Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marlow, Hayden Pike, Jane Hollander, Lily Rozanov

Additional Tags:

Book 2: Heated Rivalry (Game Changers), Boston Bears, Montreal Metros, Hayden Hates Ilya, jane and lily

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2025-12-27 Updated: 2025-12-30 Words: 12,880 Chapters: 10/11

Keep Your Friends Close

Summary

“I just wish Lily was in Montreal. Sucks that the ‘Lily secret weapon’ is only in Boston.”

Cliff pauses then. Hand stuck midair as he was reaching for his beer. “Lily’s in Boston?”

“Yeah man. Sorry to burst your bubble, not all Boston girls are loyal to the Bears.”

Cliff turns to Hayden then. Cocking his head a little to the side, his eyes are searching Hayden’s face as if he was trying to read his mind. He opens his mouth to speak. He closes it. He shakes his head a little. And opens his mouth again,

“That’s so fucking weird dude. Roz’s ‘Jane’ is in Montreal. What are the odds those fuckers have girls in each other city’s. That would be next level rivalry, man."

 

AKA Cliff and Hayden run into each other on a night out and start gossiping

Notes

I just couldn't get this out of my head because what do you mean no one put 2 and 2 together! Ignoring timelines a little, I just ripped this out in an hour. No editing, vibes only.

Chapter 1

Hayden Pike and Cliff Marlow weren’t exactly friends, but of course he knew the guy. He’d played against him for 6 years now.

So when Hayden runs into Cliff at a dive bar in Vegas one night in the postseason, he doesn’t feel weird going up to the Boston player to give him a pat on the shoulder and say hi. Even if Hayden fucking hated the Boston Bears, he is a friendly guy after all.

Hayden had always respected Cliff. He seemed like a good leader and was a damn good player. Except Hayden was always blocking for Hollander, and Cliff was always blocking for Rozanov. So it's not like he actually enjoyed playing against the guy. Whatever.

What was a little out of character, was that he sat down on the stool next to him and spoke with the guy for the rest of the night. He doesn’t think they’ve ever spoken for longer than 5 minutes before, let alone 5 hours. Usually a “good game, man” or a flyaway chirp on the ice. But there’s never been a reason to talk further. Hell, their best friends were the fucking rivals of the league.

It started off friendly enough, chatting about how their seasons went. Highlights of Montreal winning the cup for the second year in a row. Low lights of players getting injured. Friendly chirping about Montreal beating Boston in 75% of their games this season. And that’s how it started.

“Man, I never thought we'd be able to win back to back cups. Hollander was on a fucking tear this year.” Hayden felt proud thinking of his best friend. The best fucking hockey player in the league!

“I know, even Rozanov seemed a bit stunned. And the fact that he beat us in Boston for half our home games? Fuck that kid. He’s public enemy #1 in Boston now.” Cliff was laughing as he said this but it wasn’t hard to notice the hard set in his jaw. Hayden gets it, he can’t even think about Rozanov without feeling his blood boil either.

“Thank god for Lily. She’s truly our secret weapon” Hayden snorts.

“Lily?”

“Oh yeah. Just this girl Shane’s been seeing for years now. He’s always played better after getting with her. Guess they’re a bit more serious now because he’s started getting laid before games too. Not just after.” Hayden wiggles his eyebrows “Lucky for us this season though. We get a freshly laid Shane Hollander playing Boston every game now”

Hollander scored a hat trick against Boston every game this year and Hayden had no doubt that Lily was a factor. I should start referring to her as Lucky Lily if he keeps it up next season, Hayden mused, taking a sip of his beer.

“Huh” Cliff said, scratching at his chin. “I never knew Hollander had a girl. Thought his one true love was hockey and would’ve bet he’d marry the sport if he could. Everyone knows he’s the most boring guy in the league” Cliff shrugged, he wasn’t trying to be a dick. It was true. Shane had the reputation of only being interest on the ice. Off the ice was another story. 

“He’s weirdly private about it. He’s been seeing her for years and I’ve never even fucking met the girl” Hayden’s jaw set now too. He never understood why Shane was so secretive. He’s his best friend for fucks sake and Hollander won’t even show him a photograph of the girl he’s constantly texting. Lily’s the only girl Shane has ever even mentioned since he met the kid 6 years ago and yet.

Cliff lets out an unexpectedly large laugh. “Dude. Sounds like someone else I know. Rozanov’s been fucking this chick for years yet no one knows anything about her.”

Huh. Rozanov has a regular girl? He’s always been known as a manwhore, to put it lightly. Hooking up with different girls in different cities, playing the full field of being a famous hockey player who’s been voted People’s Sexiest Man of the Year. Twice.

“Guess the rivalry continues off the ice. Who can score the most goals and who can keep their girlfriend secret the longest?” Cliff and Hayden laugh at that. As if Hollander and Rozanov would even know the other has a secret girlfriend. Hayden smiles thinking about Hollander and Rozanov having a conversation that wasn’t just hurling insults at each other. Those two fucking hated each other. Hayden thinks back to Rozanov’s 50 goal comment during their rookie season. That was truly when his asshole reputation stuck. Hayden has no idea how Marlow stands being around Rozanov every fucking day.

Cliff’s still chuckling to himself, “Hm Roz always plays better after seeing her too. Maybe that’s their secret to success. Secret hookups lead to scoring goals?”

Hayden groaned. Gross. There’s no way Shane’s getting off on the secrecy of it all. Hayden’s always assumed there was a bigger reason why Shane was cagey about Lily. Maybe she was married? But that would be so unlike Shane to be a home-wrecker. More likely that she’s also famous and they want to avoid the media spectacle. Or maybe he’s just embarrassed. He’s such a shy guy after all. Maybe it’s more serious for him than it is for her. Hayden doesn't like that thought either.

“I just wish Lily was in Montreal. Sucks that the ‘Lily secret weapon’ is only in Boston.”

Cliff pauses then. Hand stuck midair as he was reaching for his beer. “Lily’s in Boston?”

“Yeah man. Sorry to burst your bubble, not all Boston girls are loyal to the Bears.”

Cliff turns to Hayden then. Cocking his head a little to the side, his eyes are searching Hayden’s face as if he was trying to figure something out. He opens his mouth to speak. He closes it. He shakes his head a little. And opens his mouth again,

“That’s so fucking weird dude. Roz’s ‘Jane’ is in Montreal. What are the odds those fuckers have girls in each other city’s. That would be next level rivalry, man. I mean,” Cliff pauses momentarily, “What? They each know they do better after they fuck so they each get a regular girl to hook up with when playing each other?” Cliff huffs and chuckles a little as he says it, but he still looks puzzled.

It’s Hayden’s turn to pause now. Because. What are the odds? Shane’s not the type to mess around for a one night stand. Shane’s also not the type to keep secrets. And, aside from her name and location, Lily is considered top secret. And Rozanov… well Rozanov is the type. To fuck around that is. But he’s not the type for a long term romance? Fuck buddy? Whatever it is he’s doing. Yet, that’s what he’s doing with his ‘Jane’.

He doesn’t even mean to say it out loud, but it slips out as a curious whisper “or…”

Both men are silent. Hayden swaying slightly in his bar stool and Cliff rolling the base of his beer bottle in circles along the counter. They both turn to each other slowly, not quite making eye contact.

“I mean”

“There’s no way”

“He hates him”

“I don’t even know why we’d - “

“He’s been seeing Lily as long as I’ve known him”

“He’s said Jane’s come to our games before”

“Shane’s not - “

“They hate each other”

"They're not -"

Brains spinning. Words fail them. They both audibly shut their mouths.

But - Hollander hates Rozanov more than anyone, Hayden thinks.

The guys are constantly shit talking Roz in the locker room.

Except, Hollander’s never actually said anything bad about Rozonav. Usually just nods along as the rest of the guys spit out their hatred in the locker room.

But no. Hayden knows he’s heard Shane call Rozanov an asshole. Because he is a giant fucking asshole. The biggest asshole in the league.

But, Hayden’s also heard Shane call Rozanov the best player in the league. Aside from himself, of course.

And… Shane’s always tracking Rozanov’s stats. Shane’s always loved knowing everyone's stats. Hayden always just assumed it was to keep up with his biggest competitor. Obviously he’s going to keep track of his arch rivals' numbers.

Shane also loves competition. He thrives on pushing himself to his limits.

But, he’s seen it in Shane’s eyes every time they play Boston, Rozanov pushes him to compete. Rozanov is the only other player in the league that can give Shane a run for his money. And Shane fucking thrives off of it.

Hayden barely heard Cliff over the music playing in the corner, "Roz watches every single Metros game. He says it's to study his competition. Yet I've never seen him happier on the ice than when we play you guys."

The two men abruptly turn to each other. Eyes wide.

“Holy shit”

“What the fuck”

“There’s no way. Hollander fucking hates Rozanov.”

“Rozanov hates Hollander. He’s his fucking nemesis. Always calling him boring”

“And Shane’s always calling Rozanov an asshole”

Boring. Asshole. Those two words sound pretty weak now. Saying them aloud. While neither is untrue about the other, typically hockey players are spouting out the most vile words about their competition. To their face and in the locker rooms.

And yet, Boring and Asshole are... tame descriptions for the two best players in the league. You don't exactly make friends on your way to the top of the league. 

Hayden closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. “You don’t really think Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are fucking each other, do you?”

Cliff starts laughing in hysterics now. Hayden can feel the laugh bubbling up in his own chest. Ridiculous. They were being ridiculous.

“Fuck man how much have we drunken tonight? Our captains? Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov? The most famous rivalry in the league? Fuck, no, dude”

Hayden keeps laughing. Cliff’s right. They’re just hammered.

It isn’t until they’re walking out of the bar 20 minutes later, when the fresh air hits their faces, that they stop laughing and turn to each other to say their goodbye’s.

Cliff claps Hayden on the shoulder, “Man, I can’t wait to tell Ilya about our stupid theory. Maybe this will force him to introduce me to Jane finally.”

The wind started picking up as Cliff was speaking. And Hayden feels the chill deep to his bones. The whistle from the wind made it sound like he said… 

Jane. Shane. Lily… Ilya? Holy fuck. Hayden is frozen.

No, there's no way. Cliff would say that he's reaching. That this is a crazy theory, right? Might as well just keep his mouth shut and pretend this all never happened. He wants to pretend this train of thought never happened.

“Marlow, no fucking shot I’m telling my captain that I spent hours getting so wasted with a Bears player that we started theorizing his secret girlfriend is actually is arch rival.” Hayden laughs it off.

With one last shake of the head and a quick fist bump they turn their separate ways.

But Hayden's brain keeps turning. He's rearranging the last 6 years in his mind as if everything he knows about Shane Hollander has been a puzzle he's slowly trying to put together, and he didn't realize he was missing a big piece. Who the fuck is Lily?

Chapter 2: Best out of Four

Chapter Notes

Uh hi what the fuck. I wasn't actually expecting anyone to read my little drabble. I hope pt 2 lives up to the hype, might hit up Shane's POV next idk thx for reading

Hayden tried to put his encounter with Cliff Marlow out of his head. To the deepest depths of his brain, somewhere in a box he would never open. Marlow was just trying to fuck with him. They were drunk. The Bears are the Metro’s biggest competition, he was playing mind tricks on him. Definitely just trying to sabotage him for next season. Rozanov probably doesn’t even have a girl named Jane. 

But Hayden couldn’t get the idea out of his head. Why is Shane so cagey about Lily? Hayden’s not even sure how long he’s been seeing this girl. How did they even meet? As much as he tried to not think about the Rozanov of it all, he couldn’t help but think more and more about Lily. 

He decided it was harmless to find out some more information on Lily. After all, Shane is his best friend and he’s been seeing this girl for years. Shane regularly has dinner with his wife and kids for christ's sake, why can’t he know more about the girl he’s constantly texting? Hayden starts small. Jackie is a girl, she’s good at gossiping, she can do his snooping. She’d be better than him at trying to weasel some information out of Shane when he comes over for dinner. 

But, nothing. Shane denies that Lily even exists. Even though Hayden has seen her name on Shane’s phone for years. And after some gentle ribbing, a lot of blushing from Shane, he finally admits that he does text a Lily, but that it’s ‘private’ and he’s ‘not sure it will ever be serious’. What the fuck does that even mean?

So yeah, it’s Shane’s fault he can't get the idea out of his head. If Shane would just talk to his best friend about his girl, he wouldn’t have to resort to drastic measures. And he wouldn’t land on the leading theory that Shane is fucking Ilya fucking Rozanov. 

When Hayden realizes that Montreal is set to play Boston next week, well, it doesn’t take him long to decide to do a little more digging. His intentions are pure! He just wants to confirm for himself once and for all that Shane is not fucking his arch rival. He’s just being a good friend really. 

So when Hayden skates onto the ice and immediately makes eye contact with fucking Cliff Marlow and sees a similar glint in the other players eyes. He realizes, maybe he’s not the only one who can't quite shake this theory. And since two heads are better than one, he skates over to Cliff to give him a quick fist bump. 

“Hey, man. Ready for the game?” He can be casual about this. He can be light and breezy. See if Cliff really is on the same page as him. 

“Dude. I’m so fucking happy to see you. I can’t get Lily and Jane out of my head” Cliff’s eyes are wide as he bends down to fix the wrapping on his stick.

“Fuck. Me neither. I’ve tried to get Shane to open up but he refuses to talk about her. I don’t get it” His eyes find Shane across the rink who’s busy warming up with some shots. 

“Same with Roz. He just laughs every time I try to ask more, where did you meet? How long have you been seeing her? Would she ever move to Boston? Nothing. Just his stupid Russian cackle”

It’s at that moment that Hayden see’s some movement down the other end. Rozanov skating by where Shane is practicing. Did he just say something to him? Is he smiling? Fuck. They’re too far away to tell. Hayden’s losing his mind, clearly. 

He realizes he’s been standing over Marlow for too long now. His team will wonder when the fuck they became friends. It’s not like their enemies. But cozying up to their biggest competition before the game isn’t Hayden’s typical pre-game ritual and they all know that. 

“Maybe we just keep an extra eye out today. Surely they’d be playing differently if something was going on between them. Right?”

Marlow nods. “Yeah, yeah, good point. I mean, it’s a crazy idea anyway. But we’d feel better knowing there’s absolutely no way, right?”

“Right”

“Right”

“Great”

“Great”

“Welp. Good luck. You’ll need it” And with a cheeky grin, Hayden skates away. 

Hollander is on fucking fire tonight. 3 goals and 1 assist scored within the first two periods and he doesn’t look to be slowing down. Thank god Shane’s crushing it or else they would be fucked. Rozanov is on his own tear. 2 goals and 2 assists within the first two periods. They’re like a pinball machine going back and forth. Hollander scores. Rozanov ties it. Hollander scores again. Rozanov is right on his tail. Hayden’s so caught up in what is just a good fucking game of hockey. He almost forgets his mission for the night. 

He finds himself next to Shane on the bench with 4 minutes left in the game and decides to take his own shot. “Fuck man, Rozanov is crushing it.” Good, that was casual. 

Shane just nods. 

“I mean you are too obviously but Roz is playing like it’s his last game ever. I wonder if his Montreal girl is here tonight…” bingo. Shane’s neck practically snaps as he looks over at Hayden. His eyes are a little too wide, his cheeks are a little pink. Maybe it’s just from the ice?

“Uh, what?” Shane’s voice cracks a little at the end.

I mean, he sounds genuinely confused but. Fuck. Is Hayden about to throw off the rest of Hollander’s game? Nah it doesn’t matter. There’s 3 minutes left and the Metros are up 5-4. He needs to know. 

“Yeah man it’s so crazy. I ran into Marlow at a bar this Summer. Weird right? We’d never spoken much before but he’s actually a nice guy and we got chatting. Turns out Roz has a girl in Montreal he’s been seeing for years now. Can you believe it? Never thought I’d see the day Rozanov gets his dick wet twice in the same place” Hayden’s rambling now but he couldn’t help but throw the insult out there. He still fucking hates Ilya Rozanov at the end of the day. And Shane’s supposed to too. 

But Shane doesn’t agree. He just looks at him with his mouth slightly open. Before Hayden can blink, the edges of Shane’s lips turn down and he lets out a shaky laugh. “Huh yeah crazy” he says. Rozanov scores. 

Shane doesn’t even hesitate, he hops the boards, getting back in for the last minute of the game. He immediately takes the puck, Rozanov on his tail, and races it to their opponents goal. Shane fucking slams the puck into the top right pocket like a man possessed. And the buzzer sounds. Well at least Hayden can’t feel guilty about throwing Hollander off his game. 

As his teammates slap each other's backs in celebration all around him, he notices Rozanov and Hollander still standing by the net. Rozanov’s head nods slightly. Shane looks like he’s trying to hold back a smile. It’s a split second interaction but Hayden would’ve thought a game winning shot like that would’ve sent Rozanov into an uproar. Because usually it does! Hayden has seen Roz attack his opponents, verbally and physically, for a whole lot less. Yet with Shane, he doesn’t even chirp him? Maybe he’s just embarrassed he lost. Classic, he’s such a sore loser. 

But Hayden has a pit in his stomach. His eyes seek out Cliff on the other side of the ice. Cliff is already looking right at him with a tilt to his head. They need to do some recon. Now. 

Hayden rushes through his shower before heading out into the hallway. Marlow must have had the same thought because he’s already out there pacing. Hayden pulls him into the empty medical room down the hall. And Cliff explodes. 

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Pike. What are we gonna do?”

“What do you mean? What happened” Hayden’s confused. Yeah it’s weird that Rozanov let Shane off easy but the game was already over it’s not like he could pick a fight after the buzzer without getting fined, or potentially even benched for a game. It was a fair goal. 

“I asked Roz about Jane. I asked him if he’s missing her and if he’d be seeing her tonight.”

“And?”

“He told me he’d already seen her when we landed last night. But that he’d be seeing her again after the game”

“And?”

“He said they’d made a bet about how many goals he’d score. The magic number was 4.”

“Well sucks for Rozanov, he only landed 3.”

“Yeah well. Someone else on the ice scored 4 goals tonight. And winked right at Rozanov after his last one.”

“WHAT?” Hayden hadn’t noticed a wink. Surely he’d notice something as obvious as a wink?

“I mean I know it’s stupid or like, I don’t know. But they were both on fire tonight. Almost like they both just got laid, don’t you think?”

Hayden did think. He had way too many things to think. He didn’t like the thoughts he was having. 

“What do we do next?” Hayden’s heart was pounding. If Lily really is Rozanov… well, then what?

“Do you know where Shane lives?”

“Obviously.” What’s Marlow even getting at?

“Well. Shane just played his heart out tonight… Would it be a terrible idea for us to go ‘check’ on him? Maybe he’s so sore after playing he’s tripped down the stairs and needs our help. Or something. You know?”

The lightbulb pings in Hayden’s brain. 

“Right yeah totally. Purely out of the goodness of our hearts. I mean yeah - What if a crazy fan decided to follow Hollander home tonight? Famous hockey star and all. It would be best to check on him, right? 

“We can just head over, knock on the door, see him home alone, probably watching highlight reels of the game. And case closed”

“Fuck. Let’s do it” 

And with that, Hayden sets off to his car with Cliff fucking Marlow in tow.

Shane’s not home. Hayden’s buzzed his door 10 fucking times already. The lights are all off inside. Where is he?

Marlow looks just as confused next to him. 

“Well. I had mentally prepared to find a boring Hollander or a half naked Rozanov here but I wasn’t expecting the place to be empty.”

Hayden laughs, he feels exactly the same. 

“Maybe this is our confirmation. We really are just going crazy.”

Before Marlow can even open his mouth to respond, a nagging thought enters Hayden’s brain. Shane owns multiple units across the city. The guys are always making fun of Shane for his interest in real estate. But Hayden’s never been to any of them. 

Well. There was that one time Shane was in Ottawa visiting his parents and called Hayden in a panic, asking him to check on one of his tenants because they had somehow flooded the place. It was a small store that occupied the lowest level of an apartment building, but it was the first time Hollander actually asked him for a favor outside of Hockey. Hayden had no idea Shane owned so much property until that day. 

“Marlow. I might have an idea…”

And that’s how Hayden found himself back in his car, with Cliff Marlow, driving to the other side of Montreal. 

“So what? We’re just gonna stake out this building all night?”

“I don’t know man. I didn’t really think this through. The doors locked, we already tried.”

They sat in silence for another 5 minutes. Cliff breaks it with a snort, “What if we smoke them out?”

“Dude I’m not setting Hollander’s fucking apartment building on fire.”

“No no of course not. I meant like. What if I call Roz, and say that Coach did a random curfew check and he’s pissed that Roz isn’t here. That he has to get back right the fuck now or else he’s benched. That would get him running I bet”

“That’s… not a bad idea, Marlow”

“Thanks. I'm not just a dumb hot jock”

"Well..."

"Shut it."

And so, Marlow calls Rozanov. Who doesn’t answer his phone of course. What kind of asshole’s voicemail box says he’s never going to listen to your message?

But sure enough, within 10 minutes of leaving him a voicemail, the door to the building opens. And Ilya Rozanov comes sprinting out. 

The car is dead silent. Hayden can feel the blood pumping in his ears. He’s found Lily. 

“Fuck” Hayden slams his fists on the steering wheel.

“Fuck” Marlow drops his head to his knees.

Chapter End Notes

honestly I already have a few other fic ideas banging around in my head and might have to get those out too. realistically, I hate editing and suck at staying on timelines so we'll see if I write something worthy. stay tuned :)

Chapter 3: What Do They Know?

Chapter Summary

Hayden and Cliff are suspicious. Shane and Ilya are suspicious. Everyone's stupid :)

Chapter Notes

Little bit of an interlude chapter. Figured I should do justice by building the Hollanov relationship before Hayden and Cliff come crashing in! (apologies for the shade thrown at Hayden, love u boo)

Hayden’s been acting weird for weeks now. His eyes linger on Shane’s face a little longer every time he speaks. Every goal Shane makes, Hayden is right there ready to clap him on the back and congratulate him. Every. Time. Even in practice. Shane’s phone pings, Hayden’s snapping his neck to look at him. And then avoiding eye contact. Shane lingers in the showers after a game, Hayden’s still the only one left in the locker room tying his shoes and waiting to walk out with him.  

They’re 3 months into the season now, and Shane’s not sure when things changed. But he’s going on 7 seasons of playing with the guy. He knows his best friend, and he knows somethings up. 

It’s after practice one night, Shane’s cooking dinner and his mind starts to wander. They play Boston next week. And fuck, he just misses Ilya. It’s been 2 months since he saw him last and it’s getting harder and harder to go so long without seeing him. Shane’s brain is running on a constant loop of Ilya fucking Rozanov. What did Ilya do today? What did he eat? Did he jerk off? Did he miss Shane? Did he think about missing Shane while he was jerking off? Fuck. Shane’s hard. And his phone’s buzzing.

Speak of the devil. "Hi”

“Moya lyubov. I was thinking how we’re going to kick your ass next week. And then turned into thinking about your ass.”

Shane snorts. So he does think about him… “You really know how to sweet talk a girl, Rozanov”

“Only for my girl. My Jane.” Ilya smiles sweetly on the other end. He’s so cute when he’s like this. Soft and flirty. Less cute when he’s on the ice against Shane, scoring goals. Maybe hot’s the right word to describe him when he pockets a hat trick and shoots Shane a wink. Fuck, he’s getting even harder. 

Shane blushes anyway. He can’t help it. They’ve been doing this thing for 7 years now and somewhere around year 4, well, Rozanov really got under his skin. Sometimes Shane thinks he’s ruined for anyone else. Sometimes, he’s glad he’s ruined for anyone else. Sometimes he thinks it goes both ways. 

But, that’s not true. Deep down, deep deep down, Shane knows it goes both ways. The last time he saw Ilya, two months ago, the other man confessed he hasn’t been with anyone else since the last time with Shane. And that was at the last MLH awards. That was before the Summer. Ilya went back to Russia for a whole Summer and didn’t hook up with anyone. That had to mean something, right?

He wished they had more time that night. They’d been frantic when they got to Shane’s, ripping each other's clothes off and barely even making it past the front door before he had Ilya’s cock in his mouth. Ilya had whispered his confession while they were tangled up on the couch after, hand sifting through his hair. Before Shane could even question him about it, Ilya had to rush out. His coach had done a roomcheck and was pissed to find their captain missing. 

Thankfully the Bear’s coach never brought it up and all was forgiven in the morning. Marlow told him he talked the coach off the ledge on his behalf. But really, Rozanov always gets off easy. Shane’s stomach was in knots that night, thinking he had inadvertently benched Rozanov. Shane’s stomach was also in knots thinking that maybe, just maybe, Rozanov was so scared of his admission that he ran the first chance he could. 

“Hm lucky me then” Shane’s smile was so soft. He could see it on the screen, his own face betraying him. Fucking embarrassing. 

“Guess what Marlow said to me the other day.”

“Did he finally admit that the Metro’s are the best team in the league?”

Ilya snorts, “Fuck no. Be realistic baby”

Shane fucking loved when Ilya called him baby. He loved that Ilya uses every pet name under the sun. Baby. Sunshine. Sweetheart. Honey. Moya lyubov. 

And Ilya knew it. He was trying to soften him up. Fuck, what did Marlow say?

“Back to back Stanley Cups, mon amour. Not my fault you and your teammates are in denial. What did Marlow say?”

“Did you know that Pike and Marlow ran into each other this Summer?” Ilya’s head was cocked to the side. 

And well, that did ring a bell. Shane completely forgot that Hayden had brought it up in the middle of their game against Boston. And had mentioned Rozanov’s fucking ‘Montreal Girl’ in the same breath. Fuck. Shane was so laser focused on getting a 4th goal in, on beating Ilya to 4 goals, it slipped his mind the second he hit the ice again. 

He remembered feeling shock at Hayden’s words at the time but he didn’t really give it a second thought. So what if Hayden knew that Ilya had a girl he fucks in Montreal? Everyone and their mother knows Ilya as a manwhore. Only Shane knows the truth. 

“Oh yeah he mentioned it a few months ago, I completely forgot. Why? Surely Hayden wouldn’t share any of Metro’s trade secrets with Cliff fucking Marlow” 

“Well. Maybe not a Metro secret, but maybe a Shane Hollander secret?”

Hayden’s his best friend, he’d never tell another player anything of importance. “Such as?”

“Such as, Shane Hollander has a secret girlfriend in Boston?”

Shane felt his whole body still at that. Hayden knows. He doesn’t know how he knows, but he knows that he knows. Hayden mentions Ilya’s Montreal Girl. Hayden’s been acting weird for weeks. Hayden told Cliff fucking Marlow about Lily?? Maybe that’s it. Maybe Hayden just feels guilty for getting drunk and telling their competitor about Shane’s love life. He knows Shane doesn’t like to share much about his personal life and feels bad for spreading rumors. That’s gotta be it. He loves Hayden to death but. He’s not one to think twice. Hayden would never guess Lily is Ilya. That would be ludicrous. 

Shane’s laugh sounds weak even to him. “Oh. What else did Marlow say?”

Ilya shrugs on the other side of the screen. Are his cheeks turning pink? “Nothing. He asked me if I knew about Hollander’s girl. I said no, obviously. Marlow said ‘really? Heard it’s serious’. That’s it.”

It’s Shane’s turn to blush. They’d never put a title on what they were doing. Friends with benefits? Rivals with benefits? Fellow closeted gay fuck buddy? Lovers? And they’d never talked about the status of what they were doing. It had always been serious for Shane. Or, well. At least the past 3 years have been serious for Shane. Since they started seeing each other after every game. Every event. Since Ilya started to call him baby and sweetheart. Since they started calling each other by their first names. 

Since Shane realized that those few stolen moments with Ilya were his beacon of light when the pressure became too much. Even when his body ached at the end of a long season, even when he’s holding the fucking Stanley Cup and all he can think about is Ilya. 

Shane always knew it was more casual for Ilya. Ilya just loved sex. He hadn’t stopped his fucking around just because he met Shane. And Shane carried that chip on his shoulder every time they met. But he couldn’t risk saying anything and losing even those few encounters with the other man throughout the season. Fuck. 

Until last time happened. When Ilya admitted he hadn’t been seeing anyone else. And then ran out the door and they never spoke about it again. He wonders if that’s still true. 

They text most days, and call or facetime at least once a week now but. They’d never addressed the shift. It’s been years. How do you even bring that up? But of course, Hayden knows him. Hayden knows that if Shane is seeing the same person for years, it must be serious. And of course Hayden gets drunk and runs his mouth to Ilya’s best fucking friend. Just my luck, Shane muses. 

He clears his throat before speaking, “Oh well you know Hayden. Married life and a million kids under his belt. He’s waiting for the day I also get married and have enough kids so we can start our own hockey team”

Ilya visibly deflates. “Right. That’s what I told Marlow. Shane Hollander couldn’t be in serious relationship because he’s married to hockey. And if he was, we’d all know about it, right”

And that, that doesn’t sit right with Shane. He knows Ilya was just trying to throw Marlow off but something about that sits like a rock in his stomach. Shane pauses. “Well. I couldn’t be in a serious relationship publicly anyways. Not without coming out. So not much of an option there. I guess it’s better than everyone thinks I’m married to the sport.”

Maybe that’s the closest Shane’s ever gotten to saying the ill fated words. He knows he’s gay. But he’s never actually said it. He can let Rozanov fill in the blanks. But Rozanov, Rozanov looks… pensive. 

“Why? You want everyone to think you’re boring player who only cares about hockey? You don’t want everyone to know that you like sucking -”

“Ilya!”

Ilya laughs then, “No, I’m serious. There’s more to you than hockey. So much more. Why do you hide” 

Shane’s blush is permanent on his cheeks. Ilya always surprises him when he gets soft like this. It’s his favorite version of him. But that’s his secret to keep. And speaking of secrets, 

“Hayden mentioned your ‘Montreal Girl’ to me too, you know”

“What?” Ilya practically shouts the word back at him. 

“Yeah. When he told me about running into Marlow over the Summer.”

“Huh”

“What?”

“I mean. That’s weird, no?” I mean. Shane did think it was a little weird. He thinks it’s even weirder now that Ilya agrees it’s weird. Validation is a funny thing. 

“Yeah. Suspicious”

“Not good time to use big words, Hollander”

“Sorry, it is a little strange. They told each other about our ‘secret girlfriends’ and then asked each of us about it?” Shane needs to lie down. “You don’t think…?”

“No way. You think Hayden fucking Pike and Cliff fucking Marlow met up at a bar over the Summer, got wasted, and somehow put 2 and 2 together on the biggest fucking scandal in the league? Not exactly the two brains I’d put together to pass a kindergarten class. Let alone figure us out.”

Shane laughed then, imagining Hayden, thinking that Shane was rolling around in the sheets with Ilya fucking Rozanov. He would be scandalized. Except, that’s exactly what Shane’s been doing. For years. And Hayden may not be the brightest bulb… but even with his lights on a dimmer, sometimes the switch flicks all the way up. He stops that train of thought before it can go any further. 

“Yeah, no, yeah of course. We’re so careful anyway. They’d never believe it without proof.”

Ilya’s strangely quiet for the next several moments. Both boys running the idea through their heads. That Hayden fucking Pike and Cliff fucking Marlow could have clocked them on their secret. Ridiculous. Except -

“I’m sorry I ran out so fast last time” Ilya blinks at him. 

Shane doesn’t have to look at himself on the screen, he knows his smile is a pile of melting goo. “It’s okay. I’d freak out if coach did a room check while I’m in Boston. I’m surprised it’s never happened before, does he do that a lot?”

Ilya scratches his cheek, “No. Never.”

Shane hums. Curfew has always been a little loose in the league. Realistically, as long as you’re not showing up hungover, or getting yourself arrested, you can fuck off and do whatever you want while you’re on the road. Most guys skip curfew to meet up with their puck bunnies anyway. Shane’s puck bunny is just a little different. His is a 6’4” Russian adonis with golden curls and soft eyes and a huge- Shane’s getting off track. 

“I know he didn’t bench you but, did you get in trouble?”

Ilya is silent again. It’s several beats before he mumbles out, “No, that's the weird thing.”

“What’s the weird thing?” Shane’s confused. 

Ilya places his chin in his hand, “I got back that night, ready to ream out Marlow for cutting my night short. But Marlow wasn’t in the room. He came in 10 minutes after me and was, I don’t know word, he said that he spoke to coach, that it wouldn’t be problem. His face was red and he was shaking? I figure he fought coach for me, I would not fight him then.” Huh. 

“Why is that weird? I’m glad you have someone watching out for you.” Shane wishes that he could stand up for Ilya like that. That he could tell all the guys that shit talk Ilya how wrong they are, and how great he is. That he’s not the asshole they all think he is. Well, Ilya is an asshole. But not the way every other player believes. Shane wishes he could -

“Weird because I apologize to coach next morning. He was confused.”

“You think Marlow lied?”

“I don’t know. We had team meeting, I forgot about it.”

Both boys are wide eyed now. 

“What if, maybe, our friends are smarter than we want them to be?”

Chapter End Notes

Am I losing the plot or am I cooking, be so for real w me

Chapter 4: We Broke Up

Chapter Summary

Shane wants to know, what does Hayden know?

Chapter Notes

GUYS! I was not at all expecting this type of traction I’m overwhelmed thanks for eating my meal and sticking with me here :)

They decide to set a trap. How can they know if Hayden and Cliff know without actually letting them know?

It’s easy enough to coordinate. Cliff and Hayden are both so interested in Jane and Lily, why don’t we give them something to talk about?

The Metro’s land in Boston the day before game day. Usually, Shane would be running out the door right after practice to get to Ilya. This time he heads back to the hotel with his team and plops on the bed across from Hayden. He’s fighting the urge to say fuck it to the plan. He wants to be in Ilya’s arms. 

They’re in Boston so Hayden makes it easy. “Hey man, surprised you aren’t on your way to Lily’s yet.” His eyes are shifty. Fuck. 

“Oh uh. We broke up.” Shane rubs the back of his neck. Did he sound convincing?

“WHAT?” And well, Shane was expecting a reaction, but, not one that big. “What happened man? I thought you were two were… I don’t know… you’ve been seeing her for awhile right? How long have you been seeing her again? I mean, what happened?” Shane tries not to grin. 

He puts on his best poker face, and tries to look sad. It’s not hard to do, he just imagines if him and Ilya had actually broken up. Not that they could break up. They’re not official, you can’t break up if you’re not actually dating, right? Fuck. Now Shane wasn’t even acting sad. He was sad. 

“The last time we saw each other… I tried to, I don’t know, make things official. Have a serious conversation about us. But, she… just got up and ran. She said she had an unexpected work thing pop up but, she’s never done that before. I think she was just running from me. Figured it was better to end it before I end up even more heartbroken, right?” Shane put on his best puppy dog eyes. He knows they’re good because they work on Ilya every time. 

He figured it was best to keep the story as close to truth as possible. Ilya did run out because of an unexpected work thing. Shane was scared that Ilya had run because of his feelings. And if Hayden and Cliff are the reason Ilya had to run out that night, he wanted Hayden to feel guilty for cutting into their limited time. Limited time which he could be spending with Ilya now, but. 

And Hayden. Well, Hayden looks like a deer caught in headlights. “Fuck, Shane I’m sorry man. Are you sure she was running? Maybe she did actually have a work thing?” Hayden’s fidgeting with the covers. 

“I don’t know. It was never meant to be serious anyway, Lily’s in Boston and I’m in Montreal, it was never going to work.” Shane’s mind is still on Ilya. It was true, it was never meant to be serious. They’re in different cities, they're both high profile hockey players, they are each others fucking arch rivals for christ's sake. And they’re both in the closet. Ilya just likes the thrill of the danger and secrecy behind it all. He doesn't actually like boring Shane Hollander. 

Shane can feel his eyes welling up for real. “It’s fine, man” he sniffles out. 

Hayden can hear the strain in his voice. At least he doesn’t have to worry about his acting being convincing, Shane is genuinely tearing up thinking about how he’ll never have Ilya in the way that he wants him. This is getting too real now. 

Hayden gets up and comes over to Shane’s bed, putting a hand on his shoulder and rubbing soothingly. “Shane” he says softly. “Have you tried talking to her about it again?” Hayden sounds pained now too. He looks guilty, but he mostly just looks concerned about Shane. “Maybe you read the situation wrong? You two have been going out for awhile now and who wouldn’t want to date super sexy hockey star Shane Hollander anyway?”

Shane lets out a wet chuckle at that. He doesn’t think Ilya is very impressed by super sexy hockey stars. Especially considering he takes the cake on that title himself. “I don’t think Lily’s impressed by stuff like that much.” Shane needs to get back on track, he needs to know if Hayden knows. “It’s just weird. We’d been in a really good spot before she ran out.. I thought we were getting closer. But that was just foolish thinking on my part I guess.”

Hayden’s hand pauses on Shane’s shoulder now. “Does she make you happy?”

Shane doesn’t even hesitate, “yes”. 

Hayden lets out a sigh. “Is she worth fighting for?”

Shane pauses now. It’s not that simple. He could be risking his whole career. He could risk Ilya’s whole career. Shane knows Ilya’s worth it. But he doesn’t know if that sentiment goes both ways, and really, that’s the scary part. He feels his eyes well up even more. His eyes are stinging, his brain feels full, his heart is aching. Shane lets out a sob.

He would feel embarrassed, crying in front of Hayden. Crying in front of Hayden about Ilya Rozanov. But all Shane can think about is how much he wants to fight for them. How much he wants Ilya to fight for them. They’re not even broken up. They’re not even together. 

“Hey, hey, hey, Shane, buddy, it’s okay.” Hayden’s patting his hair now. Trying to calm Shane down from the tornado he’s created in his brain. Maybe Ilya should’ve been the one to prod at Cliff. He bets he wouldn’t have any problem getting information out of his best friend. 

Shane can’t bring himself to say anything else. 

“Shane. I’ve never seen you look as happy as you do when Lily is texting you. Or seen you as relaxed as after you’re with her. As much as I’d love to set you up with a nice girl in Montreal, or fuck, even meet the girl that has The Shane Hollander in such a tizzy… I think you’re making a mistake not even talking to the girl. What if she feels the same?”

Shane tries breathing through his panic attack but he can’t seem to catch his breath. Fuck the plan. Shane needs to get some air. In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3. Shane breathes until he feels his mind come back into his body. 

“I need some air, Hayds. Thanks man but,” Shane shakes his head. “I’m going on a run.”

Shane dresses as fast as possible, wanting to get out of the stifling hotel room and away from the cacophony of dark thoughts creeping through his brain.

He practically sprints out the door and it isn’t until he’s walking out of the lobby that he realizes he forgot his phone in the room. Fuck. It’s probably not smart to go on a run in a city that hates him without his phone. Hayden would freak out even more if he can’t reach him. The traitorous part of his brain whispers, 'And what if Ilya texts'?

Shane makes his way back upstairs and doesn’t even think before slamming the hotel door open. He finds a wide eyed Hayden on the phone, probably speaking with Jackie. Probably telling her about how fucked up Shane is. Hayden immediately hangs up the phone and throws it across the bed. It lands next to Shane’s. 

“Uh”

“Sorry to interrupt, man. Forgot my phone.”

“Right, right. Hey, are you sure you don’t want to stay and talk?” Hayden’s brows are furrowed. Even if Hayden is meddling in Shane’s life, at least his best friend clearly cares about him. 

“Yeah, I just, gotta go. I’ll be back later.”

And with that, Shane sets off. For real this time. 

Chapter End Notes

Who was Hayden talking to??

I wasn't expecting to turn this into a multi chapter deal but I'm feeling another 3 chapters will get us where we need to go...

Chapter 5: We Need To Fix This

Hayden knew that digging into the Lily thing would change his relationship with Shane. But he didn’t expect to change Shane’s relationship with Lily. He was just curious. And now, because of him and Cliff fucking Marlow, his best friend was having a full blown panic attack. 

He needed to fix this. 

The second Shane left the room, Hayden calls Cliff. Thank God they had the thought to exchange numbers after the last time they saw each other. Something about discovering Ilya Rozanov running out Shane Hollander’s apartment really bonded the two together, shocking. They both knew they were sitting on the biggest secret in the league. And honestly, it was eating him alive. 

Cliff picked up on the first ring. “Pike. What’s going on?”

“Fuck, Marlow. We fucked up.” Hayden sighs. 

“What? Did someone else find out?”

“No, no. But Shane’s freaking out. I figured he would’ve gone to Lily’s after practice but instead he came back to the hotel. When I asked him about it, he said they broke up because she ran out on him the last time they saw each other. And then he started having a panic attack.” Hayden runs a hand through his hair. “It’s bad, dude”

“Wait. They broke up?” Cliff sounds confused. 

“Yes. Shane tried to make things official, and Lily ran out on him. Because of us. Because we told him he had to get back to his hotel. And now my best friend is having a mental breakdown because he, because he, I don’t know. Wants to be with… Lily.” Hayden couldn’t wrap his mind around it still. Lily was Ilya Rozanov. Shane was dating Ilya Rozanov. Shane wanted to be boyfriends (?) with his enemy. With the man they’ve both hated for years. Fuck, he wishes he knew when this started. How this started. 

Cliff’s silent for a moment. “Should I call Ilya?” Well, at least he’s worried about his friend too. 

Just then, the door slams open. Shane’s back. Hayden hurries to hang up the phone and tosses it away from him as if it was on fire. He feels his back stiffen. Did Shane hear any of that?

Shane’s eyes are red. His shoulders are hunched. His hair is disheveled. Shane’s always been the most put together guy on the team. Hayden’s never seen his best friend look such a mess. 

The second Shane’s out the door again, he calls Cliff back. 

“We need to fix this.”

Chapter 6: It's your fault

Chapter Notes

Yeah hi this fic has truly taken on a life of its own. Thanks for joining me on this ride.

Cliff Marlow was never bad at making friends. He’s always found it easy to get along with other hockey guys because they could just talk about girls and hockey. Simple, really. 

When he first met Ilya Rozanov, he thought he’d finally met a guy that wouldn’t be so easy to befriend. Rozanov was an instigator. He liked messing with the other guys. Getting into people’s heads like hockey was more psychological warfare than it was a bunch of guys fighting on ice. He liked being an asshole. And as much as he talks about girls, he won’t talk about his one girl. So when Cliff first noticed the occasional crack in Rozanov’s armor, he was intrigued. Sometimes Rozanov was on the phone, clearly angry, spitting Russian down the line with a hard edge in his tone. But other times, his phone would ping and Rozanov’s eyes would light up. Sometimes he would sit staring at his phone in the locker room before a game, clearly waiting for a text. Sometimes his phone would ping and Rozanov’s face would turn pink. As much as Roz denies it, Cliff has eyes. He’s seen the other man blush. 

So maybe Rozanov wasn’t such an asshole. And once Cliff was able to see through that his attitude was his armor, not a weapon, it didn’t take him long to deem Roz as one of his best friends. He was a genuinely good dude. He was quick to crack a joke to try to cheer up his teammates after a loss. He was the first one to welcome the rookies in on their first day. And then promptly destroy them in a scrimmage to remind them who they’re stood next to. He was the one visiting sick kids in the hospital during his time off. Cliff knows this because he caught Roz sneaking out a side door one time as he carried in his feverish nephew during a rough night of babysitting. Even if he didn’t want others to see it, Roz was a softie. So it made sense that there was a girl out there who knew it, and loved this about him too. And so what if Cliff loved ribbing him for it? 

What didn’t make sense, was running into Hayden Pike and setting off on a goose chase that led to… Shane Hollander. But the proof was there. If he didn’t witness Rozanov run out of Hollander’s apartment with his own eyes, he would never believe it. Not in a million years. He’s had the thought that maybe Pike was messing with him. Maybe he knew Rozanov’s Montreal Girl personally and just took him to her place to freak him out. But the fear in Hayden’s eyes was too real. The shock was palpable for both of them. 

Hayden calls him back. “We need to fix this.”

Cliff groans. How did he get into this mess?

“Okay. Let me call Rozy. What if Hollander’s freaking out over nothing?”

“And? What are you gonna say? Hey Captain, I heard you broke up with your secret fake girlfriend who’s actually your arch rival, you good?” Hayden’s laugh is dark on the other end. 

Cliff is silent. “I mean. No, not like that.” 

“Like what then?” Fuck, but how else does he ask? The two boys stay silent on the line for a few beats too long. "You know what. Fuck you, Marlow. This is all your fault. I wish I'd never sat with you at that bar in Vegas."

Cliff gasps. “What the fuck, Pike? This is all your fault. You suggested the idea first!”

“You were looking at me like it was crazy for Hollander to have a girl in Boston!”

“You found me after the game!”

“You told me Shane winked at his rival!”

“You drove us to his apartment!”

“You came up with the idea to smoke them out!”

And well. Hayden was right. That idea was maybe the worst out of all of them, because it led to the two captains breaking up. And now it’s why they have to play fixer upper instead of detective. This was supposed to be a fun goose chase. Cliff lets out a deep sigh. 

“Ok. Ok. I’ll fix this.”

“You better.” Hayden huffs down the line. But Cliff can hear the relief in his voice. Hayden’s scared. He’s worried about his friend. Cliff’s worried about his friend too. 

So, they do what they do best, they scheme. 

Chapter 7: You're Scared

Chapter Summary

Shane is stuck in his head.

Shane calls Ilya. 

He can’t help it. He’s only run 10 blocks from the hotel but with every step all he can think about is Ilya. 

With every inhale, he thinks about ending things. 

With every exhale he’s thinking about kissing him. 

Every time his left foot hits the pavement, he practices his speech to ‘end things’. It’s not a ‘break up’, he reminds himself. 

And with every stomp of his right foot, his heart chips away a little more. 

Shane knows it's gone on too long. It was never meant to go this far. And now Hayden knows, or at least maybe has an inkling? He’s snooping? His best friend might know that he was sobbing his heart out about his arch rival not being in love with him too, how embarrassing. He needs to get out of this mess. 

So yeah, he calls Ilya. 

“Shane?”

“Hi”

“I was worried maybe Pike steal your phone and call me” Ilya jokes. 

Shane smiles faintly. He finds a bench in a nearby park to perch on. He should probably be sitting for this. 

“No he wouldn’t dare. Well, maybe he would. I don’t know.”

“How did it go? Did you talk?”

“I told him Lily and I broke up. He was just concerned about me. I couldn’t figure out if he knew anything, sorry.” Shane knows he sounds short right now. He can’t help it. His body has been filled with tension since he got back from practice, and somewhere along his run, his sadness turned into anger. 

“Oh. Okay. I mean, maybe we’re wrong. We’re crazy to think Pike and Marlow know about us.” Rozanov starts chuckling, ignoring Shane’s clipped response. 

“Right. I mean there’s not even an ‘us’ for them to know about anyway.” He knows he sounds bitter. Petty even. 

“Shane. What?”

“I mean we’re just fuck buddies. This was always about the convenience and about the danger. But now, it’s less convenient and the danger isn’t fun anymore. Right?”

Shane’s head is spinning. What was he saying? His mouth is working faster than his brain. But, as wrong as the words felt, he didn’t want to take them back. He couldn’t keep doing this for another 7 years. He can’t be Rozanov’s dirty little secret for his whole life. Or is Rozanov his dirty little secret?

Shane could hear a pin drop on the other line.

“Shane. What’s going on? What did Pike say to you?” Ilya sounds soft yet seething. 

Shane explodes, “Nothing! Hayden said nothing! He rubbed my back while I cried like a loser! You know what, Rozanov, I think you’re scared. I think you didn’t want to stay over, so you made up the roomcheck excuse as a way out. But I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep watching you run out the door. We can’t do this anymore.“

“Hollander.”

Shane’s teary eyed again. Fuck. “I’ve got to go.”

“Shane.”

Shane has no control of the tears flowing down his cheeks. “Goodbye, Rozanov”

“Moya lyubov. Wait.”

Shane slams the end button before he can talk himself out of it. It’s time. He needs to let go.

Chapter 8: You're a Good Friend

Chapter Summary

Cliff shows up for Ilya.

Chapter Notes

So, Cliff calls Ilya. Him and Hayden have come up with a plan. He’s going to ask his captain if needs anything before tomorrow’s game. Simple. Not like Cliff’s ever called Roz about that before. And it really shouldn’t have taken them this long to think of an excuse to call the guy. 

He doesn't pick up. He tries him again. No answer. Now what?

He doesn’t mean to cross a line. All he could think about was his best friend sitting heartbroken across the city. And if he’s heartbroken, he’s probably chugging enough liquor to forget about it, and Marlow doesn’t want his captain to be hungover for tomorrow’s game. So out of pure concern for his team's performance tomorrow, his body is moving on autopilot. He’s in his car, driving to Downtown Boston, to find his friend. 

Cliff knows he’s home, the lights are on. Even though Hayden told him that Shane was a wreck, and he knew if Jane’s upset, Ilya’s probably upset. He still wasn’t expecting Ilya Rozanov to open his apartment door with tears streaming down blotchy cheeks. His face drops even further when he sees Cliff. Was he expecting someone else?

He tries to quickly close the door but Cliff has the wherewithal to hold his hand out and push back against the wood. It’s clear Roz has been crying for a while. He barely puts up a fight against his side of the door. Fuck. This was bad.

“Rozy? Are you okay?”

Ilya just sighs and turns into the apartment. Cliff follows him in, shutting the door behind him, taking a deep breath as he kicks off his shoes, and meets Roz on the couch. 

“Talk to me buddy. What’s going on?”

“Shut up Marlow. Why are you here?”

“Uh. I, um, fuck. It doesn’t matter, are you okay?” Cliff knows he’s here to check on his friend. Roz doesn’t need to know why he knew to come check on his friend. 

“Fine.” Ilya’s face is hard as stone yet the tears continue to slip down in silence. 

“If I guess what happened, will you tell me?” Roz shrugs. “Okay. Is it your family?” His head shakes. “Hockey?” head shake, “Are you sick?” Another shake. “Is it Jane?” Ilya stills. “Okay. Something happened with Jane. Are you fighting?” Nothing. “Did you break up?” Rozanov folds. His knees come up to his chest, his arms wrap around his legs as his head falls in between his knees. He lets out a shuddering breath. Oh no. What has he done?

Cliff slides across the couch, reaching an arm around his friend to pat his back. “Hey, hey. Shhh. It’s okay, man. I’m sure you two will work this out. You and Jane have been together forever, right?”

This was apparently not the best choice of words right now, as Ilya lets out a sob. Marlow can tell now, Hayden was not exaggerating. Their captains were down fucking bad for each other. Holy Shit. 

He sits there rubbing Ilya’s back, whispering encouragements. “Let it out, bud. You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.” He continues this until he knows Rozanov’s breathing has calmed down. 

They’re quiet for a few moments. Cliff’s run out of words. 

“I think something happened last time we were together. I don’t remember. I had to run out because of that stupid room check. Remember?”

Cliff remembered. Cliff would never forget. Cliff’s white lie from months ago is coming back to bite him right now. All of the bad karma Cliff has built up from hitting other dudes down to the ground on the ice, is coming back to bite him right at this very moment. He’s screwed.

“Y-Yeah. So random. What happened?” He hopes his stutter wasn’t too obvious. 

“We never have room checks.” Oh shit.

“Well, clearly not never.”

“This is what? Third time in 7 years, Marlow.”

“Suppose that’s why they’re random.”

“Hmm” Ilya’s tears have dried, he looks more pensive than suicidal now. “Marlow. Did we actually have a room check that night in Montreal?” Cliff freezes. How could he know? Ilya’s eyes bore into his face as Cliff avoids eye contact. “I’ve wondered.. How come no one mentioned it the next day. No one.”

Marlow is as stiff as a board. He breaks. “Ok. Ok. Yeah. Fine. I lied.”

“Why? Why would you do that?” Ilya’s breathing sharply through his nose. Fuck. He couldn’t tell Rozanov that he and Hayden Pike were conducting an… experiment. An experiment on the two biggest players in the league. And accidentally uncovered their massive secret. How is he supposed to admit that he knows his captain is hiding right under everyone’s nose, hooking up with his arch rival. Or, dating his arch rival? But not anymore? 

“I just thought. I was curious about… Jane. You never talk about her. Or, just not enough considering how long you’ve been seeing her. I wanted to meet her. I thought if I called you back to the hotel early, you’d sneak her in with you?” Terrible lie, Marlow. 

Ilya mutters, “чертов идиот”. And then, “Why the fuck do you care so much, Marlow?”

“Because I care about you. And she makes you happy. So I want to know her.” Well shit, that was maybe too sincere. 

But it works. 

Marlow can see his best friend visibly soften. And then his jaw ticks. “Well it doesn’t matter now anyway. We’re nothing. Jane is done with me”. Ilya Rozanov is a lot of things. He’s large and broody. He’s loud and energetic. He’s fire impersonified. But right now, he looks small. Dejected in a way that Cliff didn’t even think he was possible of. Fuck. They fucked up. He fucked up big time. 

“No. You’re going to fight for her.” Marlow practically shouts and, it’s Ilya’s turn to look a little stunned. 

He shakes his head, “No Marlow, not every story is happy ending.”

“This one is. I’ve never seen anything, anyone, shake Ilya Rozanov like this chick does. She’s the real deal. You’re getting her back.”

Roz is quiet. Marlow can practically see the gears turning his head. 

And then, Ilya starts grinning. Marlow’s right. Shane is his. Heart, body, mind, and soul. Every inch of him belongs to Ilya. And every inch of Ilya belongs to Shane. Their minds vibrate at the same frequency. Their bodies hum in each other’s presence. Shane said Ilya is scared, but he’s not. Shane’s scared. He knows this. 

He stands slowly and reaches out a hand to clap Marlow on the back. “Marlow. You’ll be running suicides every day next week to apologize for lying to your captain.” Cliff groans. He feels whiplash between Rozanov’s emotions. “Give me your phone, I’m typing out strict schedule for you next week.” Marlow passes his phone over in a daze. Roz takes it, typing for a minute in silence, and handing it back, before going “You’re an idiot. But you’re good guy. Good friend. Now get out.”

Marlow is at a loss for words. What just happened? 

Chapter End Notes

Wowowow I was not expecting to build things up this much. Thank you to everyone who has tuned in along the way, let's see how else these guys can fuck things up :)

Chapter 9: An Eye For An Eye

Chapter Summary

Only one person is smart enough to fix things.

Chapter Notes

Ilya is sure of two things in life. Scratch that. Three things. 

1. He is surrounded by idiots
2. Hayden fucking Pike is trying to sabotage him
3. He is in love with Shane Hollander

Somehow Cliff dumb Marlow and Hayden dumber Pike figured out about him and Shane. It’s no secret that Pike hates Rozanov. More than most of the other players in the league, which is really saying a lot. 

Hayden Pike found out he’s dating his best friend, used his best friend to expose them, and then concocted a mind game with Shane’s emotions to get him to end things with Ilya. He just knew it. 

But. He also needed to win back Shane. That was priority #1. And he needed to do it before tomorrow’s game. What if this affects Shane’s game? He needs them to makeup before they face off on the ice. He can’t have that be the next time they see each other. And in order to do that, he fears he might have to partner up with his actual #1 enemy. Hayden Pike.  

So he opens up the newly acquired Hayden Pike contact in his phone. Courtesy of Cliff fucking dumbass Marlow’s phone. 

And he hits the call button. 

Shane was quiet as he re-entered the hotel room, two hours after he left. He’d turned his phone off after he hung up on Ilya and hoped Hayden wasn’t texting him worried. But he needed to go dark. If Ilya called him back, he knew he would break. He wouldn’t be able to decline the call. But, if he was honest with himself, he was more scared that Ilya wouldn’t try calling him back at all. The small pieces left of his heart crushes at that thought. 

Hayden’s still up. He looks at Shane with sad eyes. He hates this. 

“Hey Hayds. I’m just gonna hop in the shower.” He’s already closing the bathroom as he says it. Desperate to be alone again. 

On the other side of the door, Hayden is a mess in his own right. He’s destroyed his best friend. How can he fix things without spilling the embarrassing truth? He teamed up with an opponent player to spy on his best friend, and captain, and unknowingly caught him in the middle of what would be The Biggest Scandal To Ever Hit The MHL. 

It’s with that thought that his phone starts to buzz. Without looking Hayden picks up, hoping to God that Cliff has been able to figure out how to fix things. 

“Pike.” That’s not Marlow. 

“Uh.”

“It’s Lily, you asshole.” Lily’s voice is definitely distinctly Russian. And male. Hayden can officially wipe away the .01% shred of hope living in his brain that he was wrong this whole time. 

“Rozanov.” Duh. 

“First of all. Fuck you. Second of all. I need your help”

Hayden lets out a deep breath of air. Fuck this guy. But, he can’t tell him to fuck off. This guy is the solution to fix Shane. Make him happy again. Hayden feels a little like he’s being pranked. This has to be a huge elaborate prank that Shane somehow got the Bears’ players in on. He’s always been good to Shane. This is what he gets?

But Hayden knows the truth. He’s never seen Shane so wrecked. Those emotions were real. He’s never seen Shane light up the way he does while texting Lily. Well, except for when he plays a really fucking good game of hockey. And Shane always plays his best hockey against Rozanov. 

It makes so much sense. It’s all right there in front of him. In front of everyone really. They were never rivals. 

Hayden seems to realise he’s been quiet for too long at the same exact moment as Rozanov. 

“Fuck you, Pike. I know that you know. You ruin my life. Help me fix it you asshole. I need to make sure Shane’s okay.”

And well, that truly was something. As angry as he sounds, there’s so much care and pain in his voice too. It’s mutual. 

And that’s what snaps Hayden into action. 

“Anything. What can I do?”

“Where’s Shane?”

“He’s here. In the shower. He just got back from a run.”

“Is he… okay?”

“No.”

“Fuck. Text me your room number. Don’t tell him I called you. And leave Cliff fucking Marlow out of this.”

Hayden wasn’t going to object. Rozanov was pissed. 

Shane was in bed by the time the knock came. He had crawled into bed quietly after his shower, his skin pink from standing in the heat for so long, and was laying there in silence. Hayden played their practice tapes in the background. It wasn't unusual for Shane to want peace and quiet but Hayden knew better. He knew watching hockey would help soothe Shane in a way that words couldn't. 

The knock was soft. Hayden got up softly, opening up the door to a clearly restless Ilya Rozanov. Ilya paused as he made eye contact with Hayden. Hayden knew who to expect at the door. Hayden wasn’t expecting the other man's right hand to snap up, quickly slapping him straight across the face. 

“What the fuck!?” Hayden jumped back. 

“Fuck you, Pike. Give me 5 minutes with my boy?”

Hayden’s mouth was gaping in shock. Not for the reason Shane seems to think. Shane thinks he’s shocked about Rozanov. Hayden’s shocked that Rozanov fucking bitch slapped him when they’re supposed to be on the same side here. 

Fists clenched. Hayden knew he shouldn’t make this worse. He takes a deep breath. He needed Shane to be happy again. That was more important. But he does wonder, maybe it would make Shane happy again if he knocked out this egotistical asshole Russian guy that walked out on his best friend? But Hayden knew he was part of the reason Rozanov walked out. Another deep breath. 

He grumbles out swear words under his breath as he walks out the door. Fucking Rozanov. Screw his rules. 

He calls Marlow as he storms down the hallway.

Chapter End Notes

These chapters are truly the work of 2am ramblings. I hope we haven't lost the plot yet!

Chapter 10: Don't I Get A Say?

Chapter Notes

Stupid boys being stupid boys. What's new

“What the FUCK, Ilya!?” Shane jumps off the bed. 

“Fuck, Shane. I’m so sorry. Baby -” Ilya already feels tears welling up at the sight of Shane. His face is redder than usual, tinged with anger. This is not the same pink blush that Ilya is usually accustomed to seeing across Shane's freckles. His arms are crossed but Ilya can see his fingers fidgeting with nerves. 

“Who the hell do you think you are? We end things and you show up here and, and what? Slap my best fucking friend across the face? What the fuck is wrong with you?”  Shane’s eyes are full of fire and the corners of his mouth are turned down. But Ilya knows him, after all these years. He can see the hope creeping in on the edge of his eyes. 

“Don’t worry about Hayden. He’s fine. And we didn’t end things. You ended things.” Ilya crosses his arms now too. “You hung up on me. After all of these years, don’t I get a say?” 

Shane scoffs. “Fuck off, Rozanov. Hayden didn’t do anything. And I don’t want to hear it. I’m tired. I don’t want to fight. I want to quietly part ways and forget we ever happened. This was long overdue and you know it” his voice catches at the end.  

Well. That hurt. Ilya feels a squeeze in his chest. Maybe at first he never expected this thing to go this far. But it's been 7 years. It has gone this far. He's not ready to walk away. He's not sure if he could ever walk away. And by now, Ilya knows Shane better than he realizes. Much better. 

“Is that really what you want?” Ilya's voice felt so small. He can barely even hear himself over the blood pumping through his head. 

Shane’s voice is even smaller in response, “it’s the smart thing to do.”

Shane always was a bad liar. That’s one of the first things Ilya ever said to him. In the locker room, after the pair did that photoshoot pre rookie year. Right before they hooked up for the first time. Shane’s always been a bad liar. Ilya can’t believe he’s managed to keep this boy, his boy, for 7 years now. 

Ilya lifts his head. “That’s not what I asked. And when have we ever been smart?” Shane is silent. 

Ilya’s sighs. The jig is up, it’s time to bare himself. If he doesn’t, he risks losing Shane forever. Even if he does, he still risks losing him forever. How did he get here? His hands are clammy, but his heart tugs towards the other man as if there was a string connecting his chest to Shane. 

He tugs on his side of the string, and knows it's attached on the other end, “I don’t want to forget, Shane. I don’t want to part ways. If there’s even small chance I can keep you, I want it. I’ll take what you give me. Please.” Ilya can’t look at him now. He doesn’t want to see his reaction, “Don’t do this.” Shane Hollander has reduced Ilya Rozanov to begging. 

Ilya was 99% sure going into this that Hollander felt the same, that he was just scared and Hayden managed to scare him even more. 

But that 1% is nagging his brain as the silence lingers. What if he got it wrong?

Shane's face absolutely crumples and like a puppet with their strings snapped, Shane stumbles towards him, landing in Ilya’s arms. Ilya walks them backwards to sit on the bed. He keeps his arms wrapped around Shane’s waist and shoves his nose into Shane’s hair. Thank God. 

“Why do you try to leave me? Leave us?” He needs to know. 

“Ilya I-“ tears are welling up in Shane’s eyes. He’s been sniffling intermittently since the other man walked in but now the tears are coming straight to the surface. “My chest burns every time I see you. Every time I think about you. The idea of you not feeling the same is… I couldn’t ever hear you say that you want to end things. So I knew that I had to be the one to walk away. I couldn’t stop thinking about how stupid it was to tell Hayden that Lily and I broke up, because Lily and I were never even dating.”

Ilya nods. He feels the same. Which is why he’s here. “Moya lyubov. I’m sorry if I have not been clear.” He keeps petting Shane’s hair. “But. We are technically dating, no?” 

Shane pulls out of their embrace at that. A new frown on his face. It’s his angry kitten face now. “No. Dating, Ilya. As in, being in a monogamous relationship. Holding hands, actually talking to each other, cuddling, pet names. Dating.” Shane doesn’t say the magic word out loud. He feels embarrassed to use the word, boyfriends. 

Ilya’s eyes go soft, “I mean. We do cuddle. And talk, sometimes. I call you baby. And sweetheart. And moya lyubov.” He pauses. “And I thought, um, I didn’t realise you were hooking up with other guys.” It’s Ilya’s turn to flush. He feels awkward now. 

Shane looks… Shane looks flabbergasted. “You’ve always seen other people Roz.” The words are stilted. Shane’s not sure he even registers moving his mouth. 

Ilya blushes and looks away. “Uh, actually, uh, it’s been awhile. It’s okay if you are. That’s fine. I never said.” This is so embarrassing. Ilya never heard of Shane with other people. He always just assumed. Shane was meant to be boring. He was meant to be Ilya’s. Even if they never vocalized it. He thought they didn’t need to. And selfishly, he was scared to open up that can of worms. What if Shane didn’t feel the same?

Shane grabs his chin, forcing Ilya to look at him. Shane’s fucking beaming. “How long?” He whispers. 

Ilya squirms. He tries to look away but Shane’s grip tightens on his chin. 

“Shane.”

“How long,” Shane whispers his echo again. 

“Two, uh maybe three?” Ilya squeaks out. 

“Months?” Ilya is beet red. 

“Years?” Ilya tries to look anywhere that isn’t Shane. He hasn’t been able to think about anyone other than Shane in years. He just didn’t want to scare the other man off, and. Well. he thought it was mutual. So it never mattered if they didn’t talk about it. He thought they both felt that shift a few years back. When they started seeing each other more. Before games, not just after games. When their touches became more gentle and less rushed. Maybe he should’ve said something. 

Shane’s wide eyes are unblinking until he crashes his lips against Ilya’s. Years. 

They stay in their embrace for a few moments before the events of the nights really catch up to Shane. He fought with Ilya over nothing. Ilya came here to fight for him. Hayden let Ilya into the room. That means Hayden knows about them. Fuck. But wait. Why did he slap Hayden? 

“Ilya. Honey. You still have some explaining to do.” 

Ilya hums in response. He’s rubbing his thumb against Shane’s freckles, he can’t stop smiling. 

“Why did you hit Hayden? That’s not okay, Ilya. He’s my best friend” Shane looks like a dissapointed parent. Ilya fights the urge to hang his head in shame. Pike deserved it.

“Fucking, Pike. He found out about us. I don’t know how. But he told Marlow and had Marlow fake the room check thing to get me away from you. And then Pike knew I left you, and used that to get you to break up with me. He make you overthink. And then you sad because you don’t trust me. And then I’m sad because you try to leave me. And it’s all Pike’s fault.” Ilya keeps his voice serious. He needs Shane to know that his best friend is a filthy liar. 

But Shane. Shane just laughs 

“You really think Hayden Pike is some mastermind who uncovered our secret and then made up a plan to break us up? Only to now bring you here to get us back together?” Shane is in hysterics now. 

“Da” Ilya blinks. But when you say it like that. “Hm. No. I must be wrong”

“You’re admitting you’re wrong about Hayden? Just like that?” That’s out of character. 

“Da.” Ilya grins “Hayden does not have master mind. So I must be wrong.”

They let themselves giggle for a few minutes. Holding each other close. They both know Ilya will have to leave soon, it’s getting late. They hold each other tighter. 

“Get Pike back in here. He owes us answers.”

Chapter End Notes

Sorry for the dramatic breakup. Truly don't know where this came from but I'm so excited to finish this up. One more chapter to go :)