Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Kip Grady/Scott Hunter, Kip Grady & Shane Hollander & Scott Hunter & Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, Kip Grady, Scott Hunter (Game Changers)

Additional Tags:

Accidental Self-Harm, Misunderstandings, Ilya Rozanov Needs A Hug, Protective Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Protective Kip Grady, Shane Hollander Loves Ilya Rozanov, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Vacation, no beta we die like ilya's dad, Parental Scott Hunter, Mild Sexual Content, Marriage Proposal

Language:

English

Series:

Part 4 of Seasoned Gay to the Rescue

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-10 Completed: 2026-04-16 Words: 8,134 Chapters: 3/3

(Not) Like My Mother

Summary

Shane and Ilya invite Scott and Kip up to the cottage for a much needed vacation. It's meant to be a fun relaxing weekend and Ilya plans on making everything perfect. It's been over a year since Ilya stopped hurting himself, but an accidental kitchen mishap nearly sends him spiraling. Good thing Scott and Kip are there to help him through it.

Sequel to Showing Up For Him but can be read as a standalone.
(I promise it's a lot more lighthearted than the summary sounds.)

Notes

I'm back ya'll with a sequel that I promise is less angsty! If you're here from the previous fic, thanks for sticking around for this one!! <3

Chapter 1: He Can Do Dinner

“How?” Scott groans loudly once he and Kip are finally in the rental car, “Does an airline lose two fucking bags for a one hour flight! We didn’t even go that far!”

Kip laughs lightly, “It happens. They’ll find our bags.”

“But now we look like assholes,” Scott isn’t actually angry, more disappointed. He and Kip were headed off to Shane Hollander’s elusive cabin to go stay with him and Ilya for the bye week. Ilya had called it a gaycation (thanks to Kip teaching him new words).

“Babe, it’s fine! Shane and Ilya will understand.”

Scott sighs, “I know. Come on, at least we can pick up the rental.”

“We should probably get clothes,” Kip points out as they start walking to the Hertz, “I doubt we'll get our luggage tonight if it ended up in Phoenix.”

At least, getting the rental car was easy. “I just wanted everything to go well,” Scott continues to complain, as they get into the car.

“It will,” Kip insists, plugging Shane’s address into the GPS. “Look, we’re passing through town and we’ll just pick up a couple things.”

“Some beer too,” Scott resigns himself to their misfortune, “I don’t want to show up empty handed.”

“That too- OH!” Kip grins and holds his phone up for Scott to see.

“What am I looking at?”

Kip glances back at his phone and realizes he’s showing Scott his home screen. “Oh, sorry. I guess I clicked out. Here,” He pulls up an instagram post. “It’s an ice cream shop that does funky flavors. Like this one is rosemary and sriracha, and this one is whiskey watermelon. We should pick some up too.”

Scott starts driving and nods, “I like that idea.”

“Even better,” Kip grins as he continues to scroll, “There’s a vodka ginger flavor too.”

-

Ilya stares at his phone trying to make sure the recipe is correct. Thank fuck that Yuna had the good sense to digitize it. He’d been cooking a lot more since moving to Ottawa and genuinely enjoyed sharing his creations with the Hollanders. He’d made a lot of Russian food and whatever else fit into Shane’s stupid boring diet, but he’d come to the realization that he’d never made Japanese food. He knew Yuna did because she’d often make something for Shane (and Ilya by extension) and he’d sometimes come home with containers of it. But it was something Ilya wanted to do for him.

“Yuna,” Ilya had announced, “Please teach me to cook.” And she had, joyfully kicking David out of the kitchen to teach Ilya everything she knew. It was a secret; he wanted to surprise Shane. Plus, he loved the time he got to spend with Yuna.

It did wonders for his mental health, but was also a little disappointing that Scott and Kip couldn’t make it up as often as when he lived in Boston. So this week was special. He wanted everything to go right.

“Within reason,” he reminds himself thinking of his latest session with Galina. It makes him laugh to think about how much he’s been preparing for the week, “Shane is starting rubbing off on me.” Which makes his mind flicker to how much he likes when Shane is literally on him. Or vice versa. Shit. His dick twitches when he needs to be focused on cooking.

“Not now,” He tells his penis. It doesn’t obey and Ilya wonders how fast he can jerk himself off and still have time to be mostly done with cooking by the time Shane, Kip, and Scott arrive. His phone goes off.

Kip: Sorry I’m texting late but we got the rental! We’re on our way to you ☺️

Ilya: They rented car to Scott?

Kip: Yes?

Ilya: Did not know they let dinosaurs drive.

Kip: Scott is telling me to tell you to fuck off.

Kip: He’s already driving.

Ilya: If you are hungry, there are places to stop and eat. It’s a long drive to the cottage.

Kip: Oh, actually we’re not that far away. We’ve been driving for a little over an hour already. We just need to make a pit stop first. Pick up some things.

Ilya: Lube? We have plenty if you want to fuck in guest rooms. Our bedroom is far so we won’t hear you. Just don’t tell Shane.

Kip: It’s not lube!

Kip: Scott is turning red. He says we’re not having sex in the cottage.

Ilya: Boring. I would not tell if you did.

Kip: Lol thanks.

Kip: He’s also telling me to tellasuyuiegbfurgfy

Ilya: ???

Ilya: Kipstopher??

Kip: gygfybhvffjsfggrhtj

Ilya: ????????

Ilya: Hello????

Kip: hqwygukyfuk

Kip: Scott grabbed my phone.

Kip: We’re at a red light, don’t worry.

Kip: Kipstopher?

Ilya: Kip is short for Kipstopher, yes?

Kip: No, it’s short for Christopher.

Ilya: Is what I said.

Ilya: ♥️

Kip: Scott is complaining that I need to be his GPS.

Kip: See you soon!

Ilya: Tell me when you are nearby.

Kip: Will do!

Excitement buzzes inside him, everything is going so well. He was hoping Shane might arrive before Scott and Kip, but considering their flight would land first it was unlikely.

Ilya double check’s Yuna’s recipe one more time to make sure he has everything. He’d even insisted that she go with him to the asian store, which happened to be an hour away. Inconvenient, but it reminded him with great sadness that it was one of the many reasons Shane didn’t often cook Japanese food for them.

He was careful with the dashi packet, making sure to follow Yuna’s instructions exactly. She was a woman of many talents but precise measurements in food… she’d originally told Ilya she didn’t have any because she simply “listened to her ancestors”. Ilya appreciated this, doing the same for his own cooking but desperately wanted real numbers to make sure he wasn’t fucking anything up. Thus began his cooking lessons with Yuna in which both of them started discovering what actual numbers in cooking were.

Slipping on a glove (per Yuna’s recommendation to avoid potential itching), he grabbed the yam and began grating it. The motion was easy and it was satisfying to watch the yam pike grow larger with each second. Satisfied, he transferred the shreds into a bowl and discarded the glove.

Cabbage. Ilya grabbed the knife and started slicing. The motion was familiar, easy and filled him with the kind of warmth that reminds him of his mother. In the background, the TV plays the Metros game; the sound lending to his comfort.

Shane isn’t playing at the moment, but on the bench he can see the sweat dripping from his bangs and the easy laugh he shares with Hayden. There’s a tightness in his chest watching them. It’s jealousy, not because he knows Hayden has a crush on Shane (not that Hayden knows it’s a crush), but because of the camaraderie. Something he sorely misses with Marlow.

Ilya’s hand slips.

The knife slips.

There’s blood in the cabbage.

But worse. He feels the familiar bite of pain.

Ilya’s heart stops. The pain is too familiar. The kind of familiar that scares him so much that he practically throws the knife in the sink and backs away from the counter. His back thuds against the refrigerator.

“Fuck,” Ilya whispers to no one. The commentators are saying something about Shane, but he can’t even hear it over his heartbeat.

“I need someone,” He thinks desperately.

His phone is on the counter next to the vegetables. The ones he failed to cut, and the ones soaking in his blood. Ilya knows he’s dripping on the floor and he’s not even sure how deep he’s cut. Oh fuck, is he going to lose his finger? He doesn’t want to look. He’s scared that if he does he’s going to see something that he… misses.

“I can’t miss this,” Ilya insists, “I can’t want this again.” There's a long moment before he realizes that if he doesn’t do something… something bad will happen.

Sucking in his breath, Ilya snatches his phone from the counter.

-

They’re in the middle of getting ice cream when Scott’s phone rings.

“Ah, it’s Ilya,” He informs Kip, “Probably wondering where we are.” He answers with a smile, “Ily-”

“I need help.”

Scott’s blood runs cold. He knows that tone. It’s been a long time since he’s heard Ilya like that. He passes his ice cream to Kip, already digging in his pockets for the car keys.

Kip throws him a concerned look, mouthing “What’s going on?”

Scott doesn’t answer, already heading for the car. “Ilya,” He keeps his voice as calm as possible. “Can you tell me what’s happening?”

“It was accident,” Ilya’s voice wavers a little, “Making food and the knife slipped.”

Scott puts Ilya on speaker so he can listen as he starts driving. Kip’s eyes grow wide in horror.

“Do you need medical attention?”

“Nyet,” Ilya answers, “But Shane is still at game. He’s not here yet.” The rest goes unsaid and Scott can already guess the rest of Ilya’s thoughts.

“Okay,” Scott’s hands are sweating, “Well Kip and I are on our way. We just left town so we’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

“Okey.”

“Hey, Ilya it’s Kip.”

“Hello Scott Hunter’s hot boyfriend,” Ilya greets. There’s no energy behind the quip and it’s like he answered on autopilot.

“Are you still cooking? What are you doing now?”

There’s a shuffle and a disappointed sigh, “I’m bleeding on the vegetables.”

“Are you still holding the knife?”

“Nyet, it is in sink now.”

“Good,” Kip smiles, “I heard you say that you don’t need medical attention, right?”

“Da.”

“Can you do me a favor then?”

“Da.”

“Can you go outside and wait for us?”

“The food,” Ilya weakly protests.

“It can wait,” Kip answers smoothly, “I want your full attention right now.”

Ilya steps away from the sink and the bloody vegetables. His heart clenches when he sees the mess he’s made. He was supposed to be making food and he fucked it up. 

“Worthless,” a voice that sounds like his father tells him, “You can’t even do one thing right.”

“Ilya?” Kip’s voice comes through his phone, “Are you outside?”

“Ah, no.” Ilya pulls himself away and forces himself to walk outside. He keeps his hand close to his chest hoping not to bleed all over Shane’s cottage. “I’m walking to the door now.” He informs Kip.

“You know it’s been a while since I’ve seen the cottage,” Kip keeps talking, “Did either of you do any redecorating? I remember Shane saying he wanted to replace some of the lamps.”

Ilya shuts the front door behind him and sits on the front steps. “No cottage is still the same.” He answers. “I am outside now.”

“Great!” Kip stays cheery, “We’re about 10 minutes away now. Scott and I went to get ice cream.”

“Kip!” Scott lightly scolds, although he’s secretly grateful it helps to distract Ilya. “That was supposed to be a surprise!”

“Ah, sorry. I just got excited.”

“What flavors?” Ilya forces himself to answer and keep the conversation going. He knows that even if he hadn’t, Kip would keep talking anyway.

“We got something for you and Shane too. But Scott got vanilla-“

“Boring.” Ilya automatically cuts in. It’s a reflex at this point, and normally it doesn’t work in his favor but right now it is.

“Vanilla isn’t boring!” Scott defends.

Kip laughs and he vaguely hears Scott scoff. “Well hopefully my flavor isn’t boring. I got rosemary and lavender.”

Ilya frowns, “What kind of flavor is that?”

“It’s a specialty shop,” Scott continues to defend, “It’s meant to branch out into unconventional ice cream flavors.”

“And you got vanilla.” Ilya points out.

Scott sighs, “Yeah. I got vanilla.”

“Hot boyfriend has better taste than you.”

Scott laughs, “You know what, I can’t disagree with you there.”

“Ah, so you are saying I’m right.”

“Don’t let it go to your head Rozanov.” Scott playfully warns.

“Is too late,” Ilya announces, his voice a little lighter, “You already said I am right.” Ilya sees their SUV pulling into the driveway. “You have boring car.” He states and hangs up.

Scott barely has time to park the car before Kip is out and doing a half-jog to Ilya. He knows it’s because Kip is doing everything in his power not to completely freak out.

“Ilya, hey.” Kip smiles broadly and pulls him into a hug. “Tell me about this dinner you’re making and Scott can patch you up?”

Ilya nods, feeling a slow warmth starting to ease his anxiety. Things are okay. His friends are okay (he will never tell Scott they’re friends). “Is something new that Yuna taught me. Actually is two things. Okonomiyaki," Ilya’s proud of his pronunciation. He’s practiced for a while making sure it’s exactly how Yuna told him, “and Gyudon. Yuna says she used to make it for him before his stupid bird food diet.”

“Macrobiotic,” Scott supplies.

Ilya rolls his eyes, “Yes, bird food. He does not do this all the time anymore. Most times, but not always. I wanted to surprise Shane.” He watches Scott grab shopping bags from the trunk. “Where is your luggage?”

“In fucking Phoenix,” Scott growls.

Ilya raises an eyebrow.

“The airline lost our stuff,” Kip explains, “So we had to grab some things to hold us over until the airline contacts us.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Yeah!” Scott nearly explodes, “it is! I had-”

“Babe.”

Scott clears his throat. “Sorry.”

Ilya leads them inside the house and suddenly feels a pang of guilt. This wasn’t how the day was supposed to go. There’s a heaviness that sinks in fast. The air becomes a little too thick. He can small the food he was supposed to be making and the knowledge that his blood is ruining it all-

“Ilya?” Scott’s dropped their bags by the door and has a hand on Ilya’s shoulder. He doesn’t say anything more, just letting his presence do the talking.

“I need to clean the kitchen,” Ilya says simply.

Kip steps in, “I can do that. Scott?” He nods and steers Ilya to the barstools while Kip darts off to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom. 

“Can you show me?” He catches Ilya’s eye who just swallows and nods. Ever since Ilya opened up to Scott about the abuse he suffered at his father’s hands, he was careful about prompting Ilya to do anything.

Ilya sighs and lifts his hands. The slice across his finger was not deep enough that it needed stitches but it was definitely a bleeder.

“Here.” Kip passes the box to Scott. Dipping back to the other side, he grabs the cleaning spray and sponge. He separates the bloody vegetables and the already chopped ones. He’d never been around when Ilya had a bad day (granted it’s been a year since the last time) but hearing about it… the sight of Ilya’s blood and the knife makes his stomach hurt.

Scott takes Ilya’s hand gently using the alcohol to sanitize him.

“It’s my good sex hand,” Ilya laments playfully.

Scott gives him a look of admonishment.

“What?” Ilya continues, “It is. You don’t have good sex hand? Or you make Kip do all the work. How sad,” he goes on not missing a beat, “bones so brittle you can’t satisfy your husband.”

Kip holds back a laugh, now is not the time.

“Ilya,” Scott doesn’t miss anything either.

“Grandpa.”

“Are you okay?” Ilya freezes. Scott can see the wheels turning as Ilya decides whether or not he wants to continue trying to joke around.

“Yes,” Ilya answers slowly, “I don’t want to do this… but it brought up…” He pauses and Scott knows he’s thinking of the correct English words. “... familiar feelings. It reminded me of when I wasn’t in a good place.” He pauses again. “So… yes, I am good but I’m scared that maybe this will make me…” Ilya grumbles and finishes his thought in Russian, “Mne strashno, chto ya snova skachus' v to sostoyaniye, kogda moyo psikhicheskoye zdorov'ye bylo ne v poryadke. YA ne khochu prichinyat' sebe vred, no chto, yesli eto vernot vso nazad? Mne strashno, chto takaya oploshnost' soblaznit menya stat' pokhozhey na moyu mat’.”

Scott doesn’t need to know Russian to understand what Ilya was getting at. “You’re scared that you’ll spiral because of this, right?”

Ilya lets out a loud breath of relief. “Da.”

“Then we don’t let that happen,” Scott smiles at him. Not wanting to hurt Ilya’s already injured hand, he reaches up and squeezes the Russian's shoulder. “We’re here for the week, remember? We’re just down the hall. And you’ve got Shane too.”

“He wasn’t there at the beginning,” Ilya admits softly, “He hasn’t seen the worst of me.”

“You think that’ll scare him?” Scott decides to voice the fear that he knows Ilya won’t be able to get out.

Ilya nods.

“He won’t.” Scott assures him, “Because he loves you.” He can see the struggle of insecurity, the one that tells Ilya he isn’t worth loving. “We love you,” Scott says, indicating himself and Kip, “You remember that, don’t you?”

Ilya swallows and nods, “I remember.”

“Good, don’t ever forget that. And if you do, we’ll always be here to remind you.”

Chapter 2: Shane Comes Home

Chapter Summary

In hindsight, maybe sending Shane a text that says "Don’t worry. I’m fine." wasn't the right move to make.

Chapter Notes

I'm back with another chapter! Thank you all for returning for another installment of this series!! ♥️

The game had gone extremely well and Shane was very fucking eager to get home and see Ilya. And Scott and Kip, of course but mostly Ilya. More importantly, he’d given Scott and Kip the guest room at the opposite end of the cottage so he and Ilya could still have sex without them hearing (hopefully).

Shane slides into his “boring” car and pulls out his phone which displays an upsetting 5% battery life. He makes a mental note to stop putting off the upgrade on his phone and reaches for the phone charger. He’s got several missed texts from the group chat with Ilya, Scott, and Kip. There’s a ping and a new message notification shows up.

Ilya: Don’t worry. I’m fine.

Shane freezes. What?

Ringing Ilya Rozanov…

His phone fucking dies. His heart stops.

Scrabbling for the charger he pulls and finds it stuck on something. “Shit! Fuck!” He yanks and- it fucking snaps. His fucking phone charger snaps.

Shane nearly screams. He doesn’t have a spare, his phone is dead, and Ilya… fuck. He can’t think properly. All he wants is to get home. Shifting his car into drive, Shane peels out of the parking lot. He’s never driven this recklessly or this fast before, but there is no way he’s stopping. 

His mind is racing with every worst case scenario.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

At face value, Ilya is probably fine. Fine now. But that means he wasn’t fine. What wasn’t fine? When was he not fine? Shane is not thinking clearly or rationally.

Did he burn the house down? Oh god, was he inside when the house burned down? Is he at the hospital and covered in burns? No, because then he would’ve texted. Unless someone sent the text for him. But then who? His parents? No, they would’ve called him. But what if they’re calling him right now and they can’t get ahold of him because his fucking phone is dead!

But what if he was in a car accident? Fuck. He must’ve forgotten to get something at the store and then got into an accident! But how? His car is “boring” now. Ilya shouldn't have gotten into a car accident. Unless someone hit him. And it must be bad. The car is totaled and he’s sitting on the side of the road. Or someone picked him up- no.

“Ilya!” Shane mentally pleads, “Don’t get into a car with a stranger! They could kidnap you or kill you!”

Shane starts mentally going through how many lawyers he knows.

But what if it’s not that? Did he pick up Scott and Kip? Oh no, what if someone recognized him? What if it was the Russian mafia or something sent by Ilya’s brother to hunt him down? Oh fuck, it must be blackmail. So Ilya went to the bank and got held up by robbers.

Shane knows he’s spiraling into weird and unlikely territory but it doesn’t make any difference. And then…

What if he’s saying that to throw off Shane? What if… what if he did something. He seemed fine when he left, excited about Scott and Kip spending the week with them. He went grocery shopping and helped to clean the house. Or were those just signs? Shane had read that depressed people sometimes did that when they were planning- oh god how did he miss the signs?

Surely Scott and Kip were at the cottage already. They must’ve seen or stopped him or… but then, why hadn’t they called him? Or texted him! Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! Ilya could be bleeding out somewhere. In the bathtub?

Tears prickle the edges of his vision. Shane ignores the horn of the driver he just cut off. His breathing becomes sharper and painful. Everything hurts and his stupid fucking car won’t go any faster.

-

Shane barely gets his car into the driveway before parking it and bolting out. There’s a strange car out front and his mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion. It’s a police car, they’ve found a body. Oh fuck, oh god. Shane can’t do this life without Ilya.

He’s throwing the door open. “Ilya!?” Shane’s panicked voice echoed into the house. He runs into the kitchen not bothering to kick his shoes off. He’s going to have a fucking heart attack and a panic attack at the same time.

And then he sees Ilya.

Ilya is alive.

Ilya is sitting at the table with Scott Hunter holding a bandage. Kip stands in the kitchen washing a bloody knife. Relief rushes through Shane that he doesn’t even stop to consider anything around him.

And then Shane is running and falling to his knees in front of Ilya. He throws his arms around Ilya, burying his face in Ilya’s lap.

“Shane?”

“You’re okay!”

“Yes?” Ilya answers, confused.

“I saw your text.” Shane pulls his head up to look at Ilya. His eyes are brimmed with unshed tears.

Ilya frowns at him, still a little confused. “Yes, I said I was fine.”

“What happened?” He demands, reaching for Ilya’s hand.

“Careful,” Scott lightly warns as Shane jostles him.

“Ah,” Ilya says looking down at Shane with a pout, “I ruined dinner.”

“I don’t care about dinner! I care about you!”

“I’m fine, sweetheart.” Ilya gently pushes Shane’s hair away from his face with his good hand, “Was accident. Kip is fixing food, Scott is fixing me.”

“I thought-” Shane’s voice quivers for a moment, “If it ever got this bad again-”

“No!” Ilya blurts out, “This was not on purpose!”

Shane’s eyes don’t leave his, the tears threatening to spill. “It wasn’t?”

“No,” Ilya shakes his head wishing Scott would hurry the fuck up already and finish bandaging his hand. “It was accident, I promise.”

Luckily, Scott applies the last bit of tape and Ilya takes his hand back to scoop Shane into his arms. Scott quietly steps away to join Kip.

“If you were scared, why didn’t you call?” Ilya asks, letting Shane fawn over him.

“My phone died.”

“You have charger in car.”

“I broke it.”

“How?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Shane lets his hands wander over Ilya’s face, his hair, his arms… he needs to make sure Ilya is solid. “What happened?” He asks again.

“I was chopping vegetables and I got distracted. The knife slipped. Was accident.”

“You got distracted? By what?”

Ilya looks away. “I don’t want to tell you.”

“Ilya.”

“Shane.”

“Ilya, please.” Shane gives his boyfriend the eyes. The ones he knows makes him irresistible.

Ilya sighs and gives in. “I was watching Metros game.”

“You were watching the game?”

Ilya scoffs, “Of course. You were in it.” He loops his fingers into Shane’s waistband and pulls him close. “You were very hot.” Shane’s face goes bright red. Ilya pushes his lips forward silently demanding a kiss. When Shane doesn’t automatically reciprocate, he tugs harder. “Gimmie kiss, Shane.”

“We have company.”

“They are gay and we are hot. Probably turns-”

“Don’t fucking finish that sentence Rozanov.” Scott scolds.

“I will not if Shane gives me kiss.” Shane obliges and kisses Ilya, letting the Russian deepen it until Scott (or Kip) clears his throat.

Ilya finally stands but doesn’t let go of Shane. He presses his back to Shane’s and locks him in with a hug. “Clearly I am unable to use my hands-”

“Not true,” Scott says.
“Is true,” Ilya announces, “You would make me let go of my Shane to cook?”

“Yes.” Scott laughs at the same time Shane says, “No.”

“Outvoted!” Kip shouts.

Ilya laughs, “Yes, yes. You are now my um… Shane, what is term for the chefs who are not the main one?”

“Sous chef?”

“Yes, that!” He motions to Kip and Scott, “You are now soo-shefs. Not you Shane. You’re not allowed.”

“Oh?” Shane raises his eyebrows. “I’m not allowed?”

“No.” Ilya tugs him close, “You were very sexy at the game, you get to be pretty in my arms now.”

Shane laughs.

“You’re disgustingly adorable,” Kip smiles. “Okay, so what do we need to do?”

“Ah,” Ilya frowns, “My phone is in my pocket.”

After coaching them through the dinner recipe, and a very satisfying meal (Ilya is eternally thankful that Shane’s “diet” doesn’t exist for the week so he can enjoy food with everyone else), the group migrates outside. Shane starts a fire and drinks are brought out.

“Ginger beer is not alcoholic,” Ilya groans when he sees the bottles.

“Yes it is,” Shane argues. “It says ‘beer’ right on the label.”

“It also says ‘non-alcoholic’ on the bottle.” Scott points out.

“No, it doesn’t.” Shane flips the bottle around. “Oh. Well…” He sighs. “It still tastes good. And it’s open so I need to finish it first.”

Ilya sits comfortably with Shane practically in his lap. On the other couch, Scott leans against Kip. Ilya marvels at how relaxed everyone is. There’s no pretenses or performing. They’re all barefoot and wearing comfortable non-sponsored clothes. If the press caught them, Yuna would have a fucking aneurysm trying to get their brands under control. It’s nice to see Shane relaxed for once. He’s relaxed around Hayden and Jackie of course, but with Scott and Kip it’s different. It’s like they can all breathe in their own safety together.

At some point someone mentions ice cream; Scott stands and stretches, “I’ll be right back with the ice cream!”

“Oh! I can help,” Kip offers.

“Nah,” Scott kisses the top of his boyfriend’s head, “You look comfortable here. Hollander, come on.”

“Sure.” Shane stands, passing his ginger beer to Ilya who places it on the side table for him.

“We got three different flavors,” Scott explains, “And only one of them is ‘boring’ thank you very much.”

Shane laughs, “Ilya’s words, I’m guessing.”

“Well,” Scott lowers his voice and admits, “He’s not entirely wrong. But I think I’ll change his mind.”

“Oh?”

They re-enter the kitchen and head for the freezer. Once they’re out of earshot, Scott touches Shane’s arm, getting him to stop. “How are you?” He asks.

Shane raises his eyebrows surprised, “Me? I’m fine. Why?”

Scott tilts his head, “I’m just checking in.”

“What do you mean?” His eyes dart off to the side like he’s expecting Ilya to appear.

“I think you know, kid.”

Shane’s shoulders slump. “I’m fine.”

“You know you don’t need to be strong for him.”

He glances up at Scott, “What do you mean?”

“Today was pretty scary for you, wasn’t it?”

“I mean, I guess.” Shane shrugs trying to play nonchalant. Scott can see right through it and he knows it. Shane takes a breath, “Yeah. It was. When I saw his text, I… I panicked. I… I got… I thought I was missing something. Signs that something was wrong and that I… I failed him as a partner.”

Scott nods slowly. “Did you talk to him about this?”

Shane shakes his head miserably, “How can I? I don’t want to burden him. It’s my fault he started in the first place.”

Scott freezes. “Is that what you think?”

“Well, yeah. Obviously,” Shane answers like it’s no big deal, “He told me that it started after we… kind of broke up. We weren’t together but it kind of- it’s when I was dating Rose. So yeah, it was my fault. If I hadn’t walked out on him, if I wasn’t a coward we could’ve… I don’t know. He wouldn’t’ve relapsed.”

“That’s a lot of blame you’re taking on.” Scott points out.

“But it’s true.”

“Is that the only reason you're with him now? Because you’re scared he’s going to relapse?” It’s a cruel question and Scott knows it.

Shane recoils like he’s been backhanded, “What the fuck!? No! How could you say that!? I love Ilya! I love him so fucking much, why the fuck would you say that? I would stay with him forever if he let me!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Scott puts his hands up in a sign of surrender, “I’m sorry, Shane. I needed to ask.”

“Not he fuck you didn’t.” Shane scowls but lowers his voice.

“Look. You obviously love him-”

“Yes!”

“Shane.” Scott quiets him with a look. “What if it were you? If you and Ilya traded places, would you want him to carry his feelings alone?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Shane scoffs, “Of course not. I want him to- oh… right…”

Scott smiles at him gently, “You and Ilya are on this journey together. You don’t need to be strong, you just need to be there.”

“I hate you sometimes.” Shane says, picking at the edge of his shirt. Scott remains silent, letting him talk. “You were there for him when I wasn’t. I wanted… I wanted to be the one he turns to. Not the one who hurt him.”

“You didn’t hurt him.”

“But I was the catalyst.”

Scott sighs. He doesn’t know what to say. “What do you think Ilya would tell you, if you said that to him?”

Shane can’t bring himself to answer. Scott pulls Shane into a hug, “You love him. But you need to talk to him too. It’s not a one-way street. Kip and I aren’t just here for Ilya, we’re here for you too.” He feels Shane nodding into his chest. “This week, talk to each other, okay? Can you promise me that?”

“Yeah,” Shane’s answer is muffled but clear enough.

“Good.” Scott continues hugging him for a moment more before pulsing away. He watches Shane scrub his eyes before handing him the tubs of ice cream.

“Forever, huh?”

Shane huffs a laugh, “I don’t want to do this life without him.”

-

Kip and Ilya watch Scott and Shane disappear back into the house.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Ilya sighs, staring into the fire.

“What do you mean?”

Ilya waves a hand, “I wanted everything to be good. Happy. And then… I fucked it up.”

Kip shakes his head, “No you didn’t.”

“I did,” Ilya insists, “Shane is all scared because of me. Because I had an accident.”

“Accidents happen,” Kip comforts, “It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

Kip gets up and sits next to Ilya. “It is. And you know why?”

Ilya shakes his head.

“Because you called us.” Kip smiles, “You took ownership of your feelings and you didn’t let yourself get to a bad place. You relied on people.”

Ilya cracks a small smile and scoffs, “You Americans and Canadians have made me soft. Russia will say is bad thing.”

“Then they’re wrong,” Kip announces, "Because there's nothing stronger than being together. You know the whole phrase ‘stronger together’? It’s true.”

“You are smart man, Kipstopher Grady.”

Ilya jumps when they hear Shane shouting from the kitchen. “What the fuck!? No! How could you say that!? I love Ilya! I love him so fucking much, why the fuck would you say that? I would stay with him forever if he let me!”

He stands ready to run in but Kip grabs his arm and shakes his head. “Let them,” he tells Ilya. “Trust me.”

Ilya swallows but stays put. He strains his ears trying to listen but Kip doesn’t let him. He talks about an art exhibit and complains about how he and Scott brought them gifts but got lost on the flights.

Finally, Scott and Shane reappear holding three tubs of ice cream, bowls, and spoons. But Ilya’s heart skips when he notices Shane’s red rimmed eyes.

He opens his mouth to yell at Scott and demand answers but Shane stops him with a kiss. “I love you,” He mumbles into his mouth.

“I love you too,” Ilya replies automatically. “Why-?”

“Later,” Shane tells him, so Ilya shuts up.

Scott passes out the bowls and spoons while Kip opens the tubs. “This one is vanilla-”

“Boring.” Ilya cuts in again.

“Not boring,” Scott defends, again.

“Just try it,” Shane laughs and scoops some into his bowl.

“I’m telling you, it’s basic flavor!” He pops the spoon into his mouth and his expression falls. Fuck. Scott Hunter is right.

“Not so boring now is it?” Scott tilts his head in mock challenge.

Ilya shrugs but it’s obvious to everyone that he’s changed his mind on the vanilla, “Is slightly less boring than I thought.”

Scott laughs, “I’ll take it.”

-

“Hey,” Shane whispers when they finally climb into bed, “Can we talk?”

Ilya props himself up on his elbows and nods, “Da. Is everything okay?”

Shane shakes his head, “Not really. You scared me today.”

“I know,” Ilya whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Shane frowns, “I’m the one who needs to be sorry. I… Scott told me I need to tell you my feelings so that we’re on the same page.”

“Same page?”

“Like we’re… doing this together. I was scared because I thought… I thought you…” Shane shuts his eyes, he can’t bear the disappointment in Ilya’s eyes when he voices his fears. “I thought you decided to leave me forever.”

“Shane,” Ilya’s voice cracks, “Shane look at me.”

He does, cracking his eyes open, but Ilya is too blurry for him to focus. Gently, his boyfriend wipes his unshed tears away.

“I won’t leave you,” Ilya promises, “Not like that. Never like that. I have support now, remember. I have you. I have your parents, a dinosaur, his hot boyfriend, I have Marley, Queen Jackie, and Montreal’s 15th best player.”

Shane huffs, “Ilya this is serious.”

Ilya nods, “I am serious. I have people. We have people.”

“I just…” Shane takes a deep breath. “I don’t feel like I’m worthy of being on that list.”

“Do you not love me?”

“I do!” Shane nearly explodes, “I do love you Ilya! I love you so fucking much. I just- I don’t like that it’s my fault.”

Ilya frowns, “What is your fault?”

“That you…” His words fail and he gestures towards Ilya’s legs, “That it was my fault you started.”

At that, Ilya pulls him into a deep hug, “Is not your fault.”

“But it was when I left you.”

“Yes,” Ilya admits, “But that is not on you. I would have found something else to hurt myself over.  Would have been something different. My father dying, my stupid brother, hockey, anything. I was already hurting. Anything could have uh…” He searches for the right English word, “triggered it.”

“But it was me,” Shane mumbles.

“You are missing the point lyubov moya,” Ilya pulls back a little so they can see eye to eye, “It was not something either of us could control.”

“Doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty,” The tears crawl back up and threaten to spill.

Ilya is quiet for a minute, “I don’t have answers for that, malysh. Maybe I’m not the only one who needs to see a therapist.”

“I think you’re right… I can’t… I can’t keep getting scared. That’s not fair to you.”

“Or you.”

Shane nods, “Let’s just enjoy the week? After, I’ll look into it.”

“Okay.”

Chapter End Notes

I did add a third and final chapter to wrap up this story on a much happier note. As always, drop a kudos/comment if you liked it! Please be nice, I'm just here to have fun and feed the fandom. ♥️

Chapter 3: The Week and Their Last Night

Chapter Summary

Four hours goes by fast, and so does the week. Scott is not ready for it to be over. It’s the perfect taste of something… Kip called it queer joy and Scott is inclined to agree.

Chapter Notes

It's a bit on the short side but no angst here, only queer joy!

Scott steps out of the shower he just shared with Kip. He has to hand it to Hollander, the kid really knows how to hire interior designers.

“So,” Kip breathes out once he’s face down in the plushy blanket. He rolls over, the towel around his waist shifting slightly. The small crack in the curtains allows for a perfect beam of sunlight to illuminate his crotch. Like a work of art that makes Scott's mouth water.  “It’s still early. I don’t hear anyone in the kitchen.”

Scott resists the urge to land on top of him. Instead he hums and reaches for his clothes.

“Babe,” Kip reaches a hand out to him. “We’re on the other side of the house.”

And fucking hell, Scott knows exactly what he’s asking for. His face flushes, “This is our friend’s house.”

“And Ilya said he wouldn’t tell.” He sits up and reaches both hands out to Scott.

Not exactly reluctantly, he steps forward and takes Kip’s hands. “We can’t,” He’s doing a half-assed attempt to convince himself. “They could hear us.”

Kip laughs, “How loud do you plan on being?” His hands have migrated to Scott’s towel tugging it away. 

And Scott does absolutely nothing to stop him beyond a very soft, “We can’t be loud.”

“Tell yourself that,” Kip grins and swallows Scott’s cock.

“Fuck!” He clamps a hand over his mouth, the other burying in his boyfriend’s hair. Kip is way too fucking talented and Scott wears his knees wobble.

Kip hums in delight, drinking in Scott’s muffled moans. He locks his arms around Scott’s thighs keeping him in place. Scott groans, doubling over Kip, trying to keep as much composure as he can but losing quickly. All he can focus on is how hot and perfect Kip’s is.

“F-fuck, Kip,” Scott moans into his hair, “Please, I’m g-” The words don’t make it out of his mouth before he’s spilling in his boyfriend’s mouth.

Kip swallows and pulls back, looking up at Scott with glowing eyes and slick lips. He’s irresistible and Scott drops to his knees. He captures Kip’s lips tasting himself on his tongue.

“My turn,” Scott whispers and flings Kip’s towel away. He’s already hard and Scott worships him. Kip falls back on the bed and Scott’s hands creep up to squeeze his pecs. He pinches his nipple and relishes in the moan that escapes Kip.

“Scott,” Kip whimpers, “Wait- wait.”

He releases Kip for a second looking up at him. He has no idea what he looks like, but based on the way Kip’s eyes grow wide, he knows he must look debauched.

“Can I fuck you?” he breathes out.

Scott throws caution to the wind and climbs on top of Kip. “Fuck yes you can.”

His phone rings. He’s ready to ignore it but at a glance he notices it’s the fucking airline. Scott groans.

“What’s wrong?” Kip asks.

Scott does not want to deal with them right now. Right now, he wants his boyfriend's dick in his ass. “It’s the airline, I’ll call them back.”

“Just answer it,” Kip nudges him, “If they found our luggage-”

“Ugh, fine.” Scott bypasses Kip to grab his phone before it sends them to voicemail. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Hunter?” The woman on the phone sounds like she hates her job.

“That’s me.”

“Great, we just wanted to inform you that we found your luggage. They’ll be at the customer service desk when you arrive.”

“Okay, I have a question-”

She hangs up.

“What the fuck!” Scott scowls and tosses his phone back on the nightstand.

“That was a fast call.”

Scott groans, “They found our luggage. But we have to go pick it up.”

Kip stares at him. “So we’re doing a four hour drive?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I still fuck you first?”

Scott grins, “Fuck yeah you can.”

-

The second the door closes behind Kip and Scott, Ilya is grabbing Shane and pulling him in close for a deep kiss.

Shane laughs into their kiss, “Still horny?”

“Yes,” Ilya growls and pushes him back towards the kitchen counter, “You didn’t let me fuck you this morning.” His hands find the backs of Shane’s thighs and he lifts him onto the counter.

“Of course not,” Shane replies through kisses, “I’m not having sex while our friends are down the hall!”

“But they’re not here now,” Ilya pushes back, gently nipping Shane’s bottom lip. He tugs at their shirts, pulling them off and pausing to let Shane fold his shirt.

Shane responds with a tiny sigh of contentment when their warm chests meet. “It’s a two hour drive from the airport.”

“Yes,” Ilya agrees, pulling Shane closer, “We have four hours.”

“Ilya,” Shane mumbles into the kiss, “We should be productive.”

“Should we?” Ilya carries him, walking them both to the couch. Their lips never part, “Be productive?” He drops them both taking care not to crush Shane under his weight.

“Yes,” Shane answers, “I need to change the propane from the grill and defrost the-”

“Nooo,” Ilya groans, “Shane I want to fuck.”

Shane laughs, “We’ll do that too!”

“Nooow,” Ilya practically whines, “Shane I want to fuck you now.”

Shane pulls back slightly and grins, “Can you say please?”

“Please,” Ilya peppers him with kisses sliding his hand down to pull off Shane’s shorts and underwear. “I will say please as many times as you want.” His sweats join Shane’s on the floor. “Please, please, please, please let me fuck you.”

“OH SHIT! Sorry!”

Shane freezes in horror to see Scott standing in the door covering his eyes. “Fuck!” He tries to move but Ilya has him pinned with his dick.

“I-uh- I forgot my wallet!” Scott runs into the other bedroom with more speed than Ilya has ever seen him move on land. A few curses later, he’s running back out shouting, “Sorry! Carry on!” And the door slams behind him.

“Sorry, carry on?” Shane parrots in horror and Ilya laughs.

-

Four hours goes by fast, and so does the week. Scott is not ready for it to be over. He didn’t realize just how much stress it was to be a public figure until now. There’s no one around, no fans, no paparazzi, just friends. Friends that Scott loves and wants to be around.

They’ve gone swimming, Shane forced them to do yoga until Ilya just quit and lay on the mat until they stopped. Scott swears he hasn’t eaten food that good in years (they traded cooking so it’s not like he’s playing favorites). And overall, he doesn’t want the week to end.

It’s the perfect taste of something… Kip called it queer joy and Scott is inclined to agree. They’re lying in front of the fire, having enjoyed their week. Kip is lying in Scott’s arms, pointing out constellations. Ilya pretends to be interested but only for the purposes of finding new chirps to use against Scott.

“Must be so nice,” the Russian laughs, “You have boyfriend who knows everything about dinosaurs!”

“Ilya!” Shane scolds while laughing.

“Very funny Rozanov,” Scott rolls his eyes good naturedly.

Kip laughs and starts going into some oddly specific meteor facts which makes Ilya laugh harder.

“Forever,” Scott remembers Shane shouting at him at the start of their trip. “I don’t want to do this life without him.” He looks down at Kip in his arms who is laughing about something Ilya said. He wants this feeling with Kip, forever. It feels like the very first time he and Kip had their date. Well, the date that lasted so long Kip moved in with him.

He moves one of his hands just slightly down to feel his pocket. The items that rests there feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. He’s been holding onto it for so long, and he’s been trying to work up the courage… to ask for what he wants, to keep Kip in his life forever…

A smile creeps into the corners of his mouth.

“Hunter? What are you thinking about?” Shane notices but Scott doesn’t look up.

He’s too captivated by Kip. His gorgeous curls, stubble and lips he wants to kiss forever, and eyes that he never wants to stop getting lost in.

“Babe?” Kip’s looking up at Scott who tilts his head down.

The words leave his mouth just like when he asked Kip to stay. “We should get married.”

Everyone freezes. Ilya’s mouth drops and Shane’s eyes widen.

“W-what?” Kip stutters.

“We should get married.” Scott repeats, more sure of anything he’s ever asked.

A small laugh bubble from Kip, “Are you serious?”

Scott gives him room to sit up, “Yeah. Serious as me not being a serial killer. Or spree killer.”

Ilya’s mouth opens to chip, but Shane’s hand covers his mouth to stop him.

Kip laughs, “Scott, this sounds like a proposal.”

Scott reaches into his sweatpants and pulls out the small gold band. “We should get married.”

Silence.

It’s just as terrifyingly long as when he asked Kip to stay.

Ilya and Shane just watch them, eyes wide holding baited breaths for Kip’s answer.

“Please?” Scott whispers.

“Is that a ring!?”

Scott swallows hard, his mouth is so dry now. “I um… I bought it a month after we met?” He cringes at how it sounds but Kip is watching him with a teary eyed smile.

“A whole month?” Kip asks.

He nods, “Yeah. I… I just knew that I wanted you. I wanted you to be in my life forever. I kind of thought that maybe because you didn’t immediately freak out when I told you I wasn’t a serial killer or a spree killer-” He laughs, not even sure where he’s going with his words. “What I mean is that you stayed when I asked you to, even though it was our first date. And you stayed even when I was too scared to come out, and when I couldn’t go to art galleries or the Kingfisher with you. For all the shitty things, you were there. But you…”

Kip’s hand comes up to brush away tears.

“You are the fucking sunshine in my life and I want to spend forever with you. You’re always there for me, you’re so kind and understanding. I’ve seen you go out of your way to show the people you love just how much you care about them and support them. Kip, you are all the good qualities this world has to offer. This world would be a much better place if there were more people like you.”

Scott takes another breath, “And you are so much more than a pretty face.”

Kip laughs and Scott swears it lights a fire in his soul.

“And because I love you. So,” Scott’s voice is shaking and his hands are so sweaty he’s not sure how the ring isn’t wet. “Kip Grady, will you marry me?”

Kip chokes out a teary laugh and smashes their lips together. “Holy shit I love you so much.”

“So-?”

“Yes!” Kip laughs and holds out his hand, “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you!”

Scott slides the ring on Kip’s finger. It’s a perfect fit and they’re kissing again. His body is buzzing with new energy and life feels perfect.

There’s a soft clapping and they both turn to see Shane and Ilya with misty eyes. Ilya is applauding, genuinely while Shane gives smaller polite claps.

“Ha,” Scott keeps his fiancé in his arms and smiles at the pair, “I uh, didn’t mean for that to happen like that. This has just been such a perfect week it seemed like the right time.”

“We must celebrate!” Ilya announces and stands. “Shane, I am getting your nice champagne."

Shane nods, “Absolutely!”

When Ilya returns it’s with four champagne bottles.

“Ilya, four!?”

“Da,” He pops one open and passes it to Scott. “We are four people, champagne is like water. Will do nothing. Must drink whole bottle.”

“Speak for yourself,” Scott laughs, but accepts the bottle and pours some into Kip’s glass.

“So one month, huh?” Kip asks after taking a sip.

Scott feels his face redden. “Yeah.”

“You were that sure?” Shane asks, accepting his drink from Ilya.

“Yeah,” Scott answers confidently, “I was. I just knew it. I don’t know how to explain it. I just did.” He meets Ilya’s eyes and in the moment Scott knows. Ilya knows exactly what he means. There’s a silent understanding that passes through them.

Ilya raises his bottle. There isn’t an ounce of a chirp, just joy when he says, “To Scott and Kip.”

Chapter End Notes

Thanks y'all for sticking with me through this, it's been an absolute blast! I've got one more fic in this particular series brewing but I'm also writing a bunch more for HR in general. So I hope y'all will stick around for those too! 🩷🩷🩷