just shrugged.

“Maybe a bit of both.” 

“If you so much as look at the shit on my side of the room, I will kill you.” Shane pushed past him and walked quickly towards the doors as Rozanov called out. 

“Oh Hollander, I’ve missed you so much moye solnyshko!”

“Fuck off, Rozanov!” Shane yelled over his shoulder. It was going to be a long summer. 

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

The others arrived in decent time, unpacking their belongings in the staff cabins and heading to the firepit to catch up before the first day of prep commenced. Shane had been head councillor for two years now and loved every second of it. It was nice leading his friends - minus Rozanov - and making sure that the weekly overnight camp experience was great for each group of kids that came their way, very different from leading his hockey team during the school year. Both came with their own unique set of problems and pressures, but camp was definitely more relaxed. They were a strange group of leaders; Hayden and J.J were incredibly close with Shane whereas Troy and Luca were closer to Rozanov. Rose straddled the middle of the group, with Shane being her ex and best friend, and Troy being her next door neighbour. Wyatt was, well, Wyatt. Everyone loved him and he loved everyone.

In general they all managed to get along swimmingly, and the chirps between sides were always more lighthearted than truly angry. About a year and a half ago, Shane came out to the entire group and everything stayed the same. He tried to do a similar thing with his hockey team, knowing that the guys who already knew would have his back, but the reaction wasn’t as full of warmth and acceptance as the one from his hodgepodge group of misfit camp leaders was. Rozanov came out a few weeks after, which was a shock to almost everyone except for Shane who’d remembered him as a senior camper in their teenage years sneaking off to the boat shack after curfew with his friend Sasha. The acceptance and friendship that they all had with one another - again, minus Rozanov - was the main reason why Shane kept coming back every year instead of finding a new summer job related to hockey. He wouldn't give up his little campground family for anything. 

“Rozy! Dude I thought you were going home this summer!?” Troy called out, running to give him a bear hug. 

“I did not want to. They said Ilyushka, please, Russia is a terrible, unsexy country without you here, you must come back to us, but I put foot down. Said nyet, Canada needs me more,” Rozanov’s eyes darted over to where Shane was standing, “imagine, leaving you all with Shane Hollander, most boring man to ever exist.”

“Other than Scott Hunter,” Luca chimed in.

“Yes, very true Luca, second most boring man to ever exist.” He winked at Shane.

“Happy to take second place on that, seeing as I come in first for everything else.” Shane chirped back. Although Rozanov always managed to be a pain in the ass, but he did kind of miss their back and forths. Shane’s friends all snickered. Rozanov took a step toward him.

“This year, my cabin will beat yours, and then I’ll lead Cabin 1 next summer.”

“That is not at all how it works, Rozanov.” Shane drawled.

“We don’t even keep track of points, otherwise Luca would’ve been fired years ago.” Hayden joked.

“Hey!” Luca pushed Hayden a bit too hard, sending him tumbling backwards over the log seating. The entire group cracked up, Wyatt doubling over with tears in his eyes. Shane looked over at Rozanov who wore a smile so big it rivalled the sun. He’d always been a handsome man. Shane would never admit it but back when they were teenagers he sported a bit of a crush on Rozanov. Sure, he had been struggling with his sexuality and didn’t really know what it all meant back then, but he got giddy thinking about their upcoming games and whether or not he would show up to camp over the summers. He didn’t like Rozanov as a person, in fact he almost could’ve categorized his feelings towards him as hatred if he thought about it long enough.

That being said, there was a fine line between hate and sexual attraction - and oftentimes they overlapped, which they definitely did back then. Now, he and Shane played against one another in the NCAA and ended up working together over the summers. It had been three years of them leading neighbouring cabins, but they’d never roomed together. Shane had always tried his best to avoid Rozanov since he knew the sexual tension between the two of them had never really gone away. In fact, after they’d both come out to their friends here at camp, the tension had only gotten worse. It was one of the reasons why Shane desperately hoped that one day Rozanov wouldn’t be there, it would be infinitely easier that way.

“Alright, alright,” Shane broke up the chaos, “I hate to be boring but we have a lot of work to do before check-in this afternoon. Hayden and Troy you guys are on cabin duty, just make sure everything is where it should be. J.J, Luca, and Rozanov, you guys are on campground duty. Check that all the equipment is good to go - maintenance did their usual safety inspections so don’t bother with those, but just make sure we have the right number of everything. There’s a list for you on the table in the staff living room.” Rozanov wrapped his arms around the shoulders of both J.J and Luca - J.J trying to push away from him and failing miserably. 

“Rose, Wyatt, you’re with me. Admin.”

“Yippee…” Wyatt mumbled.

“I could put you on facility cleanup instead if you want?” Shane teased.

“You misunderstood my tone, Hollander. There is nothing I love more than administration in the entire world. In fact, I would lay my life on the line just to b-”

“Okay, Wyatt, we get it.” Rose put her hand over his mouth, looking at him fondly. Shane had been trying to set the two of them up for a couple years, but it hadn’t worked out. He was certain he could make it happen this summer though. Plus, it was a good thing to focus on when he wasn’t actively leading the campers instead of arguing with Rozanov about table manners. The three of them headed to the camp information centre and got going on their paperwork - and Shane couldn’t have been more happy to do it.

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

Check-in days were always very long. Each cabin had ten kids, so sixty altogether. On the other side of the campgrounds were the recreational camps; day camp, swim camp, nature camp, and sports camp. Originally, Shane had worked a summer as a sports councillor but was removed after he got much too competitive and made a couple parents very angry about his criticisms towards the way their children were performing. He still didn’t understand why it was an issue, since everything he said was constructive and he was just trying to help, but the office managers said something to him about his “tone,” and left it at that. They’d moved him to the overnight area he was already familiar with from his teen years soon after and he never looked back.

Shane took care of any and all paperwork handed to him by parents, while Rose explained the rules to the kids after their parents went away. Each kid was assigned to a cabin depending on their age. Shane’s cabin was the oldest, with Rozanov’s right after. This trickled all the way down to Luca’s cabin which was the youngest - hence why they didn’t do cabin competitions and his would lose immediately if they did. They’d only started separating by age once Shane took over as head councillor. He had argued that older kids often bullied the younger ones, especially the teenage boys. Since the cabin leaders didn’t stay with the kids overnight - except for Luca’s cabin - it was imperative that everyone be on equal ground. Shane’s history with these issues fuelled a lot about that change.

The kids at Ridgewater were never the kindest to him growing up. He was quiet and somewhat reserved, he was particular about his belongings and food, and was extremely over competitive. Shane was pretty sure that the only reason the bullying was never anything physical was because of his athleticism. Otherwise, the bed full of soil might’ve been something worse. It was around the age of thirteen that things had changed for him. Rozanov started to lay off of the obvious attempts to ruin his life and stuck with teasing instead. His friends backed off of him as well. Shane thought it was probably due to the fact that he found out Rozanov’s mother had died a few months before their camp week started and had chosen to ask him if he was okay on the first day. He remembered Rozanov being slightly uncomfortable with the question and only giving him a slight nod - but after that everything was different. A few days later Shane had found Rozanov crying near the boat house by himself. It had been his late mother’s birthday and Shane tried to comfort him but was shoved away, they just weren’t close like that - at all really. It had been almost a decade since that shift in their relationship, and they hadn’t talked about it ever again. Occasionally over the years, Shane would spot a similar dynamic between the teenagers in their cabins and shut it down as soon as he could. Rozanov did the same. At least they were on the same page about that.

“Hollander,” Shane heard his name behind him, turning to see Rozanov jogging over.

“What’s wrong?” Rozanov raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nothing is wrong. Why do you assume something is wrong? You think I'm a bad councillor?” He smirked. 

“Fu- No, of course not Rozanov.” Shane mustered up a polite smile.

“Close one,” he winked at Shane in return. “Where is the key for the games shed? These kids are going to kill each other if we make them sit for another half hour with nothing to do while we wait.”

“Oh, here.” Shane took his lanyard off and handed it to Rozanov. “Don’t lose that.”

“Never, solnyshko.”

“Stop calling me that,” Shane furrowed his brow at him.

“You do not even know what it means, it is nice I promise.” Shane swatted his hand away as it came up to pinch his cheeks.

“Get back to work, Rozanov.”

He turned on his heel and sauntered off with Shane’s lanyard hanging from around his neck, stealing a small glance back at him over his shoulder. He winked. What an asshole, Shane thought to himself.

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

When check-in was over, it was time for some group bonding activities. The councillors led their groups to separate areas of the campgrounds and played some icebreakers to get them talking and laughing. It was easier for Luca and Rose to accomplish this task since their kids were all younger, so the shame and embarrassment that came along with teenhood hadn’t settled in yet. Shane’s cabin was the worst to deal with since they were all teenagers, which meant none of them wanted to be perceived. From across the firepit, Shane could see that Rozanov was struggling with his cabin equally. They looked at each other briefly, Rozanov offering a shrug.

The one thing that he had over Shane was the fact that his campers always thought he was cool. Even though they were both college hockey stars, Rozanov had the charm and snarky confidence of one, whereas Shane was much more straight-laced. When they had to run activities together it became even more evident, with Shane taking on a strict rule-following role and Rozanov letting them find loopholes to thwart him at every corner. It was exhausting. Thankfully, besides the early cleaning routine and the hectic administrative protocol that drove the afternoon, check-in days were always the most relaxed after checkouts. Once the icebreakers were done they headed to the dining hall for dinner and a movie before laying out the ground rules for each of the cabins and getting everyone to bed at sundown.

The following days would be chock-full of activities and Shane had planned the itinerary within an inch of its life - as per usual. Shane was reading a book in bed after finishing his daily checklist when Rozanov came back from the showers, his abs still dappled with water droplets. Shane looked up from his novel and adjusted his glasses, dragging his eyes down over the carved muscle of Rozanov’s torso. His happy trail disappeared under the top of the towel he’d wrapped around himself to get back to their room. Rozanov seemed to get better looking every year that went by, it was infuriating. Shane’s eyes bounced from each of his moles up to the curve of his neck, saying a quick thank you internally to the universe for allowing him to be under the covers since he was definitely rocking a semi. Rozanov cleared his throat.

“You like what you see, Hollander? You can take a picture if you want, make it your phone background.” Rozanov smirked down at him.

“Oh shut up, I’m worried about you making the floor wet. It’s dangerous.” He turned back to his book, until it was plucked from his hands. “Dude, what the fuck? Give that back.” 

“What is this? How the NHL Conquered Hockey. Do you only think about hockey all day and all night?”

“It’s informative.” He reached over to snatch it back from Rozanov, making sure his blanket stayed put.

“I’m sure,” he made an exaggerated face and gave him a thumbs up before removing his towel. Shane had been in showers and locker rooms with other men for well over a decade at this point. Never once had his eyes wandered, he’d never even thought about it. Here in the close proximity of their shared room was a different story, however. Rozanov stepped lightly to the wardrobe to grab a pair of briefs, his ass on full display. As he turned to the side Shane caught a glimpse of his v-line, elegantly directing his eyes down to a soft but still very impressive cock. Shane’s face went beet red, turning his eyes back to his book and trying desperately to think of anything other than what he’d just seen. 

“You’re blushing, Hollander.” Rozanov said, stepping into his briefs and a pair of sweatpants.

“No I’m not.”

“You are, and it’s cute. The glasses are cute too,” he smirked at him. That lopsided grin that drove everyone crazy for years. Shane hadn’t fallen for it yet and wasn’t about to. He snapped his book shut and took the glasses off, placing them both on the night stand.

“Fuck off, Rozanov.” He turned over and closed his eyes, waiting for Rozanov to turn the light out and do the same. A few minutes went by before he finally climbed into his bed on the other side of the room, the overhead light going dark. Shane stayed wide awake for what seemed like hours, the vision of Rozanov standing naked in front of him burned into his brain. He had no idea how he was going to survive the summer if every night was going to be like this. I am so fucked, he thought, before drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 2: we slip and fall

Chapter Summary

The small bits of light from daybreak scattered themselves across his golden curls that rested upon a white, down feather pillow. The blanket he was using was draped horizontally across his body, so his torso was bare, back to Shane. He caught himself staring at the moles that dappled his skin over lines of athletic muscle, honed from years of practice and performance. Shane wished that things had been different between them - not romantic necessarily, just different.

Shane and Ilya spend the morning with their cabins in the rock climbing area, where things get a bit too competitive. After chaos breaks loose, Ilya quickly and responsibly aids an injured camper, Shane starts to see him in a new light.

Chapter Notes

Please do not feed my work through AI or use it to generate images. As a writer & musician full time I am Anti-AI and do not condone this whatsoever. Please support real artists and use your big beautiful unique brain to create.

You can find me on twt at the same name @ ilyaskotenok!

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

Shane woke up early, as per usual. The sun had barely started to rise, the first bits of daylight washing over his face from where he lay in bed. It had taken forever for him to fall asleep. Thoughts of Rozanov drifted in and out of his mind over and over again, many of them completely innocent - others not so much. He’d thought back to their time together at this very same camp as teenagers, the way they’d been competitive with one another from the get-go. Everything was so much easier back then. They’d see each other over the summer a couple times and then on the ice at World Juniors during the season. It made it so that their relationship remained distant, not that either one of them had expressed any interest in being friends anyway.

Since then, they faced each other in the NCAA and bumped shoulders at hockey events throughout the US. When their seasons had ended a feeling of relief had come over Shane, knowing that he wouldn’t have to look across the line into Rozanov’s piercing eyes for several long months. He didn’t realize that wasn’t going to be the case after all. Now, Rozanov slept across the room from him in an identical twin bed, one that was much too small. The small bits of light from daybreak scattered themselves across his golden curls that rested upon a white, down feather pillow. The blanket he was using was draped horizontally across his body, so his torso was bare, back to Shane. He caught himself staring at the moles that dappled his skin over lines of athletic muscle, honed from years of practice and performance.

Shane wished that things had been different between them - not romantic necessarily, just different. Maybe in another life they would’ve been friends instead of whatever they were now. They weren’t enemies like they used to be, and most of the teasing and rivalry they had was tinged with an underlying humour. They were both the best at what they did outside of the camp boundaries, and regardless of whether or not they wanted to admit that out loud, the shared respect and sentiment was rooted in every snide remark they threw each other’s way. Still, they weren’t friends. They couldn’t be with so much history and unanswered questions.  Rozanov stirred, causing Shane to bolt out of bed and head to the shower. He’d spent too long lounging in bed anyway. It was unlike him to be so scatterbrained. This is why we don’t room with our rivals, he thought to himself.

Hayden sat down across from Shane at their shared staff table in the dining hall. His plate was full up of pancakes and fruit, the complete opposite from Shane’s egg white omelet that he’d made himself in the back. He’d indulge by the campfire and on Friday nights when it was the last dinner of each week. Outside of that he was happy to stick with what he knew and make it himself. He didn’t want to bother Martha with his personal dietary choices.

“So? First night okay?” Hayden asked, eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, fine.” Shane lied. 

“I’m surprised, rooming with that fucking guy.”

“Swear jar, Hayd. We’re surrounded by children.”

“We’re at a staff table, I’m immune.” Hayden took a gigantic syrupy bite of pancakes and gave Shane a satisfied grin. Shane shook his head. “My point still stands. I couldn’t imagine sharing a room with him. Does he snore?”

“No. Thankfully.”

“He’s just a disaster,” Hayden kept pushing. Shane wasn’t above shit talking when he wanted to - it was one of the things that him and Rose bonded over. They both loved a bit of gossip when it was about the right person. Still, there was something about someone else other than him talking about Rozanov in a negative way that made Shane’s skin itch. 

“He’s actually not, dude. Yeah sure, his organization in our dresser isn’t exactly great but he’s not like, a slob or anything. He’s fine.” Shane cut into his omelette, it was starting to get a little cold. Gross, Shane sighed and chewed on the rubbery texture.

“Wouldn’t have guessed.” 

“Yeah well, no one’s known him longer than me so,” Shane looked over at where he was standing with Wyatt and Troy out on the back deck near the employee exit. Rozanov took a drag from his cigarette. Shane always rolled his eyes at him for smoking when he was an athlete, but the way Rozanov did it made Shane want to take a drag himself. Pull it together, he thought. 

“It’s kind of funny isn’t it?”

“What is?” Shane replied. 

“Just, you know. You and him. You guys used to fucking hate each other-”

“We still do-”

“And now you’re being forced to room together and get along. It’s just funny, I don’t know.” Hayden shook his head and laughed. “Like, if I had to room with Comeau one of us would end up dead within an hour.”

“Right,” Shane toyed with the rest of the omelette on the plate. Forced to room together. The thing was, they weren’t being forced to do anything. Rozanov had intentionally chosen to room with Shane despite their disdain for one another. Hayden wouldn’t have known that, seeing as he never read up on any of the paperwork Shane used to send him before arriving every summer. The previous two years they’d roomed together instead, with J.J occasionally coming to hang out and fall asleep on the floor in a sleeping bag after they’d stayed up too late.

Rozanov arriving early and taking what would’ve been Hayden’s bed was unprecedented. It was something that Shane had been wondering about since he pulled that ugly Raiders t-shirt out of the top drawer. What in the world would have possessed Rozanov to do such a thing? Maybe it was to do exactly what was happening now - torture Shane both mentally and emotionally. Hell, even sexually in the process.

“If you’re not gonna eat that you should grab a muffin or something, dude. You’re gonna be starving later.” Hayden said, grabbing his plate and heading into the kitchen to drop it off. Shane stood to do the same, grabbing a banana on the way. That would be enough.

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

The summer heat was nearly blistering, but seeing as the other camps had filled up the arena and information centre with pre-booked activities, Shane had to come up with better and safer ideas for his campers. The problem was that his camp was strictly an outdoor camp, minus the Friday skate at the arena. Even the crafting tables were outside. Every now and then there would be a rainy day, but that was fine. They’d clear the tables from the dining hall and go through one of his many pre-planned rain day itineraries and end the night with a movie and some fresh cookies. Planning for a sunny day during a heat wave was always much more difficult.

Shane eventually decided to send the smaller kids with Luca and Rose to the waterhole by the forest. The lake would’ve been fine if the sun hadn’t been beating down like no tomorrow. Thankfully, the waterhole would still be freezing cold and the shade from the edge of the forest would give them enough cover. While the kids were always told to put sunscreen on and the councillors tried their best to ensure that it happened - sunburns were still likely, and there was almost nothing worse than having to deal with a bunch of nine year olds with painful sunburns. While Rose and Luca did a headcount and began their walk to their morning activity, Shane turned to face the rest of the campers.

There was only one place where they could all go safely: the climbing barns. Years ago, the campsite had converted two massive barns into rock climbing and bouldering areas. Originally they’d been for the horse camps, but after years of those weeks consistently outperforming the other camps, they decided to purchase the land east of them and build a dedicated horse ranch for that very thing. Now, they had these two barns to themselves, recently made into the best obstacle courses they could be. It would still be insanely hot inside, seeing as barns weren’t exactly air conditioned, but at least they’d be out of the sun. He’d make sure to have one of the guys on water duty and maybe get some freezies as well. 

They’d arrived at the barn a little bit after 10:00am and the kids scattered to whichever areas they were most excited for. It seemed like most of the kids wanted to try bouldering since you didn’t need a harness or a spot for it. Shane turned to look at Rozanov as he leaned against the barn door, the heat clearly getting to him. A droplet of sweat ran from his temple and down his chin, dripping onto his chest. His hair was damp, and his lips were slightly parted. Shane swallowed and tore his eyes away, but not before Rozanov caught him staring.

“Have you done this before, Hollander?” Rozanov nodded towards the bouldering area, making his way over to Shane.

“You know I have, you pushed me off one time,” Shane shoved his shoulder lightly, bending down to fix his shoelace. 

“Oh yes, I remember now. You screamed, it was very funny.” Rozanov nudged his foot and Shane slapped it away. 

“I did not scream-”

“You totally did-”

“No. I didn’t.” Shane rose back to his feet and stood directly in front of Rozanov.  “Can you focus and do your job for once?”

“I am watching the kids. That is my job. They’re here in a fucking barn with us, what else would I be doing if not this?”

“Language, Rozanov.” Shane tried to interrupt, failing.

“You can’t talk to people and work at the same time? You hear of this thing called multitasking?” Rozanov was really laying the condescending tone on thick. “You will have to learn it to be pro captain someday.”

“Alright, Rozanov!” Shane snapped. “I get it.” The pair split up after a brief awkward silence to go make their rounds in the barns. They helped with harnesses and gave safety instructions when necessary. Shane broke up what he assumed would’ve turned into some sort of fight near the far wall if he hadn’t intervened first and managed to wrangle a couple of the suspects over to where Troy was trying to run the rope obstacle. Key word: trying. Mostly it was just him falling off of it repeatedly and growing increasingly frustrated while a small group of campers and Rozanov laughed at him until they were in tears. Shane didn’t think he’d ever seen someone worse at that particular exercise. It was shocking, seeing as Troy was an athlete and should’ve been better at it than he was. Shane motioned to Rozanov to take a video on his phone of how bad it was, and thankfully he picked up what Shane was putting down. He’d remind him to send it to Troy’s boyfriend Harris when they were back in their rooms later that night. Harris would probably post it all over social media and never let him live it down - it was good to have jokes within their friend group like that. It kept everyone humble. Well, mostly everyone. 

Shane found himself meandering towards the bouldering wall with a few bottles of water for the kids and stood idly by surveilling the area. Things were going well despite the difficult start to the day. Everyone seemed to be having fun and the councillors were doing their jobs. Shane watched as Rozanov left Troy’s group and poured a bottle of water over his head outside, shaking off the excess like a golden retriever in the sun. He tossed the bottle into a recycling bin near the entrance and allowed his gaze to land on Shane. He smiled and walked over.

“You need water?” He asked.

“Got some,” Shane pointed to the few bottles laying at his feet, “it’s supposed to be for drinking anyway.”

“Boooo you’re no fun, Hollander. I was getting too hot. Russians are not built for this.” Shane snorted. 

“What are they built for then?” He looked directly at Rozanov, giving him a smirk. It was fun poking and prodding at him every now and then when he felt like he might have a bit of control over the situation. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Rozanov winked. So much for control, Shane thought, a blush creeping up his neck. He took a breath and grimaced before angling his body away from him. Rozanov took a step back and traced his eyes up the bouldering wall beside them.

“I bet I could do the yellow track faster than you.” Rozanov gave him a knowing smile. He knew that Shane was never one to back down from a challenge. Some of the kids’ ears perked up at the idea of it as well. They’d love nothing more than to see their two councillors in a competition. 

“Yeah right,” Shane scoffed. The interest in the challenge grew. Some of the older kids were hockey players themselves on junior teams from across the province - a couple of them had even been in the youngest cabin when Shane and Rozanov had still been campers themselves. They were aware of how deep the rivalry went. 

“I could! You work out - is obvious - but I am stronger than you still I think.”

“You know it’s not just strength right?”

“No, I do not know this. Would you care to demonstrate, Hollander?” Rozanov wiggled his eyebrows at Shane. He knew that neither one of them was ever going to back down from a challenge, even if it meant embarrassing themselves in front of campers. 

“Fine, you’re on.” Shane lined himself up at the bottom of the yellow track on the wall. It ran up four holds, diagonally up to the right another six, and then up three more - two of which were on the underside of an overhang. Leave it to Rozanov to choose the most difficult track, Shane thought. Rozanov took out his phone and opened the stopwatch. 

“Ready?” He asked.

“No cheating!” Shane pointed at a random kid, “Michael, watch him and make sure he doesn’t cheat.”

“Aye Aye, Cap’n!” The kid yelled back. Ilya laughed at him.

“Suck up. I would never cheat, Hollander. It would ruin my reputation of beating you so easily all the time.” 

Shane rolled his eyes and started to climb. It was mere seconds by the time he had made it to the overhang which proved to be the most difficult part. Actually, the overhang itself was fine. It was relatively similar to monkey bars but with rounder holds. It was getting over the edge of the overhang back to the flat wall that was most difficult. Shane pushed off and reached up to grab the final rock, barely holding on by his finger tips. He thanked hours of holding sticks and lifting weights for giving him his grip strength in that moment, and tapped the top yellow dot to signify the end of the run. 

“Nine point two seconds.” Rozanov nodded his head. “Not bad. Now watch and learn.”

The pair of them swapped places and Rozanov took off. It was only three seconds in by the time he had made it to the overhang, which was two seconds faster than Shane’s pace. He tried not to think about the fact that Rozanov had actually skipped over a couple of holds thanks to his slight height advantage. What Rozanov hadn’t considered though was how his extra weight was going to manage the shift back to the flat wall once he’d gotten there. He tried pushing off the way Shane had and missed the grip all together - barely managing to grab back onto the one he’d pushed off from a moment before. Instead, he stretched as far as he could and tried again - much more controlled - and tapped the yellow dot. 

“Ten point three seconds.” Rozanov dropped down into the hay bales and looked up at him. Shane gave him the best smug face he could muster.

“Okay, I lose this time. You are smaller than me, makes it easier.” Rozanov shrugged before standing back up.

“Oh F-, whatever.” He handed Rozanov’s phone back to him and walked away towards the entrance of the barn. Rozanov followed closely behind him, not realizing that several of the campers had decided to try the same route they had. In any other circumstance this would’ve been fine, if not for the fact that it was the younger campers who’d decided to take turns at it rather than the older ones who had a better chance. By the time Shane spun around to ream Rozanov out for his comment in front of their campers, one of the younger girls Alexa had already made it to the overhang and was dangling with a slipping grip.

Shane swore he saw the whole incident in slow motion, the way the other kids jumped to try and pull at her legs, the way her fingertips were white against the yellow hold, the hay bale as it shifted under the weight of one of the older campers, moving slightly from its place against the wood floor. Rozanov followed Shane’s gaze and turned around as well, quickly trying to get to her before she fell. He didn’t make it. Alexa fell flat on her back on the wooden barn, her head bouncing against the planks. The other councillors immediately rounded up the kids to bring them outside the barn while he and Rozanov tended to the situation. The years of friendship between the group of adults was a blessing in moments like these, with no one needing to verbally communicate anything. They moved instinctually, as one.

Rozanov got to her first. She was breathing and there wasn’t any blood - both good signs. Shane however felt like he couldn’t move at all. Panic attack, not good. He willed himself to take a few steps forward. Rozanov was already looking at Alexa’s pupils to check for concussion symptoms. 

“Hollander, you need to get the golf cart,” Rozanov looked at him with concern on his face. “Earth to Hollander! Shane! Come on!”

He swallowed and looked around the barn. He had no idea where he’d put his keys. His heart was racing, his mind moving more like molasses. He thought he heard Rozanov say his name again but wasn’t entirely sure until he saw Troy dart past him towards Alexa and felt a pair of strong hands grab his shoulders to push him out the back exit. 

“Shane, look at me,” Rozanov demanded. He looked up at him, taking the direction he was given as best as he could. He felt out of control. Wrong. “Snap out of this. I know what you are like and how you get. This is not the time.”

“I can’t just-”

“I know, Shane. But you are head councillor, yes?” Shane dropped his eyes and started to lower his head, but Rozanov caught his face. “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t stop looking at me. Just breathe.” 

Shane could feel Rozanov’s hands cupping his face, guiding his eyes towards his. They were warm and strong, the stability and confidence that Shane was grasping for in this moment. 

“She is going to be fine. She fell, it happens. We need you to do your job right now though. Come on. Focus on my breathing, trust me.” Rozanov grabbed one of Shane’s hands and forced it to his chest to feel him breathe in and out. The other slipped from his jaw down to where his shoulder met his neck. It was grounding. Shane breathed in time with him, the world around him starting to move at a regular pace again. He kept his eyes fixed on Rozanov’s, laced with fear and care in a way he’d never seen before. Shane blinked, trying to wake himself from this strange reality where Rozanov actually wanted to help him and not be the bane of his existence for once. Clarity slowly started to return.

“Good. There you are, Solnyshko. Now go inside and be captain Hollander. I know you are good at that, I’ve seen it before.”

“Did you just compliment me?” Shane smiled up at him. Rozanov dropped his hand.

“No, I would never do this. Now go.” There was a bit of fondness radiating from him as he pushed Shane back that he decided not to think about too much, otherwise he’d start panicking again. 

Once inside, Shane took charge. It was just like Rozanov had said, he was a captain. He had to be.

“Wyatt, Hayden, J.J, Troy, you guys stay here with the campers. Hayd you’re in charge while I’m gone. You’ve got another thirty minutes here before heading back for lunch. Rozanov and I are gonna bring Alexa to the nurse at the arena and call her parents.”

“You got it boss,” Hayden answered. 

Rozanov picked Alexa up like she weighed nothing and started carefully walking over the other bales to the entrance. Shane sprinted to the golf cart and removed his lanyard with his keys. How he’d forgotten they were hanging around his neck the whole time he’d never understand. He started the cart up and tore back to the barn to help the two who were still waiting in the hot summer sun. The light definitely wasn’t good for her if she had a concussion, so Shane parked the cart and grabbed Wyatt’s hat off his head to put over her eyes while they drove to the area. 

“Are you okay, Alexa?” Shane asked.

“Yeah I just - can’t - breathe.” She wheezed a bit and allowed Rozanov to place her gently in the passenger side of the cart, then moved to sit on the back.

“You are just winded, sweetheart. You will get your breath back soon.”

At the arena, Shane and Rozanov sat outside the nurses office waiting for her parents. Rozanov had been great with her, constantly checking in for the duration of the ride and making sure she knew her family was going to come pick her up after she was done with the nurse. Shane was great with kids, but in tense moments like these ones it was nice to have someone else to lean on. He hadn’t expected Rozanov to so naturally lean into the role, but was grateful nonetheless. Alexa ended up heading home with a small concussion. The waivers covered injuries like those so the camp was fine and the parents didn’t seem too worried about it - they muttered something about her being in karate and them being used to it at this point. Shane let out a massive sigh of relief as they both headed back to their campers to continue the day’s activities - hopefully incident free.

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

The day stretched on forever. Ilya was exhausted, desperate to get back to his cabin and crash for the night. The heat was brutal, and the events from earlier in the day were starting to catch up to him. Since then, Hollander hadn’t been as bitchy with him as he normally was. It was a nice change of pace, although he knew it wouldn’t last. After dinner the pair volunteered to stay behind on dish duty while the others put the campers to bed and settled in the staff cabin for the night. Over the last several years, Ilya hadn’t found himself alone with Hollander very often. He’d tried his best when they were kids, constantly poking fun at him like a foolish young boy with a crush. Obviously that tactic didn’t work and made Hollander absolutely hate him. It was unfortunate. Ilya didn’t hate Hollander at all - in fact it was the opposite.

He adored Hollander. He thought the way his nose scrunched up when he was confused was adorable, his eyes were a deep brown he’d love to get lost in if he had the time, and the freckles - well, the freckles were his best feature. Due to the hostile nature of their relationship though, Ilya had to take what he could get. This normally consisted of yelling at one another, flirting with Hollander to try and get him to blush, and pet names that he could keep hidden thanks to their language barrier. Earlier that day had been different. Ilya was more than ready to be screamed at by Hollander, he’d been looking forward to it actually, but then he saw his face drop.

After years of knowing each other he had seen his fair share of Hollander panic attacks, but he’d never been the one to step in to help him. He was terrified of whether or not he was going to be able to do anything at all, seeing as their shared history of back and forth animosity would normally not be the most calming reminder in a moment like that. Hollander didn’t seem to have any sort of problem with it in the end. In fact, Ilya was certain that it had been the shortest attack he’d ever seen Hollander face. It was almost as if Ilya’s method had worked better than anyone else’s had. He wanted to read into it more, maybe think that it was because Hollander was finally coming around and didn’t want to hate him as much as he used to, but he couldn’t waste time thinking about something like that. Ilya was a romantic at heart, but not of mind, and it was important to remain detached since there was no chance that Hollander would ever be interested in him in that way. At least that’s what he told himself when thoughts of Hollander’s freckles danced through his mind every night before bed. 

Now the pair of them were standing shoulder to shoulder in the dining hall kitchen, washing what Ilya suspected was about one billion dishes before they were able to head to their room for a desperately needed night’s sleep. The closeness was nice though, and the silence wasn’t awkward. It was still and comfortable, built from the years they’d known each other and been forced to exist in one another’s spaces. 

“You did well today,” Hollander finally broke the silence.

“Yes, I am a very good rock climber.” Ilya smirked. 

“You know that’s not what I was talking about.” Hollander bumped shoulders with his, and let a quick breath out of his nose. “You were good with her, and you helped me too.”

“Yes, well. I like my job, and you needed my help.”

“Still, I appreciate it.” Hollander stopped and took a moment to glance up at Ilya. “Thank you, Rozanov. Really. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”

Ilya was ready to melt. He’d never heard such a genuine statement of gratitude come out of Hollander’s mouth before. 

“It was no problem, Hollander. I am sure you would’ve done the same thing for anyone else, da?” Rozanov smiled down at him before turning his attention back to the dishes in the sink. He was pretty sure if he kept staring then he’d explode or pass out. Maybe both from the earnest look being sent in his direction by Hollander’s pretty eyes.

“Yeah, I guess.” Hollander sighed and stopped. “Do you ever feel overwhelmed by everything?” 

“Sure. Why?” Ilya responded casually.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning but if I try to come up for air I might never… I don’t know. Dive back in? Like if I just keep going then eventually my normal will just be that - drowning.” He started drying his pile of cups while Ilya watched, his heart sinking slightly.

“Shane, that is not good for you.”

“Shane, that’s the second time today you’ve said my name and not Hollander.”

“Technically they are both your name,” Ilya remarked. Keep it casual, he reminded himself. “I am serious though, Hollander. You should not feel that way all the time. I know I am lazy and whatever else people say about me, but sometimes it is good to be this way.”

“Lazy? I don’t see that side of you at all,” Hollander said quietly. Ilya knew that it was an honest reply, there was no humour behind it. He looked away and swallowed the lump forming in his throat before the moment got too vulnerable. It had been only a few months since his father died, and one of the many things that looped around in Ilya’s head every day was his voice telling him he had been lazy. He wasn’t as strict about everything as someone like Hollander was. He didn’t think that was a problem, seeing as they were both playing in the NCAA together and would no doubt both go pro.

Still, the idea of being lazy had stuck with him and even his college coach had called him that word when he stopped showing up to optional skates on weekends. If he wanted the extra sleep so he could focus better in class then that’s what he needed - it wasn’t lazy. To hear Hollander so easily brush off that negative trait he’d been weighed down by for over a decade was moving to say the least. 

“Hey, you okay? You sort of shut down on me there.” He nudged Ilya. 

“Yes, I am fine. Are you done now or do we have to go stick these under the hand dryer in the bathroom as well?” Ilya changed the subject as best as he could.

“Gross, do you know how many germs are in those things? You should never ever use them. They basically just trap shit molecules and blow them back onto your hands, it's disgusting.” 

“Of course you know this.” Ilya teased. Shane shook his head and smiled.

“Let’s get back.”

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

The previous night at the cabin had been a bit of a fun moment for Ilya. He loved getting Hollander worked up when he could. He didn’t have the chance to do that this time. As he sat down on his bed his joints screamed at him, his eyes hot and burning from exhaustion. Suddenly he dreaded the coming morning. How he was going to wake up on time and still function like a normal person was going to be nothing short of a miracle. He knew that the first few days of each season were tiring just like this one - but rarely did they ever have an incident to deal with on top of it all. That was an unnecessary stresser.

Ilya lounged around waiting for Hollander to finish up in their shared bathroom and listened to the sound of the frogs outside the window. Ilya never got used to the quiet. Growing up in Moscow and moving to Toronto and then Boston didn’t leave him much room for nature. The moments he managed to scrounge up were always while he was here at camp, and he’d never tell anyone but secretly he loved it much more than the life he had in the city. The calm quiet was relaxing and peaceful, and he’d most likely settle down somewhere similar once his career was over - that was the plan at least.

After dreaming about the future for a bit, the latch on the bathroom door finally opened and Hollander walked out in his boxers. It had been a year or so since Ilya had seen him without a shirt on. He’d put on more muscle since last summer, and his freckles were slightly darker from the sun he had no doubt gotten over the first few weeks of his holiday before starting here. He was beautiful. 

“Is it my turn to make an asshole remark to you about staring? Or am I supposed to be more polite than that?” Hollander walked towards his bed and climbed in, perching his glasses on his nose and opening a book. Ilya thought he was the cutest man to ever walk the earth. A little nerd with the body of a star athlete. 

“You can comment, and I will agree. I was staring at you, you look good.” Ilya always managed to get the upper hand in situations like these and wasn’t about to start changing that now. 

“Oh - uh - thank you.” Hollander blushed up to his ears and Ilya took that as a win before trudging his way into the steamy bathroom for his own shower. 

When the door closed Ilya leaned forward and looked into the foggy mirror. Fuck me, Ilya thought. He had hoped that Hollander hadn’t noticed his face while he stared at him. He knew he probably looked like he was going to jump off the bed and ravage him. He saw the way his boxers hugged his ass, the outline of his soft dick pressing gently against the fabric. He knew Hollander would be an impressive size under the cloth that hid him from view. If only he had decided to use a towel the way Ilya had the previous night, then he’d know for certain. His wet hair parted down the middle, slightly long in the back and still dripping onto his broad freckled shoulders was a sight to behold. If only the sparks that he felt between them were more evident, he could maybe then think about making some sort of move.

Instead, Ilya found himself turning the scalding shower on and stepping in with a half hard cock between his legs. He wasn’t one to show restraint in moments like these, but Ilya was highly aware of how thin the cabin walls were and that Hollander’s bed was flush against the bathroom. Ilya grabbed the base of his cock and let himself fall backwards against the tile, trying to steady his breathing. He thought about Hollander’s pink lips, the way they parted, the way his tongue wet them when he was trying to think of something to say. He wanted to taste his mouth badly. Ilya moved his hand slowly, using a bit of soap to push things along. The way Hollander had trusted him so implicitly earlier in the day made his arousal grow, his wet eyes staring up at him slightly glazed over. He imagined that’s what he’d look like after being totally ruined by Ilya, blissed out of his mind and begging for his cock over and over again until Ilya gave it to him willingly. He dragged a hand across his chest and abdomen, imagining it was Hollander’s instead.

Ilya felt a small moan creep into his throat and bit down on his fist to stop himself from making any noise. He couldn’t give himself away so easily with Hollander in the other room. Although, the fact that there was a chance that Hollander could hear him made the act of jerking off to him all the more exciting. What if he heard and decided to join? Or what if Hollander was doing the same thing right now on the other side of the wall? Ilya’s thoughts ran wild dreaming up scenarios where he had him wherever and whenever he wanted, until eventually his mind whited out and he came all over his hand and the shower floor. 

When clarity hit him he realized how difficult the situation at hand was. Hollander hated him, and he was supposed to hate him back. But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried - and he did try, very hard. Ilya finished up in the shower and dove into bed after a quick towel dry. He listened to Hollander’s breathing across the room and thought about anything that wasn’t him. It didn’t work, and by the time he drifted off to sleep he was already dreaming of more ways he’d take him if he had the opportunity.

☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆.𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊.☆

Chapter End Notes

thank you for reading! pls leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed this chapter, it means a bunch luh you, uh!