Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

M/M, Multi

Fandoms:

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

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Hayden Pike, Jackie Pike, Cliff Marlow

Additional Tags:

Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, WAG Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander Loves Ilya Rozanov, Social Media, Twitter, Texting, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Homophobia, Outing, Secret Relationship

Language:

English

Series:

Part 4 of Wine Night, Eventually

Stats:

Published: 2026-01-16 Updated: 2026-03-11 Words: 7,004 Chapters: 3/5

Wine Night, Leaked...

Summary

Twitter notices Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
Everything spirals from there.

Notes

i just adore this series like no other

Chapter 1: one

Shane doesn’t see it on Twitter.

He sees it in the team group chat.

They’re on the bus, half-asleep, the city still dark outside the windows. Someone’s got music playing quietly from the back. Someone else is already arguing about coffee like this is a hill worth dying on at six in the morning.

His phone buzzes.

Then buzzes again.

Then once more, insistent.

Drew:
lmao ????

A screenshot follows — cropped too tightly, like Drew grabbed it in a hurry. It’s from the press conference Shane did with Rozanov, both of them seated at the table, microphones angled wrong, lighting too harsh.

Paused mid-frame where Ilya was looking at him.

@hollanderhockeyyfan
paused this by accident and now i can’t unsee it
why does he look at hollander like that???

There’s a reply underneath, half cut off by the crop.

@hockeyboy55
no need to bring that shit to hockey be fr

Shane’s stomach drops.

Not sharply. Not dramatically.
Just enough that the floor tilts.

It’s the framing that gets him — not the tweet itself. The still image. Ilya caught mid-expression, something open in his face that Shane recognizes immediately and has never named.

His phone buzzes again.

Hayden:
ppl on twitter are bored as hell
u good dude??

Shane doesn’t answer right away.

He zooms in on the screenshot without meaning to. On the angle of Ilya’s head. On the way his eyes are focused — not unfriendly, not intense. Just there.

He locks his phone then unlocks it. Checks the timestamp.

Sixteen minutes ago.

Sixteen minutes is nothing but it feels like an eternity.

By the time Shane opens Twitter, the tweet has tripled in engagement.

He scrolls without liking anything. Without touching the screen more than he has to. The replies have already split into camps: jokes, dismissal, analysis that tries very hard not to sound like analysis.

🐻 @BearTownBleeds
Replying to @hollanderhockeyyfan
y’all are so weird about normal eye contact omg

@ilovehockeymen
Replying to @BearTownBleeds
that is NOT normal eye contact be serious

@plsjusthockey
Replying to @ilovehockeymen
it’s literally a press conference. people look at each other.

@sideboardspeaks
Replying to @plsjusthockey
yeah. they don’t usually look like that though.

Shane exhales through his nose.

He tells himself this is nothing. He tells himself he’s overreacting.

Then he sees the Reddit link buried in the replies.

He clicks it.

r/hockeydiscussion
u/hockeyenthusiast
tell me i’m not insane

okay i don’t want to speculate about real people but does anyone else feel like there’s weird tension between rozanov and hollander?? like not bad tension. just… something.

Shane reads it once.

That’s all he allows himself before turning his phone off.

He doesn’t need to get caught up in what the media is posting about him. He knows better than that. He’s dealt with rumors before. This isn’t different.

On the bus, JJ leans over the seat in front of him.

“People are freaks,” JJ says easily, like this is a universal truth and not something newly personal. “Anyway. You want aux later?”

Shane nods.

He keeps his phone angled low, screen dimmed.

He does not send anything to Ilya. Not yet. He's sure he's seen them as well with how much they seem to be going around, but just in case, he didn't want to add to it. Boston had a game later and they wouldn't be seeing each other for a few days.

He takes a deep breath and puts his headphones in, focusing on the game ahead of him.

The TikTok finds him later.

This time, it’s not Drew or JJ — it’s someone from another team, someone Shane hasn’t talked to since juniors, sending it with a laughing emoji and a you seeing this?

The username alone makes his jaw tighten.

@rozanov8811
not saying anything. but they definitely want to fuck.

(attached: slowed clip, red circles, a freeze-frame)

Shane watches it once.

Then again.

The third time, he stops it himself — not where the red circle is, but half a second before. The moment he remembers clearly. The joke someone made off-camera. The way he leaned in without thinking. The way it felt so normal he never thought to check himself.

The comments are worse than the video.

@hollanderloverr
this feels invasive actually

@shanedefender
nah sorry that’s not a platonic vibe

@queerontheboards
everyone calm down… we can’t get excited yet

@metrosfan8
you guys are projecting SO hard

@shanedefender (two minutes later)
okay but like… still.

It shows up in the big WAGs chat an hour after Hayden sends Shane a screenshot of the latest tweet thread.

Jackie: y’all i can’t believe the stuff people are saying about shane right now

Mara: i just saw it 😬

Rin: they’re being so weird about him

Noelle: yeah. like invasive weird.

Ilya is sitting at the kitchen table when it comes through, phone facedown beside his coffee. He flips it over anyway.

Jackie: i know we joke about rumors but this feels different

Tess: people are acting like they’re entitled to answers

There’s a pause.
Then:

Jackie: lily — i’m really sorry you have to deal with this too

The typing bubbles appear. Disappear.

Noelle: yeah. i mean — i know none of this is about you but still

Rin: it’s not fair. none of it is.

Ilya doesn’t respond right away.

He reads the messages again, slower this time. Not the words themselves — the tone. The way the chat has shifted from commentary to care without anyone needing to say why.

Finally:

Lily: thank you
Lily: it’s okay

Jackie: it doesn’t have to be, btw

Tess: ^ yeah. we’ve got you.

A heart reaction pops up. Then another.

Ilya sets his cup of water down quickly before opening up twitter.

🐻 @rozyfan2222
mostly i’m tired of acting like roz isn’t eye fucking hollander any chance he gets

The replies come fast.

@hockkeyman7
this is a WILD thing to say about real people actually

@montrealsportsfan
okay but you’re not wrong 😭

@queerontheboards
can we maybe not phrase it like that and still acknowledge there’s Something going on

No one deletes anything.

That’s what makes it worse.

By the time Shane is alone again, the day feels stretched thin.

It’s after midnight when Shane opens Twitter again, the room quiet except for the low buzz of the mini-fridge. He tells himself he’s just checking the timeline. Just making sure nothing’s on fire. Just confirming it’s blown over.

It hasn’t.

The tweet Hayden sent yesterday is still there, now with replies folded into replies, people arguing with a seriousness that makes Shane’s jaw tighten.

📊 @analyticsofhockey
This is NOT evidence

📚 @itsalwaysyou
Do we even need evidence??

@metrosarebad
I feel like we are making this up

@hollanov.enthusiast
cannot make up that tension cmonnn

Shane scrolls.

He shouldn’t. He knows that. He’s been told — explicitly — not to search his name. He tells rookies not to. He tells himself he won’t fall into that trap.

Still.

He clicks the Reddit link.

r/hockeydiscussion
u/neutralloverroz
I am most definitely not insane

Shane scrolls past the top comments into the newer ones — the ones written after the trade rumors started heating up.

u/creaselovees
this feels less like “they’re hiding something” and more like “they didn’t think they had to”

u/linechangeenergy
yeah. that’s the part that’s getting me. it feels… unguarded.

u/shanedefneder
if nothing else, it’s clear they trust each other a lot.

Shane locks his phone.

Then unlocks it again. 

He only had to wait a little longer to see Ilya.

The All-Star Game is supposed to be a break.

That’s the lie everyone agrees to.

Shane tells himself it’ll be easier here — neutral ice, less pressure, more cameras but fewer stakes. He tells himself the distance might help. He tells himself a lot of things that don’t hold up the moment he sees Ilya again.

The first time they lock eyes across the rink, something in Shane’s chest loosens in a way he hadn’t realized was tight.

They don’t hug. They don’t do anything that would look like anything.

They just skate closer.

It’s automatic. Muscle memory. Familiarity. The kind of thing no one questions because it’s too small to be suspicious.

Except the internet has learned how to zoom.

After the skills competition, someone posts a clip Shane doesn’t even remember noticing at the time.

It’s nothing but everything at the same time.

Ilya leans in, murmurs something in Shane’s ear. Shane laughs, tilts his head without thinking.

Ilya presses a quick kiss to Shane’s cheek as he scored a goal.

It’s over in less than a second.

Shane remembers it as a reflex. As comfort. As something so ordinary he doesn’t think to check the cameras.

The internet remembers it differently.

Shane sees the clip because his phone won’t stop buzzing.

This time it’s everyone.

@hollanderismyhusband
okay. i was trying to be normal but.

that was a kiss, right?

The replies are chaos.

@haydenpikeisthebest
ON THE CHEEK.

@bostonhockeylover
the way he didn’t even flinch

@rozlvr3
that’s not a “good goal” kiss

@plsilovehotmen
can we not do this???

@rozanovisthebest

I agree rozanov would never do that

The clip spreads faster than anything else has.

Reddit explodes.

New threads, new titles, less hedging now.

okay i wasn’t going to say anything but

all-star game clip discussion

i know we said not to speculate but come on

Across the city, Ilya sees it differently.

People analyze angles. Slow the clip down. Argue about cultural norms, about hockey rituals, about whether it was the usual banter he kept with his teammates.

Someone posts:

u/creasephysics
it’s not the kiss. It’s the look in his eyes!!!!! 

That’s when Ilya stops.

Because they’re right.

He closes the app and stares at the ceiling.

He can still feel it—the brief press of Shane’s cheek to his lips, familiar and grounding. He remembers thinking nothing of it. Remembering the noise, the lights, the way the crowd felt far away for a split second.

He hadn’t thought about who might be watching.

That feels like a mistake now.

Ilya closes the app.

He sets his phone down on the counter and stands there for a moment longer than necessary, palms flat, breathing measured. The apartment is quiet in the way hotels never are — no hum of other lives behind the walls, no sense of being watched.

The phone vibrates again.

Not the group chat.
Not Twitter.

A name he hasn’t muted because he’s never had to.

Marlow: You see that crazy shit they are saying??

Ilya stares at the message.

Cliff Marlow does not ask questions he doesn’t already know the answer to. If he’s asking this, it means he’s seen enough.

Ilya types.

Deletes it.

Types again.

Ilya: Yes. Is annoying.

The reply comes a minute later.

Marlow: yeah. figured.
Marlow: just wanted you to know they’re all dumb fucks

Ilya exhales slowly through his nose.

He doesn’t respond.

Marlow isn’t offering advice. He isn’t asking for confirmation. He isn’t trying to pull Ilya into a conversation that would require definitions or decisions.

Ilya locks his phone and sets it face-down this time, deliberate. The city outside the window is still moving. Headlines will still be written. Clips will still be slowed down until meaning is forced out of them.

That can wait.

For now, it’s enough to know that someone saw it clearly — and didn’t try to take it from him.

Another text comes later that night.

No group chat.
No audience.

Just a single notification.

Jackie: hey
Jackie: just wanted to check — you okay?

Ilya stares at the message longer than he should.

He types.

Deletes it.

Types again.

Lily: yeah
Lily: just tired

The response comes almost immediately.

Jackie: that makes sense
Jackie: you don’t owe anyone explanations, okay? including us

Ilya swallows.

Lily: i know
Lily: thank you

Three dots appear. Disappear.

Then:

Jackie: for what it’s worth
Jackie: i’m really glad you’re here

Ilya doesn’t answer right away.

When he does, it’s simple.

Lily: me too

He sets the phone down after that.

Outside, the city hums — distant, indifferent, unchanged. Inside, something has shifted quietly into place.

Not safety.

But support.

By morning, the narrative has shifted.

The word tension gives way to history.

The All-Star clip reframes everything that came before it: the glances, the tracking, the timing, the trade. People speak with more confidence now, like the internet has decided it’s allowed to connect the dots.

A tweet rises to the top of Ilya’s timeline:

@itsalwayshockeymenforme
this wasn’t teasing tbh

this was muscle memory 100%

@shanedefender

no yeah what is this and why is it happening

Ilya reads it twice.

He puts his phone down.

Across the city, somewhere he doesn’t let himself think about too hard, Shane is probably doing the same thing. Or not doing it at all. Ilya can’t decide which thought is worse.

Chapter 2: two

Chapter Notes

hiii thank you everyone for all the love on part 1!!! :)) i do wish i could update every day but i hope it's worth the wait!!! will be updating again soon!

The trade announcement for Ilya to Ottawa drops the next afternoon.

It doesn’t break the internet at first. It doesn’t trend the way scandals do, or the way injuries do. It’s framed professionally — a roster move, cap logic, a statement about future direction. Analysts debate fit. Fans argue value. The league absorbs it the way it absorbs everything else: quickly, loudly, and with confidence it understands what just happened.

By the time Shane opens his phone that night, the narrative has already shifted.

Not forward — backward.

Old screenshots resurface. Old clips. The same paused press conference frame Shane has already seen too many times, now posted without hesitation, without the hedging language that used to surround it. The Reddit thread comes back first, resurrected like it’s been waiting for this exact moment.

r/hockeydiscussion
u/linechangeenergy
this is absolutely insane.
no way Rozy is leaving Boston?????

The replies stack faster than Shane can read them.

u/creasephysics
okay but doesn’t this suddenly make the last few months make sense

u/defendingshanehollander
not saying it’s related but the timing is wild

u/jegulusismine
this feels less like a shock trade and more like fallout

Someone links the All-Star clip again. Someone else drops the TikTok edit with the red circles. Another comment resurfaces the original tell me i’m not insane post, now highlighted like prophecy instead of paranoia.

u/hockeyenthusiast
remember when people said we were projecting

No one answers that.

Twitter follows fast, but in a different way — less analysis, more implication.

📣@OttawaHC
Welcome to the capital, Ilya Rozanov 🔴⚫
Excited to have you.

The replies are normal for exactly three minutes.

Then:

@sensfan4life
huge pickup omg

@nhlnerd
actually a solid move for both sides

And then:

 @rozy129
okay but when are you getting shane hollander #hollanov

The quote tweets explode.

 @hockeyisthebest
you people are DELUSIONAL

 @speakforme
why is that the first place your mind went though

@hollanov.enthusiast
i mean. we’re just asking questions. 👀

The hashtag doesn’t trend. Not really. It floats instead — just visible enough to notice if you’re already looking.

That’s the strange part. None of this has reached the big outlets yet. No headlines. No breathless panels. No “league sources say.” The professional world is acting like everything is normal.

Shane doesn’t look again that night.

On the bus, he keeps his phone face-down and answers Drew with a shrug and a noncommittal yeah, all good, lets the city slide past the window the way it always does. The group chat blows up once the news hits, the team texting in usual fashion. 

The next day brings a different kind of pressure. Shane appears once — a charity event he committed to weeks ago, a neutral backdrop, neutral questions. He’s careful without being stiff, polite without being closed. Someone else is being interviewed nearby, and Shane ends up in the background of the shot, laughing at something off-camera.

The clip circulates anyway.

Reporters try gently.

Shane answers the way he always does. Teammates. Routine. Focus. He doesn’t over-explain. He doesn’t correct anything. He lets silence sit where it wants to.

Ilya, meanwhile, says nothing at all.

No comment. No clarification. No visible reaction. He doesn’t deny, but he doesn’t confirm either. He simply continues as if silence is a complete sentence.

That’s what people latch onto.

Fans stop parsing words and start parsing bodies. Shane’s posture. The pauses between questions. The way he glances briefly off-camera before answering. The way he never rushes to fill the space.

And then — quietly, without fanfare — Shane’s phone lights up with a name he’s been avoiding.

Ilya: Are you okay?

The question is simple. It shouldn’t feel like this much.

Shane: Yeah. Just tired. You?

There’s a pause — longer than usual, but not alarming.

Ilya: Same. Noise everywhere.

Shane exhales, shoulders dropping slightly as if his body has been waiting for permission.

Shane: Yeah. It’s… louder than I expected.

Another pause.

Ilya: We do not have to do anything.

That’s the first real thing either of them has said.

Shane sits with it, thumbs hovering.

Shane: I know. I just wanted to check we’re on the same page.

Ilya: We are.

The certainty steadies him.

They don’t say out. They don’t say not yet. They don’t say ever. They talk instead about what they are saying — about the Irina Foundation launch they’ve already planned, about the youth hockey school announcement scheduled for later in the summer.

Shane:If people see us doing things together, but it’s clearly… work, I think that helps.

Ilya: Yes. Normal.

Shane almost laughs.

Shane: You’re bad at normal.

Ilya: I can try.

That’s as close as they get to teasing, and it feels like relief.

Either way, Shane still feels the anxiety buzzing at his edges. Which is why he doesn’t really mean to call.
He just stares at the screen long enough that his thumb slips.

It rings twice.

“Hey,” Ilya says, voice low, like he stepped away from something.

“Hey,” Shane replies. He leans back against the counter, lets the quiet stretch. “Sorry. I just—”

“I know.”

That stops him.

“It’s just… so much,” Shane says finally.

“Yes.”

“But not… bad?”

Ilya hums, considering. “Not yet.”

Shane exhales, a half-laugh escaping him. “That’s about where I landed.”

Another pause. Not uncomfortable. Just careful.

“We can keep it boring,” Ilya says. “Publicly.”

“I like boring,” Shane says. “I’m very good at boring.”

Ilya snorts. “You always are.”

Shane smiles despite himself.

“If it gets weird,” Shane says, quieter now, “we talk first.”

“Always,” Ilya says.

Shane hesitates, then exhales. “Right now, the focus is on the foundation and the hockey school. That’s what matters. The rest can wait.”

“Exactly,” Ilya says. There’s noise behind him — voices, movement — but his tone stays even. “We’re doing good things.”

They hang up a moment later. No resolution. No plan. 

Just steadier ground.

Later that month, the foundation announcement goes live. Clean graphics. Clear mission. Mental health support. The hockey school for the summer follows — clinics, scholarships, nothing flashy.

The response is warm. Respectful. Media outlets pick it up for exactly what it is.

The internet, predictably, reads between lines that aren’t there.

@boardsandbrains
love this initiative. also interesting timing 👀

@nhlgoodvibes
wait are shane hollander and rozanov working together now???

@plslovercomeover
they are ALLOWED to be friends

And then — because Ilya cannot help himself entirely — he likes one tweet.

Just one.

@youthhockeymatters
this is what leadership looks like

Liked by @Ilyarozanovofficial

It’s enough to send people spiraling. Not because it confirms anything — but because it doesn’t deny it.

The first public sighting happens two days later.

It’s boring.

Someone posts a grainy photo from a café patio in Ottawa. Two men. Coffee cups. Jackets. No touching. No leaning in. Just proximity that feels unremarkable unless you already know how to look.

@citysightlines
pretty sure i just saw ilya rozanov downtown with… shane hollander?? maybe??? could be wrong.

Replies argue about geography. About schedules. About whether Shane would even be in Ottawa.

The foundation post lands in the WAGs chat almost immediately.

Jackie: this is actually really cool lily

Tess: yeah omg i didn’t know he was doing this with rozanov

Rin: mental health and the youth hockey is such a good combo

There’s a brief pause — not awkward, just curious.

Noelle: i didn’t realize they were involved together?

Ilya glances at the message, then types without overthinking it.

Lily: it’s for a good cause and gets good media traction — even better for donations

The reply comes fast.

Jackie: honestly that makes so much sense

Tess: yeah that’s actually really smart

Rin: and it keeps the focus where it should be

Someone reacts with a heart. Then another.

The conversation moves on — outfits, travel, a complaint about airline food — the way it always does when something has been sufficiently explained.

Ilya sets the phone down, relieved in a quiet, practical way.

Nothing questioned.
Nothing clarified.
Nothing changed.

The first TikTok Ilya sees is sent to the WAGs chat by Tess at 11:42 p.m.

Tess: okay but PLEASE tell me you’ve all seen this one lily 😭

A link follows.

Ilya doesn’t open it immediately. He’s learned — recently — that opening things too fast is how you ruin your own night. He sets his phone down, finishes rinsing his glass, then picks it up again and taps the screen.

The video loads slowly, like it knows it’s about to cause problems.

It’s a slideshow edit. Almost too ironic to be sincere. The first slide is the infamous press conference still — circled, annotated, zoomed until the pixels blur.

Text overlaid:“There was no chance, trying to be the greatest in the league.”

Next slide: a freeze-frame from the All-Star clip, slowed down.

“Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me.”

Then, because of course Americans, a cut to a completely unrelated picture at the end of the edit of two dogs, a black one on the left with its tongue out and a lab side eyeing it on the right. The left being labeled “Rozanov,” and the right “Hollander.”

The photo has “anyway.” written over the top with a disclaimer in the caption that it was purely a joke (after it blew up with its current 200k likes)

Ilya snorts before he can stop himself.

The comments are worse.

@idrewstarkeygirlfriend: this changed my brain chemistry

@straightforwardhockey: why am i kind of shipping though

@olibarnlover: i came here to learn about hockey and now i’m emotionally invested???

@hockeystan: WHY are the montreal wives in the comments 👀

Ilya scrolls down just enough to see that, yes, several of the WAGs have liked it. No comments. That, more than anything, makes him laugh.

He taps back to the group chat.

Rin: oh my god i saw that 😭

Jackie: the dogs took me OUT

Noelle: they’re so unserious about this i can’t

Tess: i know we shouldn’t encourage it but this one is kinda cute???

There’s a pause — the kind where Ilya can tell everyone is collectively checking themselves.

Then:

Jackie: now that’s a little far lol poor lily has to deal with this

Ilya smiles at his phone.

Lily: it is funny

The response comes fast.

Tess: RIGHT???

Rin: thank god you said it first

Jackie: we are allowed to laugh at the dogs now

Someone sends another link.

This one is worse.

It’s a compilation video — every time Ilya brings up Shane in an interview in press footage, stitched together with increasing speed until it’s almost dizzying.

Caption: "Y'all we aren’t delusional"

Ilya presses his lips together, shoulders shaking.

He doesn’t comment. He doesn’t like it. But he doesn’t scroll past either.

The chat explodes.

Noelle: okay THIS one is a reach

Tess: or is it 👀

Tess: they are convincing me now?? lily?? anything to tell us lol?

Lily: i have my secrets

Jackie: on a real note these people always shock me like yes he mentions him they are rivals??? 

Rin: this is why i don’t let the internet perceive me

Ilya sets the phone down for a second, still smiling. The laughter catches him off guard — not because it’s forbidden, but because it’s easy. No panic spike. No urge to brace.

Just absurdity.

He picks the phone back up and opens his messages.

Ilya: you see the edit yet with the dog picture?

It takes a few seconds.

Then:

Shane: unfortunately yes

Ilya grins.

Ilya: they made us dogs

Shane: i knew it would happen eventually

There’s a pause. Then:

Shane:  it’s kinda funny though

The admission feels important.

Ilya: yes. that one is harmless.

Shane: don’t tell my agent you said that

Ilya:i will deny everything

Ilya sets the phone down after that, the smile lingering longer than the screen stays lit.

The internet, meanwhile, continues its descent into nonsense.

A new Reddit thread gains traction overnight.

r/hockeydiscussion
u/boardsandbanter
okay serious question why are people being FUNNY about this now

Top comment:

u/creasephysics
because once you realize you don’t have a right to answers, all you can do is be delusional

Replies follow.

u/hollanderhockeyyfan
honestly this is healthier

u/rozisthebestplayer
i would rather the dogs than discourse

u/goalhornsadness
i think this might be the least toxic timeline???

Someone posts a screenshot of the Ottawa café photo again — this time zoomed out, framed differently, less accusatory.

Caption:“this could literally be two coworkers getting coffee.”

For the first time, the replies mostly agree.

TikTok shifts too. Less red circles. More jokes. A trend starts where people duet the All-Star clip pretending to explain it like a wildlife documentary.

“This is the common hockey player,” one voiceover says solemnly. “Notice how he leans instinctively toward the one he trusts.”

Ilya watches one of these late at night, alone on the couch, laughing quietly into his hand.

He sends it to Shane without comment.

Shane replies with a please stop.

Ilya does not stop.

The next morning, a smaller account posts something.

@jacewashereforfame
pretty sure i just walked past two nhl players arguing about pastries. very serious business.

Replies speculate briefly, then lose interest. No hashtags. No edits. Just a moment, allowed to pass.

Ilya reads it once and closes the app.

For the first time in days, the internet feels almost… manageable. Still watching. Still invasive. But softened by humor, by distance, by the understanding that maybe not everything needs to be solved immediately.

He texts Shane one last time before bed.

Ilya: i think they will get bored soon.

Shane takes a while to answer.

Shane: maybe. but if they don’t… at least they’re being weird in a funny way now.

Ilya smiles at that.

It isn’t safety.

But it’s breathing room.

And for now, that feels like enough.

Chapter End Notes

i just love them and the edit i semi referenced is @m588644 on tiktok sooo go watch it i love it and YES it's the dogs everyone comments about hudson and connor i had to add it okay

hope you enjoyed :)) all comments appreciated thank you all!!!

Chapter 3

Chapter Notes

hi all do not kill me for how long it's been school is crazy (as usual) and i vow to not start writing 3 fics before taking organic chemistry again!

anyway enjoy i had so much fun with this!!!

small homophobia warning it isn't too bad but it's there

It starts with a like.

Not a statement. Not a reporter. Just a notification that lands with the wrong kind of weight because it’s small enough to be plausible.

Hayden posts a gif — something stupid from a game, a freeze-frame of Shane on his knees sliding across the ice with [crowd cheering] stamped over it. The kind of thing players tweet when they’re bored.

It gets the usual response: laughing replies, mild thirst, a few “bro???” comments from teammates who should be in practice.

Then Hayden tweets again.

A single character.

Hayden Pike (@NotHaydenPike):
?

Because under his post, the platform helpfully announces: Ilya Rozanov liked your post — 40s.

The internet does what it always does with things like this. 

Someone screenshots it before Ilya can un-like it. Someone zooms. Someone circles his name like that makes it more real. Someone posts the screenshot with a caption that’s too casual to be innocent.

@linechangeenergy:
HELLO?????

Replies pile up immediately, half joking, half feral.

@hollanov.enthusiast:
this is so intimate to witness

@plsjusthockey:
it’s a LIKE. go touch grass.

@queerontheboards:
i’m not saying anything. i’m just watching the timeline with my hands folded.

Somewhere between the second and third quote tweet, Ilya realizes what happened.

He’s in a lobby. Not even his lobby. Some sponsor thing in Ottawa with too-bright lighting and too many people pretending they aren’t checking their phones. He scrolls one-handed, thumb moving without thinking, and the app betrays him in the most mundane way possible.

A like. An accident. A mistake anyone could make.

He stares at the screen, expression blank, and for one full second considers doing nothing at all. Let them have it. Let it be meaningless. Let it pass.

Across the city, Shane sees it while standing in front of the fridge, door open, not actually hungry. He watches the screenshot float across his timeline like a paper boat heading toward a waterfall.

He tells himself it’s nothing.

He knows better by now.

The funniest part is that, for once, nobody is being cruel. The replies aren’t sharp. They’re giddy. Like the internet has decided this is a treat.

The vibe is almost… affectionate.

“soft launch via twitter” someone jokes.

“ottawa already doing the most” another says.

Shane scrolls until he finds Hayden’s original tweet again — the question mark hovering above the screenshot like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever seen.

And then, like a man walking into traffic just to prove he can, Ilya posts.

No thread. No explanation. No emoji. Just five words that somehow make it worse.

Ilya Rozanov (@therealrozanov):
I like by accident

Shane stares at it, then laughs once — sharp, involuntary. It punches out of him before he can decide whether it’s allowed.

Because it’s so Ilya. Because it’s almost sincere. Because it’s the first time either of them has acknowledged the idea directly, even in this stupid, sideways way.

The internet loses its mind.

@montrealsportsfan:
“i like by accident” is sending me 😭

@analystwithopinions:
that’s not even a denial. that’s a brand.

@plsjusthockey:
DELETE THIS. NOW.

@sensfan4life:
ottawa hasn’t even unpacked him and he’s already trending lmao

A few accounts try to be serious about it, like seriousness is still a currency.

“This is why players need media training.”

“This is feeding the speculation.”

“This is irresponsible.”

But they get drowned out by memes immediately.

People post screenshots of their own accidental likes like it’s a solidarity movement.

Someone edits “I like by accident” over a clip of a goalie falling on his ass.

The funniest part is how quickly it stops feeling like a scandal at all. It becomes… fun.. Another thing fans file away next to the cheek kiss, the coffee photo, and the foundation post.

The professional world remains silent. No NHL insiders quote it. No big sports accounts pick it up. It stays in that strange limbo where the internet is convinced something is happening and everyone important is pretending not to notice.

Which almost makes it safe.

Almost.

That night, Shane texts Ilya a screenshot of the tweet.

Shane:
“i like by accident” really

The reply comes faster than Shane expects.

Ilya:
Is true.

Shane:
You could have just… not tweeted at all.

A beat.

Ilya: Maybe. But it was funny.

Shane’s mouth curves before he can stop it. A tiny, stupid warmth.

Shane: Hayden’s gonna bully you forever.

Ilya: He already does.

It’s nothing. It’s casual. It’s light enough to breathe through.

And that’s why it’s dangerous.

Because for a few hours, it feels like the internet can be managed. Like humor can soften the edges. Like the worst thing that can happen is a meme and a trending quote tweet and a few hundred strangers arguing about the meaning of a heart icon.

Shane goes to bed thinking maybe they’re learning how to live with being watched.

Ilya falls asleep thinking maybe the noise is losing interest.

And then the next afternoon, Hayden uploads a fanmail thank-you video from outside his house.

He doesn’t know anyone can see what’s behind him.

He doesn’t notice the reflection.

And the internet, starving for something real, finally gets it.

The replies don’t trickle in so much as they avalanche all at once, the screenshot reposted with no commentary and spreading faster than anyone can keep track of, because the internet does what it always does when it’s handed something.

@linechangeenergy:
okay hold on. HOLD ON.

@hollanderhockeyyfan:
UM GUYS

@goalhornsadness:
i just got actual chills what the fuck

@sensfanwithopinions:
that is NOT something we were supposed to see

@nhlfan333:
DELETE THIS DELETE THIS DELETE THIS

The first wave of reactions is pure shock, the kind that comes from people realizing at the same moment that what they’re looking at is different from the clips and screenshots and speculation that came before it, and a handful of users try to slow the spread before it really gets moving, posting replies that ask people to pause or think for a second before circulating something that clearly wasn’t meant for public consumption.

@hockeyfan11:
can we maybe pause before sharing this around????

@montrealmm1:
yeah maybe don’t screenshot private moments????

Those replies disappear almost immediately beneath the second wave of responses, buried by people who have already moved past hesitation and straight into analysis, speculation, and wondering if Shane and Ilya know about it.

@montrealsportsfan:
WAIT so were we right this whole time??

@hockeyislife24:
i’m sorry but if you kiss someone in public-adjacent spaces what do you expect

@queerontheboards:
absolutely not. this is a reflection in someone else’s video. be serious.

@statisticallyinclined:
this explains literally everything from the last year

@plsjusthockey:
why are people acting like this is a scavenger hunt we WON

@icegirlfriend:
i feel sick actually

@bostonfan2

This is a disgrace to hockey

The image mutates as it spreads, because that’s what the internet does when something visual appears—it dissects it, slows it down, sharpens it until the pixels start to break apart, and within minutes someone has posted a slowed version of the video itself while someone else overlays arrows and labels as if identifying the figures will somehow make the moment easier to process.

@creasephysics:
i’m uncomfortable with how confident everyone is about this

@hollanov.enthusiast:
idk what y’all want me to say this is clearly them

@bostonsadgirl:
this was not meant to be seen

And then the tone fractures again, because the internet never stays in one emotional lane for long. The same post that makes some people uneasy becomes an excuse for others to say the quiet part out loud.

@hockeyfan33:
if this is real the league is a joke now

@traditionovereverything:
this is exactly what’s wrong with hockey culture lately

@puckandpride:
oh so homophobia is where you landed. cool.

@nhlgoodvibes:
yeah actually maybe don’t turn someone’s private moment into your culture war

@oldschoolhockey:
fans shouldn’t have to deal with this shit

@queerontheboards:
“deal with” what exactly. two people kissing???

The argument spreads sideways from there, replies stacking on top of replies until no one is even talking about the original image anymore so much as the meaning people have decided to attach to it.

Reddit implodes shortly after, because Reddit always does when something like this escapes containment and lands somewhere designed for longer arguments instead of reaction-speed commentary.

r/hockeydiscussion
u/boardsandbanter
okay this feels wrong

I know we’ve been joking for weeks but this doesn’t feel like something we should be sharing around?? like this was not posted by them. at all.

The top reply arrives almost immediately.

u/creasephysics:
this crossed a line. acknowledging rumors is not the same as consenting to surveillance.

The second comment follows close behind.

u/linechangeenergy:
yeah i was having fun and now i want to crawl out of my skin

The third response goes in the opposite direction entirely.

u/hockeytruthbomb:
or maybe they shouldn’t have been doing that where people could see 🤷‍♂️

That comment gets downvoted at first, then upvoted as more people arrive, then screenshotted and reposted on other platforms where the argument starts over again with fresh audiences who weren’t present for the earlier conversation.

Back on Twitter the tone continues to slide, shifting from shock to something heavier as people realize what they’re actually looking at and what it means for the weeks of speculation that led up to it.

@queerontheboards:
this went from just a joke to “oh shit” REAL fast

@nhlgoodvibes:
i wish i had not seen that

@sensfan4life:
wait so hayden didn’t even KNOW???

@dontreadcomments:
this is why i hate this app actually

The screenshots keep circulating anyway, reshared faster than anyone can track and detached further and further from the original video until the moment itself becomes the only thing that remains, stripped of context and explanation and reduced to a single frame that people argue over as if repetition will somehow change what they’re looking at.

The tweet spreads quickly, pulling thousands of likes in less than an hour.

The replies keep multiplying long after the original post stops feeling like the center of the conversation. The screenshot detaches from the video it came from, circulating in tighter crops and higher contrast, passed between accounts that weren’t even following the original thread. By the time it reaches the edges of the hockey internet—smaller fan accounts, regional sports pages, people who only vaguely follow the league—the context is gone completely. What remains is just the image and the certainty people project onto it.

Ilya sees it before Shane does.

Not because he’s looking for it. Because his phone won’t stop vibrating.

At first he assumes it’s the group chat again, or Marlow, or one of the endless notifications that have been trailing them for weeks. Shane’s apartment is quiet except for the dull hum of the refrigerator and the city somewhere far below the windows, and he rolls onto his side with the vague irritation of someone expecting another pointless meme.

The first screenshot takes a second to register.

He stares at it without blinking, the reflection warped slightly by the glass behind Hayden’s shoulder, the shapes indistinct enough that the brain wants to dismiss them as coincidence.

Then he recognizes the angle of Shane’s shoulders.

The way his hand rests at Ilya’s waist. The kiss itself. For a moment Ilya doesn’t move at all.

The stillness is instinctive, like the moment after a puck hits the boards and no one knows where it’s going to bounce yet.

His phone buzzes again.

Another screenshot. More messages.

Ilya exhales slowly through his nose. He’s not even worried about hockey. His first thought is of Shane.

Then he reaches over and shakes Shane’s shoulder.

Not hard. Just enough.

“Shane.”

Shane makes a noise that’s halfway between a groan and a question, his voice thick with sleep as he pulls the blanket higher around his shoulders.

“What.”

Ilya doesn’t answer right away. He’s still looking at the screen, watching the numbers climb in real time as the post spreads beyond the cluster of accounts that had been joking about them earlier.

Finally he turns the phone so Shane can see it.

Shane squints at the brightness.

For a second his expression stays blank, the brain lagging behind the image the way it does when you’re dragged out of sleep too fast.

Then it lands.

“Oh.”

That’s all he says.

Just oh.

The word sits in the air between them longer than it should.

Shane pushes himself up against the headboard, running a hand down his face as he looks at the image again, like staring at it longer might make it resolve into something else.

“Is it everywhere?” he asks finally.

Ilya tilts the screen back toward himself, scrolling once. Twice.

“Yes.”

Shane lets out a breath that sounds almost like a laugh, except there’s nothing funny about it.

“Jesus.”

The phone buzzes again in Ilya’s hand.

A new notification.
Another repost.

Someone has slowed the video down.

Someone else has drawn arrows.

Shane watches the screen for another few seconds before leaning back against the headboard again, staring at the ceiling like it might offer a solution neither of them has thought of yet.

“Well,” he says eventually, voice rough. “That’s… one way to find out.”

Ilya huffs quietly.

Neither of them touches the phone again for a while.

Outside the apartment the city is still moving the way it always does, taxis sliding past intersections and streetlights blinking through their cycles like nothing important has changed.

Inside, the internet is still arguing about the reflection.

But the moment itself—the one the screenshot caught and turned into evidence—has already finished unfolding.

And now there’s nothing either of them can do about it.

By midday the internet has already moved through three different phases of reaction, cycling from shock to analysis to the kind of loud, moralizing certainty.

Shane stops reading sometime around noon.

Not intentionally. The feed just stops feeling like information and starts feeling like chaos, the same arguments looping over and over with slightly different usernames attached.

The texts are easier.

Not calm, exactly, but human.

The WAGs chats had exploded sometime after sunrise — questions layered over apologies layered over confusion — but by the time Shane and Ilya finally sit down with their phones again later in the afternoon, the tone has settled into something quieter and Ilya said the WAG group took it well.

Concern more than curiosity.

A lot of are you okay messages. A lot of take your time. A surprising number of we’ve got you.

No accusations or pressure yet. Shane hadn’t talked to his parents but he assumed he had until tomorrow to put that off.

Shane reads over Ilya’s shoulder for a minute before leaning back in the chair.

“That could’ve gone worse,” he says.

Ilya nods.

“Yes.”

It’s not nothing. The relief sits in the room for a moment — small, but real.

Then Shane’s phone buzzes again.

Not a text.

A notification.

He doesn’t need to open it to know what it is.

The internet never really stopped.

While they were answering messages and drinking protein smoothies and trying to remember how normal conversations worked, the timeline kept spinning — more clips, more screenshots, more people deciding what the reflection meant and how long it must have existed before someone noticed it.

Shane flips his phone over again without opening the app.

Across the table, Ilya does the same.

The quiet lasts maybe thirty seconds.

Then both their phones buzz again.

And again.

And again.

The world outside the apartment hasn’t decided to move on yet.