Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories:

Gen, M/M

Fandom:

Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander

Additional Tags:

Family, Good Parent Yuna Hollander, POV Yuna Hollander, Protective Yuna Hollander, Episode: s01e06 The Cottage (Heated Rivalry), Missing Scene, Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov Needs A Hug, Ilya Rozanov wants to get a good grade in son in law, which is both possible and something normal to want, It took one conversation for Yuna to go get the adoption papers

Language:

English

Series:

Part 1 of Heated Rivalry Oneshots

Stats:

Published: 2026-02-12 Words: 1,893 Chapters: 1/1

Loyalty is important

Summary

Yuna and Ilya discuss loyalty during a quiet moment after the meal.

“You are right.”

Yuna startles a bit at the suddenness of Ilya's voice. 

By all rights she shouldn't be so surprised. They’ve been cleaning the dishes together for a while now so it's not like she didn't know that the Raider’s Captain was by her side! 

It should be so hard to forget that, so hard not to be hyper aware of his presence at all moments. And yet, Ilya has a way of making himself softer, quieter, that allows him to fade into the background. It clashes with everything Yuna thought she knew of him but, at this point, she’s more than ready to admit that she knew nothing about her son’s ‘biggest rival’.

Said rival had very politely requested she let him help with the clean up after dinner and they had mostly been working in silence, listening to the water running and the sounds of David rummaging around their pantry and trying to find food and, knowing David, probably vodka for Shane, for Shane and Ilyia, to take back to the cottage with them.

“I am right?” she repeats, raising an eyebrow.

It may be rude to say so but she usually is.

And she has spent the last hour giving Ilya advice on how to fix the appalling mess that is his endorsement deals (she really needed to get the kid a better manager, one that doesn’t let him buy expensive cars and give away free publicity to brands that should be begging on their knees for the change to gift him with their product). 

She has also had a hearty debate with him about what the hell was wrong about his team’s defense last year. Because how could they have allowed their star player to bruise his ribs like that? Did they want the Admirals to win the Cup?

So, really, Ilya could be talking about a million different things.

“Loyalty is important,” Ilya says simply.

Oh shit.

Yuna really needs to learn when to keep her opinions to herself. 

If her son’s boyfriend (and that’s still a weird thought to have, something else to work on) chickens out and calls off moving closer to him because of her comment… Well, Shane may forgive her one day but she certainly won’t.

“Boston’s been good to me,” Ilya continues, much to Yuna’s chagrin. She bites her tongue and reminds herself that now is not the time to take a potshot on her rival team. “They drafted me, they trusted me, they made me captain very quickly."

Youngest Captain the Raiders had had in decades. 

Yuna remembers, mostly because it had been in the same year as Shane, which had bothered her quite a bit. 

(Now she just sees another point of connection, another thing they share and can bond over, another way in which this boy may understand her own son better than anyone else alive, herself very much included).

“Their investment paid off,” she says carefully, and congratulates herself on managing to say a flattering truth that also hints at the fact that maybe Ilya’s already paid his dues. Though they did draft him. Still, Yuna should prioritize Shane, not the fucking Riaders. And anyway, “You got them a Cup basically immediately after.”

Another thing Yuna had held against him. Had been furious about, because how dare he get it before Shane did and why did he always manage to get there faster when her son was more talented and worked harder than anyone else? 

Ilya nods. “Yeah, I made them great.” 

His tone isn't even cocky just so matter of factly that Yuna wants to cringe. Shane would never say that about the Metros (though if they are being honest, it’s true in both cases, the boys took crumbling franchises and turned them into contenders). 

“But maybe they made me great too, yeah?” Ilya continues, and Yuna can see that he’s struggling a bit to articulate what he means. “I am greatest player in the league because they took a chance with me and gave me freedom, trust and lots of ice time. ”

“Second greatest,” Yuna can't help but interject. 

It’s probably not what she should say during her first serious conversation with her son’s boyfriend, is it? 

Then again, this is Rozanov.

Ilya winks at her, clearly not offended. “Let's say is tie because I want you to like me, Mrs Hollander.”

Yuna can’t help but smile, Ilya may be a cocky little shit but no one can’t deny he’s charming. (And she should now, she’s tried for years).

“Yuna,” she corrects, much like Ilya had corrected David during lunch.

It earns her a boyish grin, far less guarded than the smirk Ilya usually wears.

“Yuna,” he repeats, carefully pronouncing her name.

He nods and fixes a very serious gaze on her.

“Loyalty is important but…” he hesitates, clearly uncomfortable. “My father, he was not kind man. My brother is much like him. But they are family so I tried to help, yeah? I gave money and listened but I think, maybe that made it worse? And  it was… not good for me to be with them.”

And what is Yuna supposed to say to that?

Nothing apparently because Ilya continues without giving her the chance to.

“Russia,” and now his expression looks truly pained. His eyes have left her and are fixed on the already clean dish that he keeps scrubbing. “It is not kind either. Not to people like me.” Understandment of the century, Yuna’s pretty sure that if this comes out he may have to face time in prison, all for the crime of loving her son. “But it’s home, so I go back there every year even though I hate it.”

Yuna wants to reach out. Wants to hug this boy and promise him that he’ll always have a place in their home.

Just this morning she would have joked about him being the devil incarnate.

Just this morning she’d been seriously convinced that he lived his life without a care in the world. Not a single thought in his head about anything but money, sex, and maybe winning another cup.

It’s humbling, realizing how much she had bought into his media persona. And the worst part is, that she didn’t even keep her opinions to herself. How many times has her son had to bite his tongue, forcing himself not to correct her while she made wild assumptions about a boy she’d never so much as had a conversation with?

She’s a sports fan, she knows that there’s always a narrative. And it’s not wrong to follow it and to get invested, half the fun of hockey is hating on the opposite team and chirping about their star players. Still, she can’t help but wonder if her hate of Rozanov the character made Shane more reluctant to introduce her to Ilya the person.

“Shane said it matters if I like it there, though,” Ilya continues, and his voice is hesitant like he can’t quite trust that yet. “He invited me to his cottage and I…”

And he came.

Despite his family. Despite his fears. Despite having far more to lose than his son if someone figures them out.

Shane asked, so Ilya came.

Ilya doesn’t finish the sentence, he just nods to himself and finally puts down the extremely clean dish on the drying rack. 

He turns towards her and crosses his arms in what Yuna would have assumed was a confrontational gesture before, but is pretty now sure is just this poor boy hugging himself because no one else around will. (How long till she is allowed? Should she check with Shane first?)

“I think loyalty is important, but sometimes, maybe it’s fine to be loyal to me too, yeah?” and why does it feel like he’s asking for permission? “If something hurts too much or even if it doesn't fit quite right. I need to not have Russian passport. And Boston’s great but America is not best place for Russian trying to get new passport, no? Much easier to get Canadian papers, I think. Also Shane’s here. He is too far away when I’m in Boston. In Ottawa would only be two hours. That's…I think it will be good for me. Having him close.”

“It will be good for him too,” Yuna assures him because it’s the plain truth. Also she doesn’t like how Ilya seems to be justifying himself to her. It reminds her too much of her son, earnestly swearing to her that he’d tried.

As for the whole immigration status, she’ll have to do some research. Ilya’s right that it will probably be easier here than in America, of course, and Yuna’s pretty sure that one or two of her and David’s old uni friends could help them. She’ll also have to find the boy a good lawyer, and look at how to sponsor him to expedite the process. 

But all this can wait.

“I’m sorry,” she says for the second time today and meaning it just as much. “I did not mean to imply you were doing anything wrong. You deserve to live your life however you want, regardless of who drafted you.”

Regardless of who you represent, she adds to herself and makes a mental note to have this talk with her son soon too. Too many things have gone unsaid or unclarified between them. Too much pressure put on him with too little reassurances that it was fine if he could not (did not want to) carry it all.

“It’s fine,” Ilya accepts her apology with grace and so, so easily. His gaze is fierce and his tone unwavering when he continues. “Just wanted to make sure you knew I understood. Loyalty is important. I know. You shouldn’t be worried, I am loyal man. Always”

She would have laughed, if she had heard this yesterday. 

Today though, today she does not have one shadow of a doubt. Not after having seen him with her son being a steady, reassuring presence at his side while Shane looked at them with barely disguised fear. Not when he talked him down from a panic attack in less than one minute. Not when he ate pasta and answered their questions and was so polite that she wondered if he had been replaced with a doppelganger. 

“I believe you,” she reassures him. And, because it’s true, she adds. “I trust you with him.”

Ilya looks a bit stunned by her declaration and Yuna can’t blame him. Even putting the whole rivalry aside, she’s never trusted anyone with Shane before (there’s a reason she’s his manager). 

But how could she not, when for the last decade Ilya’s been there for Shane in ways she didn’t even know he needed?

And she can admit that it doesn’t hurt that she now knows that this hockey legend is willing to go to the shittiest team in the league to be closer to her son.

This will not be easy, of course.

Still, since rookie season. 

These kids clearly know what they want and Yuna’s never known her son to back down from a challenge. As for Rozanov? Well, he’s always been the only person capable of keeping up with him. And for the first time in a decade, Yuna decides that that’s not such a bad thing after all