Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories:

M/M, Multi

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

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

Characters:

Ilya Rozanov, Svetlana Vetrova, Shane Hollander, Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Kip Grady

Additional Tags:

Coming Out, POV Ilya Rozanov, Ilya Rozanov-centric, Scott Hunter Loves Kip Grady, Good Friend Scott Hunter (Game Changers), POV Scott Hunter (Game Changers), Good Friend Svetlana Vetrova

Language:

English

Series:

Part 1 of Hollanov and Scott Hunter

Stats:

Published: 2026-01-01 Completed: 2026-01-27 Words: 7,676 Chapters: 3/3

Extending an olive branch

Summary

What if we got an inside look at what exactly Scott and Ilya’s “brief” conversation before the cottage looked like?

And what Svetlana thinks…

Notes

I kind of love writing phone convos 😼

Chapter 1: Scott

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing on the screen in front of him. Scott Hunter, winning the cup… then kissing his…boyfriend?

He’d called Shane immediately after. He knew in that moment he was done hiding. There was nothing left to hide from. His dad was dead, his brother wouldn’t be in his life any longer. Apart from hockey, he had nothing holding him back… and if Scott Hunter could do it… maybe he could too.

They had confirmed their trip to the cottage the second it happened. He had no reason to refuse, no reason to deny himself something that he so desperately wanted. Ilya was inspired, by Scott Hunter of all people…

But Shane wasn’t ready to come out, and he respected that, of course he did. Then why did Ilya suddenly feel the suffocating itch to tell someone. Anyone. Just somebody that would listen without judgement, someone who’d understand.

That’s when the idea came to him.

Call Scott Hunter.

He knew it was dumb, it would be beyond out of character for him. Ilya Rozanov calling Scott Hunter, a player he’d been irritated by ever since he stepped foot in America? It sounded absurd, even to Ilya.

What would he even say?

“Hey I’m gay and so are you, let’s be friends?”

Yeah that doesn’t sound right.

But as the days passed and he began to pack for the cottage, the urge grew stronger and stronger. And eventually… he gave into it.

He didn’t have Scott’s number, but someone on his team did… he knows he’ll look suspicious if he out right asks for it. Especially after last week’s… event.

So how would he do it? Without bringing unnecessary attention onto himself and risking his reputation. If people found out about him, he’d be inherently putting Shane in danger too, people would end up connecting the dots somehow.

His best bet is instagram DM’s. He doesn’t have to tell him what he wants to discuss out right, that way there wouldn’t be an opportunity for him to take screenshots. Ilya doubts he would, he’s not stupid. He knows deep down that he isn’t a bad guy, maybe a shitty player past his prime… but obviously a respectable guy who has struggled with his own sexuality.

He’s teased him before, he’ll admit it. To his face even. But it was all talk on the ice, nothing serious. He’d figure this out, he decides. Later after finishing up packing for the cottage, he’ll text Scott Hunter.

———

Scott is in the middle of his run when he receives a message. It’s not abnormal for him to get constant notifications, especially after he’d come out. Surprisingly, after he kissed Kip on the ice… the support started to flood in right away. Of course there were rude comments, homophobic slurs on his posts that he ended up just deleting. But he felt free… and the thought of helping young, aspiring hockey players do the same… it completely weighed out anything bad people had to say about him.

This specific notification however, caught his eye.

The name Ilya Rozanov flashes across his screen.

He stops dead in his tracks, almost dropping his phone.

He knows it’s dramatic of him, but a part of him starts to get angry before even reading the message. He’s probably going to say something offensive to him regarding his sexuality.

His heart starts to beat even faster, both from his workout and the unfortunate surprise in front of him.

Fuck. He’ll open it later. Right now he’s going to run down to the smoothie shop and see his boyfriend, feeling a bit light-headed after his workout. He needs something to raise his blood sugar levels. What better than his usual blueberry banana smoothie made by the love of his life.

“I’m stopping by babe.” He texts, letting Kip know that he’s on his way

“On it.”

He knows him so well.

——-

Walking into the cafe, he sees Kip talking to one of his co-workers, laughing about something Scott is too far away to make out. His smoothie is all ready for him on the counter, the straw neatly inserted into the top of the cup.

“Morning.” He says, enthusiastically announcing his presence and getting the attention of his boyfriend.

Kip smiles and makes his way around the counter, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He loves the way his boyfriend has to slightly get on his tippy-toes to reach his cheek whenever he attempts to kiss him.

“Hi.” He smiles back softly, taking his apron off and handing him the smoothie.

Scott takes a sip and lets out a content sigh.

“Good as always.” He grins, looking at Kip with nothing but love in his eyes.

He sees Kip blush, which he still somehow does after years of them being in a relationship. He can’t wait to go home together after his shift.

“So uh… what have you been up to today other than your run?” He asks, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms.

He’s been… oh yeah.

“Well, Ilya Rozanov DM’d me…” he reveals carefully, leaving in and keeping his voice no louder than a whisper.

He sees Kip’s face crinkle in disgust.

“Saying what exactly?”

He supposes there’s no better time to check then now, with the support of his boyfriend who will vehemently defend him if this turns into a problem. In his own… Kip way at-least…

“I haven’t uh… checked. Let’s look.” Scott furrows his brows and unlocks his phone.

With hands slightly more shaky than he’d like to admit, he opens instagram and slides into the notification.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

Wow. How descriptive. He rolls his eyes and shows Kip.

“What are you going to say?” He asks slowly.

“Ask what he wants I guess…”

Kip looks worried for a second.

“Don’t worry I’ll handle it.” He reassures his boyfriend, slurping down the rest of his smoothie, licking his lips clean.

“Alright, I’ll see you at home.” Kip responds, a tense quality to his voice.

“See you.” Scott pecks him on the cheek.

———

The second he sends the message he feels his heart beating in his throat. Fuck… what if he made a mistake. He could still back out now? Make up some dumb question completely unrelated to either of their sexualities…

Immediately, Ilya exits out of the tab and throws his phone on the couch, burying his face in his hands.

“What’s wrong with you?” Svetlana asks, sitting down next to him.

She’d come over to help him pack… which she thinks is for Russia. He’ll have to break the news to her too. The thought makes his stomach do an upside down flip.

“Nothing.” He grunts standing up and shoving what’s left of his clothes in the suit-case.

Svetlana helps him zip it up, making a comment about how little he’s bringing considering he’s leaving for almost the entire summer.

Yes, two weeks is almost the same. He rolls his eyes sarcastically.

Suddenly, his phone pings. He feels a rush of anxiety running through his body.

“I need to take this.” He gives Svetlana a strained look and makes his way to the bedroom.

He opens Scott’s message and sits on the bed.

“About what, Rozanov?”

Wow what a great start. He gulps nervously.

“It’s personal, can we talk on the phone?” He types out, before deleting the message.

Sighing, he tries to come up with something less… forward.

“It is private. I do not want to type it out.”

He sees three dots appearing, then disappearing, then appearing again.

“Alright. If there’s a problem we can address it directly over the phone. But I will need to know what this pertains to beforehand.”

Great. Ilya rubs his eyes, already regretting his decision.

“No problem, only question.”

He stares at his screen awaiting a response.

He gets left on open for a few minutes, and just as he’s about to give up and head back into the living room, he receives an extremely long winded response.

“If this is about my sexuality, I don’t really feel like discussing my personal life with somebody I do not know, and quite frankly don’t have a very good relationship with. Google exists Rozanov.”

Ilya sits there stunned for a second. Of course he thinks he has bad intentions.

Maybe this was a mistake.

He hears Svetlana calling his name.

“Give me a second!” He yells out, keeping his voice as steady as possible.

Fuck. He decides to try one more time. But he knows he has to offer something personal before they call. Should he take the chance? The chance of being outed and blackmailed?

Taking a deep breath he types out his last attempt at connection.

“Yes it is, but it is because it is personal question related to me.”

He hesitates clicking send for a second. He won’t be able to take this back.

Fuck it.

Feeling like he’s about to throw up, he glares at the gray dots on his screen.

“Okay.”

Almost immediately, he sees Scott audio calling him and quickly braces himself before answering.

“Hello.” He says, trying to keep his voice at least somewhat professional.

“Hello, Rozanov.” Scott Hunter sighs on the other side of the phone.

“Are you alone?” He asks, fearing someone else might overhear.

Another sigh.

“Yes, I am.”

There’s a few moments of silence between them.

“I just wanted to say that um… what you did last week was very brave.” Ilya manages to choke out, cringing at his attempt to make conversation.

Still nothing.

He knows he’s surprised him, hell… he’s surprised himself.

“Wow um… thank you. Is that all?” He replies pausing in the middle of his sentence, sounding shocked. Ilya hopes pleasantly…

“Um…no.” He says awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Then what?” Scott asks in a way that’s curious…but thankfully no longer angry.

Silence.

Ilya takes a deep breath.

“I’m gay. Well bisexual, is that how you say?”

He swears he can hear his heart pounding in his throat, ready to fall right onto the carpeted floor beneath him. It was a mistake. All he can do is accept it, accept the mistake he made, and maybe try to take it back in a way that’s at least somewhat convincing.

He hears a careful breath on the other side of the phone.

“Oh. Wow… congrats man.”

Ilya stills, staring in disbelief at his phone.

“What?” He asked, stunned.

“Congratulations. I’m happy you told me.”

The enthusiasm in Scott Hunter’s voice is jarring to him. The stupid, dramatic part of him really thought for a second that he’d face some kind of rejection… that even a gay man would laugh in his face and out him to everyone. It wouldn’t surprise him, they don’t have a good relationship.

“Thank you.” He replies sternly, clearing his throat immediately after.

“Is there anything I uh… I can do?” Scott’s voice is dripping in uncertainty, similar to Ilya’s… but he can feel the good intentions behind it.

“No. I just wanted to say this to someone.”

And it was true. All he wanted was to get it off his chest, to feel a sense of comradery, even a small amount of support from someone who gets it.

“Alright… call me anytime man.” Scott sighs.

It’s an offer, an olive branch extended just to him. And fuck, he appreciates it.

“And for the record Rozanov, I won’t tell anyone.”

Ilya feels tears welling up in his eyes.

“Yes, I know.”

Chapter 2: Svetlana knows

Chapter Summary

After his call with Scott Hunter, Ilya has to break the news to Svetlana. He’s not going to Russia…

Chapter Notes

Last minute decision to write another chapter :)

Ilya was ecstatic. The weight that had been lifted off his shoulders was indescribable. He hadn’t expected that outcome, not really. Maybe a casual “alright” or “how is this my problem”, which he would have been fine with as well. Anything was better than being shamed and publicly outed. That night, he’d learned that it was in fact not in Scott Hunter’s nature to do such a thing, and god was it a huge relief.

“Call me anytime.” That’s what really got the waterworks started, not that he made Hunter aware of it in any capacity of course…

And now, Ilya was going to the cottage, Shane’s cottage. Finally he was being given a break. Never in his life did Ilya allow himself a break. He never thought he deserved one, not since his mom had died.

“He is how you say… lazy.” Are words that constantly echoed in his mind, even after all these years.

But thankfully as of late, his father began to take up less and less space in his mind… and he gave Shane all the credit.

After the phone call he’d quietly pulled himself together, checked to make sure he was real in the mirror, and walked out attempting to pretend nothing significant had happened. But Svetlana knew. She always knew.

“What was that about hmm?” She’d asked curiously, turning her head away from the TV screen to look at him. She was lounging on his couch, watching some type of hockey commentary. Of course she was. Ilya went away for ten minutes and she’d already taken control of the remote.

God, her and Shane never did anything else in their free time but think about hockey did they…

“Nothing.” He sniffed, settling down next to her and resting his feet on the sofa table.

“Really? Nothing? Didn’t seem like nothing when you ran out of the room in such a hurry.” She smirks, eyes once again fixed on the screen.

At least she’s not looking at him.

“It was nothing.” He repeats, feeling tense all of a sudden.

“Okay.” Svetlana sighs in defeat.

She seems to finally let up, focusing on studying whichever game re-run she’s been watching intently.

She has always approached everything she does with intensity and self-assuredness, the way Ilya made sure he did whenever the spot-light was on him. When he was comfortable however… when he was with Shane, it was easier to let go.

Of course he felt comfortable with Svetlana too, she had known almost everything about him since they were kids. She knew how much he missed his mom, how much his dad’s words used to affect him…and she knew that he was bi. She’d been the one to introduce him to Sasha after all.

But there was one thing she didn’t know about. Shane.

She knew of Jane, his mysterious Canadian lover. And she’d somehow figured out she was a he. But not that it was Hollander. That was one thing he’d kept to himself since the day they locked eyes in the communal showers.

Fuck, that was almost ten years ago. And honestly… lately it was starting to feel like it. Like it had been an eternity of secrets, lies, and personal suffering.

Scott was the first step… and only minutes later his entire body wanted to dive right into the second one. Tell Svetlana.

But the second step was a risky one, maybe a bit too impulsive for his liking. Deep inside however… after his chorus of “Nothings” and denials, he felt impending doom.

He was going to have to tell her eventually, and probably soon. Ilya wasn’t going to Russia, that was clear. And Svetlana liked to have answers, especially in situations like these. Even worse, he felt like he owed it to her. He’ll be sending her back to Russia without him…

Of course he could just blame it on Alexei, on the fact that he had nothing else waiting for him… but Ilya knows that won’t be good enough.

“Where will you go then? What are you packing for?” She’ll ask him… and with an aching heart full of guilt, he’ll tell her.

He starts to squirm a bit, unable to get fully comfortable with the thought weighing on his mind.

“So when are we leaving for the airport tomorrow?” Svetlana yawns, joining him in putting her feet up on the table.

His stomach does an immediate flip at the question.

It was time.

“We aren’t.” He states bluntly, locking his eyes on the dozens of blue jerseys moving at lightning speed across the ice.

The room gets quiet, and even more so when Svetlana promptly pauses the game.

“What are you talking about Ilya?” She turns her whole body to look at him.

He gulps at the sudden shift in conversation.

Refusing to tear his eyes away from the screen, he discreetly takes as deep of a breath as he can without alerting her of his nervousness.

“I am not going.” He states simply, now staring at a completely blank, pitch black TV. Anything to avoid her focused gaze.

The air stills for a bit as Svetlana processes what he’s said.

“Okay. And why not?” She asks calmly, reacting way better than he’d thought she would. There is a sense of expectancy in her voice though, one that reminds him of what he now has to do.

Sighing heavily, he turns to look at her and begins to open his mouth, but is soon interrupted.

“And why are we packing then?” She adds, glancing back and forth between Ilya and his suitcase.

As the words form in his throat he feels like he’s betraying Shane, like he’s about to do something completely unforgivable. And maybe it is, maybe his confession will be completely useless, and he won’t be going to the cottage after all. Though it isn’t in Shane’s nature uninvite him. Maybe he’ll just uninvite himself then, out of pure guilt.

“Because I’m going somewhere else.”

They finally make eye-contact, and Svetlana turns her body completely to face him.

“Is that what the phone call was about? Did something happen Ilya?” She looks concerned.

All he can do is shake his head no, worried he’ll lose all composure if he begins to talk.

“Then what? Where exactly are you going?” The infliction in her voice tells him she’s serious, and she says it in such an unrelenting way that it send a shiver down his spine.

He knows he has no choice.

“Jane’s.”

The name comes out unfamiliar, like someone he’s never met before, not a secret partner he’s been with for years.

Looking at her, he suddenly feels extremely guilty. She does so much for him, and now it seems like he’s leaving her only a day before, just to go on some romantic getaway with someone he hasn’t even told her anything about. Which in all honesty is what he’s doing, and the thought hits him like a ton of bricks.

“Wow, okay then.” She scoffs, beginning to get up.

Fuck.

“Jane is Shane. Shane Hollander.” He blurts out,

His lover’s name hangs thick in the air like molasses. He’s never said it out loud before, not like this, not to anyone.

He braces for her reaction.

Fuck. He’s outed himself to two people within the span of thirty minutes. He’s a fucking idiot…

But to his surprise, as he looks at her with dreadful anticipation… he sees a smile forming. Almost a crazed one.

“I knew you were weird about him!” She exclaims, punching his shoulder and dropping back onto the couch.

Ilya doesn’t know why he’s shocked. He knows Svetlana. He knows how bad she’s been wanted to know who it was. But his heart warms as he looks at her, knowing she’s no longer angry with his decision.

It’s okay. They’re okay.

He relaxes for a second before really processing what she said.

“Weird! What do you mean weird?” Ilya demands, playfully swatting at her back.

“‘If you say so’. That was the most obvious thing I’ve ever heard you say!” She laughs, before letting out a loud gasp.

“And you were watching him doing yoga! Yoga!”

Unable to contain the embarrassment on his face he rolls his eyes. God, what has Shane done to him…

“Yes, it was very boring.” He responds, offering a pathetic attempt at a rebuttal.

“Yeah okay, you didn’t seem very bored when you were prepared to stay home on the couch, watching him arch his back instead of leaving to go to the club with me!”

At that Ilya can no longer prevent an unwilling grin from forming on his face as he replays the memory. He’ll never admit it to her, but as they left for the evening, Shane really was the only thing on his mind.

But no matter how right she is, he won’t let her have this.

“The nightclubs here are boring.” He shrugs, attempting to wipe the fondness from his eyes. He seems to fail though, because Svetlana bursts out laughing even harder than before.

“They didn’t used to bore you back when you were a single bachelor!” She teases, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

He playfully hits her with a pillow.

“I am still a single bachelor.” He grins momentarily, before realizing what the sentence entails.

His mood quickly shifts from giddy to disappointed. He tries not to let the discontent show on his face.

Shane isn’t his boyfriend. They are not anything. He may be going to the cottage, but really… nothing has changed. Especially for Shane. Scott Hunter’s coming out might have sparked something for Ilya, but he doubts it did the same for Shane.

And now, he’s outed their secret to Svetlana, all without Shane’s consent.

He feels himself getting sadder and sadder, hoping with all his being Svetlana can’t tell.

But she can, because her sassy quips have stopped, and they are once again sitting in silence.

“You mean you guys aren’t together?” She asks carefully, staring at him with confusion in her eyes.

All he can do is scoff.

“No, we are just fucking. Nothing more than that.”

Immediately he realizes how pathetic he sounds. When has Ilya ever wanted more than that from anyone? Especially from Shane…

Deep down, maybe he has felt it for a while, the urge for something more. A deeper connection that may just never happen.

Now his closest friend knows, and he’s terrified she won’t let him live it down.

“I’m sorry Ilya.” She expresses mindfully, before softly grazing a finger against his shoulder.

It makes his lip wobble.

“It’s okay, we want the same thing.” He dismisses, shaking her off.

He tried with everything in him to not sound disappointed, to not sound hurt in front of her. To pretend that the thought of never having Shane the way he really wants, isn’t going to destroy him in the long run.

“Stop.” She asserts seriously, making steady eye contact and returning her hand to his shoulder.

Ilya rolls his eyes before finally melting into the touch, tentatively placing his head on her shoulder. He feels his eyes begin to water, but stops any tears from making their way out just in time.

“How do you know he doesn’t want the same thing?” She asks, voice calm in a way that soothes some of his nerves. Her hand makes its way into his hair, caressing it slowly.

“Trust me, he doesn’t.” He scoffs.

Ilya wishes he did. He wishes he knew what to do, how to not be too pushy, but also not too distant at the same time.

“He invited you to spend summer with him. Right?” Svetlana’s eyebrows furrow with curiosity.

“Yes.” He deadpans, sighing at the obvious question.

She’s right. He did, all with a fond smile on his face.

“So that must mean something. You don’t just do that for a casual hook-up.”

She continues to run her hands through his curls.

Ilya relaxes more under her touch. Maybe they would be okay…

“Is that who you were calling earlier?” She asks after a beat of silence.

He feels himself tense up again, disappointed at the stress once again creeping its way in.

“No.”

Svetlana pauses before answering.

“Then who?”

He sighs heavily. He might as well tell her.

“Scott Hunter.”

Svetlana pulls away for a second, wide-eyed.

“You told him?”

Ilya slowly detangles himself from her embrace. Panic building inside of him. Was it a mistake? Will this cost him both of their careers.

“Not about Hollander.” He specifies quickly, hoping that’ll make it sound betters

“Ahhh.” She responds, nodding her head.

Good, he didn’t exactly want to elaborate further. The last thing he needs is more regret.

They sit like that for a few minutes, Svetlana turning the TV back on to cut awkward silence.

“So when are you leaving?” She asks finally after ten minutes of boring, boring hockey commentary. He’d spaced out immediately, mind wandering to Shane right away.

The way he’d hopefully smile at him as he got in his car, freckles extra visible in the sunlight shining through the window.

“Tomorrow. He will get me at the airport.” Ilya states bluntly. He does his best to keep his excitement at bay.

“So we still drive together?” She questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, my flight is at five am.”

“And mine is at seven.” She smiles, pulling him closer.

They fall asleep that way, and Ilya dreams of something pleasant for once. The thought of Shane and the cottage. Maybe they’d cook together, talk more, finally having their privacy. All he can hope is that Shane won’t hate him for what he’s done…

Chapter End Notes

Comments. Give 🤲.

Chapter 3: Free

Chapter Summary

Ilya tells Shane about his coming out. Both his conversation with Scott and how he’s outed them to Svetlana. Will he react the way Ilya envisions, or will everything be okay?

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the hold up guys I made the chapter a little longer!

The entire car ride to the airport he’s almost entirely unable to hold a reasonable conversation with Svetlana that doesn’t revolve Shane. Since he’s revealed his secret to her he simply can’t stop himself. He’s tried. But with nothing else to do but talk on the two hour long drive to the airport, Ilya just can’t shut his mouth.

He’s been talking to her nonstop about it… probably excessively. Even the embarrassment can’t stop him. He’s never been able to tell anyone this. Ever. And it feels even better than he thought it would. He’d severely underestimated how much he needed this.

Svetlana definitely is making no effort to stop him either. In fact she’s encouraging his troublesome behavior, loving the inside scoop of everything she’s missed over the years.

God he’s terrible…

His phone screen shows four am, and as they pull into the airport parking lot… the darkness of the early morning begins to get to Ilya.

His conscience is telling him he shouldn’t have told her, not without Shane’s permission. But how can something so wrong, feel so right? If it took such a huge weight off of his shoulders, then Shane will probably understand… right?

He gulps nervously as they unbuckle their seatbelts.

“Do you want me to walk you to your gate?” Svetlana asks, placing a hand on his.

“No it’s fine.” Ilya replies, shaking his head.

He’s already late, flight taking off in thirty minutes. He can handle checking in his luggage and walking through a TSA scanner on his own. Honestly, he’s offended that she thinks his English is bad enough to the point where he wouldn’t be able to. He travels constantly. Granted, it’s always with his team, but how different can a Russian airport be from a Canadian one?

Svetlana steps out of the car and opens the door for him, in an almost chivalrous way.

He rolls his eyes, but with no malice.

“What, now I can’t open the door for myself?”

“You can, but I can tell you’re stressing.” She replies, crossing her arms over one another.

He groans slightly and motions to take his suitcase out of the back of the car.

“He won’t be mad, Ilya.” Svetlana assures, grabbing onto his baggage and gesturing for his to hurry up, already a few steps ahead of him.

Easy for her to say…

Fuck, she’s so overprotective. He thinks, huffing and attempting to match her speed.

Making sure to prove his point, he snatches the rolling suitcase away from her and jogs ahead to prevent her from fighting it.

“Hey!” She yelps, grabbing the attention of some irritated old man parked a few feet away from them. Good, let him be irritated, Ilya smirks.

“Go get your own suitcase Sveta!” He chirps, a cocky smile forming on his face as he further picks up his pace. One thing he can one up her on is his running speed.

He continues to jog until he reaches the airport doors, seeing multiple cars pulling up to the entrance. People from all over the place stepping out in a rush.

Okay, he’ll give her a break, he smirks. Stopping finally, he watches as his stubborn best friend runs towards him, pushing her own suitcase this time.

“Asshole.” She smiles, smacking him on the arm.

He grins. “You’re lucky you don’t have to deal with me for the entire plane ride.”

They’re both breathing heavy now, tired from their pointless attempt a race. What can he say, he’s competitive, even when it comes to suitcases.

She glares at him, a teasing look on her face.

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t think I could handle fifteen more hours of you fan-girling over Shane Hollander. I need my beauty sleep you know.” She raises her eyebrows, obviously trying to get a reaction out of him.

“It’s not fan-girling if he does it back.” He states plainly, ruffling her curly hair as they walk in through the sliding door.

“You know I think I need to meet this Shane Hollander.” She laughs, attempting to get in front of him.

At first he smiles and rolls his eyes, but then a slight panic washes over him. She says it a bit too loud for his liking, even in the hustle and bustle of the crowded airport.

“Someone will hear Svetlana.” He reminds her, lowering the black cap on his head further down to better cover his face.

He’s tried his best to conceal his identify, knowing he will be getting into Shane’s car right after landing. If anybody sees them… it’s game over.

Ilya made sure to bring a pair of dark, tinted shades, anticipating to put them on as soon as the plane reaches Montreal. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, he decides. Ilya puts the sunglasses on right then and there.

“You’re overthinking again Ilya.” Svetlana assures and sighs, a slightly annoyed look on her face.

He knows it’s not directed at him. It’s directed at the situation, the unfair predicament he’s been forced into simply because he’s dating a man.

Or… occasionally fucking a man. He remembers, deflating even more.

Fuck he misses Shane more than ever.

But Svetlana snaps him out of it.

“Okay, are you good to go? I can still take you to check in your luggage.” She checks, looking through the crowd in attempt to find the right way to go.

“Leave.” He affirms and rolls his eyes, then gives her a quick side hug.

“Okay. Go meet your lover!” She shouts, giving him a cheeky peck on his upper temple and scurrying away.

He hates how much he lets her get away with.

———

The entire two hour flight, consisted of Ilya doing everything in his power to squeeze in at least a little more sleep before he has to come face to face with Shane.

Well not, has to. He wants to. But what he doesn’t want to do is break the news to him about Scott Hunter and Svetlana.

He thinks of the hospital. How eager Shane was to invite him. It knocks all of the wind out of him just thinking of putting their… whatever they have… in jeopardy.

Sighing, he gathers his things from the upper luggage rack and taps his foot impatiently. Why are Canadians so slow? How can you be boring and slow? Ilya wonders how some of the best hockey players have come out of this place.

Excluding Shane of course. Ilya would never admit it to him, not in a million years… but Shane is the best, and he always has been.

He tries to think of the positives of seeing him, how much he’s missed him since the last time they saw eachother. Anything other than the spiral of anxiety his mind is attempting to pull him into. He takes a deep breath and begins to walk. Finally the fucking line is moving…

Quickly he steps off the plane and rushes to retrieve his suitcase, a carry on bag strapped tightly to his back.

Glancing around, he makes sure there are no eyes on him. But thankfully everyone seems to be too busy to care. That is the beauty of the god-forsaken airport. Everybody wants to get out as soon as possible.

He groans internally thinking about the hundreds of flights he’s been on with the raiders, ones which were often delayed.

“Two feet of snow. Sorry boys, no one’s getting into Montreal today.”

Fuck that had pissed him off, and it especially pissed off his dick.

He thinks of Shane as he yanks his suitcase off the conveyor belt. They haven’t fucked in months. He’s just about ready to jump his bones the second that he gets in the car…

Then Ilya’s phone screen lights up, and the name Jane pops up.

God… he can’t wait to see him.

———

The drive is surprisingly uneventful. He’d talked a big game about pouncing on Shane as soon as they’d see each other… but really he was exhausted. Oh so exhausted.

The flight had taken all of the energy out of him. Not only had he been sat next to a crying toddler, but the food was absolutely disgusting. Stupid cheap, Canadian airplane meals…

He’d gotten in the car… no, collapsed into the car, and greeted Shane in a way that felt a little too awkward for his liking.

Could he already sense that Ilya was acting different?

He doesn’t know when exactly he’d dozed off, but after what he remembers to be an extremely short conversation with Shane… he was passed out cold. Only once he felt a gentle nudge against his shoulder and the bright stream of sunlight coming through the car window, did he wake up.

“Feel better?” Shane asks awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck.

Ilya squints for a second, doing his best to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Oh. They’re here.

“Mmm yes.” He affirms, stretching his arms out like a sleepy cat and slowly getting out of the car.

“You must’ve been tired.” Shane says as they walk up the cobblestone steps leading to his home. There’s a bashful look on his face that Ilya thinks he might just be imagining, considering his half-awake state.

Shane opens the door for him, already having taken Ilya’s suitcase out of the car. God, what is with everybody patronizing him today…

But it does feel different with Shane than Svetlana. He hates the fact that he secretly enjoys every time Shane does something “boyfriend like”. In reality it’s all he wants. Just to be taken care of and appreciated as his partner. Not a hookup, but a partner.

He puts on his best annoyed expression and trudges after Shane, closing the door behind them.

Wow. It’s fucking huge. Is this really what Canadians consider a cottage? He thought cottages were supposed to be small…

“This is the cottage?” He asks raising an eyebrow at Shane.

He knew he was rich, but not this rich. Then he remembers his constant brand deals and paid partnerships. Shane’s entire instagram consists of ads and promotions.

Ilya has to stop himself from rolling his eyes in strange fondness.

“So what is that that we will be doing here all this time, hmm?” he says in his best flirty tone, closing the space between him and Shane.

“Well that’s up to you Rozanov.” He smirks and inches closer to him.

Shane slowly presses their lips together, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in. It’s almost territorial. Ilya can tell Shane’s missed him, maybe just as much as he’s missed Shane…

It starts out slow, tender even, but quickly turns completely ravenous and animalistic. It’s been so long. Ilya wants to rip off every peice of Shane’s clothes one by one, starting with that bright blue button down tightly clinging to his chest.

“Mmmh.” He moans against his mouth, grabbing on Shane’s right peck and giving it a squeeze.

The touch seems to make Shane even more eager, because he grasps onto him harder and begins to guide him towards the couch.

In their steamy pursuit of each other they accidentally knock over the lamp sitting to Ilya’s right. Whatever, it was begging to be knocked over with the way it was positioned.

He can’t help himself any longer. He needs him. Quickly switching the roles, Ilya fiercely thrusts Shane onto the couch, immediately dropping right on top of him.

“I was, thinking about you on plane. Whole time.” Ilya smirks, locking their lips together.

It’s not untrue. He was thinking about Shane. Maybe with more worry than he’d like to admit, but that didn’t matter right now. All he needs in this moment is to entirely merge souls with Shane, physically and spiritually.

“Really?” Shane asks between kisses, eyes dripping with lust and glee.

Of course he was. He’s been dreaming of a private moment with Shane since he’d left.. no, had been forced to depart from him in the hospital.

“Mmm yes.” Ilya assures, nodding feverishly and beginning to strip his shirt off.

The hilariously vast windows around them mean nothing to him. He couldn’t care less right now, not when he has Shane like this for the first time in months.

And maybe deep down… even without the privacy of the cottage, he wouldn’t have cared much anyway. It’s a scary thought, how much he wants to show the world that Shane is his. Maybe they don’t have to hide anymore. Scott wasn’t.

He told him anyway. It went fine right? Maybe they could tell more people..?

But before he can pull down his sweat pants the familiar feeling of guilt settles on his shoulders.

Fuck. He has to tell him.

He tries his best to forget, to put the thought on the back burner, but seems to fail tremendously.

Ilya feels himself freeze against Shane, suddenly no longer enjoying the hands roaming over his shirtless torso. He feels undeserving of the touch, like a fraud. A liar.

No. He has to snap out of it.

Don’t fuck this up. You’ve been wanting this. Don’t disappoint him. You’ve dissapointed him enough.

“Ilya?” Shane asks and raises his eyebrows in confusion, breaking their kiss.

Great. He fucked it up.

“No no is nothing. Kiss me Hollander.” He tries, shaking his head and attempting to dissipate the nagging feeling in his chest. But what he can’t do is open his eyes to face Shane’s own. One look at those beautiful brown eyes and he’ll spill his guts. About Scott Hunter, about Svetlana, maybe even about his pathetic unrequited urge to be something more. Anything more.

But Shane places a hand on his chest, preventing any further contact.

“Hold on, stop.” He says breathlessly, attempting to sit up against the couch pillow despite having Ilya on top of him.

Well shit. He’d thought he could at least get through the first few hours without approaching the topic of his betrayal …

He sighs, head swimming with possibilities. He can’t imagine Shane will react well. Not when he hasn’t even met Svetlana. He’s pretty sure he isn’t a big fan either, from the little that Ilya has told him about her…

A part of him wants to play dumb, as dumb as humanly possible. He wants to sell Shane a performance of how much he wants him and how there’s nothing wrong, but he can’t. He can’t lie to him. Not here, not with the concern in Shane’s eyes. Ilya dreads the moment Shane’s expression will change from kindness into anger.

He sighs, slowly giving him space and moving off of him.

“Did I do something Ilya?” He asks, a mix of curiosity and worry on his face.

God how he wishes Shane had. The guilt would be less then. They’d be even. Maybe he can give Shane permission to tell his teammates? Would that even it out?

Ilya sighs, drenched in shame.

“No you did not. But I did.”

He knows he sounds guilty. He feels guilty, like he’s committed a sin against a god whose love is conditional. He hopes the sentiment is contained to the judgmental Catholic one, not the beautiful man sitting beside him…

Shane just stares at him for a moment, processing the statement.

“Did what?”

He asks it so innocently it makes Ilya sick. Ilya both hates and loves that about him, how bad he is at taking a hint. However right now it’s far from endearing, it’s nauseating.

Ilya feels tears welling up in his eyes.

“Fuck Shane I’m so sorry.” He whispers, half hoping he doesn’t hear him.

There’s a beat of silence before Shane without warning, pulls him into an awkward hug.

He says nothing, just holds him for a few seconds. But Ilya can tell he’s waiting for him to continue, to confess.

“Ilya you’re scaring me.” Shane mutters into his shoulder.

But Shane has no reason to be. Ilya’s fine. He’s always fine, even when he does feel like it.

“I… I told Svetlana.” He lets out weakly.

The exact look Ilya was afraid of appears on Shane’s face. He looks like he’s been rebooted, completely stunned.

“You… told Svetlana. About us?” He says with a wavering voice, almost like he hadn’t heard him correctly.

All he can muster up is a solemn nod, a small tear running down his cheek.

“What did she… say?” Shane gulps, his tone nervous.

Ilya knows it’s a bad sign, Shane wouldn’t let the upset show on his face even if it was seeping out of him. Not after having this dropped on him without any warning.

“I didn’t mean to I’m sorry. I just. It was so stupid Shane I’m so sorry.” He’s practically begging now, eyes watering against his will.

But Shane doesn’t give him a reaction. He merely furrows his brows bites his lip, obviously conflicted.

“It’s um, it’s okay.” He finally settles on, sighing.

Oh.

He didn’t expect the forgiveness.

Quickly he wipes his eyes. There’s a slight relief in his chest. He understands, and he doesn’t hate him. But he isn’t done yet. He doesn’t deserve this.

“I also told… Scott Hunter.” He breathes out, voice shaky. He’s preparing for the worst. Maybe Shane isn’t angry at him for outing them Svetlana, but he knows this’ll break him. This is someone he knows, someone with power.

He was right.

Shane’s eyes widen like saucers and he momentarily pulls away.

“You… told him? About us?” He asks, seemingly in disbelief.

No. Oh god no. Please.

Ilya feels his heart beginning to race at the assumption.

“No no Shane no. Just about… me.” He assures, grabbing his hands frantically.

He prays Shane won’t let go, that the clarification will be enough to calm him down. If not, he’ll have to let him go. He doesn’t deserve a second chance.

“Oh.” Shane seems to relax a bit.

The singular syllable hangs in the air, filling Ilya with dread.

“Are you.. mad at me?” Ilya gulps, hoping with everything in him that he’s wrong. It sounds almost pathetic, but he doesn’t care anymore.

He’ll take that over going back to how things used to be. The sneaking around, the hours of convincing himself that it doesn’t matter. Deluding himself into believing that their connection wasn’t really and never would be.

But he knows he’s on thin ice. One wrong word and Shane’s psyche will come crashing down a house of cards…

Except Shane doesn’t look mad. Deep in thought maybe, but there’s no anger there.

“No I’m um…happy for you Ilya.” He smiles softly, reaching to caress his cheek in slow intervals.

“What?” He asks, filled with disbelief.

It’s more than he could have hoped for, more than he thought he deserved.

The touch fills him with warmth immediately.

Shane responds after a few beats, biting his lip.

“Yeah, I wish I could do that. You know, someday, maybe…” He sees something in Shane’s expression shift.

He recognizes that look immediately. It’s sadness. Shane feels hopeless.

“Shane, you will. We will.” He says with conviction, steadily grabbing onto his shoulders. Ilya makes sure to look him in the eyes when he says it, because he means it, he really does.

He wants this. It’s almost impossible to believe.

For a moment he feels hope. Hope that he hasn’t felt in a long time. A slight optimism that maybe they can be something. Something more than a casual hook-up. Something real.

Their eyes meet in unison, locked in place, immovable.

“Yeah?” Shane asks, smile lighting up the room. His eyes crinkle slightly as he does.

He’s so beautiful. And he’s beautiful for Ilya. The smile on his face is reserved for him and him only. He wishes he could take a photo of it to never forgot it.

“If that’s what you want.” He clarifies quickly, snapping out of his fantasy. Tentatively he presses a soft kiss against Shane’s lips, gazing at him with warmth.

“Of course I do.” Shane says immediately, like it’s something obvious, something Ilya should’ve expected.

“Fuck Hollander.” He chokes out, wrapping his hands around Shane and burying his tear stained face into his shoulder. Hes practically clinging onto him, knowing if he lets go it’ll be over. Ilya doesn’t want it to be over. Ever.

They stay like that for a minute, cradling each-other.

Shane is the first one to pull away, but he makes sure to keep a steady grasp on Ilya’s bicep.

“Does this mean we are…” he asks, a similar look of anticipation on his face.

He merely laughs, because of course they are. There’s nothing Ilya wants more in the entire world than to be Shane’s partner, his boyfriend.

Ilya gazes at him fondly.

“Yes. Yes, I hope so.”

Chapter End Notes

Okay so big news ppl want a fic/chapter where Scott finds out and them being together and I decided I’m gonna write a sequel in the same universe that will also have Kip’s pov :) already working on it I’m gonna put it in a collection with this one! Also sorry if there’s too much Svetlana in this one I got a little carried away I love their dynamic 😭