Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Hayden Pike, Luca Haas, Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Wyatt Hayes, Troy Barrett, Harris Drover

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe, Secret Relationship, Humor, Dialogue Heavy, Co-workers, Sexting, Shane Hollander Walks Ilya Rozanov Like A Dog, Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, Relationship Reveal, Blow Jobs, Spit Kink, Time Skips, Weather

Language:

English

Series:

Part 6 of hollanov <3, Part 2 of heated meteorology

Stats:

Published: 2026-02-28 Words: 8,988 Chapters: 1/1

the morning show

Summary

Keeping their relationship a secret wasn’t necessarily easy when they worked at different channels, and it definitely became a little harder once Ilya started working at Shane’s channel, but now that they were co-anchors, it seemed impossible. Shane knew it was only a matter of time before someone on their show team figured them out.

or, Shane and Ilya work at the same weather channel now, but their relationship is still a secret.

Notes

ok so i tried to code the slack messages and the emails and could not figure out how to get it to work. so we are keeping it #simple

thank you guys so much for the love on the first fic!!! i was inspired to write a sequel where they work for the same channel sooo. here it is. did not intend for it to take so long but i actually do work in weather and we had two major snowstorms so i was booked and busy for a little bit.

Shane had started planning how they would get to work together the day after they made their relationship official. It was a plan that was measured in years, involving job transfers and promotions and it all hinged on the right people leaving their jobs at the right times. 

It didn’t take long for step one to be completed; about three months after they got together, Shane was promoted to one of the regular anchors of the early show. Now he was headquartered in Toronto and only had to travel for work on rare occasions. 

Step two took a little longer. It was almost a full year before another on-camera meteorologist position opened at Weather TV. Ilya applied, Shane gave him a glowing internal recommendation, and somehow they pulled it off: Ilya landed the job. 

He still had to travel semi-frequently, as he was now in the grey area between a show anchor and a field reporter. But he was based in Toronto now, and they worked for the same channel, so it was a step in the right direction. 

Occasionally, when Shane’s co-anchor Rose was out, Ilya would fill in for her. Shane and Ilya would bicker on camera about the weather in a way that felt like home. And hopefully convinced the executive producers that Ilya should be anchoring full time.

Shane was realistic — he knew it was going to take time for Ilya to become a full time show anchor. And it did, but nearly two years to the day from when they made things official, the stars finally aligned. Rose was moving to one of the midday shows to co-anchor with Ryan Price. And miraculously, Ilya was offered her position. 

Never in a million years did Shane think they would get that lucky. 

Never in a million years did Shane think working with Ilya would be so difficult. 

Keeping their relationship a secret wasn’t necessarily easy when they worked at different channels, and it definitely became a little harder once Ilya started working at Shane’s channel, but now that they were co-anchors, it seemed impossible. Shane knew it was only a matter of time before someone on their show team figured them out.

It didn’t help that Ilya always seemed to have his hands on Shane. They would be in their morning post-show meeting, and Ilya’s hand would brush against Shane’s thigh. Inconspicuous enough on its own, but if people really paid attention, they’d notice it happens every morning, going so far as to squeeze every now and then. 

They’d be live on air and Ilya would knock their feet together behind the desk, catching Shane off guard every time. He’d have to school his expression to mask the butterflies in his stomach. 

The show would be over, and Ilya would be pushing Shane against the wall in the dressing room, kissing him stupid. Acting as if someone else couldn’t walk through the door at any moment. 

They make it four weeks before someone does. Ryan Price wanders into the dressing room expecting it to be empty and is greeted with a sight he doesn’t seem too thrilled about.

Ilya’s tongue is down Shane’s throat, one thigh wedged between both of Shane’s, giving him something to grind on. Decidedly not appropriate for work.

They jump apart at the sound of the door, but it doesn’t matter. Ryan saw enough. 

“Um. Sorry, I was just—“ 

Ryan looks pained at his accidental discovery. Shane at least knows it’s not rooted in homophobia, considering Ryan himself is gay, but he still doesn’t look excited to have seen his coworkers in such a compromising position. 

But he just turns around and leaves without another word. He never says anything else to them about it, either. But Shane continuously worries, and Ilya even starts keeping his hands to himself a little more. Still not enough, but more.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

So they continue on as coworkers. Shane thinks they're pretty good at keeping things subtle. Sure, they bicker a lot, but no one knows that's a form of foreplay for them. To everyone else, they just look like good friends that like to tease one another.

On the rare occasion that romantic lives get brought up at work, Shane and Ilya are both pretty good at dodging the questions without giving any meaningful answers. Their entire team thinks Ilya is still sleeping around, a perception that he is all too happy to play into.

Shane's more awkward and fumbles through answers when asked, but that turns out to be a bit of a blessing. People believe he isn't dating anyone because he's so awkward about the topic.

Everything is going well. They hit the six month mark as co-anchors without anyone else catching them in the act, even though they definitely have been a little too handsy from time to time. (And fine, they might have fucked in the dressing room, but that was one time and it was 3 AM so they were the only anchors there and weren't at risk of being caught.) 

It's going so well, in fact, that it takes a while for Shane to realize someone else has figured them out. And it’s someone entirely unexpected: the show’s production assistant. 

Shane doesn’t know when Luca Haas put the pieces together, but he knows it has happened. Luca has always been a little shy, as PAs normally are. They’re always new and inexperienced and eager to please. 

Luca joined the team shortly after Ilya, and he was immediately enamoured by Ilya. It was clear he had a little bit of a crush, always laughing at Ilya's stupid remarks and blushing whenever Ilya would compliment his work.

Somewhere along the way, whenever Luca was talking to Ilya, Luca started nervously glancing at Shane. 

The moment that solidifies Shane’s suspicion happens during a normal post-show meeting. Ilya is cracking jokes — he always does at their post-show, considering by that point they’ve all been at work for six hours and it’s still only 9 AM. 

Luca is laughing at something Ilya said, and Ilya says, “See? This is why Luca is my favorite. He always laughs at my jokes.”

Luca blushes and flits his eyes at Shane guiltily. It's brief, but Shane still notices. Fortunately, Shane’s face didn’t betray his internal monologue about how this kid has figured out their secret and everything is going to implode and there’s no hope and—

Later that day, it’s just Shane and Luca in the elevator.

“So how long have you known?” Shane asks, staring at the wall instead of looking at Luca. Just in case he’s somehow got this wrong, he doesn’t provide any other clues. He doesn’t want to risk exposing their secret if Luca looking at Shane was truly a coincidence. 

“Since my third week here,” Luca answers bluntly. Shane is, frankly, a little floored, because he had never thought it was that long. Luca has been here for five months at this point. 

Shane turns to him in shock. “How— what?” 

“PAs are always listening and learning. I’m always around silently, and sometimes people just forget I’m there. I listened to you guys plan a dinner with your parents one morning before anyone else got into the office. I figured you guys thought you were alone, but I always get places early, so I was already at my desk and you just didn’t see me behind my monitors.”

Shane honestly feels kind of bad. He doesn’t want Luca to feel ignored or unimportant, because the show genuinely couldn’t go on without him. But now that he thinks about it, he realizes it’s kind of true: Luca is just always there. But he rarely has something to say. Listening and learning, just like he said. Taking it all in.

“Well, I’m sorry. That we didn’t see you, and that you’ve had to deal with this secret. And, uh… thank you. For not telling anyone.” 

Luca shrugs. “I figured if you guys wanted people to know, they’d know. I think you guys would be fine to come out as a couple, though.” 

Shane sighs. “Probably, but it’s complicated.” 

Luca nods silently in response, and then the elevator gets to the first floor and they go their separate ways. 

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

They had developed a routine early on. Though they drive to work together, Shane still insists on dropping Ilya off at the nearest bus stop. Sure, Ilya has to walk the final two blocks to work, but it saves the two of them from suspiciously arriving at the same exact time every single day. Ilya thinks it’s stupid, and he tells Shane just as much every morning.

“What if I die? What if I am the victim of a horrible crime, walking all alone in Toronto at 2:30 in the morning?” Ilya says one day. 

Shane grips the steering wheel and rolls his eyes. “No one is going to kill you, stop being ridiculous.”

“My final words will be Tell Shane Hollander I was right. How will you feel then?”

“If you don’t cut it out I’ll just make you take the bus for real.” 

“Why can’t I drive myself separately? I have my own car,” Ilya reasons.

“Bad for the environment,” Shane grumbles. It’s partially true, but the real truth is that Shane loves their commute drives. They get thirty minutes to talk about whatever, and it’s comforting. Sure, they live together, but there’s something so delightfully domestic about carpooling to work. It's Shane's favorite part of his day. 

“Boring. You are boring.”

Shane sighs, but a fond smile sneaks onto his face. “I know. You tell me this every single day.”

And then he pulls up to the bus stop and looks at Ilya. “Sorry, my love, but now you have to get out.”

Ilya shakes his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable. You say I'm your love and yet you kick me out of the car in the same breath?”

Shane reaches across the middle console and touches Ilya's hand softly. “I'm sorry. I really am. I wish I was less paranoid, but…”

“I get it. You like following rules, and we are breaking one by not disclosing our relationship before I got hired.”

“Ya tebya lyublyu,” Shane says, the Russian phrase perfected in pronunciation after he's said it so many times over the years.

“Moy lyubimyy, I will see you soon.”

With that, Ilya shuts the car door, and Shane drives away. In his rearview mirror he watches the reflection of Ilya getting smaller and smaller as he drives away. Just like every morning, he wants to be brave and stop the car and tell Ilya to get back in. But that would be reckless.

Shane knows eventually they'll have to disclose their relationship, but he wants it to be well planned. He needs that, actually, because it's already so overwhelming keeping such a huge secret. 

But today is not that day. He is not brave, and instead he drives to work and parks in the same spot he parks in every single day. He says hello to the security guard at the front desk and scans his badge to get access to the elevator bank. 

“Good morning,” Shane says, greeting everyone as he walks into the office. “Is Ilya here yet?”

“In what world is he getting here before you?” Wyatt asks with a disbelieving laugh. 

Troy chuckles from his desk, speaking without looking up from his work. “I still think it's a miracle I get here before Shane, and my shift starts a full hour before his.”

“Okay, I get it. But early is on time, and on time is late. Something Ilya Rozanov could stand to learn.” Shane says, peeking over Troy's shoulder at the forecast he's writing up. “Can you make me a graphic that shows the precipitation–”

“In each major city in British Columbia? Already done, and I loaded it in with the rest of your graphics for the show.”

“You're the best,” Shane says, turning around to sit at his own desk.

Shane's fingers worry at the sleeve of his sweatshirt – one of the perks of working on camera is he can show up in whatever he wants, and then just change into his show clothes later. He's wearing a Snoopy sweatshirt that Ilya bought him for Christmas last year. His incredibly thoughtful boyfriend that he just dropped off and forced to walk into work separately. 

At that moment, the office door opens again and Ilya walks inside with a grin.

“You're late,” Scott says, though he's not serious. This is some weird game they play, where they are obsessed with pointing out when the other is late, even though it doesn't matter in the slightest. 

“You're old,” Ilya replies. “Also, I'm only 32 seconds late. That barely counts.”

There's so much fondness in his heart for his stubborn boyfriend, and in that moment, Shane decides he will work on being braver. 

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Shane realizes he’s going to have to tell Hayden about his whole thing with Ilya at some point, but he’s not exactly sure when. Honestly, he’s been putting it off ever since Ilya started working here.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the choice is somewhat forced upon him one day.

See, Ilya likes to test the waters. He likes to do things that make Shane feel like he’s going to lose his mind, either from anxiety or horniness. Sometimes both. (Usually both.)

On this particular day, Ilya is risking their jobs by sexting Shane via Slack. Like an insane person. Who the fuck sexts via Slack?

Ilya Rozanov: Looks like this weekend’s forecast is going to be very wet.

Shane Hollander: What? It’s not supposed to rain here.

Ilya Rozanov: Not rain.

Ilya Rozanov: I’m going to make you cum so many times that you start squirting like a fountain.

Shane’s entire face goes red and he audibly chokes. Unfortunately, Hayden is right next to him, and he leans over to see what has Shane reacting like that.

“Dude, why is Rozanov sending you shit like that? You know you can, like, report him to HR for sexual harassment. I’ll go with you if you need, man. I've got your back.”

“No!” Shane blurts. “I mean, uh. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal? He just said he’s going to make you squirt like a fountain… This guy doesn’t understand coworker boundaries, apparently.” 

Shane spends approximately 15 seconds debating how to proceed, and ultimately he decides the safest call is just to rip the bandaid off. But not here, because they’re in the middle of the office around tons of people who might overhear.

“I need a coffee. Let’s go to the cafeteria,” Shane says, standing up. Hayden looks a little confused at the abrupt change of topic, but he follows anyway. 

This is good practice, because Shane wants to start telling more people. Hayden is a good place to start, even if it ends up taking Shane another six months before he tells anyone else.

Once they’re in the elevator, safe from any curious ears, Shane turns to Hayden. 

“Ilya and I are dating,” Shane says bluntly. 

Hayden’s eyes seem to bug out of his head. “What? But— wait. What? How long?”

Shane shrugs. “Depends on what exactly you’re asking. We first started hooking up in 2009. But we didn’t start officially dating until 2017.”

Hayden’s mouth gapes open. He’s about to ask something else when the elevator doors open.

They walk silently to the cafeteria line, where Shane orders his coffee. Once they both have their drinks, they go over to a table in the corner, far enough away from everyone else.

Hayden looks around to make sure no one is nearby, but he still lowers his voice to a whisper when he starts speaking. “So. Ilya… really? I’m guessing it’s serious, based on the timeline.”

Shane takes a sip of his coffee and nods. “Yeah. We’ll probably get married within the next year or so.” Shane doesn't even register the significance of that thought, because it truly feels so natural to him to picture a married life with Ilya.

“Wait, if it’s that serious, why keep it a secret? There are other gay anchors here. Like half our production team is gay.”

“It’s not that simple. We never disclosed to HR that we were dating when he started working here. And I gave the internal recommendation that helped him get hired, so I’m just… scared we would get in trouble.”

Hayden nods as he processes the words. “But he’s not forcing you guys to keep it quiet, right? Because if he’s ashamed of you or something—“

“No, god no. If I would let him, every morning on the show he would introduce himself as ‘Shane Hollander’s boyfriend, Ilya Rozanov’ with the biggest smile on his face.”

“That’s kind of cute. He’s still not my favorite person, but, like. I’ll still admit that it’s cute.”

“Yeah. I guess I should figure out what to say to HR before we get married, because it feels like at that point, we should say something.”

Hayden nods. “Wait. You said you guys started hooking up in 2009? You’ve been together in some way or another for eleven years?” 

Shane blushes. “Yeah. First time we hooked up was during a series of clippers in Ontario. We were both in the same hotel and it just… happened. And then it kept happening. It was just sex for a while. And then eventually it got serious.”

“Wow. So, like, all those times you went out while we were in the field…?”

“I was seeing Ilya, yeah.” 

“Man. How did I not figure this out sooner?” 

“I mean, we were careful. And you have a ton of kids, so you were pretty distracted,” Shane says with a cheeky smile.

“Fuck you, man. I can’t believe this. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Shane shrugs. “We haven’t really told anyone. My parents know, so does Ilya’s best friend Svetlana. And Luca Haas and Ryan Price.”

“Hold on. Our fucking PA knew before me?”

“He figured it out himself! It’s not like we decided to tell him.”

“And Ryan Price?” Hayden asks.

“Uh. He walked in on us in the dressing room.”

“You guys fuck at work?” Hayden whisper-shouts in shock. 

“No! Oh my god, no. We were just making out.” 

Hayden grimaces. “Okay, but I saw what Ilya was sending you on fucking Slack, so I’m not sure how much I believe you.” 

“Okay, fine,” Shane relents. “We have fucked at work once. But that's it! I swear.”

They’re both quiet for a moment. Shane honestly feels a little relieved to have finally told someone, especially someone so close to him. 

“I guess Jackie and I need to have you both over for dinner, huh? Let the kids meet their uncle Ilya.” 

They’re driving home from work that afternoon when Shane tells Ilya that Hayden knows. And that he found out because of Ilya’s Slack sexts. 

“Okay, first: they're called Slexts. And second… did you tell Hayden it is true, I have made you squirt like a fountain before?” Ilya asks, because he’s insufferable. 

“Jesus Christ, no I did not tell him that. He’s my friend and that would be so weird.” 

“I would love to tell my friends that,” Ilya says with a shrug. 

“I will crash this car,” Shane says gravely. “Do not tell your friends you make me squirt like a fountain. Please.” 

“Okay, fine. As long as you squirt for me this weekend. I am requiring at least five orgasms from you.”

“I can’t stand you,” Shane says, but he’s smiling while he says it. And getting a little hard. 

In a perfect world, that would be the only time Ilya sexts over Slack. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world and Ilya enjoys living on the edge.

Ilya Rozanov: I hear it is going to be hot and wet tonight.

Shane Hollander: I’m not falling for this again.

Ilya Rozanov: Come on. Please. 

Ilya Rozanov: For me <3

Shane rolls his eyes. He hates the fact that he’s about to appease Ilya. 

Shane Hollander: Fine. 

Shane Hollander: I don’t think the forecast says it’s supposed to be hot and wet tonight. 

Ilya Rozanov: Not the weather.

Ilya Rozanov: I am talking about when I’m inside your hole. 

Shane’s face heats up as he reads Ilya’s words. He knew it would be something inappropriate, but it still has goosebumps erupting on his skin. 

He’s also getting a little turned on, and it’s in that moment that he finally realizes he probably has something of an exhibitionism kink. The idea that Ilya is sending these words to him on his company issued device and yet no one around him even knows… It’s really getting him going.

He doesn’t say that, though.

Shane Hollander: This is not appropriate for work.

Ilya Rozanov: And yet…

Ilya Rozanov: I think your ears might be turning bright red

Ilya Rozanov: While you get hard thinking about the things I could do to you

Ilya Rozanov: Bend you over the anchor desk

Ilya Rozanov: Let them broadcast how well you take me

Ilya Rozanov: Because you’re so good for me, always taking me so well

Shane tugs at the collar of his work shirt and looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is standing over him and reading these messages.

Shane Hollander: Ilya

Shane Hollander: Save it for when we get home

Ilya Rozanov: Aw, is someone getting hard at work?

Shane Hollander: Fuck off

“Hey man, wanna go get coffee?” Harris asks, startling Shane. He’s about to say yes until he remembers that he is half hard in his slacks right now and doesn’t really need to be broadcasting that across the office. 

“Uh, not today. I have to finish this breakout for tomorrow before I can go home.” 

“Actually doing work at work? Boooooring,” Harris says, but he walks away and ends up asking Luca to accompany him instead.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

For once, both Ilya and Shane are early for the post-show meeting. They sit at the conference table and Ilya lets out a breath.

“It is so hard working with you all day,” Ilya says suddenly, and he sounds remarkably serious.

Shane whips his head around in shock. “What?” Has he done something to piss off his boyfriend? In his head, he quickly walks through their entire day so far, trying to pinpoint exactly where he could have gone wrong.

“Yeah. You are so sexy and I do not get to put my tongue in your mouth while we are working. Which I think you should let me do, but whatever.”

Shane swats at Ilya. “Asshole. I thought I sincerely upset you. I was sitting here trying to remember everything that happened today.”

“My lovely Shane, always so caring of my feelings,” Ilya says, ghosting his fingers over Shane's wrist. His fingers knock into Shane's watch, where his eyes catch the time, and his entire demeanor changes.

“Oh my god. The meeting starts in one minute, where is everyone? Is Scott going to be late? Oh, I'm so excited right now.” He sits up straighter in his chair, fingers tapping on the conference table as people start to file in.

Troy, Luca, Wyatt, Harris… still no Scott. 

Ilya's eyes are glued to his own watch now, counting the seconds. As soon as it hits 9:01, he lets out a triumphant shout. “This is the best day ever.”

Moments later, Scott walks in the door.

“You're late!” Ilya says, pointing at him excitedly. 

“My apologies. I was setting up our show plan for tomorrow, AKA my job,” Scott says, setting his computer down on the table.

“I do not care. Nothing can rob me of this high right now. I can do anything I put my mind to.”

They’re on the elevator later that morning when Ilya suddenly turns to him. “We should get married.”

Shane’s eyebrows shoot up. “Is this you proposing right now? In the elevator at work at 9:30 in the morning?”

“No. If you would let me, though, I would propose on air, literally any day of the week. But that is not the point. I am just suggesting we get married. Maybe soon.”

“I want to, it’s just… a lot to be keeping from everyone here. It’s one thing to be secretly dating, but secretly married? That’s kind of crazy.”

“You think so? I already think of you as my husband,” Ilya says casually, as if it’s to be expected. Shane’s entire face heats up and he thinks he might cry in this elevator. Ilya always knows just what to say to emotionally obliterate him.

“Maybe you’re right. We should make it official,” Shane says with a shrug.

They get married the following Friday. It’s small and simple and a little rushed, mainly because they both know they’ve waited too long and just want to tie the knot immediately. Shane vetoes the idea of individually written vows, partially because he doesn't want to share those words to anyone but Ilya, and partially because he doesn't trust what Ilya would write. It would probably be very sappy and beautiful, but there would undoubtedly be innuendos and corny weather jokes mixed in, and Shane just doesn't want to have to navigate that.

Very few people stand in the city chamber room with them: Shane’s mom and dad are there, and the only other guests are Hayden and Svetlana. Well, and the officiant, but that's a given.

Shane briefly wonders if Ilya maybe wanted something bigger. Ilya does love to show off, to stake his claim. He would probably love to tie the knot in front of everyone they know, just so that it's clear that he is Shane's and Shane is his.

When Shane cries during the ceremony, he becomes very glad there are only four guests.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Shane is the one to slip up on air, less than one month after the wedding. 

He really doesn’t mean to. He was doing a reader about ice jams, and it just comes out. 

“My husband’s from somewhere even colder than here—“

He immediately starts internally panicking, but he’s been on camera for years now, so he keeps his cool externally. It's only because of muscle memory that he keeps reading the teleprompter, uninterrupted. 

The one thing that almost breaks him is when he sees Ilya’s lips twitch into a small smile.

The moment they go to commercial break, Scott is in Shane’s ear over the IFB. 

“Shane Hollander, are you married?” Scott asks, sounding shocked that Shane would have such a salacious secret as a hidden husband. If only he knew.

“Uh, yeah. It’s recent,” Shane says awkwardly. He has never found himself wishing for the start of the next block of the show more than in this moment.

“You got married and you didn’t invite your loving co-anchor?” Ilya says dramatically. Shane kicks him under the desk, even though he knows this is probably the best moment of Ilya’s career. 

“Yeah, you didn’t invite any of us! I thought we were friends, man,” Scott says. 

“I would have brought you an amazing air fryer,” Wyatt chimes in. “But no invite means no air fryer.”

Shane is tired of the heat being on him, so he drops a bomb. “Hayden was there.”

Unfortunately, Shane doesn’t get to hear the reaction. It’s happening a whole floor away from him in the control room, and none of them are so kind as to keep their headset mics on so that Shane can listen in on their conversation. 

However, a few moments later Hayden is in Shane’s ear. “I could ruin your life right now, man.”

Shane smiles. “But you won’t because you’re a good friend.” 

“Whatever. You and your husband suck. You can tell him I said that, too.” 

Shane glances at Ilya with a smile on his face. His husband.

Two hours later, Shane is alone in the elevator with Luca again. 

“So you guys got married?” Luca asks earnestly. 

“Yeah. It was just a small thing, a city hall wedding. We got tired of not having anything official.”

Luca hesitates for a moment. “I know it’s not my place but, like… I’m sure people would be fine if you revealed that you are married. I mean, they’d probably freak out about it but not in a bad way, at least.” 

Shane shakes his head. “There’s rules in place about interpersonal relationships that we haven’t followed. We could both lose our jobs.” 

“Well, if and when you guys go public, you should have a little reception to celebrate your wedding. I think everyone would enjoy that. And you could probably get some good gifts. Maybe Wyatt will even get you that air fryer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shane says. It’s actually a pretty good suggestion, and Shane does want to go public at work soon, so maybe they can really make this happen. Ilya has been itching to throw a party in their backyard for ages now, and Shane can see the value in a team bonding experience like that. Because he does consider the members of his show team to be his friends, even if the only one he's ever seen outside of work is Hayden. 

The post-show meeting is predictably brutal.

The minute Shane walks into the room, Wyatt is pointing an accusatory finger towards him and exclaiming, “Traitor! I’ve been your line producer for over a year and I wasn’t invited to the wedding?”

“To be fair, I was only one of two non-family members there,” Hayden says. It’s kind of helpful, at least.

“I don’t care if something good happened to you. It should have happened to me instead,” Wyatt replies.

“So when do we get to meet your husband?” Scott asks. 

Shane feels his face go hot. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe at the holiday party?”

Wyatt blanches. “That’s, like, ten months away!” 

“Yeah, well. The wait will make it that much better,” Shane says. He hopes he doesn’t sound as shaky as he feels.

“We unfortunately need to plan the show for tomorrow but trust that we will be circling back to this,” Scott says, hooking his laptop up to share his screen.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

The next person to find out is none other than Scott Hunter. 

It’s objectively Ilya’s fault, and it once again happens because of his stupid Slack messages. 

Ilya Rozanov: For dinner I will make garlic shrimp pasta. Rose showed me a new recipe.

Shane Hollander: Ilya

Ilya Rozanov: What? You love shrimp 

Ilya Rozanov: Almost as much as you love my dick. 

Shane Hollander: ILYA

Scott Hunter: ??????

Ilya Rozanov: Oh I see

Ilya Rozanov: This is a groupchat. Oops

Shane spends the next fifteen minutes convincing himself that Scott is too polite to bring this up. That he'll let it go, assume it was some sort of mistake. 

Unfortunately, Scott does not leave it be. Instead, he corners Shane in the conference room before their post-show meeting. His voice is low when he leans in to ask Shane a tense question.

“This is kind of awkward to ask, but, like… are you and Rozanov having an affair?”

Shane thought it was bad enough that Scott was included on those messages, but it hadn’t even occurred to him that this might be the conclusion he comes to.

“What? Oh my god, no.” 

“Well it’s not like he’s your secret husband, so why is he slacking you about dinner plans and also his dick?”

Shane’s face must reveal it all, because he watches as reality dawns on Scott. 

“Oh my god. He’s your secret husband. Holy shit, what?”

“Yep. Yeah, so there are no affairs happening here, I promise.” 

Although Shane does have to admit the idea of pretending that he and Ilya are having an affair might be something they try out in bed. He files that idea away for later.

“How long have you guys been together?”

“Uh. It’s complicated.”

Scott raises his eyebrow. “Like, since before he started working here?”

“Yeah,” Shane nods. “We first got together in 2009. But it wasn’t official until 2017. And we just got married this year.”

“Holy shit. Who else knows?”

“Hayden, Luca, and Ryan Price.”

Scott’s face scrunches in confusion. “That’s the most random assortment of people possible.”

Shane sighs. “Yeah, well. Luca pieced things together early on. And Ryan and Hayden both saw… incriminating things.” 

“What the fuck are you guys doing at work that two coworkers have seen incriminating things?” 

“I don’t think you want to know, actually.”

“That means I definitely want to know.”

At that moment, Ilya walks into the conference room. Scott immediately turns and asks him, “What are you guys doing at work that would be considered incriminating?”

“Oh, sometimes we Slext. He pretends he does not like it but I know the truth.” Ilya is grinning at another chance to use his beloved term.

“What the hell is Slext?”

“A Slack sext, obviously,” Ilya answers, and Scott's mouth drops open.

“You guys sext on Slack?! That is crazy person behavior.”

Shane throws his hands up. “I don’t! Just Ilya!”

Ilya nods with a proud grin. “I will send the next Slexts in our groupchat. So that you can see how young people talk sexy over messages.”

“Don’t you have his phone number? Why would you Slack him?”

“Ah, Shane loves risk. Gets him all hot thinking about someone catching us.” 

“Please stop talking,” Shane says miserably, hanging his head. 

Ilya shrugs. “What? Is it not true?”

“I kind of miss life when I didn’t know about you guys,” Scott says, equally miserable. 

“Join the club,” Luca murmurs from the corner, because he somehow silently snuck in. Classic PA move, always observing quietly.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

FROM: brandon.wiebe@wxtv.com

TO: WXTV Programming 

SUBJECT: Historic Blizzard Expected - Hotel Booking Advised

 

Hello all,

We are expected to experience historic blizzard conditions this weekend, and travel will be very difficult. 

Therefore, we are strongly recommending that you book hotel accommodations by our office now to ensure you are still able to make it into work during the storm for our essential blizzard coverage.

Please reply to this email if you would like a hotel room and I will ensure a booking is made. Let me know if you have any further questions.

 

Brandon Wiebe

Executive Producer, Weather TV

FROM: shane.hollander@wxtv.com

TO:  brandon.wiebe@wxtv.com

SUBJECT: RE: Historic Blizzard Expected - Hotel Booking Advised

 

I would like a hotel room, please! Thank you!

 

Shane Hollander

On Camera Meteorologist, Weather TV

FROM: ilya.rozanov@wxtv.com

TO:  brandon.wiebe@wxtv.com

SUBJECT: RE: Historic Blizzard Expected - Hotel Booking Advised

 

Hello. I will need a room.

 

Ilya Rozanov

On Camera Meteorologist, Weather TV

“Do not worry, Hollander, I just secured us a hotel room for the storm,” Ilya said. They were both at home, and Shane was sitting at the other end of the couch as they had individual phone time. Individual phone time where Shane was assuming Ilya was harmlessly playing Candy Crush, not replying to work emails on a Friday night. Shane is the one who replies to work emails on Friday nights. 

“Wait, what? I also replied asking for a room.”

Ilya laughed. “Well. This is awkward, because we do not need two rooms. I'm not sleeping away from you, that sounds awful.”

Shane is immediately stressed. There is no way for them to walk this back without it being suspicious. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.

“Alright, you need to email Wiebe again and tell him never mind before he books your room.”

Ilya pouts dramatically and begins to whine, flopping his arms around. “But I don’t wanna!!! Why can’t you cancel?” 

Shane fixes Ilya with a look, and that’s all it takes to have him reopening his email and sending a new message to Wiebe.

FROM: ilya.rozanov@wxtv.com

TO:  brandon.wiebe@wxtv.com

SUBJECT: RE: RE: Historic Blizzard Expected - Hotel Booking Advised

 

I no longer need a room. I will be crashing with a friend nearby. Like a slumber party.

 

Ilya Rozanov

On Camera Meteorologist, Weather TV

“God, this is gonna look so suspicious,” Shane says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“No it won't. I will play it off very naturally,” Ilya replies. 

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Ilya does not play it off “very naturally”. Instead, he starts kissing Shane right outside their hotel room, as if there aren't several of their coworkers staying on this very floor.

“Ilya, we could get caught,” Shane says, but he makes no move to push Ilya away. In fact, he snakes his arms around Ilya's neck and pulls him impossibly closer.

“Yes, and you like that, moy lyubovnik,” Ilya says with a grin, moving to trail kisses down Shane's neck.

“No I don't,” Shane protests weakly. It's not very convincing, considering he's currently trying to grind his cock on whatever part of Ilya he can get access to. 

“Holy shit,” Harris says, interrupting the moment. Shane and Ilya jump apart, as if they could somehow salvage the situation. As if their kiss-bitten lips don’t tell the whole story.

And then a familiar voice trails down the hall: “Hey, babe, I brought…” 

It's Troy. With Harris. Calling him babe. Very interesting development. 

And now the four of them are standing in the hallway. Troy has a freshly filled ice bucket, and Shane has an incriminating erection. The couples stare at each other, wondering who will dare to make the first move.

“So. We'll just… keep all this to ourselves? Four way vow of silence?” Harris suggests.

“No four way, I do not share,” Ilya replies instantly.

“That is not–” Shane sighs when he sees Ilya grinning. His asshole husband loves to push his buttons, and it unfortunately leaves a very warm and pleasant feeling in his stomach. “Okay, ignore him. He's just like that. But yes, a vow of silence is… good.”

“So. Your husband who's from somewhere colder than here?” Troy asks, motioning towards Ilya.

“Yes. Russia is colder. This is true,” Ilya says, nodding. Acting totally casual, like he isn't moving his hand to Shane's ass as they speak.

“Please don't feel him up in front of us,” Harris says. He sounds exhausted already. 

"This is why we keep getting caught. You can't keep your hands to yourself!” Shane says, snatching Ilya's hand and removing it from his personal space.

“Hold on, keep getting caught?” Troy asks.

Shane sighs again. “This is a lot to discuss. Let's talk in our room?”

And that's how the four of them find themselves in Shane and Ilya's hotel room. Troy and Harris perch awkwardly on the couch, while Ilya relaxes into his seat by the end of the bed. Shane stands tensely, eyes darting between Ilya on the bed and Troy and Harris on the couch, completely unsure of how to proceed.

“So I ask again, keep getting caught? Who else knows?”

“Ryan Price, Luca, Hayden, and Scott Hunter,” Ilya lists off casually.

“What? How do all those people know and we didn't?”

“They were at the right place at the right time,” Ilya says. 

“Jesus Christ, how much are you guys making out at work?” Harris asks. 

“No, only you guys and Ryan caught us kissing! I swear. I normally am better at keeping myself controlled,” Shane says.

“Yeah, Scott and Hayden both saw our Slexts,” Ilya says solemnly, as if Troy and Harris are going to have a single what he's talking about.

“Slexts?”

“Slack sexts, how do people not get that sooner?” Ilya says in exasperation.

“Probably because normal people are not sexting on Slack?” Harris says. “But I'm not surprised that you are.”

“Does anyone know about you?” Shane asks.

“Just Wiebe. We told him a few weeks ago,” Troy answers. 

“Well, this has been a very fun conversation but I would like to make sweet love to my husband before we go to bed. We will see you first thing tomorrow morning for our important coverage on the blizzard,” Ilya says, standing up and walking to the door. “Goodbye.”

Troy and Harris mutter their goodbyes and awkwardly shuffle out of the door.

“Ilya, you can't just end conversations like that,” Shane says, but he still lets Ilya start undressing him, so the words probably aren't settling.

"Mmmhmm, I understand. I'm sorry, let me make it up to you with an orgasm?” 

Shane's laugh quickly devolves into a moan when Ilya slips his hand into Shane's briefs. 

“So hard for me already, you really do like getting caught, don't you?” Ilya taunts, his lips pressing kisses against Shane's neck.

Shane only whines in response, letting Ilya guide him to the bed so that he's laying down.

“Let me suck you,” Ilya says, kissing down Shane's naked chest. Shane nods rapidly, scrambling to help Ilya shuck his pants off.

“Look at that pretty cock,” Ilya says when he peels off Shane's underwear. He slides further down the bed and then licks along Shane's cock.

“Fuck, Ilya,” Shane moans.

Ilya looks up at him with mirth in his eyes as he takes Shane's cock into his mouth. He wastes no time, immediately pushing until his nose hits the neatly trimmed hair at the base of Shane's cock. Ilya bobs his head a few times, his tongue working the underside of Shane's cock in the way that makes Shane's eyes roll back.

When Ilya pulls off with a pop, Shane whines and reaches out for him.

“On a night when we have more time, I will take you apart. Edge you for hours, until you're crying and begging to come. But tonight we must be quick, and luckily, coming fast is your specialty.”

“Asshole,” Shane mutters with a smile, but then Ilya's mouth is back on his cock so he just doesn't have it in himself to care.

Ilya picks up the pace, propelling Shane towards an orgasm. It feels like seconds before Shane feels that familiar heat pooling in his stomach, his hips starting to twitch up as he chases his own pleasure.

When Ilya trails one downwards, slipping in between Shane's cheeks and pressing against his tight hole, Shane cries out and comes down Ilya's throat.

Ilya keeps sucking him off and Shane rides out his orgasm until it's on the wrong side of too much. He starts to squirm, and that's when Ilya finally pulls off.

“Beautiful. I could watch you come every single day for the rest of my life. And I will, actually. Because my life is that amazing.”

Shane huffs a laugh. “You are so sappy. Let me taste you now.” 

Ilya straddles Shane, moving up until his cock rests in front of Shane's face. 

It's a sight Shane will never get tired of, his husband's flushed and erect cock hanging in front of his face. Shane sticks his tongue out and kitten licks the head of Ilya's cock, taking a moment to savor the precum. 

“Wan’ you to fuck my face,” Shane says in a trance.

Ilya's hand jerks his cock languidly as he stares down at Shane. “Fuck, I want to. But we're on air tomorrow for five hours and that would be irresponsible. So for now, let's stick with a wet and sloppy blowjob.”

Shane nods and leans forward again, letting Ilya slot his cock into his open mouth and sucking gently. He takes his time suckling on the head, only taking the first few inches at first. 

It doesn't take long for Shane to want more, craving the feeling of Ilya in his throat. He swirls his tongue around the head and tries to take more into his mouth, but Ilya stops him.

“No, nothing deeper. Want to come on your tongue just like this,” Ilya groans, his fist returning to his cock and speeding up. “Stick your tongue out for me, moya lyubimyy.”

Shane obliges, opening wide and letting his tongue fall out of his mouth. Ilya's hand strips his cock rapidly, and then he's letting out that punched-out groan that Shane has come to know so well. 

Ilya spills over Shane's tongue, and Shane knows he must look like he's in a trance as he lets his husband come into his mouth. 

Once he has milked the last few drops, Ilya moves his hand to hold Shane's jaw. And then he spits right into Shane's open mouth, the saliva mixing with his cum. 

Using his grip to gently close Shane's mouth, Ilya gruffly says, “Swallow.”

As always, Shane listens. His throat works as he swallows, his eyes locked on Ilya's. 

“Good boy,” Ilya says, and then he leans down and connects their lips in a filthy kiss. “So fucking good for me.”

And then Ilya gets out of bed, grabbing Shane a cold water bottle. He climbs back into bed and pulls Shane into his arms, stroking along his skin gently.

In that moment, a thought occurs to Shane. “This feels just like old times, hooking up in a random hotel bed, huh?”

“Yeah, except now we talk about our feelings,” Ilya replies, kissing Shane's forehead. “I love you.”

Shane is at his desk mapping out a forecast about the blizzard when he sees Wiebe walk past him.

“Hey, Wiebe, do you have a minute to talk? I know it's crazy busy, but it really will only be a minute or two.” Well. He hopes it will only be a minute or two.

“Sure, conference room B is open, wanna drop in there?”

Shane nods, and before he follows Wiebe into the conference room, he motions to Ilya to come along. Wiebe seems surprisingly unsurprised when they walk in together.

“So, I just want to come clean about something. Ilya and I are together. As in married. The marriage is recent, but the relationship is not. We've been involved for more than a decade. I am so sorry I did not disclose this, and I know I urged you to hire him, so I understand if–”

“Shane, calm down,” Wiebe interrupts. “You’re both good at your jobs. Rozanov would probably have been hired even without your recommendation. And frankly, I don't care if you're married as long as it doesn't affect your work.”

“Really?” Shane is dumbfounded.

“Yeah. I mean, I already had my suspicions, and then the whole hotel room cancellation thing happened and I figured I was probably right. But I also knew you guys were thriving as co-anchors, so I'm not looking to punish anybody for keeping a secret or whatever.”

Shane lets out a huge breath of relief. “Thank god. I can't believe I was so scared.”

“I told him it would be okay, but he still drops me off two blocks from work and makes me walk the rest of the way so that we don't arrive together. So he clearly did not believe me, and he also wants me to die.”

Wiebe laughs. “Well, between you guys and Troy and Harris, I think we've hit our quota for inner-show relationships.”

“Really? I think Hayden Pike should get with Wyatt. They are bringing down the gay percentage of our show,” Ilya says, and Shane genuinely thinks he's being a little serious. “What? I do not like straight people in my business.”

“Okay, as your boss, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. And there's a blizzard going on, so we've got some coverage to work on.” Wiebe checks his watch. “Actually, your show is in one hour, so you both need to get to the studio floor and start prepping.”

Shane and Ilya file the HR paperwork the following afternoon. It turns out absolutely no one in HR cares if they’re married, so Shane was scared for no reason.

Ilya celebrates by kissing him breathless in the elevator, and then fucking him stupid in their bed at home.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

The next day, Shane realizes almost every single person on their team knows. In fact, at this point the only person who doesn't know is Wyatt. 

So when they're in the elevator, Shane turns to Ilya with an idea.

“What if we just reveal that we're together? Most people know by now, anyways.”

Ilya breaks into a huge smile. “Are you serious? Because you know I would love that. But also I do not want to pressure you if you are not comfortable.”

“It's not that at all. It's just that I don't like the fanfare and attention that's going to come with such a major announcement. But also, I feel like as long as we keep it appropriate at work, it will be okay.”

“Okay, then we tell them. When?”

“How about in five minutes?” Shane suggests with a nervous smile.

Shane's nerves start to flare up as they approach their desks, realizing they're about to make the big reveal. He's so preoccupied that he barely follows along while Scott walks them through the show.

“And then in the D Block we'll do future track and radar. Anything to add?” Scott asks.

Shane probably should wait a moment longer, let the show plan settle. Instead, he says, “Yeah, just one thing. Ilya and I are married.” To drive home the point, he laces his fingers with Ilya's.

The majority of the team is relatively unaffected. They'd all found out by then, so this was by no means breaking news.

“What? Are you for real?” Wyatt asks, standing up from his desk. “Why are the rest of you not freaking out more?”

“We all knew,” Hayden replies.

Wyatt’s eyes dart around the room. “You all knew? And no one told me?”

“We kinda found out on our own, one by one,” Luca says sheepishly. 

“Hold on. The PA knew before me? The fucking PA?!” Wyatt says, hands in the air in exasperation. He pauses for a moment and then turns to Luca. “Sorry, Luca. You’re an integral part of the show and we couldn’t do it without you. You're great at your job and we are so glad that you are part of the team.”

Wyatt looks back at Shane and Ilya. “But the fucking PA? He’s, like, eleven years old! He’s known you for five minutes! Shane, how long have we been friends?”

“Look, Luca overheard a conversation before work. Everyone had some sort of evidence to accompany their discoveries,” Shane says bluntly.

“Hold on, how did each of you find out?” Wyatt asks, clearly struggling to wrap his mind around the fact that such groundbreaking news is not groundbreaking to anyone else.

“They planned a dinner with Shane's parents in front of me,” Luca says.

“Ilya sexted Shane over Slack and I unfortunately saw his screen,” Hayden says, sounding a little miserable recounting the incident.

Scott laughs. “I was in a Slack groupchat and Ilya did not realize it was a groupchat. So somehow I witnessed both dinner plans and sexting via Slack.”

“It's called Slexting,” Ilya says pointedly, and Luca laughs, because he's nothing if not Ilya's biggest fan. 

“I wish I only saw that. Troy and I saw them making out in the hotel hallway during the blizzard,” Harris says. “Shane had an erection.”

Shane's entire face flushes. “Harris! You didn't have to include that detail!”

“I know. But I kinda wanted to.”

“Okay, well now that we've covered the fact that Ilya and Shane desperately need to get a room, we've got a show to prepare,” Scott says, getting them back on track. 

“We have a room. Several of them, and we have had sex in every single one,” Ilya says proudly.

Shane rubs his hand over his face. “You cannot say that stuff at work, we have talked about this.”

Immediately, Ilya looks guilty. “Sorry. I will not do it again.”

“Someone's whipped,” Wyatt says with a grin.

Ilya does not shy away from the accusation. “Yes, I am a devoted husband to my Shane.”

“Walking you like a dog, damn,” Hayden comments from the corner.

“Watch your back, Pike, or I will buy your children noisy instruments as a gift and ruin your homelife.”

“Anyway! Before we all get to work, I just wanted to say nothing is really gonna change here. But, uh, also… Ilya and I want to have a little reception in our backyard, since we didn't really have any celebration before. And, uh, we'd love it if you guys would come.”

Wyatt fingers are fast at work as he types on his phone. “I'm texting Lisa and telling her we need to get an air fryer expeditiously. No one else get them an air fryer, I'm calling it.”

“You really don't have to get us anything–”

“Shane, if our lovely friends want to get us wonderful gifts, we should let them,” Ilya says with a grin.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

At the end of the week, Shane and Ilya's backyard is filled with all of their favorite people. The drinks are flowing, the gift table is stacked (despite Shane's repeated insistence throughout the week that gifts were not expected), and there's a lot of laughter.

“I can’t believe Luca is the only one who discovered we were together in a way that didn’t somehow involve sex,” Shane says, a little embarrassed. 

“Well, actually…” Luca says, his cheeks flushing. 

“What? You said you overheard us planning dinner with my parents! There was definitely no sex involved there.”

“Yeah, but then I also overheard Ilya plan dessert with just the two of you. In painfully explicit detail.”

Shane wants to die. “Ilya, you have got to stop talking about sex stuff at work. Please.”

Ilya shrugs innocently. “What? It's not my fault I have a very sexy husband who does tricks on my dick. Of course I want to talk about it all the time.”