Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Kip Grady/Scott Hunter, Kip Grady & Shane Hollander

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Kip Grady

Additional Tags:

Mentioned Ilya Rozanov, Mentioned Scott Hunter, The Kingfisher (Game Changers), Kip Grady is a good friend, Ilya and Kip are friends, First Meeting, Established Relationship, Fluff

Language:

English

Series:

Part 5 of Troublemakers

Stats:

Published: 2026-01-15 Words: 6,213 Chapters: 1/1

In Their Corner

Summary

Shane is in New York. He crosses paths with Kip Grady. Ilya may have something to do with it.

(It's the Shovel talk fic! Or at least as much of a shovel talk as Kip, certified Sweetheart can give)

Notes

So what did I learn from writing this? Firstly, I really, really struggle to write Shane, even though I am currently halfway through a multi-chapter fic from his POV. Secondly, Shovel Talks are hard to write when both parties are absolute cinnamon rolls.

Kip will try, but he will feel bad about it.

Also, Ilya is haunting the narrative, even when he's not there.

The weather was unseasonably mild in New York city, as hockey superstar Shane Hollander made his way down the street and because of it, New York was abuzz. People littered the streets, tourists and locals alike trying to take advantage of the afternoon. And here Shane was, smack bang in the middle of it, with nothing to do.

For once, he wasn’t here for a game. In fact, it was one of the rare times he had ever been in the city which didn’t involve Hockey since his childhood

And yet Shane wasn't enjoying it. He was on one of his rare three days off with no games and no training and here he was, in New York for a sponsorship appearance for Rolex. And he was already itching to get home. Not because the city was unpleasant. It may not be his favourite city, too overwhelming sometimes, but it was alright. No, Shane wanted to be home because his home currently included the best person in his life.

Ilya had also had some rare time off and was currently in Ottawa, looking at a property he was thinking of buying. So close to Montreal where Shane should be right now.

Shane and he had planned it carefully, hoping to meet up and spend some time together but no, Rolex had called at the last minute, wanting him at some unveiling of a new store and as his mum had pointed out, it would be a terrible look if he didn’t attend after he had been the face of their brand for so long.

Ilya had suggested he fake illness but that wasn’t a great idea, since it was mid-season and if the media caught wind of an ‘illness’ it would be reported. If it was reported, his team doctors would want to clear him to play before the next game and that was a hassle. So Shane had sucked it up and confirmed his flights.

He had hoped to fly in in the morning and fly out in the afternoon but that hadn’t been possible to get plane tickets so last minute and Rolex had already organised a hotel for him. Unless he wanted to sit at the airport all night and hope for a no show, he was stuck waiting for his next morning flight.

Shane, as much as he wanted to get home, hadn’t found the idea appealing. He spent too much of his professional career sitting in airports already and the novelty, if it had ever existed, had long since worn off. And Ilya had found the idea of him sitting there all night even less appealing. In fact, it was Ilya who had talked him out of it, telling him it was only one night. They would see each other the next day and still have a day and a half together before Ilya had to fly back to Boston and Shane had to drive to Montreal.

So Shane was stuck overnight in New York. On his own.

At least he knew Ilya was doing ok. The other man had taken the time they were apart to actually look at the property he had talked about and had even filmed a walk thought to show Shane.

It was a gorgeous property, a modern three bedroom house in the suburbs. Close enough for everything to be easily accessible but fair enough away from the city that it could be private. No one would bat an eye at Shane visiting Ilya there. It had a massive garden, a home gym and theatre and a huge garage (maybe not as large as the garage Ilya had at his old place in Boston, where he kept his collection of sports cars but it was more than enough, Shane thought. He knew Ilya would fight him on that fact but he was still going to say it)

Shane honestly loved it and he hoped Ilya would put an offer on it. Not that he wanted to push Ilya into anything but he could see them living there together. Not now, but maybe someday, after they retired and had been forgotten by the world. When they were finally able to just be themselves. Not Hollander and Rozanov, Hockey Superstars, but Shane and Ilya.

They had finally started to try and change the narrative around them that had begun back when they were untested rookies, still trying to find their feet. The idea that they were rivals to the death.

Slowly, they had put the feelers out, trying to appear more friendly to each other on the ice. Announcing the Irina Foundation and the first Hockey Camp had gone a long way to creating that narrative.

To say the Press had been surprised by that conference had been an understatement but they had worked hard to sell the idea that they were both passionate about mental health and had found mutual respect for each other. Of course, they were passionate about the cause. But finding mutual respect had technically been a lie. After all, they had already had that respect.

So slowly, people were becoming less surprised to hear them talking about each other in a non-hostile way.

That wasn’t to say it wasn’t still asked.

Shane had been asked about Ilya a few times at the Rolex event. He had been forced to fight down the panic each time, the fear that somehow, everyone knew they were in love and were about to call it out. He had tried to keep his answers brief, diplomatic and neutral. Not defensive, in case anyone thought their ‘partnership’ for the foundation was some sort of scam but not with as much love and passion as he wanted.

He had to be neutral, no matter how much he loved Ilya and thought he was amazing.

Shane was proud of himself in a way. He had come a long way from the kid he had been who had lost his head when he had perceived a critique that wasn’t there.

He still cringed a little, thinking back at his behaviour towards Scott Hunter. It may have been over three years ago now, but it was still an embarrassing slip up and Scott hadn’t deserved his nasty, defensive comments.

Shane knew now, Scott had been dealing with his own issues and his comment, ‘You are starting to sound just like him’, hadn’t been an insinuation at all, just an observation. Shane really shouldn’t have made the dig at Scott’s age in retaliation.

Thankfully, Scott Hunter was probably the nicest guy in the League and had long since accepted Shane’s apology.

Still, it made Shane feel bad every time he remembered it, even if they were friends now.

Speaking of Scott, Shane had considered reaching out to the guy while he was in New York. Unfortunately, the Metros and the Raiders may have a few days off but the other teams in the League were still playing and Shane knew Scott was on the road with the rest of the Admirals for the next few games.

Which sucked. Shane had been talking to Ilya about asking Scott to join forces with them for their first hockey camp. They needed coaches and having current and former players involved would be great to garner interest in the program.

So the one person Shane would actually want to see in New York was not currently in New York.

Instead of focusing on this disappointment, he had texted Ilya once he had returned to his hotel room after the event and gotten out of the suit he had been obliged to wear.

Ilya had also finished viewing the house and had also been back in his own hotel in Ottawa at the time.

Initially, Shane had hoped that they would both stay in, in their separate hotel rooms. They could both get room service and just talk to each other all night. Maybe even have phone sex. Shane was getting better at it after all.

But Ilya had only been back at his hotel room to change before he was going out again. To Shane’s parents house for dinner.

Shane had very mixed feelings about that. On one hand, he loved the fact that his parents had fully embraced Ilya and had wanted to spend time with his boyfriend. His mum had even made mention of looking into sponsorships for Ilya (He had a few but they weren’t to the caliber Yuna Hollander thought he deserved as one of the best hockey players in the world. Ilya’s management team, according to Yuna, were lazy, waiting for the sponsors to approach them instead of actively hunting for deals for him. Shane loved that his mum was thinking about Ilya and wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to figure out how to take over his boyfriend's management) It was nice that his mum was trying to protect his boyfriend's future.

But on the other hand, it was a family dinner. And Shane wasn’t there. Shane’s favourite place was always going to be wherever Ilya was but his second favourite place was with his parents. And he wasn’t there with any of them. Instead, he was thousands of miles away in New York.

He had said as much to Ilya on the phone. He hadn’t wanted to guilt his boyfriend. He certainly didn’t want to stop Ilya from going out again to see his parents. Ilya deserved to be loved by Shane’s family. But still….

Ilya had actually surprised him by suggesting he go out. The Russian had even suggested he go to a bar.

Shane wasn’t much of a bar person. Ilya knew that. So it had been a strange suggestion. But Ilya had been adamant. Apparently this bar he was suggesting to Shane was Ilya’s favourite. It was not flashy or loud. In fact, if Ilya was to be believed, it was a popular hangout for hockey players. Apparently even Scott Hunter went there.

Shane wasn’t sure he believed Ilya’s assurance that the bar was quiet, and the patrons left the hockey players alone, but he didn’t want to say anything to Ilya, especially since Ilya was trying to help him.

So, once he had finished the phone call, Shane had decided to trust his boyfriend. He knew Ilya wouldn’t put him in an awkward position.

Getting changed into jeans, a clean t-shirt and jacket, Shane grabbed his wallet and phone and stepped out of his hotel into the street.

Ilay had helpfully sent him the address to this place, called The Kingfisher. He had even sent a map, showing how to get there which Shane dutifully followed.

The walk had been pleasant and before long, Shane had found himself outside a slightly run down looking place.

The bar looked like….well, it didn’t look like anything special, that was for sure. Diamond shaped windows and a brick finish. The name of the place was on the door in slightly peeling letters. It looked normal, although Shane did spy a small rainbow flag on the door.

Taking a breath, Shane walked to the door and pulled it open, stepping inside.

Inside, it was clean, if a little dim. Booths lined one side of the venue, the bar on the other and there was an open area in front of a television A few other TVs were hanging from the bar, angled so those seated in the booths could watch them.

On the wall was a framed jersey draped with a rainbow flag.

Shane immediately recognised it as an Admiral’s jersey, the C on the breast showing it was Scott’s. He peered at it and yep, it was signed. Not just by Scott but by the whole team by the look of it.

The actual bar was quiet, the booths empty. A small group of people were at the edge of the bar, near the TVs. They were talking animatedly to the bartender and apart from a quick glance Shane’s way, they didn’t really pay attention to him.

Not sure what else to do, Shane made his way to one of the booths, taking off his jacket and slipping onto the leather seat. He could see the TVs from here and couldn't help but notice it was on a sports channel. Maybe it would show the Admirals game later that night. Not that Shane was planning to stay that long.

Briefly, he thought about going to the bar, but he didn’t think this place would have his preferred Ginger Ale and he wasn’t in the mood for a beer. Besides, the bartender was currently in conversation with a dark haired man, the two leaning towards each other and speaking rapidly. They seemed friendly to each other, and he really didn’t want to interrupt.

Shane’s hands itched to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. To text Ilya. But he stopped himself. Ilya would be in the middle of dinner, and he didn’t want to distract him.

What was he even doing here? Shane felt so out of his depth in these sorts of places, and he just wanted to go home. But no. He had promised Ilya, and he knew Ilya would worry about him if he spent the whole night alone in his hotel room. Not that Ilya wanted Shane to bring someone back to his hotel room. They were exclusive now. But he knew Ilya would want him to socialise a little bit. But none of his friends were here and Shane wasn’t good at just talking to people.

Fuck it. He had tried. He had gone to the place Ilya had suggested. It didn’t mean he had to stay. This wasn’t his thing and Ilya would understand that. Hopefully he would just be proud that Shane had taken the risk.

Shane reached for his jacket again, already planning to leave and begin his walk back to his hotel when he heard someone approach.

“Hi.” A voice said and suddenly, a man was standing by the booth. It was the man he had just seen talking to the bartender moments ago. The man had an open, handsome face and big brown eyes. His dark hair was neatly styled and he looked friendly. And he looked vaguely familiar, even if Shane didn’t know why. Maybe he had met the guy in passing somewhere. God Shane hoped he wasn’t a journalist.

Shane opened his mouth, wanting to say something like ‘Sorry, I am waiting for someone.” or something to that effect. Try to tell the guy politely that he wasn’t willing to talk to him. But the words died on the tip of his tongue as the man pushed a can of something he had been holding across the table towards Shane. It was a can of ginger ale.

He glanced up at the man again. The man smiled.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Shane. Ilya has told me a lot about you.”

—--

Scott was only a day into a four-day trip away and Kip was already missing him. The apartment felt lonely without his boyfriend and even though he was trying to distract himself, working on job applications and training in Scott's home gym for the next rugby season, it was still difficult.

Honestly, Kip had thought he would have gotten used to this by now. His relationship with Scott had been on and off but they had been steady for the last year and Scott had gone away for work before.

This time wasn’t even as bad as the first away games Scott had played of the new season, when the media had still been a little bit nosy and one of those so-called journalists had spotted Kip on the street when they knew Scott had been in Detroit for a game.

Thankfully that particular incident had been swiftly dealt with by the Admirals legal team and now he was mostly left alone. But still….

Kip had even reached out to Gus, the owner of the Kingfisher to see if he needed anyone to work an extra shift. Unfortunately, his co-workers had already jumped on that opportunity, so Kip only had one shift to work the whole four days Scott was away.

To take his mind off things, Kip had tried to indulge in busy work. He had cleaned the apartment, not that it had been messy to begin with. He had rearranged Scott’s fridge twice (More to be annoying since Scott kept his fridge in a very particular way) He started to read a book Eric Bennett had given him about Ancient Mesopotamia. And he had spent far too much time on the group chat with his friends.

Elana was busy that night, but Shawn and Maria were both free and Kyle was working so they all planned to meet up. Kip, since he was going to be the last one to get to the bar, had been nominated as the one to grab dinner for the group.

In fact, he had been standing in line at a nearby burger joint he and his friends liked when he got the text.

It was from Ilya Rozanov.

Kip hadn’t seen Ilya in a while, not since his trip to Boston. It had been a fun trip. They had caught up for dinner, Ilya and Scott had chirped at each other good naturedly and more importantly, Ilya had come out to Kip.

Kip was proud of Ilya. He had come out as a teenager to a supportive home, but he knew a lot of the people around him hadn’t had the safety and support to do the same. Ilya coming out to him had been a big deal and showed just how much his Russian friend trusted him. Of course, Scott hadn’t been made privy to that conversation and it wasn’t Kip’s place to talk about it. But still, he was glad to be a source of help for Ilya. And someone the Russian could talk to about his boyfriend Shane Hollander.

Kip had tried several times to meet Shane, but the man was elusive. They had only met once before, at the hockey awards after party but Kip hadn’t known at the time Shane was dating Ilya. He hadn’t even really known Ilya at the time, their first meeting only a few hours before. That conversation hadn’t really gone anywhere anyway. Scott had been with him, and Shane had his mom at his side. The conversation had mostly been between those two. Then again, Kip had been aware at the time that Shane was still recovering from a massive concussion, so he hadn’t been surprised the man hadn’t been engaged in the conversation apart from offering a congratulations, mainly to Scott, for winning the Stanley Cup and the Best Player Award.

Kip had tried to meet Shane since then. But the last game between New York and Montreal had been insane and by the time Kip had managed to make it from his seat, through the crowd to the edge of the ice, Shane had already ushered his team away.

Kip hadn’t wanted to ask Scott to introduce them. At least not yet. He didn’t want Scott to ask why he was suddenly so interested in Shane Hollander and his suggestion to invite the Metros players to the Kingfisher after their last game, although not rejected by Scott, hadn’t been successful. Apparently, Shane was a quiet guy who didn’t tend to socialise with others.

So, Kip had decided to wait. As much as he would love to speak to Shane, to try and get a proper read on his character, he guessed he would probably have to wait a while. Maybe until Ilya himself decided to introduce them. He had no doubts now that it would happen eventually.

The text message he read while waiting for his food had surprised him.

‘Shane is in New York today for a publicity stunt while I am in Canada.’

Kip had read and re-read the text message, not sure what to make of it.

‘Oh?’ He sent back, unsure why Ilya was telling him this.

‘Are you working? I have given him the address to the Kingfisher.’ Was the reply.

Kip blinked before registering what Ilya was saying.

Shane Hollander was alone in New York.

‘Did you want me to keep him company?’ He texted back.

‘Da’ Was the reply.

Kip had sent a thumbs up at that before putting his phone away. His order was ready. Briefly he wondered if he should get something extra for Shane, but he had no idea what sort of foods Shane Hollander liked and more to the point, when he would get to the Kingfisher. So he had decided against it. But he did duck into the Bodega next door to grab a few cans of ginger ale. He knew from Ilya that it was Shane’s preferred drink and the Kingfisher didn’t stock it.

Maybe it would help make the man feel more comfortable.

Once he got to the Kingfisher, he was greeted by his friends. Kyle was behind the bar and had made a comment about no outside food but there was no heat to it. They all knew and ignored the rules regularly, especially when they were getting dinner for each other.

Kip had handed out the burgers to everyone before ducking behind the bar to put the ginger ales in the fridge. The place was empty except for their little group.

Sitting with his friends, he let the gossip wash over him. Soon he began to enjoy himself, listening to the conversation and just catching up. It was nice and helped keep his mind off Scott’s absence. He hadn’t told them that Shane may be coming to the bar. It wasn’t like it was a big deal anyway. Besides, the Admirals game was on tonight, and Kip was probably going to stay and watch but he would enjoy the quiet before it got busy.

They ate and laughed and joked. Kip listened to his friends talk about their work and lives and ignored the chorus of boo’s from Shawn and Maria when they tried to get him to talk about his sex life (He couldn’t help but notice how Kyle seemed to disappear whenever his other friends tried to turn the topic of conversation to anything about him and Scott. He wasn’t certain why but didn’t want his friend to go so he had taken to changing the topic when he could)

Finally, after an hour or so, Kip heard the door open, and a new patron slipped through the door. He glanced over and immediately recognised the newcomer.

Shane Hollander was standing by the door, looking around with wide eyes. Even though he had just arrived, Kip could almost feel the discomfort rolling off him. He probably wouldn’t do well if Kip called him over to his friends.

Instead, Kip remained quiet, watching as Shane made his way to the booths and seat himself. He didn’t make his way over to the bar. Didn’t try to order anything. He seemed closed off. Kip turned and, disengaging himself from his friends, he grabbed one of the ginger ales he had bought. He just hoped it would be a good ‘ice breaker’ so to speak.

Beverage in hand, he made his way over to the booth.

Shane was looking at the wall and the jersey hung up there, the one Scott had gifted the bar after coming out. They had decorated it during one of their wilder nights.

“Hi.” Kip greeted, as he stood before the booth. Briefly, he thought about sitting down but Shane’s body language was skittish and Kip didn’t want to startle him. “It’s nice to finally meet you Shane. Ilya has told me a lot about you.” He placed the can down in front of Shane. He was still a bartender after all, even if he wasn’t working right now.

Shane blinked up at him, confusion written on his face. Clearly, he didn’t recognise Kip, so Kip decided to re-introduce himself.

“Kip Grady.” He said. “I’m Scott Hunter’s boyfriend.”

“Oh?” Shane asked, looking genuinely startled. “Right. Um, hi.”

The man's face flushed red under his freckles and Kip could tell immediately that he was embarrassed. As if looking for something to do, he reached for the can of ginger ale.

Kip had to bite back a smile. Shane was so nervous. No wonder Ilya was so protective of the man.

“May I sit?” Kip asked, nodding at the seat opposite Shane's in the booth.

Shane nodded.

“Yeah, sure.” He said, gesturing wildly towards the seat. His free hand was still fiddling with the can.

Kip could almost see the public persona being pulled onto Shane’s face, trying to cover the nerves. It was something Scott had occasionally done, back when Kip had first met him. Kip sat.

He wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to achieve here. Yes, he wanted to make sure Shane was good for Ilya. Ilya, under his prickly exterior, was a complete teddy bear and vulnerable to being hurt. Kip was very aware that people would sometimes throw up masks to hide their true personalities, especially if they were public figures and he didn't want Ilya being taken advantage of.

Shane, under his good boy persona, could turn out to be a complete asshole. And yet, even from this brief interaction, Kip was getting the feeling that it wasn't the case here. Shane seemed like a sweetheart. The only mask was his confidence.

“You know…..” Kip trailed off, not sure how to start this conversation. What did he want to say? ‘You know, Ilya is a great guy and you better not fuck him over?’ ‘You know, the cutesy act won’t protect you if you hurt him?’ No. Kip wasn’t that mean, even if he was protective of his friends if he had to be. Finally, he settled on the soft comment. “I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time.”

Shane finally glanced up at Kip. Some of the weariness seemed to retreat. That was good.

“Oh?” The hockey player said. He had a little smile on his face now. A media smile.

“Yeah. Scott thinks really highly of you. Say’s you’re a great captain.” Kip continued. He paused for a split second before deciding to continue. “And so does Ilya.”

He could see the moment a switch was flicked, the smile immediately disappearing. His dark eyes were filled with panic, even though his face was frozen in what had to be a media friendly ‘blank’ look.

“Ilya….Rozanov?” He finally asked, pretending at playing nonplus.

Kip nodded, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. He made sure to keep his friendly smile on his face.

“Yeah. We text sometimes. I mean, I think he only reached out to me originally because he wanted to annoy Scott but we kinda became friends and now he likes to hang out sometimes.” He said.

Shane blinked at that.

“Oh, he never mentioned…” Shane broke off for a moment before seemingly gathering his thoughts. “Not that I would know…”

Kip couldn't help but raise and eyebrow at that. He had met closeted guys before but this was almost Narnia level. In a way, Kip felt sorry for Shane. After everything with Scott, he understood the fear there. Still, it was sad to see it happen all over again. He decided to be nice.

“You guys started a charity together, right? That’s so cool. I know Scott has been considering doing something similar soon.” He offered.

Shane, maybe thinking his slip hadn’t been noticed or just relieved he could hide behind the charity, visibly relaxed again. Finally, he opened the ginger ale and took a small sip before placing it back on the table.

“Yeah.” he said, finally smiling again. “Its been great.” He seemed to warm up to the idea. “If Scott is interested, I can always get him information for the Irina Foundation.”

Kip nodded. There was a certain way to handle Shane Hollander, he was learning. But it still didn’t mean Kip wasn’t going to protect Ilya. He couldn't just push Shane to admit he was gay. But maybe he could float the idea he knew about Ilya, and let Shane fill in the blanks? No pressure, just make sure Shane knew that Kip knew about Ilya and that he had Ilya’s back.

“I will let him know.” he said. Then he crossed his arms, leaning his weight on them on the table. “But I also wanted to meet you for another reason.”

He glanced up at Shane, who wasn’t looking so scared now but still had a wary air about him.

“Before I begin, just so you know Ilya and I spoke and he is ok with me saying all this. But I wanted to tell you, as a gay guy and a friend, that I know about him.” He said. He glanced up at Shane who had definitely frozen up again. “Obviously it's not my place to say anything and I would never dream of outing him to the public, but I just wanted to let you know that he’s a great guy and I get the feeling he doesn’t have many people truly in his corner. But he has me.”

—--

Shane could barely hear the words over the ringing in his ears, his heart starting to race the moment the “I know” slipped from Kip’s lips. Oh god. This guy knew. Knew about him and Ilya. His mind was a whirlwind of panic and terror and… He fought the urge to press his head against the table again, to try and make himself disappear from the world like he had at his parents' house all those months ago when he and Ilya had been outed to them.

“Hey. We’re ok. You're good here, ok?”

It was Ilya’s voice in his head. The memory of the comfort his boyfriend gave him which got him breathing again. Shane forced in a breath, trying to remember all those little moments of comfort Ilya gave him over the years, even before this thing they had, had turned into their relationship.

“Sorry.” A voice said. It wasn’t Ilya’s memory but a very real voice. Shane finally glanced up at Kip who genuinely looked guilty. “I didn’t mean to come off like that.” The man explained.

Shane shook his head, trying to shake off the panic. His chest still felt tight but the tension was easing.

“No, no….fuck. I’m ok.” He muttered. He gripped the can of ginger ale again, trying to use the feel of the cold aluminium to ground himself. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Kip smiled, a soft, friendly smile that Shane read as full of understanding. Their eyes met. Slowly, Shane gave a small nod. He could tell Kip knew Shane wasn’t going to confirm anything about himself. Not to a virtual stranger, no matter how friendly or well-connected he was. But the man had to know where they stood now. Kip had gotten his point across.

But to be able to do that, meant Kip had to have talked with Ilya about this. Had to know from Ilya about him and Shane.

Shane wasn’t sure what he felt about that. On one hand, he didn’t like the idea of people knowing about him without him being the one to tell them. On the other hand, who else did Ilya have to confide in?

Shane knew he was lucky to have such a big support circle. He had told Rose about his sexuality, before he and Ilya had even taken that last step to confirm their relationship and she had become his biggest cheerleader. He had his parents, proudly in his corner. Although Shane hadn’t come out to Hayden and Jackie yet, he was very aware that they would stand by him (Although he didn’t know how Hayden would take the news it was Ilya who Shane was dating) All of them had helped him so much and Shane had no idea how he would have survived without them all.

Ilya on the other hand….His parents were dead and any other family he had, he had cut contact with. He had his friend Svetlana, but Shane knew she was always on the move and given Ilya had floated the idea of marrying her, he wasn’t sure if she had any idea about Shane. He was friendly with Cliff Marlow, but Shane didn’t know how close they were and he had never thought to ask. In fact, Kip had to be the first-person Shane had ever met who had said to his face, with no trace of irony, that he was Ilya’s friend.

Fuck, apart from Shane, Ilya didn’t really have anyone else. Only two, maybe three people in the whole world, ready to defend him. And who could he talk to, about this stuff?

“If it helps, I definitely have experience with closeted hockey players and Ilya knows I am always available to talk, offer advice or resources. And he knows that offer is open to anyone. No questions asked.” Kip said, again breaking through Shane’s spiraling thoughts and Shane felt a little bit of the tightness in his chest release. Because Kip was right.

If there was anyone who knew gay hockey players and the importance of maintaining some control, it would be this man. Shane had heard from Scott himself during his recent interviews, how long he had struggled with the idea of coming out. How bad he had felt about wanting to keep Kip a secret. And how Kip had accepted and helped him through it.

“Yeah.” Shane finally replied. He was a little bit proud that his voice wasn't as rough as he thought it might be. “I'm glad to hear it.”

Finally, he felt like he could smile. A real smile. He glanced up at Kip again. Now that Kip had made his position clear as Ilya’s supporter, Shane couldn't help but look at the guy in a new light. He knew nothing about him and apart from some curiosity when he had first learnt of the man's existence, he hadn't really thought of Kip Grady at all except for what the man's presence meant for Hockey.

But now, here he was. Not just a name but a living, breathing person who had done something incredibly courageous which might directly affect Shane's future. And Shane found he wanted to actually know the man who had just so kindly offered his support.

“I feel like we should maybe start over.” Shane suggested and Kip nodded.

“I agree.” The guy said, a small laugh in his voice.

Shane reached out, offering up a handshake.

“I'm Shane Hollander. I play hockey in Canada.”

Kip accepted the handshake.

“Hi Shane. I'm Kip Grady. And according to the media, I'm a Hockey WAG from New York.”

“It's nice to meet you, Kip.”

—--

It was much later than Shane had expected, when he finally left the Kingfisher. His conversation with Kip had been great and Shane had found himself enjoying it.

It was nice, for once, to talk to someone without having to guard his words. Kip was kind, understanding and thoughtful. He had a wicked sense of humour hidden under the kindness and the ability to tease at the drop of a hat. And he was intelligent. No wonder Ilya liked him.

Shane knew, in any other circumstance, he would be jealous of Kip’s friendship with Ilya. Worried that his boyfriend might prefer the other man. But Kip was so painfully in love with Scott, that Shane had no doubts the man hadn’t even considered Ilya an option.

Speaking of Ilya, the man had texted him while he was still at the Kingfisher. His boyfriend’s dinner with Shane’s parents had finished and he had wanted to check in. It had been Kip who had suggested they take a selfie together and send it to Ilya in reply.

Normally Shane hated selfies. They were almost a requirement of his job, the fans wanting pictures with their favourite hockey stars and he had learnt to put on his media smile and endure but this time, he couldn’t help but grin as Kip had shuffled to the other side of the booth so they could press together for the photo. Ilya had ‘hearted’ the picture when he saw it.

But it was getting late and Shane had an early flight so he had to leave. Kip, far from being upset, had pulled Shane into a hug at the door, making sure that his number was in Shane’s phone before seeing him out the door.

Technically, getting the number was so Kip could help Shane coordinate a meeting with Scott about the Hockey Camps but Shane hadn’t forgotten Kip’s offer. He wasn’t sure if he would take the man up on it but having it available meant so much to Shane.

Maybe one day he would. Maybe one day the world would change, or he would change. Maybe one day he and Ilya could be themselves, honestly and unapologetically. But until then, it was nice to know, they had some amazing people in their corner.