Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Ilya Rozanov & Svetlana Vetrova

Characters:

Ilya Rozanov, Svetlana Vetrova

Additional Tags:

Canon - TV, Jealous Ilya Rozanov, Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov Needs A Hug, POV Svetlana Vetrova, Alternate Ending, canon until it isn't, Fix-It, Pining Ilya Rozanov, Ilya Rozanov Is Down Bad, Svetlana Vetrova is a Good Friend

Language:

English

Collections:

*Heated rivalry melts my heart*

Stats:

Published: 2025-12-19 Words: 870 Chapters: 1/1

I know you better than that

Summary

"You're playing on the same team as Hollander this year, right?" Svetlana asked, as if she didn't know that perfectly well already. She just needed to see what he'd say. She'd had her guesses for a while, and she wasn't letting the subject drop until she got her answers.

TV canon of the scene with an alternate ending. Ilya needs a hug is the number one tag for this show, isn't it?

Notes

I don't know if I've ever finished an episode of anything and just immediately started writing. This is an addiction and I'm never letting go.

Svetlana is my queen and she deserves the world. I thought I couldn't love her more than in the books but the show has made her even better. All hail Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Connor Storrie, Jacob Tierney, and Rachel Reid for giving us this miracle of a character story.

"You're playing on the same team as Hollander this year, right?" Svetlana asked, affecting a casual tone, like she didn't already know the answer. She just had to try something out. She'd been thinking about it ever since she'd caught Ilya watching a scene that she knew was 25 minutes into the 30-minute special on Shane Hollander with a laser focus like he'd been studying for a test.

Ilya didn't answer the question. He must have known she knew the answer already. She knew perfectly well what teams they played for and that both were in the East. In an East vs West game, it was immediately clear where Boston and Montreal players would be playing.

"Is he also mediocre?" Ilya asked rather than answering the question. He looked over at Svetlana, but she kept her eyes carefully forward. She had to keep the conversation light to get where she wanted to go.

"No, he's amazing," she said easily, "Those hands." She looked over at him as she added, "And he's gorgeous."

It wasn't so much an opinion as an objective fact, and one she knew Ilya would share. The question was whether or not he would admit it. He might laugh it off, like "he's hot, too bad he's boring" or "all that hotness wasted on him," or he might lie through his teeth.

"If you say so," Ilya said rather than answering. He scratched his nose, eyes on the TV.

Svetlana turned to him slowly, side eyeing him hard until he looked over.

They both knew he was lying. The question was why. It wasn't like he could pretend to be a straight guy who hadn't noticed. They both knew she knew him better than that.

"What?" Ilya asked when he saw her analyzing him.

"You know he's gorgeous and you know he's good," Svetlana said flatly, not allowing him to stick with his bullshit.

"He's very good," Ilya said, still carefully avoiding saying that he was attractive.

Interesting.

"I would love to see you on a line with him," Svetlana mused, not willing to let Shane Hollander drop from the conversation yet.

"Not sure he can play wing," Ilya said, sounding more comfortable now that the subject was back to hockey.

"But you can," Svetlana said. It was partly to get a rise out of him out of habit, but mostly because she needed to see what he would say.

She was sure he wanted to play on a line with Shane, whether or not he would admit it.

"You would have him center me?" Ilya asked, aghast.

"Me?" He was exactly as riled up as she'd expected and she giggled, pleased.

"The people would love it," she told him.

Ilya pounced on her and jumped on the bed, and Svetlana laughed with him because she couldn't help it.

When he was settled down with his head on her stomach, she moved the conversation back where she wanted it.

"I wonder how many outfits Rose Landry will bring."

Ilya got quiet. And he stayed quiet. And the quiet felt heavy and a little sad.

And Svetlana knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was right.

And also that she needed to make him say it. She couldn't say it first.

"Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that bedroom," she said idly, fingers playing with Ilya's hair.

Ilya laughed derisively.

"You think he's so boring he'd be bad in bed?" she asked, pausing as though pensive. "I think Shane Hollander would be amazing in bed. Not adventurous, maybe, but caring, devoted, generous-"

Ilya got up from where he was resting on Svetlana's stomach and moved away, back across the bed.

"Enough."

"I'll take one for the team and find out," she said. She kept her eyes carefully on the screen, but she caught the moment when Ilya frowned at her.

His tone was unusually direct when he said, "No you won't."

Svetlana turned to him, lips tight, a sad feeling deep in her gut pulling her expression down.

It didn't feel as good as she'd thought to be right. Ilya looked hurt. Jealous, and she didn't think it was of her.

"Ilya," she said.

He just stared at her.

"Whatever you think you know-" he began.

"I don't know anything," she said. But he looked about ready to crack in half. "Come here," she said gently. He came willingly into her arms and she just held him. He hugged her back for a long moment, and then he was shaking, crying onto her shoulder and she was rubbing his back.

They’d been friends for a long time. He didn't need to say it. Neither did she. They both knew she understood and that she wasn’t going to judge him for it. She could laugh about it with him some other time. Right now he needed this.

And he maybe needed Shane Hollander to break up with Rose Landry.

But Svetlana could try to figure out how to tackle that one tomorrow. For now Ilya needed Svetlana to rub his back and whisper in his ear that things would be okay. And she would give him that for as long as she needed it.