Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

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

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Original Characters

Additional Tags:

Social Media, soft launch, Twitter, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers), Spoilers for Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers), POV Shane Hollander, Fluff, Fluff and Humor

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-03-02 Words: 4,156 Chapters: 1/1

they got no idea (about me and you)

Summary

“What if we just stop hiding? We don’t have to make a huge deal about it — no big press conference or interview or anything — we can just start being ourselves. Let the public figure it out for themselves.” Shane shrugs. “We don’t owe them an explanation for what we do off the ice. I don’t want to come out for other people; I want to come out for me, and I feel like a big announcement would make everyone want us to answer their questions all at once, and I don’t want that. Whatever the public knows about our relationship… it should be on our terms, not cause some interviewer asked us a question and we felt pressured to answer.”

“So… like a soft launch?” asks Yuna. “I could get behind that.”

Shane nods.

“Okay.” Ilya puts his hand on top of Shane’s. “Let’s soft launch.”

Or Shane and Ilya decide to soft launch their relationship.

Notes

These two have taken over my mind these past few months so I had to write a fic for this fandom! This may be a little ooc but this was honestly the most fun I've had writing a fic and I'm really proud of how this turned out. This is not beta read so please let me know if there are any mistakes!

In the aftermath of the almost plane crash that nearly took the love of his life away from him, Shane has been thinking. A lot. 

He told Ilya he was ready to tell the world about them, to be seen together in public and not be afraid, and that he doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone says about it. And he meant it. He’s really, truly ready to come out. What he and Ilya have — they’re in it for the long game, and they’ve fallen in too deep to come out of it now.

But that doesn’t mean Shane isn’t scared.

He’s spent so long hiding this huge part of himself from most of the world that he’s grown comfortable living in his bubble — his tight, constricting, stressful bubble, but a comfortable one nonetheless. Turning it into some grand declaration, a huge announcement, would only add to the stress. He vividly remembers the overwhelming feeling of anxiousness he got in the weeks leading up to him and Ilya announcing their joint Irina Foundation. Standing in a bright room full of reporters chattering on top of each other while he is in the center of attention and about to confess a secret he’s been keeping for over a decade… Well, he can’t promise he won’t straight up vomit on stage and ruin the whole press conference slash coming out attempt. 

Which is why, during dinner with his parents and Ilya on a rare night off, he blurts out:

“What if we don’t make an announcement?”

Shane can feel all three pairs of eyes turn to him immediately following his words, but he keeps his own gaze trained to his plate of gluten-free fat-free pasta that he’s currently playing with with his fork.

Ilya furrows his eyebrow in confusion. “You do not want to come out anymore?”

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Shane. Just give the word and we can call this whole thing off,” Yuna cuts in, David nodding next to her in agreement.

“No! No. I still want to do this. It’s just…” Shane trails off. He puts down his fork and turns to his family. “What if we just stop hiding? We don’t have to make a huge deal about it — no big press conference or interview or anything — we can just start being ourselves. Let the public figure it out for themselves.” Shane shrugs. “We don’t owe them an explanation for what we do off the ice. I don’t want to come out for other people; I want to come out for me, and I feel like a big announcement would make everyone want us to answer their questions all at once, and I don’t want that. Whatever the public knows about our relationship… it should be on our terms, not cause some interviewer asked us a question and we felt pressured to answer.”

“So… like a soft launch?” asks Yuna. “I could get behind that.”

Shane nods.

“Okay.” Ilya puts his hand on top of Shane’s. “Let’s soft launch.”

It’s been a couple of weeks since they’d officially decided to soft launch their relationship to the world rather than making a huge announcement, but there hasn’t been a good opportunity to say anything about it quite yet. It makes Shane buzz with nerves every time he steps out onto the ice because today might be the day — but the day in question never arrives.

That is, until a particularly grueling game against the San Francisco Mission team that left both teams fighting into overtime until Shane was able to slip past SF’s defence and score off one of his rookie’s seriously lucky assists.

Still riding off the high of that win, Shane heads out of the locker room after cleaning up into some jeans and an okay enough looking T-shirt to talk with the press about the match.

“How do you feel after that win, Shane?” One reporter of the many currently crowding around him shoves a mic to his face.

He shuffles through his list of media trained replies that he keeps in his queue for repetitive questions like this one before finding one that he settles on. “I’m feeling great. San Francisco played a great game tonight, but our team fought harder and I’m really proud of them for that. I’m hoping to carry this win streak straight into the playoffs.”

“Shane, Shane! The fans are dying to know — what does your pre-game ritual look like?” another reporter jumps in.

Shane takes this as his opening.

“Well, I usually start off the day with some light exercise and my go-to protein shake, but right before the game I like to take some time for myself, maybe call my partner, or text if either of us are too busy. Oh, and listen to whatever horrible music Drapeau's got on the speakers.”  

Another reporter starts to speak, but Shane pretends he doesn’t hear him, saying, “Thanks, guys,” before heading back to the locker room to pick up his things and leave the arena.

The idea had been for Shane to open up the idea of him being in a committed relationship (with someone whose gender he had not yet disclosed — hence the use of the word “partner”) but what neither he nor Ilya expected was the rise it got out of the public.

“Is it really that difficult to believe that I’m dating someone?” Shane asks in annoyance, scrolling through Twitter on his phone where tons of fans have been posting speculating about Shane’s relationship.

Ilya raises his eyebrow at his boyfriend in disbelief. When Shane doesn’t understand what he’s getting at, Ilya elaborates, “You are not exactly known for your relationships, Shane.”

“I know, but—” Shane cuts himself off in frustration. “You know they think Rose and I are back together?”

“What the fuck? Why would they think that?”

Ilya immediately drops the towel he had been using to dry the dishes he had just washed — a completely unnecessary task, seeing as they have a dishwasher, but Ilya claims that it’s relaxing and Shane isn’t one to deny his boyfriend peace — and heads over to where Shane is sitting at the kitchen island.

“Let me see.” Ilya grabs the phone from Shane’s hand and begins scrolling through the tweets.

leslie met rose! @mystiquified

shane mentioning his partner in an interview… shrose back together?

    my che(MICA)l romance @hollandertbp

    Oh 100%. There’s no way they “stayed friends” after breaking up without any lingering feelings

 

SHANE HOLLANDER’S LEFT TIT @iheartshane24

shane’s partner is me actually ahahhah

 

Holly @allstars2017

So we all know this is just Shane trying to soft launch Hollanov right?

Ilya bursts out laughing. 

“What?” Shane asks, taking his phone back to see what Ilya was looking at.

“‘Allstars2017’ has figured out our plan,” Ilya cackles.

Shane stares at the tweet, unsure about what to think. It makes him anxious to see that someone has figured him out so quickly — and judging from their profile, way before he and Ilya even started thinking about coming out — but at the same time…

“At least our plan is working?”

After a particularly brutal loss against Tampa (a team who have consistently been on fire this year), Shane checks his phone to see a text from Ilya.

Lily

I did it.

There’s no elaboration, but Shane knows what he’s talking about. The plan had been for Shane to casually mention that he’s in a relationship and for Ilya to do so shortly after. That way the idea of both of them dating people would be on people’s minds at the same time, hopefully lessening the shock for when everyone realizes that they’re dating each other.

Shane quickly switches his tab over to a search engine and types in “Ilya Rozanov dating” into the searchbar, holding his breath as he waits for the results to load. The first link that pops up is from the TMZ website.

MLH STAR ILYA ROZANOV COMES OUT IN INTERVIEW WITH TMZ

“Now, I am very much my boyfriend’s man.”

Read more…

Shane clicks on it.

During a post-game interview with one of our reporters, Suzanne Porter, in attendance, Ilya Rozanov — captain of the Ottawa Centaurs hockey team, who are notoriously known for the lack of decoration in their arena but have slowly been rising up the ranks this past season — was asked about his team’s extremely diligent win against Dallas tonight. 

 

Below is a transcript of this interview.

 

“Do you believe your addition to the team is what’s allowing the Centaurs to advance more than they ever have this season?”

 

“Honestly? No. The team is filled with many talented players; they just needed… the right push, maybe.”

 

“And you believe you helped give them that push?”

 

Rozanov shrugged. “Sure. We are team, we help each other.”

 

“And who motivates you to push yourself on the ice? Your team?”

 

“Yes, of course. And my boyfriend.”

 

Suzanne raised her eyebrow at the unexpected turn. “Your boyfriend? You are dating someone?”

 

“Yes. Very committed relationship. Sorry, ladies.” He winked.

 

“Speaking of, you’ve got quite the reputation as a ladies’ man. Was that all just a façade, then?”

 

“Façade?”

 

“Fake. A hoax.”

 

“No, I was very much a ladies man, that is true. No ‘façade’, as you say. Now, I am very much my boyfriend’s man. Nothing about me has changed, except now I am in love.”

 

“And would you like to give us some more information about this mystery man?”

 

“No. Thank you.”

 

The disclosion of Rozanov’s queer identity brings about many questions …

Shane exits out of the article and immediately calls Ilya. 

Shane rarely ever enjoys press appearances at practice. It’s one thing to have a crowd of thousands of people watching you during a game when you expect them to be there, and another thing to have unexpected noise and flashing lights during a practice. To be fair, he should’ve known the press would be here — his coach had sent out a group email last night to notify the team — but he’d driven over to Ilya’s place last night and… Let’s just say he was a bit too preoccupied to bother checking his inbox.

So, walking into practice on a Monday afternoon to see a group of reporters crowded in a corner at the rink is surprising, to say the least.

However, still riding off the high of his night with Ilya — they made ramen together, watched one of Ilya’s favorite Fast and Furious movies, and ended the night with some mindblowing sex that Shane is shocked he can still walk after — Shane tries his best to block out the sounds and focus on the practice in front of him and worry about reporters later.

Thankfully, the press mostly keep to themselves, snapping some shots of the practice and taking Coach Theriault aside for a bit for some questions, leaving Shane to direct the drills. They end the practice with a scrimmage, Hayden on his wing and JJ backing them up with defence. 

Covered in sweat and hungry for lunch, Shane begins to make his way back to the locker room before he’s cut off by a reporter. She seems to be around his age, maybe a couple years younger, wearing the largest pair of glasses he has ever seen on someone who isn’t his great aunt Patricia.

“Shane!” she calls, stepping in front of him. “Anaya Das, ESPN. We’d love it if you could answer a few questions for us.”

Shane looks off longingly towards the locker room before nodding. “Sure.”

She asks a few basic questions that Shane feels like he’s had to answer approximately a million times throughout his hockey career, let alone this past season. What does his daily workout look like, what does he plan to do once his Montreal contract is up at the end of the season, is he looking forward to his next game that Friday. He answers them with an ease that only comes as a result of multiple media training sessions. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard by now about Ilya Rozanov’s coming out last Friday. Multiple players, including Scott Hunter, have spoken up showing their support. Do you have anything you’d like to say yourself?”

Shane is suddenly aware of the fact that his fellow teammates are just meters away from him, talking with reporters of their own. They could probably easily hear what he says.

But Shane and Ilya have a plan, and Shane isn’t one to stray away from a plan.

“Yeah, of course. It’s really nice to have another fellow queer hockey player be open about their queerness. I’m glad more athletes have been able to come out these past few years, it’s really inspiring to see. And I hope queer kids who see their favorite players come out know that they can still pursue sports, regardless of what they identify as.”

“Are you saying that you’re also a part of the LGBTQ community?”

Shane nods, “Yeah, I am.”

Hockey Bros @hockeybrospod

Why is hockey so gay now? Read more at https://hockeybros…

    mimi pike @pikepike35

    stfu no one cares about your irrelevant ass podcast

 

Holly @allstars2017

Ilya and Shane both coming out within a week of each other… coincidence? I think not

    lola (taylor’s version) @shaydengirl 

    girl ur insane get a life

    celeste <3 @rozlovesyou 

    my babiessss im so proud of them !!

 

my che(MICA)l romance @hollandertbp

@mystiquified I fear I’ve been converted…

    leslie met rose! @mystiquified

    NOO MICA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS

        leslie met rose! @mystiquified

        nvm i just read the espn article #hollanovforthewin

 

celeste <3 @rozlovesyou

everybody wants to know what id do if hollanov wasn’t real. i guess we’ll never know!!!

    Holly @allstars2017 

    Still can’t believe the timeline we’re in rn

Shane is brushing his teeth in a Seattle hotel a few hours before his flight back home when he gets a notification from Instagram.

ilyarozanov81 just shared a post

He spits out his toothpaste and cleans his toothbrush, putting it back into his travel bag before clicking on the notification. Ilya didn’t have a game last night… his new post could be anything. Shane thinks back to Ilya’s post with the two plastic rings from when Ruby and Jade officiated their “wedding” and feels his heart warm at the thought.

ilyarozanov81

 

Image description: A selfie taken by Ilya in Shane’s parents’ cottage, with Yuna and David grinning behind Ilya, the three of them clearly in the middle of a game of Monopoly. Both of their accounts are tagged in the photo.

The caption is simply a red heart emoji. Shane shakes his head fondly, clicking the like button and typing out a comment underneath the post.

shanehollanderhockeyplayer ❤️

Andi @babypucks

Y’all do realize that Yuna helps manage the Irina foundation right? Like it’s not so crazy for them to be hanging out

    leslie met rose! @mystiquified

    yea coz everyones always playing monopoly with their coworkers family, riiight totally

    lola (taylor’s version) @shaydengirl

    agreed ppl will make a big deal out of nothing js for their ship

        my che(MICA)l romance @hollandertbp

        Girl, you’re a Shadyen you can NOT be talking

 

Holly @allstars2017

It’s insane to me that people are still doubting Hollanov when SHANE LITERALLY COMMENTED A HEART UNDER ILYA’S POST

    Holly @allstars2017

    The post being a photo of Ilya with Shane’s parents AT THEIR HOUSE mind you

 

celeste <3 @rozlovesyou

hi this is celeste’s mom. i just wanted to let you know that celeste will no longer be posting on here because they died due to shock from hollanov being real

    celeste <3 @rozlovesyou

    I STILL HAVEN’T PROCESSED THAT THIS ISN’T A DREAM WTF HOW IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING

 

lola (taylor’s version) @shaydengirl

genuinely so sick of this i can’t look at hockeytwt anymore without getting pissed off. anyway stream fearless tv!!

Shane is pretty much convinced that most people know about him and Ilya now. It has to be undeniable at this point, right?

Doesn’t make it any less nerve wracking for him to go out in public with Ilya.

They’d planned this outing weeks ago, after Ilya posted that photo, and now, with both of their teams out of the playoffs — with an extremely tough fight from the Centaurs that Shane considerably rewarded Ilya for to show him how proud he was — it’s the perfect chance to actually go through with their plans.

So, here they are in downtown Ottawa, out for lunch. Holding hands. In public, in downtown Ottawa. Shane lets go of Ilya’s hand to wipe a sweaty palm on his jeans. It’s fine. He can do this! 

“We can go back home,” Ilya offers. “If you’re not ready to do this.”

“No.” Shane firmly shakes his head.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind, Shane.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Shane looks Ilya straight in the eye as he grabs his hand again. They continue walking along the sidewalk. “Besides, everyone basically knows now, right? Hayden told me about a fan messaging him on Twitter because she was so disappointed about you and I being together instead of me and Hayden.”

Ilya pulls a face at that. “I will never get those people. How can they want you with Hayden when I am right here?”

“Don’t worry.” Shane shoves Ilya’s shoulder playfully. “Hayden’s married.”

Ilya gasps, ever the drama queen. “So you are saying if Hayden is not married you would be with him, huh?”

Shane shrugs, pretending to appear nonchalant as the two of them turn the corner and continue walking.

“See how you feel when me and Jackie get together, then. I bet you would not like that.”

Shane grins, finally breaking, seeing Ilya’s frustrated expression as he tries to argue against him. “You’re jealous!”

“No I am not,” Ilya grumbles.

“You totally are!” Shane suddenly feels bold enough to plant a kiss on Ilya’s cheek. “It’s okay. I would never leave you for Hayden. Even though he’s better looking than you,” he adds.

Ilya rolls his eyes, but he pulls Shane in by the waist and kisses the top of his head, so Shane knows that it’s okay.

They arrive at the restaurant — some higher-end brunch place known for its sandwiches, but it also has a few options that follow Shane’s diet — and are seated in a booth in the corner next to a table where another couple is sitting.

Shane had already picked out what he’s having — a salmon and rice bowl with a side of salad, no dressing — a couple days ago when the two of them sat down to look at the menu. Ilya, on the other hand, is flipping back and forth through the menu, trying to decide what dish he’s feeling today.

They’ve barely been at the table for five minutes when the couple next to them address them.

“Oh my god, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander?” one of the girls asks, repeatedly shaking her girlfriend next to her to direct her attention to where Shane and Ilya are sitting. 

“Hello,” Shane smiles tightly at them, uncomfortable with their overexcitedness and suddenly reminded of the fact that he and Ilya being out together is going to raise some suspicions.

Ilya is a lot better at interacting with fans, Shane has noticed. He nods, acknowledging the girls, and then asks, “What are your names?”

The one who had first noticed them is still visibly astonished, so the other one speaks for them. “I’m Mei, this is my girlfriend Cat. She’s a big hockey fan.”

“Mm, I can tell,” Ilya nods with a strained grin. Shane doesn’t say anything.

Cat mumbles something to her girlfriend, gesturing to Shane and Ilya, clearly still too starstruck to speak directly to them.

Mei sighs, “I’m sorry we’re bothering you during lunch, but is it okay if Cat and I can get a picture? She’s really a huge fan.”

Ilya doesn’t respond again like Shane expects him to; instead, he’s looking at Shane, waiting for him to make the decision.

“Yeah, okay,” Shane gets up, Ilya following his movement. 

They wave over a waiter to take a picture of the four of them. Cat, growing a little more comfortable, chatters on about how much she enjoys watching them play and how great it was to see the both of them come out until Mei — thankfully — asks for her and Cat’s bill and they say goodbye. 

“Are you okay?” Ilya asks, once they’re finally back in their seats and Ilya’s back to scouring the menu.

Shane takes a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“That was not too bad, no? Everyone knows now about us, but they were not bad.”

He nods, “Yeah.”

my che(MICA)l romance @hollandertbp

HOLLANOV SPOTTED ON A DATE TOGETHER

    leslie met rose! @mystiquified

    WHAT WHERE

        my che(MICA)l romance @hollandertbp

        @catquinn met them both while out for lunch in Ottawa with her girlfriend, she posted the pic on her page!!!

            leslie met rose! @mystiquified

            OH MY GOD??? it’s like my birthday and christmas all at the same time

 

Holly @allstars2017

All you new Hollanovs have no idea what it was when we only got content like twice a year and the cheek kiss at the 2017 All Stars game was the only thing we had to go off of

 

celeste <3 @rozlovesyou

the hollanov gods are finally answering all my prayers

 

lola (taylor’s version) @shaydengirl

…yea i have no reasonable explanation for this one

    Andi @babypucks

    There has to be SOME explanation, right? Right???

        mimi pike @pikepike35

        “shayden is still real!” i scream as they drag me to the psych ward

The Irina Foundation charity event is the biggest thing in hockey news the week after the playoffs finish. Yuna has been organizing it for weeks — with input from Shane and Ilya of course, but when Yuna has a vision, it’s difficult to suggest any other ideas — and the night is finally here.

Everyone in attendance at the gala donated a significant amount to the Foundation to be here, but the event is mostly meant for spreading awareness. Having an event at such a large scale as this one gets people to talk about it, and by extension, they’re talking about the Irina Foundation. They’d opened up a big fundraiser for anyone to donate to just recently and they ended up raising much more than their goal, allowing them to use the money to donate to over fifteen different mental health causes of different sizes. The actual event is paid for by Ilya and Shane themselves. 

Shane is beyond proud of what the Foundation has become. They deserve to let loose and celebrate it for a night.

He and Rose went shopping for outfits for the event about a month ago when she was last here, so the suit Shane is wearing tonight is a burgundy color he never would’ve picked out for himself.

Ilya, who’s currently across from him in the limo they rented out for the night, looks amazing in his sleek black and blue set.

“You look so good today,” Ilya tells him.

“Yeah?”

“The color. It suits you. I have never seen you in it before.”

“Rose picked it out.”

“Rose has taste.”

“I could say the same for you,” Shane says, nodding towards Ilya’s outfit. “I like seeing you in these clothes just as much as I want to take them off you later.”

Ilya’s eyes darken as he looks Shane up and down — not the first time he’s done that tonight and it certainly won’t be the last. 

Before either of them can say anything, the car door opens and they’re met with the overlapping sounds of a crowd of fans and reporters, along with the bright flashing lights of different cameras going off at once.

Shane sees Hayden and Jackie enter the building in front of them just as he gets out of the car. Ilya follows after him and puts a hand on the small of his back.

They’d talked about this, and this isn’t the first time they’ve been touchy out in public either. Shane was expecting to be more nervous about it being in front of the cameras this time, but he surprisingly finds himself leaning into the touch as the walk towards the doors.

Shane can hear camera shutters go off and he can see the white of the flash in the corner of his eye, but he can’t seem to care any more. They’re out. And the world didn’t end. Shane can be himself, and he can do that with Ilya and it feels amazing.

ilyarozanov and shanehollanderhockeyplayer shared a post

 

Image description: A selfie of Shane and Ilya, taken by Shane. Shane is kissing his cheek and Ilya is holding up a hand with a black and gold wedding band proudly on display on his ring finger.

 

The caption reads “я тебя люблю”, “I love you” in Russian, along with a ring emoji.

lola (taylor’s version) @hollanovgirl

… yeah i see it now