Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Hayden Pike, Jackie Pike, Hayden Pike's Children, Jean-Jacques Boiziau | J. J. Dagenais

Additional Tags:

Established Relationship, Coming Out, Secret Marriage, Yuna Hollander Finds Out About Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, David Hollander Finds Out About Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Hayden Pike Finds Out About Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Stanley Cup, Kiss on the ice, #hockey inaccuracies #im pretty sure their teams could not go against each other in the cup finale so just pretend like they could, Relationship Reveal, good team Boston raiders, Good team Montreal Metros, mostly - Freeform, less homophobia than in canon at least, Autistic Shane Hollander, Happily Ever After

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-17 Completed: 2026-05-01 Words: 10,861 Chapters: 7/7

your lips on the ice set me free

Summary

Shane and Ilya have kept their relationship secret for years, waiting for Ilya to get Canadian citizenship before they could even consider coming out to anyone.
Now, that time has come - and they are going to come out in the most dramatic fashion possible!

Fic is completed and updates every other day!
edit: all posted now! :)

Notes

Chapter 1: Prologue: Soft Launch

In this AU, Shane and Ilya got together earlier in the timeline, got married in 2017, Ilya applied for Canadian citizenship with Shane's address in Ottawa for the residency requirement, where they spend summers and if they've got several free days in a row. Neither of them has been traded to a different team yet - they hoped to play on the same team some day but wanted to make sure Ilya would have citizenship first, so in case anything got out and the league reacted badly, he wouldn't be deported to Russia... but it's just a contingency, they hadn't planned to actually come out either way, especially Shane had still been hesitant about that topic.

Prologue

November 2020

Neither of them had managed to win the cup last season, but it had been close - without any injuries on the teams, they might have both made it into the finals, and now that last year's rookies were better integrated into the teams and all injuries had healed, both Boston and Montreal had a real shot at the cup. 

Ilya and Shane were on the phone chatting about their prospects, how the first games of the season had gone, and how other teams had been doing, when Ilya sighed - "I want to kiss you. Want to kiss you on center ice, when we win Stanley cup, against second best player of the -" 

"Maybe you should do it," Shane replied, heart beating into his throat. "When we win the cup, I mean," he added, trying to stay playful but knowing that Ilya could hear the strain in his voice.

For a moment, Ilya was quiet. "You mean it?" He asked quietly. "Is okay, if no. You know I am joking when-" 

"No." Shane choked out, coughed, forced himself to take some deep breath, Ilya patiently waiting for him to find his voice. "No, I mean, yes I know you're mainly joking, but - you really want to do it, right? And I mean, you'll have citizenship by then if everything goes right, and - and it might be. Nice?" 

For a moment, Ilya was just breathing at the end of the line. Then - "We will upstage Scott Hunter so very much." Shane could hear the grin in his voice, could tell that Ilya was bouncing on his toes in excitement even though they were miles and miles apart. "We will play finale together and will kiss on fucking center ice because we are best hockey players in the fucking world!" 

Shane had to laugh, though it came out more like a sob.

"Let me see you, lyublyu?" 

Fumblings with his phone screen, Shane switched to video call, Ilya's slightly blurry but clearly beaming face showing up on the screen a second before he managed to turn his own camera on. They had stuck to voice calls for a reason, reception was awful in the hotel the Raiders were staying at, but Shane was still glad to see his husband's face. 

"Hi."

"Hi." Ilya's expression softened. "You mean it? You want to come out?"

"Yeah. Um, not only if we win the cup, though I definitely think we have a shot at it this year. Maybe over the summer, if neither of us wins? Or do you want to wait until next season in that case?"

"Could come to your game as WAG, if we get kicked out early," Ilya grins. "In Metros jersey, with your name on it."

Shane snorted. "So you're admitting my team is better, that you're going to get knocked out first?" 

"Neverr! I said if, is big if!" 

They both laughed, Shane feeling a giddy pressure bubbling up inside of him. Fuck, they were really doing this. 

"Maybe we could kind of soft launch it ahead of time? I mean, not that we're together, just that we don't hate each other? So it won't be as much of a shock - I mean, it'll still be a shock, but I don't want people to think that it's just a prank or something."

Ilya nodded, still grinning, but Shane could tell that his mind was already whirling away with plans and ideas. "Could meet up in New York, after your game against Admirals, yes? Is close by from here, could just be coincidence that we're both there, but -" 

"Hey, slow down! You don't have citizenship yet, it'll be next month at the earliest -" 

"Yes, but does not matter, no? We are not coming out in New York, just showing we do not hate each other so much, Russia can't kill me for not hating second best player in the league." 

"Best player in the world," Shane retorted, the reply instant on his lips after so many years of repeating the same arguments.

Ilya laughed, the screen freezing for a moment on him with his head thrown back and his eyes crinkling at the corners before the connection reestablished. 

Shane couldn't help a giggle escaping him at the sight. Ilya was just so beautiful, even over a shitty 4G videocall connection across state lines. And he loved him so much. It was going to be great, being able to share that with the world.

"Do you want to tell your parents?" Ilya asked once they had calmed down a little.

"...no." Shane replied. He meant it, too. Sure, on the one hand he didn't want to lie to his parents longer than necessary, but on the other... He wanted to do this their own way, and there was no way in hell Yuna Hollander would be on board with the idea of coming out at the Stanley Cup finale without having some sort of statement prepared and relevant people informed of it beforehand.

And - well, he just wasn't as close to his parents as he used to be as a kid or young adult. Sure, some of that had been his own fault, keeping Ilya from them for so long, but after being with Ilya, Shane finally knew what it was like to truly be himself around another person, and he had realized that he had never been able to do the same with his family. "No, let them find out with everyone else. We can talk more with them after that." 

"Okei. Long as you are sure, yes? You can still change your mind until June."

Shane nodded, his lips twitched. He knew Ilya would support him with whatever he decided, even though not telling his family, when his relationship with them was so much better than Ilya's own had been with his father, often seemed incomprehensible to him. 

"Yeah." Shane smiled down at his phone. "Yeah. We're really doing this." 

The beaming, delighted expression on Ilya's made Shane all the more certain that it was the right decision.

After their 'accidental' meeting and Shane publicly hanging hanging out with Ilya, Marleau and Carter Vaughn in New York, they slowly upped the ante, showed the public a few more casually friendly interactions and made some comments to the press after games that were toeing the line between respectful sportsmanship and outright friendliness. 

Then, Ilya's citizenship finally got approved in January.

They celebrated the next time the teams played each other in Boston, fucking all night on Ilya's bed after already trading blowjobs in the hallway and some heavy petting on the couch, leading to Shane almost missing his flight back the next morning, showing up just before boarding was being called with dark circles under his eyes to the ribbing of his team mates, but he couldn't regret it. 

During press after the game the day before, they had been asked about their 'seemingly lessening rivalry', and Shane had replied that it had always been and still was a professional rivalry, but that the hatred between them had been blown out of proportion by the media and they had gotten sick of playing into it as they got older. 

"We play best hockey against each other," Ilya had nodded along. "Always, since first meeting - was Junior olympics, not NHL - was clear he is my only real competition. Is always fun, playing against each other! Most fun when we beat you," he had added with a grin, and Shane had rolled his eyes.

"You got lucky on that last point - we'll get you on home ice next time. This is our season, I can tell." Privately, he had thought that he meant 'ours' for him and Ilya as much as he meant it for the Metros.

They didn't have time for any further publicity stunts during that visit, but the next time Ilya came to Montreal, he arrived a full day early and Shane picked him up from the airport. They hadn't discussed specifics on how they were going to interact, just that they were going to be friendly, and Shane thought that maybe he should regret that oversight as Ilya came barrelling towards him, picking him up in a hug that almost threw Shane over his shoulder. 

"Put me down, you menace!" Shane shrieked, hitting Ilya's shoulder. 

Laughing, Ilya set him down and gave him a proper bro hug with slaps on the back before they separated, shoulders jostling as Shane kept complaining about Ilya's idiotic behavior. His heart was beating near painfully in his chest the entire time, but truthfully he knew that Ilya was just acting the way he did with his teammates and other friends, and no-one would think anything more of it.

That night, when his mom called and asked whether he was really friends with Rozanov now, Shane answered honestly for once - that he liked spending time with him. She didn't need to know that Ilya was lingering just out of frame, Shane's left hand caught between both of his own.

The rest of the season, Shane played hockey like a man possessed. The metros lost a player to a training injury for two weeks that Shane was quite miffed about - honestly, did they have to hurt each other during practice, when they weren't even getting any points out of it? - but they still won most of their games, though even Shane could admit (not that he would ever say it out loud) that Ilya was right - Shane was carrying most of the weight for his team. He picked up their slack whenever and wherever he was able to. 

Shane felt like he had to, even more this season than usual. Now that they had a plan to come out, he wanted nothing more than to stick to it. And, while the raiders were also on a roll, them making it to the finals wasn't enough for him - Ilya might joke about going to Shane's game as his WAG if the Raiders wouldn't make it, and he might even go through with it if it came to that, but Shane knew he couldn't make himself do the same. He was a hockey player, and damn it, if the world has to know him by his sexuality like that was so fucking important, he would make sure they still knew him as a hockey player first!

Chapter 2: Chapter 1 - Final Decisions

Chapter Notes

Here we go!

The final game was finally there. Boston vs. Montreal, a home game for the Bears, but the stadium packed to the brim with an almost even mix of fans from both teams, Shane's parents in the audience right next to Jackie Pike and her kids. 

Shane had waved at them during warm ups, thrown them a kiss even, but now he was only looking at Ilya as they waited for the puck to drop.

"Don't skate too hard, Hollander, wouldn't want you to be too tired to take my cock tonight," Ilya chirped.

"Segodnya nochyu ya budu ezdit na tebe po neskolkim prichinam" - 'I will ride you hard in more ways than one tonight' - , Shane retorted in perfect russian. He still had a lot to learn in the language, and usually his pronunciation wasn't the best, but he had practiced this phrase to perfection just for this moment, and it was utterly worth it with how Ilya froze as his brain rebooted for just the moment Shane needed to win the face-off.

And then he was off, having stolen the puck and passing to Hayden who hit it back to him, skating towards the goal. 

The final buzzer sounded, and Shane couldn't stop grinning.

They had done it.

His third Stanley cup. His third fucking cup! 

JJ and Hayden collided with him with a loud whoop, and over Hayden's shoulder Shane looked at Ilya, who was cursing at his stick from what he could see. Then, he looked up and met Shane's eye, and they shared a smile. Ilya raised his hands a little before letting them fall to his sides, 'shit happens. Good win.' Shane grinned. Ilya tilted his head, and Shane nodded. Yes, they were still doing this. 

After the Raiders had congratulated Montreal on their win and accepted their replies of 'good game', while the cup was being brought out, Ilya started to hurry as soon as he had made it to the home team's exit. Sure, he could go back onto the ice from there, but what he really wanted to do was something else. 

Running along the corridor as fast as he could with his skates still on, skate guards over the blades, he made his way to the entrance where family members of the players were already congregating, just waiting to be let onto the ice. 

He got a few raised eyebrows - people thinking he was up to no good, probably - but no-one actually stopped him, especially as he stuck to the back of the crowd. 

"What is he doing? You don't think he's hurt?" He heard Yuna Hollander ask her husband as the screen overhead showed Shane slowly skating away from JJ whom he had passed the cup to, carefully stretching his arm.

Ilya had to suppress a snort. Shane was faking, that much was obvious to him, though why exactly he wasn't quite sure. To put some distance between him and the others, for their kiss? He knew he'd be greeting his parents and the Pikes first, they had talked about Ilya going out last if Montreal won, giving Shane some time with his family before they would draw all the attention on the two of them.

On the ice, Shane took some deep breaths. This was it, there was no going back. Not that he wanted to - he wanted Ilya there with him, wanted to share this moment with his husband and never hide his love for him ever again. That didn't mean that it wasn't absolutely nerve wrecking, though. 

Finally, the WAGs and other player family members made it onto the ice, and soon he was wrapped in a tight hug from his mother. "You did it!" She shouted, her voice noticably hoarse from yelling in the stands during the game, undoubtedly cursing out every remotely questionable decision by a ref and screaming for all of the goals. 

Laughing, Shane hugged her back before letting his dad pull him close, then Ruby Pike was demanding his attention, asking to be picked up. Shane held her up into the air just like he had done with the Stanley cup just minutes prior to her giggling delight.

Then, he spotted Ilya slowly making his way over to him, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Can you give me a moment? Bring Ruby back to her parents?" He quietly asked his dad, strategically handing the girl over to his mom so she wouldn't be able to protest as David pulled her towards Hayden.

Shane took a deep breath and looked up. 

Ilya was just a few steps away from him now, and on skates, it was a matter of less than a second for him to speed up and crash into him, holding him close as their lips met in a kiss that was only short of indecent. 

God, he loved him so much.

Dimly, he noticed Ilya tug the golden chain that held Shane's wedding ring out of his shirt, leaving it for all the world to see as they pulled apart, Ilya's hand still on Shane's cheek, and he could feel the metal of Ilya's own ring pressing against his skin. 

"Hi." He blinked against sudden tears, and Ilya laughed just as wetly in reply.

"Hi." 

The entire rink, the entire world could have and probably had been staring at them and yet neither of them cared as Shane leaned forward again to meet Ilya in a gentler kiss this time.

His cheeks started to hurt from smiling.

Chapter End Notes

Friendly comments are always lovely to get, be they a long reaction or just an emoji :)

All Russian in this fic is from google translate, if someone who actually knows what they're doing in that language wants to offer corrections feel free :)

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Press

Chapter Notes

The fic switches to present tense in this chapter - I'd like to say that that's a thought through decision about how the kiss makes everything real or whatever but honestly I'm just awful at sticking to just one thing, I made sure that at least within a chapter it's consistent though o.o.

When they finally pull apart, the noise in the arena seems to skyrocket.

Shane is pretty sure that the screaming had already been going on before, but he hadn't heard any of it while he had been in Ilya's arms, and now winces a little as the noise level hits him all at once. 

Ilya squeezes his arm in reassurance, and Shane takes a deep breath.

He looks up at his parents, who are staring at them open-mouthed.

David starts to smile as he looked at him, Yuna just seems to be in shock.

Shane bites his lip - he can already imagine the press speculating about the fact that there is no way the Hollander matriarch had been aware of this stunt ahead of time, and have the Hollanders even been in the know about Shane and Ilya's relationship? 

Taking Ilya's hand before the speculations about any bad blood between them and his parents can get any worse, Shane pulls him towards them. "Hi. Um, this is Ilya?" 

Yuna's mouth snaps shut, but then she smiles and pulls them both into a hug. Shane suppresses a wince - that is her media smile alright, this is her not wanting to look bad in front of the press, her real reaction to them will have to wait until they are in private. He feels her gaze burning on the ring around his neck as they pull apart and David steps forward in her place, hugging him and patting Ilya's shoulder. 

"So proud of you, son. I love you." 

"Love you too, dad." Shane croaks. At least with one of his parents he won't have to worry about him only being alright with Ilya for the cameras.

The actual media spectacle happens after they get off the eyes and are pushed towards the press room. Well, Shane is, but Ilya is sticking to his side, and it's not as if the press is going to complain about a two for one deal in this case.

The reporters are shouting all over each other, Metro PR has to go over and yell for them to go one at a time because Shane genuinely can't understand a single question yet.

Before they can recover and start shouting again after the interruption, Ilya leans forward towards the mic. "Yes, we are together, yes, my husband is very beautiful Stanley Cup winner, no, I will not admit he is better player than me..." 

Shane bursts into giggles. "I have three cups! You've only got one! Sure when it was 2:1 we could've been on the way to a draw, but I'm definitely in the lead this time!

Ilya shrugs, unrepentant. "I got more hat tricks still." 

Shane groans. The only actual retort to that he has is that Ilya's team has his back giving him more time to score, but he doesn't want to throw the other Metros under the bus like that, so he's quite thankful for the next interview questions being shouted their way:

"Did we hear that right, did you just call him your husband?" "How long has this been going on?!" "Has the entire rivalry been a lie, have you been dating for your whole careers?" "Enemies to lovers?!" 

Shane takes a deep breath, and then he starts to explain, with some interjections and additions from Ilya, all about their relationship, how they have been together since before they ever played for the NHL:

"Well, it was after the draft, technically, but we hadn't played each other yet-"

"No, was since before then, was -"

"You're counting that fitness room?! You were only badly flirting then!"

"Was never badly flirting with anyone my whole entire life!"

Pushing Ilya away from the mic, Shane goes on to speak about how their relationship had developed from there, glad that he prepared what he would say ahead of time.

He talks about the need for secrecy not only because of the league but because of Russia, too - he makes sure to seriously stress how dangerous it had been for Ilya if they had been found out and he would have had to go back to Russia, that he might have been jailed or even killed.

It's both an appeal to human rights activists and a ploy to get them some good press against the inevitable accusations of lying when they had only wanted to love each other in private.

He also hopes that it is going to diffuse some of the tension with his mom and his team. He hasn't spoken to any of his teammates since the kiss, but he has seen Hayden's wide eyed stare and Comeau's sneer, coach's frown. 

"We got married three and a half years ago, and Ilya finally got Canadian citizenship earlier this season, so we thought we're ready to come out. I know maybe we could have kept it private, but..." 

"I was just getting sick of pretending to hate my husband!" Ilya smacks a kiss against his cheek, and it's enough to calm Shane's racing, worried thoughts at least a little. 

"Yeah. And before anyone asks, we never threw games for each other. We already talked about that in an interview earlier this year, and it's still the truth: we play the best when it's against each other, we love the game and the competition." 

"Rozanov has been a ladies' man his whole career, everyone knows he has some easy girls in every city he plays in and even got a tattoo for one of them, was this all for show?" Someone shouts from the back of the crowd, of course some fucking gossip magazine would be the first to interrupt Shane's prepared speech. 

Shane scoffs. "We weren't exclusive for the first years of our relationship... We thought that it was better that way, but we eventually figured out that we just wanted to be with each other." 

Ilya leans forward. "We were young and stupid and horny and long distance!" He shouts right into the microphone, a high electronic noise coming from the device, making Shane grimace. 

He grabs Ilya by the hair and pulls him back. "Jesus Christ. But um, yeah, pretty much."

"And the Jane tattoo? Everyone has seen the photos, was that a stunt do distract from your gay affair or a drunken mistake?"

Shane's eye twitches. Fucking vultures looking for some awful headlines, as if the truth of his and Ilya's relationship isn't enough to make the news! "While we were being private about our relationship, we used fake names when talking to each other online or about each other with other people. The tattoo was a discreet way for Ilya to commemorate our love."

He doesn't mention the matching 'Lily' that has always stayed hidden on his own thigh, just smiles and tries not to blush too badly when Ilya leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

There are more questions about their relationship, none about hockey or the cup, and Shane starts to fidget with his sleeves and his necklace as the avalanche of gossip vultures just doesn't seem to come to an end.

"Okei!" Ilya finally shouts. "Enough questions for me and beautiful husband, more questions for Stanley Cup winner, yes? I am going now, see you later Shane." 

"Thanks, see you, Ilyusha." Ilya leans down to him after standing up, and Shane turns his head and lets Ilya peck him on the lips, only blushing a little.

More questions are shouted both for him and to Ilya's retreating back, from the grimace of the PR person he probably showed the press the finger though. 

Shane takes a deep breath. He can do this, he won't let them push him around. 

"Questions about hockey only, okay? If the next question isn't about hockey or the cup, I'm leaving." He means it, too, and when the next shouts are still about Ilya, he makes as if to stand only to settle back down when one of the more serious sports reporters quickly leans forward. "You played a seriously good game today, when did you know you were going to win another cup this season? How does it feel to build a hockey legacy?"

Ilya, meanwhile, heads off to get rid of his hockey gear and shower, and once he is clean and dressed and Shane is still stuck doing press, goes to the Hollander parents, finding them with Jackie Pike and the kids. Hayden is walking their way as well, and they semi-awkwardly settle into step next to each other. 

"No press for you?" Ilya asks Hayden. He promised Shane he would be on his best behavior with Shane's friends, after all.

"Uh, they had some questions, but you really did me a solid there upstaging us all like that, when I said I had no idea and no comments about you and Shane they mostly left me alone," Hayden replies. "Thank fuck." 

Ilya laughs. "Yes, is mostly gossip, no? Even though they only let in sports reporters, mostly." 

They reach the families by the doors, Arthur peakes out from behind Jackie's legs: "Uncle Ilya!" 

"Since when the fuck are you uncle Ilya?" Hayden boggles.

"Is only right, no? I am married to Uncle Shane." Ilya picks up Arthur after a nod from Jackie. 

"And who the fuck taught them to call you that?!" 

"Sweat jar!" Jackie coughs. "Honestly, I was about to let one slide but that's two already, now! In two sentences!"

"Sorry, Jacks." Pike kisses his wife and takes the smallest Pike from her. "But, seriously, what?" 

"Ah, but you know Shane has brought me along to baby sit this year." 

"Wh- what, no- wait, what? Yes, because I figured if Shane's finally dating someone and wants to bring her - him, sorry - over, he'd have enough sense to make sure it's someone who's good with kids!" 

Ilya furrows his brow. "I am very good with kids." 

Arthur, who has been hiding his head against Ilya's shoulder from the crowd noise, chooses the perfect moment to look up. "Can we play dinosaurs again next time, uncle Ilya?" 

Ilya grins. "Sure we can sort dinosaurs! Is your time next time, after playing frozen with twins last time. If your parents say is okay, of course?" 

Jackie is grinning at him and nods before her husband can do more than splutter, but Ilya thinks Pike is softening towards him, too. Hard to hate someone when your kid clearly likes them, he supposes.

He tries not to glance towards the Hollander parents who have stayed silent during the entire exchange, hoping that some of that will also work for them liking him, or at least not hating him, because Shane loves him and he loves Shane.

Chapter End Notes

The tattoos are a nod to the fics Lily Hearts Jane and my inspo fic Jane Hearts Lily :)

And just because this apparently needs to be mentioned - absolutely no AI has been used in the making of this fic!

Chapter 4: Chapter 3 - Cup Night Club Night

Chapter Notes

Who else is still here absolutely obsessing about these two? xD

When Shane finally gets away from the press, the rest of the Metros are ready to go out celebrate, and Ilya takes Shane's things so he can go take a quick shower before joining his team. "Don't worry, lyublyu, I will go get drunk with Raiders tonight, commiserate over being only second best team this season." 

"Commiserate? Big word." Shane huffs and rolls his eyes. "Sure. I mean, I might not stay out so long, I don't know if, I mean..." 

"Of course you're coming out with us!" JJ shouts into his ear, jumping onto Shane from the side, he would have probably dragged him to the floor if Ilya hadn't held them upright from the other side. "Stanley Cuuuuuuuup!" He claps his hands to his thighs and leads all nearby metros into a round of whoops.

Ilya grins. "See? You go out with them, is fine." 

Shane nods, relieved - Ilya knows the reaction of his team had been one of his main worries. It's good to know that he's still invited to the cup winning celebrations, at least.

After a chat with coach about when to meet up and talk about what they could have done better, the Raiders are also allowed to go out and drown their sorrows over their loss, or celebrate their well-deserved second place - and in Ilya's case going public about his marriage.

The ring on his finger feels foreign and deeply familiar at once - he has never worn it in public until now, always keeping it in his nightstand when he wasn't home, until a few months ago, when he and Shane had started wearing them around their necks. 

"So, where are we going?" Carmichael shouts. "Hey, Cap, can you find out which club your hubby went to?" 

"You want to party with the fucking Metros? Are you insane?" Hammersmith retorts. "We don't need to end up in the hospital!" 

"Hey, no, I don't want to start a fight! And they just won, they'll be docile. Come on, Cap, don't you want to hang out with Hollander?" 

"You're serious? Rest of you, you'd be okay with that?" Ilya asks with a raised eyebrow. When he gets nods and shrugs back, he frowns at them only a moment longer before pulling out his phone.

Shane gets Ilya's text right as their limo is pulling up to the club JJ has picked for their first (and, if Shane has anything to say about it, only) stop for the night.

"Hey, uh, Ilya says the Raiders want to go out with us? Not to start shit or anything, just because they want to, I dunno, hang out?" He feels a bit stupid repeating himself, but honestly, what? 

"Oh, hell yeah! Need to get to know our team-in-law!" Mitty shouts, already way on his way to emptying his second bottle of champagne, though most of it has probably ended up on the limo floor and on the heads of other players. 

"Team in law?!" 

"Yeah!" JJ agrees immediately. "Hey, Hollander, are we allowed to chirp them?" 

"Um, sure. I mean, they did lose." 

JJ whoops. 

Shane stares between his teammates and his phone in confusion. He has no idea what to reply Ilya.

"...wait, JJ, can you repeat what you just asked?" He starts a voice memo and lets JJ shout the question, everyone breaking into whoops when Shane once again replies in the affirmative. He sends the voice message and his location, they can take that as permission to come hang out with them if they really want to... for reasons he couldn't possibly understand.

The Stanley Cup winning party night is a raging success, if you were to ask JJ who is already well on his way from tipsy to downright wasted an hour into the night out, when the Boston Bears make it to the club.

The mood is great, alcohol and pretty hockey fans are plentiful, and they get to lord the facts that not only did they win the cup over the Boston players that are tumbling into the room, but also that their Captain bagged Rozanov? Hell yeah! 

He shouts as much over the music, and maybe he isn't as articulate as usual and it's getting harder to just stick to English or French in one sentence, but he thinks he gets the message across alright.

"Are we really inviting these fuckers to party with us right now?" Someone asks somewhere next to him, beer sloshing from an empty bottle. 

"Hey, they can't be that bad if Capitaine is with Rozanov! Because like, Rozanov is definitely the worst of them, so if he's not so ba-"

"Yeah, what's with that?" Hayden stumbles into JJ, looking drunker than JJ would have expected of him. "He's the worst! Why the fuck does Shane have to like him suddenly?!"

"Dude." Berkes shakes his head and holds onto Hayden's elbow. It's unclear who's steadying whom here. "They're like, so married. I don't think he started liking him suddenly now."

"Yeah, he fucking lied about it!" Drapeau shouts. "The fag has been lying to us the entire time!" 

"Hey, that's our Captain you're talking about! Who just won the fucking cup for us!" Hayden shouts back, immediately ready to defend Shane now that someone else is talking shit about him even though he has just been shit talking him too. JJ kind of wants to laugh about that, but also what Drapeau just said is super fucked up, so that's a priority to deal with. 

"Yes, man, not cool!" 

"And like, he doesn't have to tell us about our, I man, mean, he doesn't have to tell you about his relationship or anything, he doesn't have to tell his coworkers fuckall," Hayden rants. "Like, am I mad that he didn't tell me? Kind of, but that's because he's my friend and like, sorry, but apart from me and JJ you lot aren't really close with Shane so you don't get to be mad about this shit, not like I'm mad! Like, did Comeau tell us about his divorce or did we learn about that from twitter? That's like, the same thing or something. And cut out the fag shit, you know that's not cool."

Drapeau raises his hands in defeat and wobbles over to where Comeau and Wilson are doing shots side by side with some of the Boston defenders. 

Hayden groans. "This is so fucked, man." 

"Hey, you're not talking shit about the Captains, are you?" Boston goalie Cadyn is suddenly getting right into Hayden's face. JJ hadn't even seen him get here. 

"Hey man, no!" Berkes shakes his head. "Pike literally just defended their gay thing against Drapeau!" 

JJ and Andropov nod, Hayden just buried his face in his hand. "I just like, why did he not tell us, man?" He kind of looks like he's about to cry. 

"Didn't you watch press, man?" Cadyn frowns. "Roz would have been in deep shit with Russia, before he got Canada citizenship and stuff. Like, if the league kicked them out for being gay, Russia might have just killed him." 

"What the fuck?" Hayden shakes himself like a wet cat, which leads to beer from Berkes' bottle splash on him, actually turning him into a wet cat. Well, a wet Hayden, anyway. JJ snorts.

"No, I was doing press, I didn't watch any of it yet... Shit, that, like, really fucked." Hayden stares off into the distance. 

Cadyn shrugs. "We watched it in the locker room after Roz fucked off to snog Hollander and we didn't know what was going on."

Hayden still looks pretty shell-shocked, and JJ pulls him away from the others so Hayden can talk about Shane without getting called homophobic for just friendship betrayal related freakouts again. That backfires when, as soon as they step out of the chaos on the dancefloor, they see Shane by the bar, looking all nervous even though he's surrounded by Mitty and Renaud and a couple WAGs who all seem friendly enough. 

He's watching the Boston and Montreal players mingle with a concerned look in his eyes, and freezes when his eyes fall on JJ and Hayden. 

JJ waves, and Hayden smiles weakly and waves back when Shane tentatively raises his hand. 

"Fuck." Hayden turns to JJ, looking up at the ceiling and blinking fast. "I can't even be mad. Shit."

"I just hope Rozanov is good for Capitaine. I mean, he can't always be an asshole like he is on the ice, right?" JJ muses. 

"Naw." Hayden shakes his head and turns back to Shane, who has turned back around - watching the door, or rather the people coming through it. "I talked with him earlier and he was, like, decent actually?" He admits. "My kids love him for some reason. Fucking hell." 

Shane, whose forehead hadn't lost the worry lines probably since they had walked into the club, suddenly lights up. 

JJ stands on his tip toes to look around a giant of a man making his way past them - honestly, they're professional athletes, shouldn't they be the biggest guys in the room? Or wait, was that one of the Boston reserve players? Whatever - and spots Rozanov sauntering into the club, speeding up as soon as he sees Shane waiting for him.

Hayden swears. "Fuck. Fuck, he makes him really fucking happy, doesn't he? We're gonna have to be friends with this guy or some bullshit." 

"You, mon ami, are so lucky Jackie didn't want to go out with us or you would have to pay so much swear jar money right now!" JJ laughs. Sure, officially Jackie isn't here because she's looking after the Pike kids, but JJ isn't stupid, she could've found a babysitter if she actually wanted to come out clubbing. 

Silently, he agrees that he and Hayden will definitely have to play nice with Rozanov if they want to stay friends with Shane. But, looking over to where their friend is looking at his husband with heart eyes that are definitely returned, he thinks maybe that won't even be so bad.

And for now, the night isn't over yet, and anything that isn't booze and girls and being cheered on as the best fucking hockey players in the world is going to have to wait for tomorrow! 

Chapter End Notes

The JJ POV just kind of happened! I like how it turned out though, showing some of Shane's plan on getting sympathy working out, and how the Montreal team might react a bit better after having just won a cup...
If Boston had won, Shane would've gone through with the plan as well btw, but he knows that in that case he might have had to change teams next season. It has always been the plan to one day play on the same team as Ilya though and he knows that isn't happening in Boston, so he would have been okay with it. But this is pretty much his best case scenario!

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Welcome to the Family

Chapter Notes

A short chapter this time. And a day late. but actually it's because I keep adding things and I cut the chapter in half because of it so I could post sth already adsfg so yeah still more to come!

Despite Shane texting his parents Ilya's address the night before, along with some files on publicity strategy Shane had pre-prepared for Yuna, Shane's parents have, perhaps wisely, opted not to show up unannounced. A good thing too, as even Shane has slept in until past eleven before waking up his husband with a blowjob around 12, and then they stayed in bed for another hour or two before finally emerging to find some food. 

Shane makes a new group chat for his parents and Ilya and texts his parents apologizing for sleeping in and asking whether they still want to come over for lunch, they're getting take out. Yuna texts back immediately replying that they have already eaten but will be over soon.

Ilya has already ordered takeout from his favorite Russian place (which he knows Shane also likes) by the time Shane comes downstairs. There is way too much food for the two of them. 

"And you are always complaining about me not cutting recipes in half." Shane rolls his eyes. 

"Ah, but is not the same thing! There are many different things here to try, and we will have leftovers without eating same thing all week. And I didn't know what your parents like, so." 

"They've already eaten," Shane sighs. "But I dunno, dad at least might like to try some of it, I'll get plates."

Shane is busy rearranging the takeout onto plates and bowls - because Ilya would just eat out of takeout containers to avoid doing the dishes but Shane doesn't like the texture of eating out of cardboard and plastic containers - when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." Ilya squeezes Shane's arm, waits for him to nod tentatively, and walks to the front door. 

"Hello Mrs and Mr Hollander - or is it Yuna and David?"

"I think we'd best stick to first names, under the circumstances," David smiles and walks in when Ilya steps aside. Yuna gives him a long look and walks past. 

"Shoes over there please." Ilya smiles disarmingly. It doesn't quite work to make Yuna smile back at him, but he doesn't give it up as a lost cause just yet. 

"Hello, nice to meet you properly. You can call me Ilya." He does know proper English grammar these days, mostly, he just usually doesn't bother because Shane likes the accent, the press is used to it and on the ice it would often take too long to think about details like articles and clause position.  

"It's really nice to meet you too, Ilya." 

"Yes, nice to meet you." Has David poked Yuna in the side for her to say that? Ilya isn't sure. 

He doesn't quite narrow his eyes at her, but mentally reassesses he strategy for dealing with Shane's mother. 

"Ah, you say hello with hugs or handshakes? Is okay if hugs are just for in front of the cameras." 

For a moment, there's a stunned silence.

Then, Yuna has to snort, and she steps forward to pull him into a quick hug. "I can see why Shane likes you." 

Grinning, and trying not to show his relief quite too much, Ilya hugs her back. "I am glad."

David hugs him too, and then they can hear Shane hurrying down the hall.

"Oh, um, hi? Are you..." 

"We are getting on just fine, Hollander. You don't have to worry." Ilya grins at him and lets Shane slap his arm in annoyance. 

"Hi, mom... Hi, dad... Come on in, we haven't eaten yet but maybe you also want to try something, Ilya got like, way too much..." 

"Is no problem if we have leftover, no? We have working microwave." Ilya slings his arm around Shane's shoulders as they make their way to the dining table. 

"Ugh, please don't microwave pelmeni, they'll just get soggy and they you're all grouchy again..." 

They settle in for lunch, David curiously tries some of the different dishes Shane has plated up while Shane and Ilya dig in. 

"Don't - here, that's the one you like," Shane exchanges a plate of rolls for another and pushes it to Ilya. 

"Ah?" He takes a bite, nods. "Yes, you are right. How did you know?" 

Shane rolls his eyes. "Honestly, you always get those, how haven't you noticed that they're folded a different way?" 

They talk and bicker as they usually do, and after a while the Hollander parents join in the conversation, talking about the food and hockey and how the shared night out with the Metros and the Raiders went.

"JJ texted, he had no idea where he woke up," Shane snickers. "He didn't have his wallet, Hayden had to go pick him up in a taxi. He'll have to freeze all his bank cards."

"Lucky he had his phone, at least," Ilya snorts. "Would not be much of a challenge next season, if all rest of Metros get lost in Boston and we only play against you and 15th best Metro." 

"It was just JJ! Honestly." But Shane is grinning even as he punches Ilya in the shoulder. "Though, I don't think he did have his phone? Or he could have just called an Uber? I don't know, he probably knows Hayden's number by heart. Wait, and why is Hayden not getting lost in Boston, if everyone else is?" 

"Ah, Jackie Pike will not let her husband get lost," Ilya nods. "She is much too sensible." 

Shane has to laugh. "You've met Jackie?" 

"Ah, yes, I am invited to babysit smallest pikes, because I am favorite uncle."

"Nice." Shane smiles. He had been a bit worried that the Pikes wouldn't want him to come over to watch the kids anymore now that they know they inadvertently invited Ilya along as Shane's partner, but honestly it's not his fault that they let him tag along without knowing his identity... 

Well, he knows how secretive he had been about Ilya, and that Hayden had probably been worried about Shane shutting him out entirely if he pushed too much, but still.

Shane looks up, finds his dad looking right at him. He's smiling. Shane tentatively smiles back. 

Chapter End Notes

Who's still here? Drop me your fav line or just some emojis in the comments!

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: panic attacks, snuggles and deep talks

Chapter Notes

Long chapter this time! And there's gonna be one final update later this week :)

After their late lunch, Yuna asks to talk to Shane for a moment.

He leads her into the living room while Ilya promises to do the dishes and put away the leftovers without disturbing Shane's fridge system. If David and Yuna raise their eyebrows at Shane having a fridge system at Ilya's place, neither of them cares.

They talk about Ilya at first, and once the personal feelings are out of the way, Yuna gets back to business. 

"So, what are your plans for this? You really should have talked to me and Farah beforehand, at least. Do you have a statement you are going to post? Have you talked to management yet? It sounds like your team was supportive last night, but the players aren't the institution. Do you know whether -"

"Mom, honestly! We said everything at the interview yesterday, what do we need a statement for?" 

Still, Shane lets Yuna plan, he knows this is her way of showing that she cares, and maybe she'll feel better about the whole thing after she had her hand in managing at least a small part of it. 

It's when she turns her attention to the Metros management and the league and wants to talk contingency plans in case he can't play for the metros anymore that Shane blanches.

That's his team she is talking about. His entire career. And yes, he had known that it might come to the point where he can't play for them anymore because of his sexuality, because of his marriage, but... He had honestly tried not to think about it. And the team had reacted so well, mostly, much better than he had expected anyway, maybe because of the cup win just before, but still...

"Shane? Honey, are you listening to me?" 

It's all too much. His feelings are still too raw from the emotional rollercoaster of the match, the win, coming out, the press and everyone's reactions yesterday. He's tired, they had gone to bed so late that he didn't get enough hours of sleep despite waking up much later than usual, and while he hadn't noticed it so far, running on jittery, anxious adrenaline, he suddenly feels every second of missed sleep tug on his eyelids, pound behind his temples.

What will happen if he can't play for the metros anymore? Or what if the league kicks them out entirely? They can't actually do that, right?

But what if it does happen?

"Hey, Solnyshko. Don't eat your face of, yes?" Ilya's finger on his bottom lip pulls him out of his spiraling thoughts. He hadn't even noticed that he had been chewing on his lip to the point of pain. 

Ilya helps him tug on his favorite comfort hoodie over his shirt, and Shane immediately takes the hoodie strings into his mouth, not caring that his mother will tell him not to do that. Ilya is shaking his head at her, anyway, and she relents. 

"What is going on in pretty head of yours, hm? What were you talking about?" The last part is directed at Yuna, and she goes over her possible fallback plans in case the Metros don't react well to Shane's coming out.

Shane whimpers.

Ilya tugs him close against his side, sitting on the edge of the couch. "He does not need to decide this now, Da? Or, you can decide for him?" 

"We've always talked through decisions like this together, this is Shane's life we're -" 

"Yes, yes, no, but is not good for him right now, you can see? Is too much right now. You are manager, so you manage, he does not need to help think through, he can agree or disagree with decisions if they're even necessary, yes? If you were just manager, he could tell you to manage, but you are his mama so he doesn't dare." 

Shane hides his face against Ilya's side. Fuck, he's feeling so weak now, but he loves Ilya even more for how he is taking charge of the situation.

He hadn't even noticed how much he had been masking and hiding his reactions and mannerisms as soon as his parents had came to Ilya's house until now.

He's so sick and tired of hiding. It's so exhausting. 

"Shane? Honey, is this what you want?" 

Shane nods without looking up. He lies down, tugs Ilya down with him. 

"You need weighed blanket?"

"No, just you." He's shaking, he can't help it.

Ilya lies down on top of him, covering him almost from head to toe as he slowly leans down and shifts his weight off his arms and fully onto Shane. It feels heavenly, grounding in a way nothing else ever does. 

"Is okay. I have you." Ilya murmurs against his neck, then starts talking in Russian in a quiet, low tone, soothing Shane with the familiar sound. He doesn't try to understand the words at first, just letting them roll over him, grounding him. After a while he can focus on individual words he recognizes and some he doesn't know yet but thinks he has heard before.

When Shane's breathing has evened out and his heart rate has slowed down, Ilya sits them up, pulls Shane into his lap and makes him drink some water.

"Yuna, you can get blanket from cabinet there for Shane? Blue one on top - yes, that." 

Covered in the weighted blanket and safe in Ilya's lap, Shane can relax a little despite Yuna still standing in the corner of his eyes. He knows he needs to deal with her, needs to actually tell her that her managing style clashes with his anxieties sometimes, especially when it comes to more personal topics. 

"Honey? Are you feeling alright?" Yuna sits down at the edge of the couch, looking worried. "I haven't seen you have an episode like this since you were a child. I'm so sorry I stressed you out, of course we can wait a bit until you have to make any decisions, or I can make some contingency plans and if they are needed we can regroup and I can - oh, I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Shane has started to tremble slightly, but this time it's not so much the thought about worst case scenarios and contingency plans that shakes him, but how quickly his mother is backtracking and willing to help him feel better.

Would it always have been this easy? Could he have saved himself a lot of trouble by just talking to her in ways he never dared to, or by showing her just a little of how stressed out she often made him feel?

Of course she hasn't seen his meltdowns in years. Shane has always been careful to have a grip on his reactions until he made it to a private place, ever since he realized as a kid that the bullying would only get worse when the other children saw the reactions they got out of him... and as he had grown from a teenager into an adult, 'private' had turned from including his family to meaning being completely alone. Until, slowly, it started to include Ilya.

"It's okay, mom," Shane sniffles. "I should've just told you."

"I guess trying to keep your mother and your manager separate hasn't worked as well as I thought," Yuna muses. "I'm so sorry, honey."

Shane grimaces, nods shakily. "Thank you. I. Yeah." His first instinct is to reassure her that it's fine, that it's all good, but - that isn't the truth, and the constant pretending is what got him into this situation in the first place, isn't it?

A part of him wonders whether he started pretending so much because he was hiding such a big part of his life by lying about his sexuality and Ilya, but the more he considers it, the more he thinks it's probably the other way around. He had been great at hiding Ilya because he had already been used to hiding himself. 

"Do you- would you prefer for someone else to be your manager in the future?" Yuna asks, trying not to show how much offering that hurts.

"No, I - no, god, mom." Shane rubs his forehead. "I just. Give me a second yeah?" 

Ilya rubs his arms, and Shane leans back against him for a moment before scooting forward, and Ilya gets up and lets Shane sit back down on the couch without them having to talk about it. "I give you two space to talk, yes?"

"Thanks, baby." Shane murmurs, looking up at him.

Ilya leans down for a quick kiss, then walks off, presumably to find David in the kitchen. Shane hopes the two of them get on okay. It seemed fine at dinner, but they hadn't interacted one on one before.

"I don't want anyone else to be my manager," Shane quietly tells his mom, looking at his lap even as she moves her head the way he knows she does to get him to look at her. This is hard enough as it is, he doesn't want to try and focus on keeping up eye contact on top of it. "I just don't want to worry about - I don't need to know all of the details, you know? You always figure out good deals and stuff, and if I don't agree with something we can still change it before anything is finalized, but I don't need to be involved with the whole process, not all the time at least. I mean, maybe you could still ask whether I want to know, but usually I don't, um. Care. And I - I really don't want to think about leaving the Metros unless I have to. I mean, I thought about leaving them, some day in the future, to play together with Ilya, but that's - I don't want it to be on bad terms. Unless, I mean. It's not like I can actually decide what they think about all of this."

Shit, his breathing is getting quicker again. He fumbles for his phone, finds the app Ilya has lovingly nicknamed vozdushnyy kotyonok, balloon cat, for the way the cat animation grows bigger and smaller in time to draw in slow breaths. 

"Right, so we're looking at a change in management style, not a change in management," Yuna says, sounding - relieved, maybe? Shane doesn't have the energy to try and figure it out.

"Yeah. Thanks, mom."

Shane gives her a quick hug and stiffly walks towards the kitchen before she can try and continue the conversation. 

He finds his dad and Ilya laughing at the kitchen counter, but Shane takes one look at him and goes around the kitchen isle to let Shane collapse into his arms, hiding his face against Ilya's neck. 

David asks something and Ilya replies without letting go of Shane, Shane barely listens, just rubs his nose against Ilya's skin in a calming repetitive manner. 

A hand on the back of his neck brings his attention back a little.

"All good with your mama?" Ilya asks quietly. Shane just nods. 

"You want to take nap now?" 

He nods again, and Ilya pulls him up into his arms. Shane squeaks in protest even as his legs automatically wrap around Ilya's waist, but Ilya just pats his back. "Is okay, am just carrying you, nothing your parents can't see. Hold on, yes?" 

Shane wraps his arms around Ilya's neck, but protests when they reach the stairs to the bedrooms. "Don't, you'll break something!"

"Ah, I would not! But is okay, if you can walk?" 

Somehow, Shane makes it upstairs, into the bedroom, and out of his trousers. The hoodie stays on though.

When Shane wakes, he feels soft and fuzzy, well rested and content. He gives Ilya a kiss, shuffles into the bathroom, and only thinks to ask after his parents when he hears noise from downstairs.

"Ah, yes, David and I we were making dinner," Ilya replies and pulls Shane close, Shane tugs his nose against Ilya's neck and Ilya kisses his hair, "He is very nice, we had fun experimenting with recipe. But he says he can finish without me when I take you upstairs. Said not to call us if you needed to sleep, but probably we will be on time for dinner if we go down now." 

Shane nods, cuddles up to Ilya for a moment longer before they walk downstairs hand in hand, their wedding rings so close together, Shane's on his left hand and Ilya's in russian fashion on his right.

He can't believe that he gets to do this forever now. He never wants to take the ring off, ever again. And maybe that's unrealistic, what with them playing hockey, but at least he'll get to keep it safe on the chain around his neck on the ice, and as soon as he'll come out of the shower he'll put it back on first thing, even before getting dressed. Maybe before getting showered, even.

"You're smiling," Ilya whispers against his cheek, stopping him at the foot of the stairs.

"I'm happy." 

"Mmhm." He feels Ilya's smile against his skin. 

Turning towards him, Shane wraps his free arm around Ilya's back. Ilya's hand immediately comes up to rest on his jaw, and they fall together into a kiss that quickly turns heated.

"Fuck," Shane gasps as they pull apart. "We shouldn't be doing this with my parents right next door!" 

"No?" Ilya grins and rubs their hips together. Shane can't suppress a whine, and then he pulls Ilya back up the stairs as quickly as they can manage while still being reasonably quiet about it.

By the time they actually make it into the dining room, the table has already been set for four. Orgasms have left Shane feeling wrung out in the best of ways, and they dozed in bed for a while longer before making their way downstairs.

Yuna looks up from her laptop when Shane sits down and opens her mouth but quickly closes it again. Maybe Ilya glared at her, maybe Shane just looks more tired than he feels... he actually feels quite well rested now, just sleepy still. Or they looks more disheveled than he thought. He hopes it's not that. The thought of it being too obvious what he had just been up to with his husband makes Shane want to disappear and never face his parents again.

Ilya pushes his chair close to Shane's, and he leans their shoulders together.

After dinner, Shane asks his parents whether they're staying over or whether they're going back to the hotel. Yuna looks a bit amused when she states that they only had the hotel for the night, and they assumed they'd be staying over. Shane flushes and apologizes for not inviting them to stay sooner, David chuckles and reassures him that it's okay, they've all had some long days. 

"Alright, guest room is upstairs. Unless you want to make your parents sleep on couch to keep them far away from our bedroom?" 

"Oh my god, Ilya!" 

"I am kidding, we are too tired to do anything interesting tonight they could overhear." 

"Ilya, I swear to fucking god!" 

Shane knows he is probably blushing bright red and it's sheer luck that Ilya hasn't called him a tomato again, but he's still smiling.

"He's good for you," Yuna says quietly to Shane when he goes to bring her some clean towels. "Good with you." 

"Yes?" Shane blushes. Sure, he knows that Ilya is good for him, but it's nice to hear his mother agree. 

Yuna hums. "I was... Surprised, by how much you bicker, I've never seen you act like that with anyone before. I don't think I've ever heard you curse before except when watching hockey! And -" 

She points to Shane's hands, dino arms still held up in front of his body after depositing the towels on xx

Feeling self-conscious now that he noticed the position, Shane quickly folds his arms across his chest instead, but Yuna shakes her head.

"No, no, honey, it's okay. It's good, to see you so... open."

Shane twitches, nods, tries to uncross his arms to open up again, ends up fidgeting with his sleeves instead. "I just, I guess I just feel safe with Ilya."

Yuna looks at him wistfully as she nods, and Shane realizes how that might have sounded.

"Not that I don't feel safe with you! That's not your fault, I just, I guess I just started hiding so much as a kid, I didn't really know how to stop, you know? I just wanted to be normal."

"Children can be cruel..."

"Yeah. And with Ilya, I guess because we were always hiding and it was just him and he just sees me, it always felt so private, I just stopped hiding with him?" he twists his fingers in his sleeves, averts his eyes. "I don't know." 

"I'm happy you have him, honey." Yuna pulls him into a hug, and Shane lets himself be pulled, relaxes into the familiar embrace of his mother. "I wish you could have told us earlier, but I'm so glad you weren't alone." 

Chapter End Notes

Kudos and comments sustain me!

Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Public

Chapter Notes

Sorry, forgot to post this yesterday - after being stuck in the most mind numbing meeting for four hours and in traffic for two, I don't think I had any braincells left -_-
Anyway!

Ahhh last chapter is here! This was a wild ride :D I meant it when I said that it was finished before I started uploading bc while I do share unfinished wips sometimes, it's always with a disclaimer that it probably won't get finished, I don't like posting sth when I don't know whether or not it will get finished yet...
So yes this was 5 chapters long and complete, and then I added so much to the last two chapters that I not only had to split that into separate parts, it also didn't feel like a good ending point anymore, so I wrote this bonus epilogue! I hope you'll like it :)

The next few days are pure chaos, interviews and talks with sponsors and managers and higher-ups of their teams and the league in general... And in addition from the meetings about him and Ilya, there are of course press and other events about the cup win. All in all, Shane barely has any time to himself to call Ilya, let alone to visit.

But even the longest meetings come to an end eventually, and in the end Shane has about as many sponsorships as before (though a number of them have changed), and corporate meetings with the league that boiled down to 'we don't like it but we can't do anything about it so don't embarrass us by publicly saying that we don't like it', and the press has been positive as much as it has been negative, and for the most part he managed to stay away from it anyway.

He also got a tentative agreement from Montreal to at least not void the existing contract for the next season (and given that he plans to play together with Ilya some day, he might not want to extend his contract again anyway), so all's well that ends well.

Ilya asked Shane to come to Boston before they go to Shane's Ottawa cottage for the rest of summer break, to introduce him to his friends properly and spends some time in the city, and Shane quickly agreed.

He wants to get to know every part of Ilya's life that has been hidden from him until now, wants Ilya to be able to share it with him willingly and freely.

Being picked up at the airport by Ilya feels very different to anything they have done in the past. Ilya is standing at the arrival gate, he isn't hiding who he is there for, waving at Shane with a bright grin and a shout of his name even though Shane already spotted those golden curls and locked eyes with Ilya, so he doesn't have to try and catch his attention.

No thoughts of secrecy, no fear about potential discovery, just another couple meeting at the airport, and of course Ilya has to be loud and obnoxious about it and Shane loves him for it even more, even willing to ignore the new way several travelers definitely get their phones out to capture them on camera. 

On the way home they go out to dinner, sitting opposite each other on a table for two with a little candle in the middle...

Is this what a normal date is like? 

Shane isn't sure how he feels about it. He isn't great about letting his guard down in public, he thinks he'd probably prefer to have dinner in private... But it's still good to have the option to go out together when they want to.

Maybe they can go to a sports bar together next time, sit next to each other in a booth instead of sharing glances across a table.

Ilya's hand bumps into Shane's on the way out of the restaurant, and after a moment of instinctual panic of being too close, being too obvious, Shane takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he doesn't have to be afraid anymore, and grasps it.

The smile Ilya thanks him with is bright like the summer sun and has Shane's heart skip a beat.

They walk back to the car hand in hand.

Despite the lack of fear, Shane still breathes more easily once they are secluded in Ilya's penthouse apartment.

Having everyone's eyes on them can be exhausting. 

Still... It's good, not having to hide any longer. 

Even though a part of him wants to keep Ilya hidden away, all to himself...

"It is good, no?" Ilya smiles and flops down onto the sofa, tugging on Shane's belt loops to get him to sit down with him. "I can show you off to world now." 

"Who says I'm not showing you off?" Shane replies as he climbs into Ilya's lap.

Ilya laughs, presses a kiss to Shane's lips before pulling back and raising an eyebrow. "Ah, we can show off each other, no?" 

"Absolutely." Shane can't help grinning in the face of Ilya's enthusiasm. 

And then he kisses him again, just for the two of them, just because he wants to. Just because he can.

Chapter End Notes

If you read the entire thing, pretty please jump into the comments to let me know, be it with just an emoji or a quote or anything else you want to shout at me about Hollanov :D kudos only tell me sb read at least the first chapter, and I'd really like to know who's still here at the end :)