Work Text:
Running the streets like a maniac, he held on tight to his satchel and navigated towards the restaurant. He has never been late in his life, always being on time for both his shifts and his classes. Today, however, his professor chose to be a douchebag and extended the class by 15 minutes, which means Shane is almost late for work.
He barged through the back, hair sticking up in all places, and panting like crazy. “Made it!” He exclaimed.
Mr. Wiebe, the owner, looked at him with a confused expression before breaking into laughter. “Shane, you can be late for a few minutes, relax.”
Shane shook his head, wiping the sweat off his forehead, and hung his bag on one of the vacant hooks. “You know I hate being late.”
“Uh-huh, and you’ve never been late, so it’s fine. I’m not saying you should be late, but whatever, just get to work.” He said, patting Shane’s shoulder before stepping outside.
Shane had already changed into his work uniform before leaving the campus, so he just fixed himself in the mirror for a few minutes. The door opened, and in came his best friend and co-worker, Hayden. “Ahh, you’re here. I thought you’d be smudging your perfect record today.”
“Not a chance, dude,” Shane replied.
“Oh well, I can only hope,” Hayden laughed when Shane shot him a dirty look, “Anyway! It’s not that crazy tonight, table 6 is reserved for that nice elderly couple-”
“But with a lot of demands,” Shane finished.
Hayden nodded, “Yes, exactly. I think tables 7 and 8 are your regulars? So, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“What time are they arriving?”
Hayden glanced at the clock, “Table 7 in probably 15 minutes? 6 and 8 have to be at most an hour each. You can help JJ serve the food for now, though.”
Shane nodded and went to work, carrying trayfuls of food to JJ’s customers as he waited for the patrons at table 6. It’s currently Shane’s last year working in the restaurant, since it’s also his senior year, and he will be graduating this year. He already has plans for himself, and he can’t wait for that part of his life to unfold.
Before he could go to the back with JJ, he saw the customer being escorted to table 7, cursing under his breath.
“You okay?” JJ asked as they walked.
“Table 7 is that girl who keeps on flirting with me,” Shane said uncomfortably.
JJ sneaked a look towards the customer, before snorting, “Oh fuck, what’s her name again?”
“I don’t know, Britney or something?”
JJ snapped his fingers, “She’s the one who keeps writing her number on the receipt. Always putting call me soon, Shane.” JJ said the last part with a high-pitched voice.
Shane closed his eyes at the memory. This girl has been flirting with him even though he straight-up let her down multiple times. She just doesn’t get the memo that Shane isn’t interested.
“Do you want me to serve her?” JJ asked.
Despite being tempted to say yes, Shane ultimately took on the task because work is work, he just has to endure the embarrassment. So, he took a deep breath and walked towards the table.
“Good evening, my name is Shane, and I will be your server for this evening. Can I start you with anything to drink?”
“Please, Shaney, I’ve been here multiple times, you don’t need to be so formal,” Britney purred, smiling sweetly at Shane.
Deep inside, Shane is cursing and throwing different profanities in the air. But he keeps his professional smile on, “Apologies, but have you decided on what to drink?”
“House wine would be good,” She winked.
“I will get that started for you,” Shane smiled (or grimaced, more like) before walking to the kitchens to grab a bottle.
He made quick work of serving the drink, promising Britney he would be back to take her order. He went to the back to take a breath and was surprised to see his co-workers huddled together.
“What’s going on?”
Hayden raised his head, “Mr. Wiebe just sent a message on the group chat, we’ve been booked tomorrow for a special event.”
“What event?” Shane asked, stepping closer to peek at Hayden’s phone.
“He didn’t say, but one person has rented the place out!”
Shane blinked, “Just one person?”
Hayden nodded, “Weird, right? Must be a millionaire or something,”
“Wait,” Troy, another co-worker, said, “Isn’t that Russian millionaire here for business?”
“Oh yeah!” Hayden exclaimed, “Ilya Rozanov!”
Troy pointed at Hayden, “Yes, him! I read he’s here to expand his vodka business or something, so that it might be him?”
“Doesn’t seem too far-fetched, he already went here years ago. Didn’t rent out the place, though,” Hayden said as he pocketed his phone.
“Whoa, what?! He went here before?!” Troy exclaimed.
Hayden nodded, “It was my day off, though, and JJ hadn’t worked here yet that time. You were working that day, right, Shane?”
At the sound of his name, Shane snapped out of his own mind, “What? Oh, yeah, I think I remember him.”
“Damn, must be nerve-racking to serve a millionaire,” JJ said.
“It was fine, I guess. He’s nice,” Shane said simply, before walking out to continue working, leaving the other guys to themselves.
Luckily for him, Britney didn’t give him a hard time and just continued with her light flirting and ended up leaving him a generous tip- and her phone number on the receipt. He continued his day by serving the elderly couple at table 6, who, as usual, had many demands and orders. At the same time, his regulars in table 8 also arrived, so it was really hectic for Shane.
It wasn’t until almost an hour later that he stepped to the back, tired as hell but thankful that everything was taken care of for now. Behind him, Hayden stepped inside as well, seemingly just finished with one of his tasks.
“Hey, asshole, you didn’t tell me Britney was the one at table 7 earlier.”
Hayden cackled, “Sorry, I just want to see your reaction. And besides, she’s pretty! You should totally call her, man.”
“Jesus Christ, Hayd, I thought you already stopped with this match-making bullshit,”
“Ah ah, you wanted me to stop, I didn’t say I will,” Hayden dodged the slap that Shane would’ve landed on his arm. “You need to get laid!”
“That’s none of your business, Pike!” Hayden said through gritted teeth, trying to slap his best friend once again. “And I am getting laid!”
“Shane, buddy, come on now, you’re still not letting this go?”
“Letting what go?” Troy said, stepping inside as well.
“Shane’s excuse of having a boyfriend,” Hayden rolled his eyes.
His co-workers know he’s gay, and he’s thankful that they didn’t mind it one bit. What they do mind about is that Shane seems to be lying about having a boyfriend.
“I do have one! Why is that so hard to believe?”
“It’s been a year, man.”
“Yeah, because we’ve been together for a year now!” Shane grumbled.
Troy laughed, enjoying the theatrics unfolding in front of him. “Let him be, Hayden, what if he’s telling the truth?”
“I am telling the truth,” Shane said.
“Then why won’t you tell us?”
“Because we’re keeping it down low for now, and it’s my decision.”
Hayden rolled his eyes once again, “Sure, buddy,” He patted Shane’s cheek with a laugh before stepping out.
Shane directed his attention to Troy, who was still looking at him, “You believe me, right?”
Troy, with a smile on his face, spoke to Shane slowly, “Does he really exist or-”
“I hate you all.”
–
The next day, Shane arrived at the university for his first class at 8 AM. By 8:30, he and his classmates were surprised to hear excited screams outside. Next to their building is the business administration building, and they usually don’t have an event this early in the morning. Those who sit near the windows are trying to take a peek at what’s going on.
“They have a guest today, I think,” His professor said when the screams didn’t die down.
“A celebrity?” One of his classmates asked, Shane, think his name is Peter.
“Businessman,”
“They got that excited over a businessman?” Peter said with a disbelieving laugh.
“Oh my God, it’s Ilya Rozanov,” Shane’s other classmate (Sarah? Fuck, why doesn’t he know his classmates by name) said in shock, looking at her phone.
“Ahh, yes, the celebrity businessman,” Shane’s professor said, ignoring the whispers from the students.
“Who’s Ilya Rozanov?” Peter asked.
“Business tycoon, he inherited this vodka distillery business from his father at a young age, and he managed to make it bigger than it was before,” Sarah explained with a dreamy look on her face.
“But why is he famous?” Peter looks even more confused now.
“He’s like, the most eligible bachelor there is! Handsome, charming, and with a heart of gold. He donates frequently to mental health organizations worldwide.”
“He also recently donated to our school, bless his heart,” His professor added.
“I heard he’s gay, though,” Shane said to add to the conversation, earning a laugh from the other students.
“Yeah, right, with a face and a body like that? I don’t think so,” Sarah said.
Their professor quieted them after that and proceeded with the lecture as usual. The class ended at exactly 10 AM, and Shane walked out of the building and to the entrance of the business administration building, where he knew his friend waited for him.
“Shane!” She exclaimed once she spotted Shane.
“Hey Rose,” Shane gave her a hug, “How’s your day been?”
“Exciting! God, Ilya is so fucking hot,”
Shane gaped at her, surprised at Rose’s words, “Not you, too?!”
Rose laughed, “What?! He’s right there looking all clean and shit, even the professor couldn’t contain their excitement.”
The image of old, wrinkly professors melting at a businessman’s charm made shivers run down Shane’s spine. “Okay, I don’t need that image in my mind, thank you very much.”
“Still, you should’ve attended his seminar, it was so good.”
“You’re not just saying this because the guy is hot, right?”
Rose smacked his arm, “No! He’s really great at what he does, it’s no surprise he’s so successful.” She said with a sigh, "You would've liked him, he's totally your type."
Shane laughed, "You know my type?"
"Oh, totally," Rose said, "Big, muscular men who can fold you into two."
Shane felt himself blush at Rose's description, looking down at the ground, "My type is my boyfriend, thank you very much."
"Then let me meet him!" Rose pleaded.
Shane shook his head with his tongue out like a child, "Soon, okay?" "If he's even real," Rose muttered under her breath, earning a flick on her ear from Shane. With a high-pitched ow! Rose went back to her rant about how she will marry Ilya Rozanov in the future, have his Russian babies, and make Shane the maid of honor. It’s funny, Shane enjoyed listening to her talk.
By 1 PM, Shane is already on his way to his shift at work. It’s supposed to be a 2-10 PM shift, but it seems they will stay open late for their “VIP” guest. Wiebe asked the staff for an “all hands on deck” situation, which is weird because the reservation is for 2 people and they’re not even sure who the guests will be. Some of the guesses include Ilya Rozanov and his girlfriend (or boyfriend, maybe?), the king and queen of some country, and Harry Styles and his current partner.
Hayden is among the servers to come in today. It’s Troy’s and JJ’s day off, but they asked Wiebe if they could still come in and switch with someone else because they’re really curious who the guest will be. So, it’s the 4 of them once again.
“Did Ilya Rozanov give you a big tip when he went before?”
Shane tried to comb through his memories, “I think so? It’s not outrageously big but still big enough. I can’t remember how much.”
Wiebe entered the back room after he made sure the main part of the restaurant was perfect. He pointed to Hayden, “You’re the main server tonight, the guest asked it.”
Hayden’s expression turned into shock, nodding his head at Wiebe, before they turned into excitement, “Holy shit! Does the guest know me? Why are they asking for me?”
“Good reviews?” JJ said.
“That should be Shane, though. He has all the good reviews online,” Troy said matter-of-factly.
“Hayden has good reviews, too.” Shane supplied, “You got this, buddy. Whoever this guest is, I’m sure you’re going home with a large tip tonight.”
“I hope so,” Hayden said excitedly.
By 3 PM, everyone is shaking with excitement as they wait for the mystery guest to arrive. The reservation is at 3, so they should be arriving any minute now. Shane stood with the others as they discreetly peeked through the door (or as discreetly as they could, given 4 medium to large men watching the door).
They watched as the light from outside spilled in, signalling that the front door had opened. They waited patiently for the hostess to guide the guest to the table, all 4 of them waiting excitedly. A minute later, she appeared, guiding the guest to the middle table.
“That’s Ilya Rozanov,” Troy said in disbelief.
“Damn, he looks like a model,” Hayden said.
“I think he does model,” Shane added.
“Why is he alone?” JJ asked.
Ilya sat on one of the chairs in the middle, smiling at the hostess before she walked away. Hayden straightened up, fixing his uniform before taking a deep breath, “Okay, it’s my time to shine. Wish me luck, boys,”
They all patted Hayden on the back before he walked outside. The 3 of them still stood by the door, looking at the scene in front of them. Shane watched as Hayden arrived at the table, greeting Ilya with a smile. He nodded a couple of times before his expression turned into confusion. The three of them watched as Hayden briefly turned to the door, as if looking straight at them. He nodded, then started making his way back to them.
“Why does he look confused?” Troy asked.
They moved away from the door as Hayden stepped inside, looking at Shane, “He’s asking for you.”
Shane’s eyebrows furrowed, “Me?”
Hayden nodded, “He’s asking where you are, Shane.”
“But he asked for you to serve him tonight?” JJ asked.
“Yeah, but he’s looking for you.”
Before Shane could answer, the 4 of them heard a loud voice outside, “Sweetheart, I know you’re there.”
The 4 of them froze, looking at each other in confusion. “Is he talking to you?” Troy whispered to Hayden.
“Shane Hollander, sweetheart, moya lyubov, come here, please.”
Like birds perched on a tree, the other 3 servers turned to Shane, eyes as wide as saucers, mouths open but no words coming out. Shane laughed nervously before excusing himself and stepping outside. He made the short walk to the table, looking at Ilya with a glare, “What are you doing?!”
Ilya, the little shit that he is, smiled sweetly, “Hello,”
Shane still glared at the other, “Ilya-”
“Gimme kiss, I missed you,”
The other still has a glare on his face, shooting daggers at Ilya. But he leaned down and kissed Ilya full on the lips, pulling back with his face as red as tomatoes.
“I missed you,” Ilya repeated.
Shane rolled his eyes, “You saw me last night.”
“Mm, too long.” Ilya smiled at Shane once again, “You weren’t in the seminar.”
“I don’t take business.”
“Your friend Rose Landry looked like she was close to fainting when she saw me.”
Shane laughed, “Yeah, she told me all about it.” He looked at Ilya, this handsome man sitting at one of the tables inside the restaurant where Shane had been working for years. It looked surreal. “Ilya, what are you doing?”
“I’m here for our date.”
“I thought you booked this place for something important!”
“You’re the most important part of my life, no?” Ilya said a little too proudly.
“You asshole, this was your plan all along.”
Ilya still has that smile on his face, looking all innocent, but Shane knows it’s anything but. “I am not admitting to anything." When Shane still looked at Ilya with a glare, he continued, "I just want to spend time with you, that's all."
"That's all?"
"And maybe show your co-workers that your boyfriend is 100% real and not a figment of your imagination."
Shane gave a sigh at what Ilya just admitted, he really is a mischievous asshole, “Ilya, I’m working-”
“I asked Hayden to serve us, you’re not needed there. It’s just us, they can manage.”
Shane groaned, the glare on his face might as well be permanent now. “I’ll talk to Wiebe,” he heard the small yes from Ilya before he walked to Wiebe, who was not-so-discreetly hiding with the hostess near the front, listening to Shane and Ilya talk.
“Hey, is it okay if I clock out? Ilya’s-”
“Yes! Yes, of course, no worries, Shane, go.”
Shane smiled awkwardly at the reaction, then said, “Thank you,” before walking back to Ilya. “He said yes, but!” He exclaimed before Ilya could react, “I would need a few minutes with my co-workers before we start.”
Ilya nodded, “Take your time.”
Shane made his way back to where his co-workers were eavesdropping on his conversation with Ilya, pushing the door open and looking at the three men waiting for him to speak.
“Don’t freak out…” Shane started.
“No one’s freaking out, are you freaking out, JJ?” Hayden said in one breath.
“What? I don’t know what that word is. Do you know that Troy?”
Troy just shook his head with pursed lips.
“You guys are idiots,” Shane said with a laugh. “Alright, yeah, I’m dating Ilya Rozanov, we’ve been dating for over a year now.”
There was silence at first, and slowly, Shane saw how everything clicked for the three, especially Hayden. “Oh fuck, he’s the mystery boyfriend.”
“Yes,” Shane said.
“He’s real,” JJ added.
“Last time I checked, yes.”
“And he’s Ilya Rozanov,” Troy said, like the name is something unfamiliar rolling off his tongue.
“Can we not be weird about this, guys? I know I wasn’t really honest with who I am dating, and you don’t get to blame me for how the three of you thought I was lying!” Shane glared, “I swear we’re just a normal couple enjoying each other’s company. I don’t see Ilya as a millionaire genius, in my eyes he’s just Ilya, my Ilya, okay?”
“We’ll try, buddy,” Hayden said with a smile, “But you gotta understand, it’s not every day we find out our friend is dating a millionaire.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Shane rubbed the back of his neck, “But as I said, he’s just Ilya to me, okay? I’ll let you guys meet him after.”
With a salute from the three, Shane stepped out and towards Ilya’s table. The other man was scrolling through his cellphone as he waited for Shane, beaming when he saw him approach.
“Everything good?”
Shane nodded, “For now, yeah,”
“Good,” Ilya said with a smile, “Now help me choose what to order, it’s been a while since I came here.”
“You’ve only been here once, Ilya,”
“True, and I ended up with the best boyfriend I could ever ask for,”
Shane rolled his eyes fondly, his heart beating a million times per minute. Millionaire or not, Ilya Rozanov truly got Shane in a chokehold. And he won’t have it any other way.