Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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02:15 A.M.

L.A, United States

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03:50 P.M. 

L.A, United States

Shane Hollander stepped onto the Oscars red carpet, and immediately all eyes and camera flashes turned toward him. With just four years in the industry, he had already established himself as one of Hollywood’s most famous and promising young actors. This was his second consecutive year attending the film industry’s most prestigious ceremony. In his first year, he had only attended as a guest for his debut role in Maze of Love, and in this second year, he would be presenting an award, and he really hoped for a nomination (and why not, an award too) for his third year. 

“Shane, please, look this way!” “Shane, to your right, buddy!” “That’s it, give me your best smile!” The photographers’ shouts could be heard all over the place, everyone wanting to get the best shot of the actor of the moment. Shane didn’t keep them waiting; with his big smile, he dazzled everyone around him. Minutes later, gesturing his thanks to everyone, he made his way toward the interviewers, stopping to greet some of his friends and industry colleagues, as well as his fans standing off to the side of the carpet. Before he knew it, he was already facing his final round of interviews with a microphone in hand

“Shane! Hi, how are you? It’s a great honor to have you here with us at Frame 9” greeted the interviewer, Amanda. 

“Hey, Amanda! I’m so happy to be here—how are you? The honor is all mine,” he replied with a bright smile.

“I'm thrilled to have the coveted Shane Hollander right in front of me.” They laughed together. “Please, tell us, it's your first time presenting an award. Are you nervous?”

"Oh, I won't lie to you, I'm really nervous. I'm not even nominated, and even though this isn't my first time here, when I found out I was going to present an award, I broke down crying in bed like a baby" “Everything has been so crazy these past few weeks” he said with a playful twinkle in his eyes. 

“Oh, come on, that’s so sweet,” they both laughed. “And I believe you when you say that—that everything has been so crazy for you. Your new movie came out less than two weeks ago and has been a huge box office hit. Congratulations!” Shane mumbled a quiet “thank you,” blushing and bowing his head. “It’s a shame it didn’t make the nominations for this year, but please, tell us a little about it.”

"Of course. Tales of Busan is my latest work, as you mentioned. It came out just two weeks ago, and fortunately, it’s been a huge success in South Korea, as well as in Canada, the United States, and on a much broader international scale. I’d like to thank everyone who’s gone to see it,” he said, looking directly at the camera in front of them. “I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, I want every viewer to judge it for themselves, but I can say that if you’re into time travel, fantasy with plenty of romance and drama, this is definitely for you.”

“It’s definitely an interesting project, so you know what—let’s support the talented Shane Hollander in Tales of Busan, now playing in theaters,” she said excitedly, looking at the camera. “I don’t mean to stroke your ego, Shane, but something tells me you’re definitely going to sweep the board at the next awards season.”

“Oh, please, no.” He shook his head, smiling shyly. “It would be an honor for me, and I’m sure for the team as well. The simple fact that they chose me to celebrate the beauty of South Korean culture already makes me a winner.” Without realizing it, he brought his left hand, which had been in his pocket the entire interview, up to his neck, scratching it quickly, but something shiny caught the interviewer’s eye: a ring. 

“Oh my God, Shane, I’m running out of time here, but please tell me that’s an engagement ring,” she exclaimed, gaping, her gaze shifting repeatedly from the actor to the camera. 

“Oh, this one?” He pointed to the jewel in on his ring finger. “You’re the first one to notice it today, and yes, it is. I got engaged a few days ago.” An innocent smile played on his lips, as if he hadn’t just dropped such important news in front of everyone.

He proudly showed his ring to Amanda, who, unable to help herself, screamed with excitement a little louder than was appropriate for the setting, thus drawing the attention of several people around them. 

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I can't believe it! The not-so-little-anymore Shane Hollander is getting married. You have to tell me everything!” she exclaimed, still wearing a huge smile. The nickname made the actor burst out laughing. 

Shane was about to continue but noticed the gesture his manager made; he had to go into the theater now.

“I’d love to, but I have to go in now” he apologized quickly. “Another time, I promise.” He said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek and went into the theater.

Now everyone would know that Shane Hollander was engaged. 

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“Shane, we knew that going public with the news of your engagement would cause a stir everywhere, but you should know that social media is blowing up,” his manager said from beside him. They were already seated in their respective seats, listening to the awards ceremony that had started an hour ago, and she took advantage of the brief break to speak to the actor. 

“You’re trending on Twitter with over a hundred thousand mentions, and the numbers keep rising. You’re the most-mentioned person of the night so far, and you’re not even nominated,” she reported, glancing at her phone. “Are you guys sure about this?” Her finger hovered over the screen as she looked at Shane with a hint of concern; she knew her friend wasn’t a fan of being the center of attention for anything other than his movies. 

“We are. We’ve talked about it for a long time, and we don’t want to keep hiding anymore,” Shane assured her with a smile. “His team and friends know and support us, though he assured me he’d tell everyone about us anyway, even if they didn’t support us.” He shrugged, a slight blush on his cheeks. “And I’m really not afraid of what the news might do to my career. people can say whatever they want and be against it, but I know I have a lot more people who support me. Plus,  I have guaranteed contracts, and I know I have a great team that will help me with any problem.”

He squeezed his friend-manager’s hand, giving her a warm smile that was returned in kind. Shane knew they’d be okay. 

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Ilya had proposed to Shane in Seoul, on March 10, to be exact.

Shane was in the middle of his premiere tour in the Asian country, and Ilya had been in Australia for the first Grand Prix of the year. Shane hadn’t been able to join him or watch him win because of the promotions for *Tales of Busan*, so the Russian driver decided to take an impromptu trip to surprise his boyfriend.

When Shane arrived at his hotel room, exhausted from the day’s interviews and photo shoots, he just wanted to take a shower, call Ilya and talk for hours until sleep overtook them. But he stopped immediately when he saw his handsome boyfriend smiling at him from the room’s balcony, with a candlelit table and plates set out for dinner nearby. Behind him was the beautiful cityscape, lit up by thousands of lights and the Han River.

Unable to hide his excitement, the actor ran into his arms with a big smile, and without delay, their lips met in a warm kiss. Shane’s hands got lost in his boyfriend’s soft curls, while Ilya wrapped his arms around the other’s strong waist, pressing their chests together as closely as possible. Seconds later, they pulled apart with silly grins on their faces.

“Ilyusha, what are you doing here?” the dark-haired man asked quickly. “I thought we’d see each other in a few weeks, during your break.”

“Oh, záychik, don’t you want me here with you?” he teased with a playful smile.

“You know I love being with you,” he rolled his eyes, “but you didn’t tell me you were coming, and how did you get in?”

“I’ll just say that Mandy is the best manager, you can never fire her,” he joked, stealing a kiss from his. “I wanted to surprise you. You’ve been so busy lately promoting the movie. I know you have two days off, and it would be nice to relax—just the two of us.”

After sharing more kisses and caresses, they sat across from each other, having dinner amid laughter and flirting. Shane told Ilya about the premiere tour, mentioning that having Rose as a co-star had been one of the best things that could have happened to him in his career. In response, he received nothing but compliments and congratulations from his partner, who told him that next year he’d be at the Oscars—not as a presenter, but as a winner—promising he’d win Best Actor of the Year. Likewise, Ilya told him how he saw the Mercedes team for this year; being the actual world champion put a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he’d been there twice before, so he didn’t really make a big deal out of it. Shane assured him that this would be his third championship and that he’d make sure to be by his side for the first time to celebrate it together.

They had been discussing the idea of going public for months; their social circle had known about their relationship for years, and Shane’s parents had been aware of it from the very beginning. When they told them about their plan, they were immediately supportive, as were Rose and Hayden, Shane's childhood friends and now colleagues in the industry, who had promised to keep their secret ever since they found out about the relationship. Ilya, for his part, told Svetlana, a Russian friend who was happy to see her friend finally able to love without having to hide, and Luca and Troy, his closest friends on the grill, knew it too.

All their family, friends, and teams had supported them, and that gave them much more confidence.

With that thought in mind, Ilya waited for Shane to let his guard down. They had just finished eating Shane’s favorite Korean meal, brought from the best restaurant in town, and were now enjoying the view leaning against the balcony wall, with Shane resting his back against his boyfriend’s strong chest. They stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying the silence and the peace that the other brought them. Shane was about to fall asleep when Ilya’s voice snapped him out of his daze.

“There’s another reason I came today,” he whispered in the other man’s ear, sending shivers down the actor’s spine, and turned him to look him in the eyes. Shane’s eyes were shining from the lights, but also because the love of his life was standing right in front of him, looking at him with such adoration that it overwhelmed him.

“Shane Hollander, ever since I met you four years ago, there hasn’t been a single night when I haven’t thanked David for convincing you to go to that race in Montreal. I only had to see you for two seconds in the paddock to know you’d be mine.” The actor let out a nervous laugh as a blush began to spread across his cheeks. “Canada’s new rising star was right there, catching everyone’s attention, but especially mine—an immature rookie who had practically run away from his country. “I remember your freckles flushing red when I gathered my courage and dared to tell you that you were the most beautiful person there. You didn’t even know me, you didn’t even know what Formula 1 was before that day,” a soft “That’s a lie” was heard, making Ilya laugh. “You could have told me to fuck off, but you just smiled even more—at me alone. You called me a fool but kept talking to me, feeling more comfortable as the minutes passed, and I remember the disappointment in your eyes when I told you I had to go; I had a race to win to impress you even more.”

The two couldn’t take their eyes off each other; Ilya’s hands rested on Shane’s waist while Shane, his eyes glistening, wrapped his arms around the blond’s shoulders. They were so close that their noses could brush against each other with the slightest movement. Only the distant sounds of the city accompanied them, but nothing else mattered to them.

“When I won, I could only look in your direction. I knew I had to get your number that very afternoon. You were hesitant to give it to me—your hands were shaking—but none of that mattered on our first date at that little café, your favorite in the city, where everything happened so fast, so comfortably for both of us. just a month after we started talking, I wanted to ask you to be my boyfriend, but you told me you wanted to focus on your career first, and you were right. In those two years, we grew so much as professionals. Seeing you succeed filled me with joy; watching your movies over and over so I wouldn’t feel so far from you on race weekends, and being your number one fan in every project and campaign you did, and seeing you celebrate my first and second championships as if they were your own just gave me the courage to ask you to be my boyfriend, and look at us now, two years later, together at our best, always together.”

Shane watched as Ilya’s eyes filled with unshed tears; he placed his hands on the Russian’s cheeks and looked at him.

“Always together,” he gave him a quick kiss. “Ilya, you’re a romantic seventy percent of the time we’re together, the other thirty you spend being a nymphomaniac,” he joked, rolling his eyes. “But even in that seventy percent, you don’t say all those things to me so easily.” She caressed his face, running her fingers over her partner’s features. “What’s that other reason for coming to see me, Ilyusha?” he finished, whispering that nickname he knew always broke down his boyfriend’s defenses.

Without answering, Ilya moved away from Shane, pulled out a small black velvet box, and without waiting any longer, knelt in front of a Hollander whose eyes were already filled with tears he was forcing himself not to let fall.

“I want to be able to go out there and tell everyone that you’re mine, but I want to do it with my future husband by my side. So, Shane Hollander, lyubimyy, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Before he could finish, tears streamed down like a waterfall, bathing the freckles that Ilya loved to kiss every night before sleep. Shane didn’t trust his voice at that moment, so he could only nod vigorously before throwing himself at his future husband, who caught him quickly, the two of them ending up on the balcony floor, laughing together as a very happy Shane rained kisses on the pilot’s face and whispered little “yeses” with every kiss he planted.

Ilya sat down with Shane on his lap and, with trembling hands, slipped the gold ring onto the actor’s ring finger, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. Without wasting a moment, he kissed him gently, showing him all his love.

"Ya tebya lyublyu"

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