Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

Gen, M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationships:

Shane Hollander & Kyle Swift, is that not a tag yet?!, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Eric Bennett/Kyle Swift

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Kyle Swift

Additional Tags:

The Kingfisher (Game Changers), trying to find the words to describe hudson!shane's eyes, shane's first gay public space

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-03-23 Words: 841 Chapters: 1/1

solidarity

Summary

Kyle's familiar with this look. This is Shane Hollander's first gay bar, and that means something to him.

Notes

I'm tired of characters' first reaction being "weren't there any nice men in Montreal" and I'm tired of people acting like Shane's too "innocent" for Ilya or Ilya's too "notorious" for Shane... and I reread Common Goal and now this happened.

 

Timeline: Kyle/Eric are publically out, Shane/Ilya are closeted.

Shane Hollander walks into the Kingfisher.

Kyle doesn't really watch hockey, despite being with a retired goaltender. But he does know Shane Hollander: Montreal Metros forward, one of the best to ever play the game, hottest model in town. Eric's gotten more than a few bruises stopping Hollander's pucks.

He's dressed down, trying to be less recognizable, and Kyle supposes he's suceeding, because right now he doesn't look like an athlete or a model.

Okay, he does, but that's not the primary impression.

No, what gets Kyle's attention are his eyes.

They dart around the mostly empty bar, cataloguing each thing briefly before flicking away. Hollander steals glances at the countertops, the barstools, the booths, and the walls like he's packing them away into a bag. Like they might disappear if he looks too long. In between, he just looks straight ahead and down. He avoids looking directly at anyone around him.

Kyle's familiar with this look. This is Shane Hollander's first gay bar, and that means something to him.

He watches Hollander closely, wondering when he'll decide whether to flee or stay. Whether -- oh -- there.

Hollander's let himself walk to the pride pin collection on the wall -- the oldest ones are from the 70s, and the newest is from yesterday -- and stop to look at them. He's let his eyes settle in one place, on one thing -- on a gay thing, too, Kyle notes with satisfaction. He's let himself turn his back to the room, trusting that no one will startle him or ask him why he's there.

Kyle watches him as he takes in the pin collection and then nods slightly to himself.

Then he turns and heads straight for the bar, and Kyle is confronted with those eyes up close. They're decisive now, certain and unshakable.

"Vodka ginger ale, please," Hollander says.

"Coming right up," says Kyle, grabbing the ingredients.

He gives no indication that he knows who Hollander is, even as it occurs to him that Hollander probably knows who he is. He just makes the drink.

"...You're Bennett's boyfriend, right?" says Hollander as Kyle turns back to put the glass on the bartop.

"That's me," says Kyle proudly.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

Hollander flushes. "Being... out. With a hockey -- with a high-profile guy."

Huh. Interesting.

"It hasn't been as bad as it could be," Kyle says. "I mean, Eric's retired, so it's a lot less attention than, like, Scott and Kip."

Hollander cracks a grin. "You mean you didn't wanna get kissed on the ice in front of millions of viewers?"

"Eh. Not exciting enough for me." 

Hollander laughs outright at this.

"We've gotten attention online and stuff," Kyle continues, "and a lot of new business for the Kingfisher, so that's been good."

"And the bad?"

"I mean, just the usual online trolls. Someone broke a window the week after we posted the photo of us dancing at Kip's wedding."

"Jesus."

"Eh. Nobody got hurt."

Hollander sips his drink. After a moment of wondering whether he should say it, Kyle adds, "And a lot of think pieces about whether I'm old enough for Eric."

Hollander looks up at him. Kyle feels the need to explain. "I mean, I'm a fucking adult. And I love him. If I had a problem with his age I wouldn't be with him, and same on his side. He's surprisingly well-adjusted for a hockey player, by the way. But the second we came out as a couple half the Internet was deciding whether we were, like, ethical." Kyle takes a breath. "And I hate that that's the first thing anyone sees. That they think they have to rescue me, that he's some kind of bad person, instead of the sweetest kindest guy I know. And. Yeah."

Hollander's absorbed every word Kyle's been saying with an intensity that unsettles him. His eyes have a strange sheen to them, and they catch the light kaleidoscopically. If he wasn't still looking straight at Kyle, Kyle would think he was about to cry.

"Keep your head up, okay?" Hollander says quietly.

Kyle nods, his throat suddenly tight.

"I, uh. I know how that feels."

Oh.

"Thanks, Shane," says Kyle.

"I mean, I..." Hollander starts, before lapsing into silence.

"Hey," says Kyle, "I honestly don't know what similar experience you might have had, and you don't have to tell me. But you should know, I take bartender-client privilege very seriously. I don't tell anyone who came in here or what we talked about, if I think the person's in the---" Shane startles, and Kyle changes track quickly "----if I think they want privacy in that regard."

Shane looks at the bartop for a count of eight.

Then he pulls himself together and up off the stool. "Thanks, Kyle. Say hi to Eric for me."

And Shane Hollander leaves the Kingfisher.

Kyle files away the entire conversation in his mind under "observe with care -- classified," and he moves on. But he feels better. Shane Hollander is on his side. Maybe in more ways than one.