Chapter Text
It was Rose's idea. Shane would never think about something like this on his own. He was trying to get over a guy who wasn't into him and had been pretty butthurt over it. She insisted he try it, reminding him how stunning he was, boys would fall at the chance to couple up with him. She told him his personality would add something new to the show. He didn't think too much about it, he knew how competitive the casting process was so he just did it to make her happy.
He never thought in a thousand years he would be asked in for an interview. Except he was. Several rounds and it just kept falling into place until they told him he was cast and was set to fly to Fiji in two weeks. He had a mini panic attack and freaked out to Rose, it all happened so fast.
She reminded him he didn't have to do anything. He could back out. He could even back out day one if he got there and it was uncomfortable. It's all up to him but it's a once in a lifetime chance to have a free vacation with a bunch of hot men to choose from. He's been wanting to get out of his comfort zone and here's his opportunity.
He did feel a little out of place with the other five guys. He wasn't sure if he'd find someone who would get him, be what he needs. He met Jorge who he got on with platonically which was nice. He did have two guys who wanted to couple up with him in the beginning, it was nice to know he was wanted but he didn't have chemistry with either of them. They felt it, he didn't and so he spent a couple weeks talking to people. He's been getting on with a new guy, Derek but it's still early right now.
Everything changes during the third week.
They're all sitting around the fire pit after receiving a text to do so. They just had a little party of their own, dancing, drinking up to two drinks and it was interrupted with said text leaving everyone wondering what was about to happen. And then music comes out the speakers again and then someone walks out the villa and starts striding over to them.
Tall, curly hair, ridiculously fit, birthmarks covering his fit body as he strides over in nothing but short elastic silver shorts and a whistle around his neck. Everyone cheers and hypes him up but Shane feels himself suddenly parched and unable to move. He swallows like he's trying to stop himself from drooling as he watches new guy approach Jorge, who's sitting at the end of the fire pit. He dances on him and makes his way down the line, he's rather innocent about it, not daring to do too much.
Shane's heart starts beating out of his chest when he's only one person away. The minute Shane makes eyes with him, he feels butterflies in his stomach. The guy gets his hands on Shane's thighs and swiftly pulls him down the seat so his back was on the cushion and his legs were in the air. Oh, he was clearly saving his actual performance for Shane.
He can distantly hear everyone else screaming and reeling about what the fuck is even happening. Shane hasn't had much luck in here. Despite people being attracted to him, Shane can't say he was feeling much for them. Until now. The man licks up Shanes body, from his waist, up to his neck. He then grips his jaw, pushes it aside roughly and sucks on his neck briefly. He pulls back before gripping Shane's jaw, "Open your mouth"
Shock shoots through Shane at hearing the deep voice and what he might have imagined, an accent? Shane parts his lips for him and he slides his thumb in Shane's mouth for him to suck. He does just that before the man slides it out and pinches his pec, "Good boy" He winks before continuing his way down the line with mediocre lap dances.
Holy shit. He thinks as he sits himself up with wobbly legs. By the time he gathered himself, Shane looks up to see he's finished with his lap dances and is now walking away.
"How was that Shane?" Someone asks. He can't be too sure who. His mouth is like a fish out of water, unable to find the words. Everyone, including himself, laughs. He's fucked.
They're all giddy over the new bombshell. Shane's brain is still kind of fried. The guy comes back about five minutes later dressed normally and joins them at the fire pit.
"What a fucking entrance." Roy compliments.
"Good?" He laughs.
"Yeah, clearly you know who you want." Derek points out.
"Yes." He agrees looking over at Shane, "Was good?" He asks with raised brows.
"Yes" Shane mutters back. That's all he can bring himself to say.
"I'm Ilya" He introduces himself to everyone. "From Russia but I live in America right now" I'm 25. So who's with who?"
They share who's closed off, who's with who, who's open. And then Ilya looks directly at Shane, "And you're single, right?"
Shane rolls his lips in shyly and nods.
"Perfect for me then." Ilya smirks. Once conversation disperses, he gets up and walks over to Shane. No hesitation, no fear. Shane looks up at him with those big brown eyes and parted lips, "Talk with me?" Ilya asks.
Shane closed his mouth to stop himself from looking like a fucking idiot and nods. He stands up, "Where at?"
"Upstairs. You can give me tour too?"
"Sure." Shane nods and leads the way as they head to the outdoor set of steps and head up, "Is nice view, yes?" Ilya comments from behind him.
"Yeah, I still havent gotten--" As Shane is looking back at the mountainous view behind the villa, he glances down at Ilya who's eyes are on him and not at all on the landscape. He blushes and his words die in his throat as they made their way up the stairs, "This is Soul Ties, its just a place where people come and hang out for privacy."
"Yes I see it all the time, a lot of making out this way." Shane nods as he continues to show Ilya throughout the house. "You still talk to--ehm, whats his name?"
"Derek?" Shane supplies.
"Yes."
"We are still talking but like its not--I'm open. We're just getting to know each other." He answers. "Not coupled up or anything."
"You like boring conversations with him?" Ilya teases.
"Boring?" Shane snickers. "They're good conversations, we talk about politics and movies and ---" Ilya interrupts him with a fake snore, "See, so boring I fall asleep walking." Shane giggles and shakes his head, "They're not boring." He concludes.
"And me? You like speaking to me?" Ilya asks. Shane is caught off guard by how unapologetic and bold this man he is. He can't say he doesn't like it.
He looks at Ilya who's holding his gaze and Shane feels a heavy pit in his stomach and tells himself to answer him already, "So far so good."
When Shane finishes showing him the last spot of the villa, he sighs as he faces Ilya with a polite smile, "So thats the house." He feels a bit awkward, he knows its apparent. He can't really hide that, Rose reminds him constantly. "So uh--"
"You take me back to that jazz room? I like it. We talk more?" Ilya offers and Shane immediately says yes. He's glad Ilya is feeling the same way, he had no interest in this conversation ending any time soon. And he's glad Ilya is the confident one between them who just asks for what he wants so Shane doesn't have to. They get comfortable on the suede couch in the dimly lit private room modeled after a jazz bar. They both sit with their feet curled under themselves, arms resting on the head of the couch. "So tell me about boyfriends before."
Shane's cheeks warm up as he shakes his head, "I haven't. Had a boyfriend. I had a girlfriend." He offers.
"Ah, you like girls too?"
"Um no." He chuckles. "I tried too, she's my best friend now."
"So you never have boyfriend? Beautiful boy with freckles, no boyfriend?" Ilya narrows his gaze at him suspiciously.
"What? Im serious. I--if you haven't noticed, I don't have--" He vaguely gestures to Ilya. "You're good at talking, I'm not."
Ilya looks at him doubtfully, "Yes, you talk to me for like thirty minutes now."
Shane shrugs and nods, "Well, I feel comfortable around you."
"Really? That's good, people say I scare them."
"Oh yeah, you do scare me." Shane laughs. "But like in a good way."
"Yeah?" Ilya flirts with a raised eyebrow as his hand squeezes Shane's knee. "What do you mean is good way?"
Shane's heart rate picks up, he hopes Ilya can't hear it from here. But his hand on his knee doesn't move and Shane just wants to squeal into the couch but he holds himself together. "I dont know, I think you help me say things Im scared to or like push me to do things I want. I dont know if that makes sense at all, I mean I just met you but it's what I feel. I think being around confident people just helps me, you know?"
Ilya licks his lips and nods as his hand circles under Shane's thigh, behind his knee and Shane's breath hitches as their eyes stay locked on each other. "I hope this is okay." Ilya says, his voice having dropped an octave and would have made Shane's legs give out if he wasn't already sitting. "Very okay." He mutters under his breath. God, has he been hypnotized. He feels like Ilya has put him under a spell he can't break out of, he can't look away from and quite honestly, he just wants to kiss him. It's been like 45 minutes of knowing him.
"What about your relationships?" Shane asks, pulling himself out of the trance.
"I have two. One guy, one girl. I'm bi." He explains. "But is long time since that. Like four years single." He explains.
"And is that what you want, a relationship now? Is that why you're here?"
Ilya shrugs, "I dont look for one, I come for fun time but if I meet someone good then yes, I can do relationship." Shane appreciated Ilyas raw honesty, it was refreshing. Especially in a place like this where people seemed to struggle about sharing their intentions about being here, especially on national television.
"Did you like my dance earlier?" Ilya asks. Shane smiles, remembering it, "It was...a lot, I was afraid I would get hard on camera." He laughs and then remembers they're being filmed right now. He had almost forgot where he was, that there were cameras on the walls, that there's a mic on his neck. He'd come to learn that that's the effect. Ilya has on him.
"You like it? Me doing those things?" Ilya checks, as he squeezes behind Shane's knee.
"Mhmm." Did it suddenly get really warm in here, he starts to think. His clothes start feeling like they're suffocating him.
"Whole part?" Ilya checks. The fingers in mouth? The 'good boy'
"Whole part." Shane confirms.
Ilya stares at him in disbelief, like he's mesmerized, like he needs to get on top of him. "God, you're dangerous." He groans as he looks away from him, breaking their intense eye contact and runs his fingers through his curls.
"What's wrong?" Shane laughs but he knows. He feels it too. Ilya looks over at him, "I just got here, yes? Why do I already want you?"
Shane bites down on his bottom lip and tries to contain his smile. "You do?"
Ilya gazes down at his lips before glancing back up to meet his eyes, "I do. We should---lets head back downstairs before I----" Ilya trails as he stands up, afraid what he might do if he's alone with Shane for a second longer. He needs him, has been craving him since he saw his face on his screen three weeks ago. He knew he was going to come in and go for him, guns ablazing if needed. He wanted him. Bad.
"Help me up?" Shane groans lazily from the couch. Ilya offers his hand and Shane takes it and stands up as they walk to the door. Before they open it, Shane looks back up at Ilya who's looking at him with a heavy gaze like he's about to devour him. "So..." Shane starts and Ilya nudges his hips against his, pushing him back against the wall, "I need to kiss you right now." Ilya confesses. Shane nods eagerly, "Okay."
And just like that, Ilya braces his hand behind Shane's neck and leans down and slams his lips to his. "Fuck." He huffs against Shane's lips, like he can finally release the tension that's been trapped inside him. Shane locks his fingers in Ilya's hair, softly tugging as Ilya's tongue slid against his. Ilya grips his jaw, tilts Shane's head back and deepens the kiss and Shane's dick twitches in his fucking pants, fucking hell he needs to get it together. Once Ilya pulls back, Shane looks at him helplessly and starry eyed. He leans back in and they make out again until someone tries to open the door. They pull back and open it and see a couple on the other side, "Hey, didnt know you two were in here. We can go somewhere else."
"Its alright, um. We're leaving." Shane says as he and Ilya leave the room and fix their hair up. "I'll see you in the room later?" Shane says. Ilya nods, pecking his cheek before they retreat to different spots of the house, Ilya to get to know some of the boys and Shane freaking out with Jorge.
.....
As everyone's shuffling around the house to get ready for bed that evening, Shane goes to refill his water bottle at the machine right outside the shared bedroom. He hears footsteps coming down from the staircase right beside the water machine. He glances up and smiles seeing Ilya coming down for bed. Ilya leans over and gives him a kiss on the lips, "You want breakfast tomorrow?"
Shane nods.
"What you like?"
"Bacon and egg on a bagel. Coffee."
Ilya nods and squeezes his hand, "Have good sleep." He smiles before heading into the bedroom and lying in his own bed since he's the single newcomer.