Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Boston Bears | Boston Raiders Team Ensemble (Game Changers), Cliff Marlow | Cliff Marleau, Yuna Hollander

Additional Tags:

Montreal Voyageurs | Montreal Metros Being Assholes (Game Changers), Supportive Boston Bears | Boston Raiders (Game Changers), Good Friend Cliff Marlow | Cliff Marleau, Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Situationships, WAG Shane Hollander, Boston Bears | Boston Raiders WAGs Group Chat (Game Changers), Shane Hollander Gets Outed, Supportive Cliff Marlow | Cliff Marleau

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-08-06 Completed: 2026-08-25 Words: 11,403 Chapters: 11/11

Allies or Enemies

Summary

Cliff slowly eases the phone out of Ilya's sleeping hand. He answers, putting the call on loudspeaker.
'Rozanov. Thank fuck. I know you probably don't want to hear from me. But I was just fucking mugged. I don't know where the fuck I am. And my phone is going to die. Can you-'
'Is that Shane fucking Hollander?!' Brad yells.
There's a long pause before Shane speaks again. 'I'm in fucking hell.'

***
With Ilya indisposed, the Raiders rescue Shane from a terrible night in Boston.

Chapter 1

As much as Ilya brags about Russians superior alcohol tolerance, he's the first to pass out from drink after a particularly brutal loss to Montreal. 

Cliff isn't too surprised. Ilya has been in a weird mood for weeks now. After the first few drinks, Cliff had finally managed to get Ilya to admit that he had a falling out with the infamous Montreal Jane. 

The pair have been on and off for years in a way that makes Cliff want to shake some sense into Ilya. He's obviously head over heels for the girl. With the dopiest smile on his face whenever he gets a text from her.

But Ilya insists that it's nothing more than a casual fling. It would be too complicated to be anything else. And actually he's better off without Jane and her perfect fucking freckles. 

Ilya won't tell them what the fight was about. He just drinks his weight in vodka and passes out on Victor's couch. So naturally, they find a marker and draw a dick on his face. 

They're fighting over what to write across his forehead when Ilya's phone starts to ring. They go very still when they see the contact on the screen. 

Jane. 

'Fuck.' Cliff says, staring at the phone. 

'What do we do?' Victor asks, as if Cliff has any idea.

'He'll literally kill us.' Cliff warns. 

'You're not even a little bit curious about this girl?' Ryan asks, he reaches for the phone but Cliff slaps his hand away. 

'Obviously. But I value my fucking life.'

'He doesn't need to know.' 

The call ends and they let out a collective sigh of relief that they didn't have to make a decision. 

But then it rings again. 

'Seems important.' Ryan pushes.

Victor rolls his eyes. 'It's just a booty call.' 

'We should at least let her know he's unconscious so she can find someone else to hook up with.' Ryan says. 

Brad grins. 'I volunteer as tribute.'

'Cap would definitely kill you.'

'They broke up, right?' Brad shrugs. 

'They never actually break up.'

'Its like a Ross and Rachel thing.' Victor explains. 

'Who?' 

'They're on a break!'

The phone goes quiet. Then rings again. Then goes quiet. 

A text comes through. 

 

Jane: SOS

Jane: Pick up asshole!! 

 

It rings again. 

Cliff slowly eases the phone out of Ilya's sleeping hand. 'If it's an emergency...' He answers, putting the call on loudspeaker. 

'Rozanov. Thank fuck. I know you probably don't want to hear from me. But I was just fucking mugged. I don't know where the fuck I am. And my phone is going to die. Can you-'

'Is that Shane fucking Hollander?!' Brad yells. He’s quickly tackled, Victor covers his mouth with his hands.

There's a long pause before Shane speaks again. 'I'm in fucking hell.'

Cliff grabs the phone, taking it off loudspeaker. 'Hang on Hollander.' He pushes the team away and heads to the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. 

'Hey. It's Cliff Marlow.' 

Shane groans. 'Where's Rozanov?' He asks, his speech slurred in a way he’s never imagined someone as polished could be. 

'Passed out. Where are you?' 

'If I knew that I wouldn't have called.' Shane sounds like he's about to cry. 

'Okay. What's around you?' 

'Some club. Um, the beehive.' 

'Oh, fuck, no wonder you were mugged. That's a shit part of town. We can be there in ten minutes. There's a bus stop at the end of the road. Wait there okay?' 

'What... Why?'

'I'm the alternative captain. Since he's unconscious, it's my job to step up. So we're coming to get you.' 

'But ...'

'You got any other offers?'

'....No.' Shane sniffs. 

'Stay there. We'll see you soon.' 

'Okay. You-' 

The call disconnects. Assumably Shane's battery dying on him. 

Cliff takes a breath before throwing the door open, almost hitting the face of his eavesdropping teammates. 

'Okay, Ryan. You're driving. Who has first aid training?' 

'I'm rusty and pretty drunk but it's better than nothing?' Connors offers. 

'Great. Everyone else stays here. We'll be back soon.' He says, dropping Ilya's phone on the man's chest and leaving without answering any more questions. 

Chapter 2

Cliff lets out a sigh of relief to find Shane sat at the bus stop, sheltered from the rain. His head is in his hands, practically between his knees. Cliff suspects the man is hyperventilating. 

Connors rolls down the window. 'Hollzy!'

Shane's head snaps up, he looks like a deer in headlights. 

'Get in the car man! If we stay here long enough someone will steal our fucking tires.'

Shane looks like he considers it for a moment too long. Cliff is about to get out of the car but Shane manages to find his feet. He stumbles to the car, climbing in next to Connors.

'Hi...' He says awkwardly, dripping water everywhere. 

'Fuck...' Connors hisses. 

Cliff twists in his seat to take a look and winces in sympathy. He thinks Shane's nose is broken, his face is covered in blood which has stained his white shirt. Bruises have always started to form under his eyes which are almost glazed over. Cliff frowns to himself. He's never looked at Shane Hollander so closely before. Never noticed the freckles scattered across his cheeks.

Freckles. Cliff realises. Fuck. There's no doubt that Shane fucking Hollander is the one Ilya has been mooning over this whole time. 

Connors takes his shirt off, balling it up and pressing it against Shane's face to stop the flow of blood. 

'S'not sanitary.' Shane mumbles. 

'Least of your worries right now dude.' Connors jokes. 

'Do we need to take you to the hospital?' Ryan asks more seriously. 

Cliff is grateful to have one sober teammate. He didn't even consider that Shane might need actual medical attention. 

'No. M'fine. Just couldn't get back on my own... I'm in the Hilton? I don't know the street name ...'

'Are you drunk Hollzy?'

'Kinda.' Shane sighs. 

Cliff raises an eyebrow at that. Shane has a reputation for being a buzzkill. Cliff had just assumed that he was completely teetotal. The revelation isn't as fun as it should be given the fact that Shane is covered in his own blood. 

'Okay. We'll take you back to Victor's place and get you cleaned up, okay?' 

'... What?' Shane frowns, struggling to keep up with the conversation. 

'Whole team is there. Drinking away the loss.' 

'I don't... I can't...'

'Hey, everyone is going to be cool, okay? We don't get the whole Jane thing, but you don't have to tell us shit. We just want to make sure you're okay.' 

'Fuck...' Shane exhales. 

'Rozys there too? He's just unconscious.' 

'What happened?' Shane asks with wide eyes. 

'Too much vodka.' Ryan laughs. 

'No such thing. Russians drink vodka in baby bottles.' Shane mutters, doing a perfect impersonation of Ilya's accent. 

Cliff barks out a laugh. 'Apparently we found the limit.' 

'He's been heartbroken.' Ryan sighs. 

'Shut up.' Cliff warns. 'Roz will wake up at some point.' 

'Yeah and he has a lot to fucking explain.' 

'Guys...' Connors interrupts as Shane starts to hyperventilate again. 

'Hey man. Seriously. It's cool. We really don't care if you're Jane. I mean, we care. But not like in a homophobic way.'

‘Fuck this is bad.’ Shane says, struggling to catch his breath. 

‘Hollander.’ Ryan calls from the driver's seat. ‘Name five things you can see.’

‘What?’ 

‘No thinking. Just name five things.’

‘Um.’ Shane winces. ‘Car?’

‘That's good. Four more.’

‘Shoes.’ Shane takes a long breath before looking up. ‘Seat. Cliff Marlow. Ryan Carmichael. Steven Connors.’

‘Ha, good job. You have like a stupid crazy hockey IQ right? You know our numbers?’

‘61, 38, 21.’ Shane rattles off without thinking. Cliff thinks it would have taken him far too long to remember his teammates' numbers, even though he sees them on their jerseys constantly.

‘Okay, four things you can feel?’ 

‘Um, shirt?’ He says, holding the shirt to his face to stop the blood flow. ‘Seat, floor, and um seatbelt?’

‘Three things you can hear?’ 

‘You? Traffic.’ A car swerves, almost hitting them. The driver leans out of the window to yell at them. ‘That.’ Shane says with a weak chuckle. 

‘You breathing a bit easier back there?’

‘Yeah… thanks.’ 

Cliff looks over at Ryan. ‘The fuck was that?’

‘We have to do it with my sister's kid a lot. She's like 90% anxiety.’

‘Same.’ Shane huffs. 

Connors laughs. ‘Almost there man. Just sit tight.’

‘Okay…’ Shane says closely, closing his eyes and leaning against the window for the rest of the ride. 

Chapter 3

They run from the car to the front door, avoiding the rain as much as they can. Shane stumbles over his feet but Connors manages to catch him in time before he faceplants the floor. 

It's a shock to see Shane so uncoordinated. Usually on the ice or in press conferences, he's so in control that it's almost scary. This feels like a completely different guy to the Shane Hollander he's been playing against for years. 

Victor pulls the door open, taking a moment to gawk in shock at Shane covered in blood and then the shirtless Connors next to him. ‘Weird night.’ He says as he ushers them in. ‘I’ll get y’all some dry clothes.’

‘Thanks man.’ Cliff nods, most of the team seems to have fallen asleep already, lying in front of the warm fireplace at the far end of the room. 

Cliff has to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing when he sees that “Jane” has been written on Ilya's forehead, surrounded by hearts. 

Connors ushers Shane through the room and into the kitchen so he can get a better look at the man's nose. Thankfully the bleeding seems to have stopped. He grabs a tea towel to dunk under water and passes it to Shane. 

‘Thanks.’ Shane mumbles, sliding down into one of the seats. His eyes are glazed over again and he moves slowly, dabbing the cloth against his face. 

‘You got your phone man?’ Ryan asks. 

‘Hm? Oh.’ Shane digs through his pocket, passing it over when Ryan holds out a hand.

‘I’ll put it on charge for you.’ 

Shane hums in acknowledgement but barely looks at them. 

Victor returns and drops a stack of clothes on the table. While Cliff, Ryan and Connors are used to changing in front of each other in locker rooms, Shane grabs a set of clothes and heads to a bathroom to get changed in privacy. 

He looks a bit more out together when he returns, dressed in tartan pyjama pants and a thick gray hoodie. The blood is gone from his face but the bruises look painful so Victor grabs a bag of frozen peas for him to hold against his face. 

Shane hisses as he sits, holding the frozen bag to his ribs for a moment. 

Cliff frowns. ‘I thought you said it was just your face?’ 

Shane stares at him for a moment. ‘This was you, Asshole.’ 

Cliff winces, remembering that he did, in fact, shove Shane into the boards harder than was strictly necessary only a few hours earlier in the day. ‘My bad?’ 

‘Its fine.’ Shane hisses as he brings the frozen bag up to his face. ‘Happens all the time. Guys get rough when they realise they can't win. If I don't come away covered in bruises I didn't do a good enough job.’ 

‘Depressing view of hockey aside, what happened? Why'd you call Roz and not your team?' 

'Hm? Oh. Rozanov was more likely to help.'

'... You're in a fight and you trust him over your own team?'

'Of course. The guys would call me a buzzkill, complain about having to pick me up, get another drink, then probably forget about me.' 

'Even if they know you're a lightweight and have just been mugged.' 

'Yup.' 

'... We got to get you a new team man.' 

'Noooo. I'm the problem.' 

'How the fuck could that be true?' 

'Because I'm boring.' Shane sighs dramatically. 'Don't like drinking. Don't like clubs. They're too loud. Too bright. Too hot. Too sticky. Don't like having the team at my place. They move things and it fucks my system. I'm a bad captain.' 

'You're a great captain.' 

'On the ice. Not off it. Not where it counts.'

'They shouldn't be dicks about that stuff. Hell, Ryan's sober. We don't give him shit.' 

'No they just call me whenever they need a ride.' Ryan huffs. 

'The system works.' Victor shrugs, collecting everyone's damp clothes to throw in his dryer. 

'I mean this with the utmost respect for my captain. But it's fucking insane that he's your emergency contact.'

'Just for Boston emergencies.' Shane pouts. He slumps down, putting his elbows on the table and burying his head. ‘He's going to be pissed.’ 

‘He's going to be pissed at himself for not being awake. That's all.’ 

‘This is supposed to be a secret. It only works if no one knows.’ 

‘I know you probably don't think you can trust us.’ Cliff admits. ‘But we swear we won't tell anyone. We can do like, a NDA or something if you want.’ 

Shane tilts his head to look at him with one bruised eye. ‘Yeah?’ 

‘Yeah! Of course. And in the meantime…’ Cliff reaches for a notebook that's been left on the counter and rips out a page. He writes “NDA” in capitals across the top. ‘We hereby promise not to tell another soul about anything we have learned about Shane Hollander on this day.’ He announces as he writes. 

A small smile comes to Shane's face. ‘They're not normally worded like that.’

‘You can word the actual one however you want. But this is just temporary.’ Cliff explains, signing and dating his makeshift document. He passes it to Ryan and Connors who are happy to sign it. And when Victor returns, he signs it without even asking what it is. 

‘When the rest of the team wake up we’ll get them to sign it too.’ 

‘Okay…’ Shane says weakly, eyes fixed on the paper. 

‘I know you can't trust us. But you can trust Roz right? He’ll sort them out if we need to.’ 

‘Yeah.’ Shane says without hesitation. ‘I trust him.’ 

Chapter 4

The guys slowly head into the living room to sleep but Cliff doesn't think he's going to be able to get any actual sleep so he resigns himself to an all nighter and makes himself a coffee. Shane makes no indication of moving, so he makes the guy a cup too. Maybe it’ll sober him up a bit. 

‘So what happened with you guys?’ He asks as he passes the mug over. ‘Did you have a fight or something?’

‘Or something.’ Shane sighs, holding the mug in both hands. 

‘This happen around the Olympics?’

Shane tilts his head. ‘How did you know?’

'If it makes you feel any better, Roz is a dick to everyone when he goes to Russia.'

'... He is?' 

'Yeah, I think his shitty family has him on edge. So we don't hear from him at all when he's there. And in the lead up to going he's always tense and snappy.'

'Oh... Yeah. This was worse though.' 

Cliff shrugs. 'Of course it was. Everyone was in Russia with him and he had the pressure of representing his country. His dad was pissed that they lost.' 

 '....oh.' 

'You talked to him right after the loss, didn't you?' 

'I just wanted to make sure he was okay...' 

'What did he say to you?' 

'Nothing. He said that we were nothing. And I thought maybe he just meant in Russia. But he hasn't messaged me since. I thought maybe I'd hear from him tonight. But... Nothing.' 

'... Okay. I'm going to tell you a secret. Because I'm Roz's best friend and I am sick of the pining. Roz thinks he's like his dad. Too angry. And that makes him so fucking sad after he lashes out at someone. And he doesn't know how to fix it. I doubt his dad ever fucking apologised for anything. That's why he has all these quick hookups. Because he doesn't think they'll tolerate his bullshit long term. You are the only exception to that rule.' 

'... I am?' 

'Hes not fucking subtle. We've known about Montreal Jane the whole time.'

Shane laughs. Cliff looks at him, surprised by the sound. 

'Hayden calls him Boston Lily.' Shane explains. 

'Lily and Jane.' Cliff laughs. 'World's worst code.'

'We were like eighteen.' Shane rolls his eyes. 

'My point is I think he's let you see more of himself than any of those hookups. And that fucking terrifies him. So instead of doing anything about it, he ghosts you and gets drunk.' Cliff explains. 'Do you like him? Like... More than a hookup?'

Shane nods, not making eye contact. 

'Okay. Because I know for a fact that fucker likes you. You may just need to shake it out of him.' 

'I'm not great at that. I normally just let him lead.'

'More information than I need about your sex life.' 

Shane glares at him and Cliff laughs as he remembers Ilya talking about Jane's "angry kitten face". 

'I mean for like messaging and stuff.'

'I know Hollander. I'm teasing you.' 

'Oh.' 

'Not used to that?' 

'Not about this. No one knows.' 

'... No one?' 

'Just me and Ilya. No one even knows I'm gay. Just him and I guess his whole fucking team now.' 

'We won't tell anyone.'

'I know. I have an NDA.' Shane says, and Cliff thinks it's a joke but it's hard to tell with this guy. 

'Wait, your parents don't even know?'

Shane shakes his head. 

'Fuck man. You don't think they'd take it well...?' 

'My parents are good people but...'

'But...' 

'My mom is my manager. And she's always reminding me that I have to be a good role model. That kids don't get to see people like us in contact sports much.'

'People like you?'

'... Asian.' 

'Oh, fuck, yeah.' He says, feeling like an idiot. 

'So I think she'd take it well but it would also be like ... A publicity thing. Something to manage. And I don't want that. I just want her to be my Mom.' 

'Thats rough...' 

'It's been fine so far. Just me and him...' 

'But when it gets fucked there's noone to talk to.' 

'Yep.'

'Alright. So when Roz is a dick just text me. I'll be his asshole to english translator.' 

'Yeah?' 

'Yeah. You can save me under a girl's name if you want? So it just looks like we're gossiping. Don't know what the female version of Cliff would be though...' 

'Marley?' 

Cliff laughs. Okay, so the guy is funny. Good to know. 'Perfect.'

Shane tries to smile but he looks like he's about to fall asleep.

‘Come on. I think there's an armchair free you can crash on.’

For a moment, Shane considers his options. Eventually he seems to realise that crashing with them is the best option. ‘Okay… thanks Cliff.’

‘Anytime Hollzy.’

Chapter 5

Ilya wakes up with the world's worst hangover. Which isn't surprising given how much he drank. Still, it's a bitch. 

He looks around, finding that most of the team have opted to crash at Victor's place too. Bundled up in blankets like they're kids at a sleepover.

He groans as he grabs his phone which is miraculously still on his chest rather than knocked far out of reach. 

It's 8am. Which seems like an illegal time to be awake when he feels so awful. 

Hollander will probably be awake already. 

Yoga. A run. A disgusting smoothie. 

Ilya frowns as the thoughts of Hollander seem to unlock a barrage of missed calls and texts from Jane. 

 

Jane: SOS

Jane: Pick up asshole!! 

 

'Blyat!' He sits up so fast he almost falls off the sofa and calls Shane. 

Across the room a phone rings. Annoyed by the interruption, Ilya looks across the room to find Shane, fast asleep and bundled up in a Boston Raiders blanket. 

'I swear to god if you wake him up I'll kill you.' Cliff says from the doorway. 'I don't know how that guy sleeps with that level of anxiety. It's been pretty much non-stop panic attacks.’

'What the fuck happened last night?'

'Come on.' Cliff nods his head towards the kitchen. 'Your turn.' 

Ilya pushes down the urge to vomit as he stands. His head is killing him but he pushes through it. As he walks past, he gets a better look at Shane and the two black eyes that mark the man's perfect skin.

'Who the fuck did that to him?' Ilya growls. 

Cliff doesn't answer so Ilya is forced to follow him into the kitchen, hangover forgotten as his blood starts to boil with sheer rage. 

'You need to calm the fuck down before you wake everyone up.' Cliff says, handing Ilya a bottle of water and a pack of pain killers. 

'He's hurt.' Ilya says simply, ignoring the offerings. 

'Yeah. He got mugged last night. Popped his nose and gave him black eyes but that's it.' 

'Fuck...'

'We picked up when he wouldn't stop calling you. Hell of a fucking surprise when we realised who we were talking to.' 

'He will kill me.' 

'Its all good man. We talked. Promised not to snitch.' Cliff huffs. 'The thing you probably need to be worried about is the fact that he trusts your sorry ass over his team. Even after the shit you pulled in Russia.'

'Oh, so you know everything now.'

'Damn right, Lily.' 

Ilya rolls his eyes. 'Why did he not call his team?'

'He didn't think they'd care enough. But he thought you would. Even if you were mad at him. So you need to be a fucking man and apologize.' 

Ilya groans. 'I am protecting him.' 

'From what?' 

'I don't know. Me. Russia. All of it.' 

'I think you know better than I do that Hollander is a sensitive guy. You can't keep pulling this shit.'

'What am I supposed to do?'

'Have you considered talking to him?' 

'Bah.' 

'I'm going to kill you. Then we're going to find a nice ice skating boy for Hollzy to date.' 

'Don't you dare!' 

'You love him?' 

Ilya freezes. He hadn't expected the question. Hasn't dared consider it himself. 'Maybe.' He eventually admits. 

'Then you have to stop treating him like one of your hookups.'

'Ugh. I know.'

'Dumbass. Drink your water.'

'You sound like him.' Ilya pouts. 

'He's a good influence.'

He rolls his eyes but dutifully takes two of the painkillers and swigs the water. 'I should have been there for him last night...'

'Don't beat yourself up man. You had no way of knowing. We picked him up, he was safe.'

'And having panic attacks the whole time, yes?'

'Pretty much. I always thought Hollander was a lot more collected. Like a hockey robot or something.' 

'Lot of pressure to keep up Canadian golden boy routine. He hides it well but it builds. Too much for him sometimes.' 

'Especially when his favourite Russian is being a jackass.'

'I will say sorry!'

'Good start.'

Ilya wishes he had something to throw at the man. 

The door is flung open and Shane bursts in out of breath. 'Do you know where my clothes-' He locks eyes with Ilya. 'are... Hi.'

'Hi.' Ilya replies, Cliff kicks him under the table. 

'Your clothes are on top of the dryer.' 

'Thanks. I have to go. We're getting picked up at the hotel in like an hour.'

'No problem. Roz can drive you to the hotel. Right Roz?'

'Oh! No! He doesn't have to do that. I called an Uber. He'll be here in like-' Shane looks down at his phone. 'Shit five minutes. Okay, clothes.' He says to himself, grabbing the pile from on top of the dryer and heading to the bathroom to change. 

Ilya glares at Cliff who does his best to look as innocent as possible. 

Before Ilya can kill his best friend, Shane rushes back into the room holding a stack of clothes that he's managed to fold in his rush. 'Sorry. I'd normally clean these before giving them back.' 

'It's fine.' Cliff promises, surprisingly patient with Shane's blind panic. 'It's probably still cleaner than most the stuff Victor has. I'll sort it for you while Ilya walks you to the door.'

Shane raises an eyebrow. 'I know where the door is.' 

Cliff kicks Ilya again. 

'Let's go Hollander.' He scowls at Cliff before leading Shane out of the building. 

The Uber is outside waiting for him, which has Shane practically vibrating out of his skin. 'I have to go.' 

'Okay. Text me. Let me know you got there safe.' 

'...Yeah?'

'Yes. I need to apologise. When we have more time.' 

'You-' Shane jumps out of his skin when the driver beeps his horn. His eyes flick to Ilya's lips. Then up to his forehead for some reason, an amused smile on his face. 'Bye!' He practically runs to the car.

Ilya watches as he’s driven away. Shane is frantically texting someone on his phone but looks up to wave to Ilya with a small smile before he's out of sight. 

Cliff appears behind him. 'You better text that boy first I swear to god.'

Ilya pushes his elbow back to hit Cliff's ribs. 'You are too nosey.' 

'Someone has to keep you right.' Cliff grins. 'You're going to be pissed when you see what you look like right now.' 

‘What?’ Ilya takes out his phone and opens the camera, scowling at his reflection. ‘You could not have warned me?’

‘I thought we'd have more time before he woke up.’ 

‘Is a miracle he was not up at five AM.’ He huffs, swiping away to text Shane.

 

Lily: Let me know when you are home

Lily: I think maybe we need to talk? 

 

Cliff looks over his shoulder and rips the phone out of Ilya's hands. 

'What?!'

'I need you to know that in English, "we need to talk" is code for "we're breaking up". Is that what you meant?'

'Obviously not!'

'Okay good.'

 

Lily: Jane! Marley here. Lily wants to talk about good things! Please don't have a panic attack the whole flight back 🙏🏻 

 

He tosses the phone back to Ilya who raises an eyebrow. 'Marley.' 

'If you guys can have shit codenames, I get one too.' He pouts.

Ilya is about to threaten him but he gets a reply from Jane. He turns away so Cliff can't take his phone again. Cliff just laughs and makes a whip noise. 

 

Jane: Thanks for clarifying

Jane: I'll let you know when the plane lands

Jane: Maybe we can call tonight?

Lily: Please, get home safe 😘

 

Shane likes the message and then Ilya gets a notification that Shane has changed his contact picture. It's a picture of Ilya fast asleep, mouth open with "Jane" written across his forehead. 

 

Lily: You little shit 

Lily: "Rozanov we cannot use real names" 

Lily: "Rozanov you cannot send me pictures" 

Lily: "No Rozanov I will not send you dick pick." 

Lily: Cruel man

Jane: Here's a dick pic

 

Shane sends another picture of Ilya's sleeping form. This time it shows the dick that was drawn onto his cheek. 

‘I can't believe Hollzy is so funny.’ Cliff grins as they head back inside. 

‘He is. No one appreciates his humour properly.’ He claps his hands when they return to the sleeping Raiders. ‘Wake up fuckers! Who did this to my face?!’ 

He's met with a chorus of annoyed groans and half heartedly thrown pillows.

His eyes catch on the “NDA” on the coffee table and a fond smile crosses his face. ‘You all did a good job looking after my Jane. So I will not torture you. Instead, I will order breakfast.’ 

‘My fucking hero.’ Ryan yawns from under a pile of blankets. 

Ilya can't resist the urge and dives on top of the pile to start a wrestling match with his half awake teammates. 

Chapter 6

Jane: I’m home

Shane almost jumps out of his skin when his phone immediately starts to ring seconds after sending the text to Ilya.

He stares at Lily’s name on the screen and debates not answering. Ilya hasn’t been in touch for months, Shane shouldn’t jump at the first hint of attention from the man. He should ignore his phone and get more ice for his sore ribs. But in the end his curiosity wins out and he brings the phone up to his ear embarrassingly fast.

‘Hey?’

‘Hollander. You are okay?’

Shane blinks, surprised by the serious tone in Ilya’s voice. ‘Huh? Oh, yeah.’

‘What happened?’

Shane sighs, fighting down the rising embarrassment over just how bad his night went. ‘I just got mugged. It’s fine.’

‘My English may not be so good. That does not sound “fine”.’

‘They only got my ID and like fifty bucks. It could have been worse.’

‘Where was your team?’

‘They went to another club when I was heading back to the hotel. I couldn’t… I was having a terrible time. I don’t know why people like those places. Everything is loud and somehow both too dark and too bright.’ He shudders. He had really tried. It’s what he was supposed to do. Celebrate a win by getting drunk with his team and dancing with pretty women. Shane had hated every second of it.

‘So why did you go?’

Shane can’t answer that. He can’t admit that he was only there trying to distract himself from the fact that despite being in the same city, Ilya wasn’t going to text him. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Why did you call me? Your team was closer.’

Shane feels like he’s being interrogated. He drops down onto his couch, letting himself be cradled by the mountain of familiar cushions . ‘I just knew you would come. Didn’t realise you were unconscious.’

‘You should be able to trust that your team would come.’

Shane pinches the bridge of his nose, wincing as he’s brutally reminded of the injuries on his face. ‘Look, I can trust them on the ice. That’s what’s important.’

‘… Do you have friends Hollander?’

Shane almost hangs up the phone. ‘I have friends Asshole. I hang out with Hayden all the time.’

‘You didn’t call Hayden. You called me.’ Ilya points out.

‘I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking straight.’

‘Why did you call me?’ Ilya pushes, more insistently.

‘Because I know you. I know that when you need to take something seriously, you step up. And that’s what I needed.’

‘… I am sorry I could not be that for you.’

‘It’s fine. Your team were good. They signed a homemade NDA promising not to tell anyone.’ Shane chuckles weakly . ‘Marlow scanned and emailed it to me while I was waiting for my flight. I think the file name was “super legit and definitely legally binding document”.’

Ilya lets out a slow breath. ‘I am sorry.’

‘I’m not upset that you were asleep Rozanov.’

‘Not about last night. About Russia.’

‘Oh…’

‘It was easier. To be a dick and push you away. You did not deserve my…’ Ilya pauses, struggling to find the right word. ‘I do not like who I am when I am home. I wanted to spare you from that.’

‘And after…? You ghosted me.’

‘I was ashamed. I thought you would be better without me.’

‘And I don’t get a say in that decision?’

‘I was wrong.’

Shane doesn’t think anyone has heard Ilya say those words so seriously. He pushes down the urge to tease the man. He should take this seriously, since Ilya is being so honest with him for once. ‘So what do we do now?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do we go back to how we were going things before? Can we even do that if your team knows everything?’

‘I think maybe we change how we do things.’ Ilya admits.

Shane nods, even though Ilya can’t see him. This is it. Ilya will call off their arrangement for good. And Shane will be alone again. Which is fine. He can handle that. He’ll just have to-

‘I want to take you on a date.’

Shane almost falls off the couch.

‘Hollander?’

‘Yeah, I’m here. Um, what?’

‘A date? Is my English wrong? I will take you out. Dinner maybe. I will find a private place that serves your rabbit food.’

‘… You want to date?’

‘Yes.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes.’ Ilya laughs. ‘Is that alright?’

‘Yeah. Sorry, just surprised. That, um, yeah. I’d like that.’

‘Okay. You play Admirals soon, yes? I have some days with no games. I will come, watch you beat Scott Hunter and then take you out.’

‘Yeah… Look Ilya, if this is a pity thing… or if Cliff is forcing you…’

‘You think I do things I don’t want?’ Ilya teases and Shane has to admit it’s a good point.

‘Okay. It’s a date.’

‘It’s a date.’ Ilya repeats, sounding thrilled. ‘Go ice your broken face Hollander. I want you all pretty for our date.’

Shane laughs. ‘Alright Asshole. Talk later?’

‘Yes. We will.’ He says firmly. They say their goodbyes and Shane has to stare at his phone for a long time.

He’s jolted out of his stupor when he gets a text from “Marley”. He opens it, laughing at the gif of some celebrity he doesn’t recognise giving two enthusiastic thumbs up.

It’s weird that Ilya’s team knows but Shane has to admit, the support is nice.

Chapter 7

Two Months Later

***

Jane added you to a group chat

Jane: Which one of you did it? 

Lily: Did what? 

Marley: I can explain!! 

Jane: Lily, kill him

Lily: 🫡

Marley: NoOasfdhekeb

Marley: He fucking tackled me! 

Jane: Good 😡

Lily: What did he do? 

Jane: Added me to the WAG group chat! 😡😡😡

Marley: [Image: Ilya doubled over from laughing so hard. Tears in his eyes]

Jane: Traitor! 

Marley: Claire has been driving me crazy about adding Jane to the WAG group for YEARS 

Marley: She thinks now you're official Jane needs to take her rightful place as head WAG 

Marley: She saw that I was texting you and memorised the number. She's wicked smart like that

Lily; Why were you texting my Jane?? 😡

Marley: Because I'm going to steal her away from you. Obviously. 

Jane: 🙄 I'll handle it

Marley: Spoken like a true head WAG 👑

Jane: I'm not even a WAG! 

Lily changed the name of the group chat to "ladies night"

Marley changed the group photo [image of a sleeping Ilya with a dick drawn on his face]

Jane has left the group chat 

***

Shane sighs to himself, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before swiping away to the other chat that he’s been added to. His phone has been blowing up with notifications to the point where he had to mute the chats before he could even begin to process what was happening. 

***

Claire: Everyone say hello to Jane! 

Emily: OMG! THE Jane?? 

Laurie: I honestly didn't believe him when Vic said he met Rozanov's girlfriend 

Emily: THIS IS LIFE CHANGING INFORMATION 

Claire: Relax! You're going to scare her off

Emily; 🤐

Emily: I'm so chill 

Emily: 😌🪷🧘🏻‍♂️

Rachel: Hi Jane! Nice to meet you :) 

Jane: Hi, sorry, I had to see if I needed to kill Ilya or Cliff first

Claire: Absolutely my fault! Sorry for the surprise

Claire: We were just shocked to see Ilya finally had a long term partner! 🎉🎉🎉

Emily: They grow up so fast 🤧

Jane: This may sound rude but I don't think I belong in this group! 

Jane: It's hard to explain, but I'm a public figure so I have to be careful with what I say... 

Jane: Your partners have already signed NDA'S after I met them in Boston. I don't want to make people's relationships weird with secrets. If I send over NDA's I could let you guys know too?

Jane: And there would be no hard feelings if you want to kick me out of the group after!

Claire: Not a chance 💜 Send the NDAs through!! 

Emily; In the meantime we can play 20 questions 😈

Jane: What's that? 

Rachel: We ask you twenty yes or no questions to try to guess who you are :) 

Claire: you can always veto a question if it's too obvious pre NDA 

Jane: Oh, I guess that would be okay?

Emily; Omg this is the best day of my life 

Emily: Okay 1) is it really nine inches?

Laurie: EMILY 

Emily: ENQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW 

Jane: ✅

Emily: Best day of my life ✨🎶♥️

Claire: 2) did you meet through hockey? 

Jane: ✅ 

Rachel: 3) What team do you support? 

Jane: That's not a yes or no? 

Rachel: 3*) Are you a raiders fan girl? 

Jane: ❌

Jane: 🇨🇦

Laurie: Omg are you a metros fan? 🫨

Jane: ✅💪🏻

Claire: this is why she thought she'd be disowned 😔

Emily: Tempting 🔪

Laurie: Shane Hollander can get it tho

Emily: ✅🤤

Rachel: ✅

Claire: ✅

Jane: Get it? Get what? 

Laurie: Anything he wants, he's that hot 

Jane: Oh ❌

Emily: Montreal fan who doesn't think Hollander is hot? 🤔 

Rachel: Do you live in Boston? 

Jane: ❌🇨🇦

Rachel: Ah, that's why it's been so complicated? 

Jane: ✅

Emily: It feels a bit like talking to a magic eight ball

Emily: Will the Raiders win the cup this year? 🔮

Jane: ❌❌❌

Claire: I don't think these questions are helping us work out who Jane is

Emily; Let me cook! 

Claire: Are you a model? Ilya mentioned something forever ago about Jane being so pretty all the brands want to work with her

Jane: ✅? Kind of? But it's more a side hustle than my actual job? 

Rachel: Slay. You’ll have to show us the shoots post NDA!! 

Laurie: Going to get us back on track with basic bitch questions

Emily: [Image. A screenshot of the boardgame guess who. “Who” has been scribbled out so the title reads “Guess Jane”]

Rachel: How long did that take you to make? 

Emily: Too long. What's the basic bitch question?

Laurie: Okay. Basic identifying factors: 

Laurie: Are you a woman? 

***

Shane stares at the screen, chewing his lip as his fingers tap against the side of his phone. They had said he could veto questions. But that feels too obvious. If he says he can't answer that, then clearly Jane isn't female. 

Lily; You have been quiet

Lily; Panic attack? 

Jane: No, I've actually been playing a game with the WAGs

Jane: Can I tell them you're dating a man? 

Lily: Of course, they know I am bi. Would not be a surprise to them 

Jane: Okay. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't like outing you or anything 

Lily: You worry so much 

Lily: I trust these people, tell them anything you want about me 

Jane: They asked how big your dick is

Lily: And what did you say? 👀

Lily: Jane? 

Lily: JANE 

He mutes Ilya and swipes away to the other chat. 

***

Laurie: Fuck was that rude? 

Laurie: Jane you don't have to answer that one, we can ignore it! 

Jane: Sorry, I was just checking with Ilya! 

Jane: ❌ 

Claire: Oh!!! 

Claire: Thank god, I was worried we might accidentally out Rozanov 🫣🫣

Laurie: Okay! So that explains the secrecy and NDA’s! 

Claire: We wouldn't kick you out for being a guy Jane! We can always change WAG to… WAP? 

Emily: [GIF: Cardi B singing WAP]

Claire: We’ll workshop it 🫣

Claire: How many questions is that? 

Rachel: I think 7? 

Rachel: Are you white? 

Claire: Disclaimer! Rachel is asking in a “she's sick of being the only poc in the group” way not a racist way 

Jane: ❌

Rachel: Fuck. Yes. 🙌🏾

Claire: So far we've worked out: Pretty not-white Canadian boy who sometimes models 

Claire: Which doesn't really narrow it down 🫣

Emily: Is Rozanov secretly a big softie? 

Jane: ✅

Rachel: You're wasting our questions! 

Emily: 😛

Claire: Omg, Ilya just messaged me to ask if Jane is giving good reviews of his dick 

Emily: HA 

Rachel; Tell him Jane said he has a micropenis 🙏🏾

Claire: Done ✨

Jane: I've had to mute him 🫣

Claire: Good, we're more interesting anyway 

Emily: Make that man suffer 👏🏻

Claire; he wants to know if he got a five star rating?

Jane: Tell him four stars. It’ll drive him crazy

Emily: This is the best. We're definitely keeping you 

Jane: You still might change your mind

Jane: I have to go! But I'll send over NDA’s for everyone soon 

Emily: BYE JANE 

Emily: We’ll miss youuuuuu ✨💕😘

Claire: Have a good day Jane

Claire: I’ll continue to bully Ilya 🫡

Jane: Thank you for your service 🫡 

Chapter 8

One of Ilya's favourite parts about officially dating Shane is that he can talk about how amazing the man is. The team are at his home, celebrating their winning streak. The WAGS are there which means he has to call his boyfriend "Jane", but it's still amazing. 

'It turns out he is a massive nerd. We have been watching the Star Wars movies. He had a lot of opinions about what order we watch them in and which versions we watch because they've been altered so many times. He had a pros and cons list about which versions to watch. Isn't that adorable?' He grins as Cliff passes him another beer. 

'When do we get to meet him?' Laurie sighs. 

'When someone sends her signed NDA over.' Claire says pointedly, staring at Emily who gasps. 

'I totally forgot! Ilya do you have a scanner?'

'... Why would I have this?' He blinks. 

Claire rolls her eyes. 'Come on, I have an app you can sign on my phone.' She says, pulling Emily away from the group to deal with paperwork. 

'Wait, what order did he say you had to watch Star Wars in?' Brad asks. 

'Ah, you are nerd too?' 

'Its a harder choice than you think!'

'Ask him about his nerd opinions.' 

'I don't have his number.' Brad sighs. 

'We should just add him to the team chat.' Cliff laughs. 'If he's in the WAG chat, we should get him too.' 

'Absolutely not.' Rachel laughs. 'We have dibs.' 

'I have dibs.' Ilya corrects. 

'Aww, jealous Rozanov?'

'No.' Ilya pouts. 

Rachel grins. Ilya is about to retort when his phone rings with an incoming facetime call from Jane. As much as he wants to accept immediately, eager to see Shanes face (especially if he's wearing the glasses Ilya recently learned about), he forces himself to decline. 

 

Lily: With the team and WAGS :( 

Jane: That's why I'm calling. Emily sent the last NDA over, I figured I'd call to say hi while everyone was there

Jane: They'll probably believe a video chat over me just texting them 

Lily: Oh, you really want to do this? 

Jane: I'm sure ♥️

 

'Booyah Bitches!' Emily announces proudly as they rejoin the party. 

'We sent the last doc over to Jane.' Claire translates with an amused smile. 

'Good.' Ilya grins. 'Jane wants to say hello.' 

There's a high pitched chorus of squeals as the WAGS gather around Ilya. This time, when the facetime request comes through, Ilya hits accept. He keeps the phone close to his face, so he gets the first glimpse of his boyfriend. 

'Hello Malysh! I missed you.'

Emily practically tackles Ilya's waist as the women demand that he turn the screen. 

'Shanya! I am being assaulted. As head WAG you need to control them.' 

'I am not head WAG.' Shane protests. 'Turn the phone around.'

'Fine.' Ilya lets out a dramatic sigh. 'Ladies, say hello to my Jane.' He says, finally turning the screen around to show the WAGs. He relishes in the moment of stunned silence. 

'Hey.' Shane says nervously. 

'Is that Shane Fucking Hollander?!' Laurie squeaks, breaking the silence. 

'Oh my god! Jane is Shane!' Emily cackles, stealing the phone from Ilya's hand. 

'That is my phone and my boyfriend!' Ilya protests. 

'Important WAG business.' Emily waves him away as the women steal Shane, gathering on the sofa to chat. 

Cliff laughs, wrapping an arm around Ilya's shoulder. 'Dont worry. They'll be nice.' 

'They better.' Ilya pouts, even though he knows they're already in love with Shane. 

The women keep Shane occupied for almost an hour. Ilya checks in on them occasionally, making sure that Shane isn't uncomfortable. Despite his worries that Shane would be overwhelmed by the attention, Shane seems to be relaxed, laughing at the women's jokes. 

Eventually, his phone is returned to him, the screen completely devoid of his boyfriends pretty face.

'He had to go to dinner with his parents.' Claire explains. 'He said to tell you goodbye and he'll check in later tonight.' 

'Ah, good.' Ilya nods, pocketing his phone. 

'Congrats on bagging THE Shane Hollander.' Emily says seriously. 'He is so fucking hot.' 

'I am right here?' Brad complains. 

'Are you telling me you don't think he's hot?'

'I plead the fifth.' 

'Coward.' Emily grins. 

'Nevermind that, we have a plan to make.' Laurie announces, taking a notebook out of her purse. 

'A plan?' 

'To get Shane away from the fucking Metros and on the Raiders.' She explains, as if it should be obvious. 

Ilya laughs. 'I like the sound of this plan. Tell me everything.' 

Chapter 9

Ilya has to admit, he's just going through the motions at team practise. The Raiders are likely to take the cup this year. Which he knows should fill him with excitement. But with Shane's team knocked out of the running after their last disastrous game, he has to admit to himself that he's not looking forward to playing the way he usually is. The promise of sharing the ice with Shane is what pushes him forward. He has to work hard to keep up with the Canadian. And now... It's just hockey.

He's snapped out of his dull focus when he hears yelling from the other side of the rink. A small group of the WAGS are waving him down, yelling for his attention. Abandoning the drill he was working on with the rookies, he skates over to the women. 

'You have to go to Montreal.' Rachel says, out of breath. 

'I booked you on the next flight and used the emergency keys you gave Cliff to get your passport.' Emily tells him. 'Go, get changed. Grab your phone. You have like an hour to get to the airport.' 

'Wait. What is happening?' Ilya says, dread sinking into his bones. Why would he need to go to Montreal? Something must have happened to Shane. Something terrible. 

'Shane got outed.' Rachel explains, showing Ilya an article on her phone. 

'What...?' Ilya reaches for the phone, scrolling through the article. 

'Tldr is that some guy in Mexico is claiming he hooked up with Shane. He's acting like he has pictures that he'll sell to whatever journalist pays him the most. But like, if he had pictures he would have posted them by now to back up his claim, so we think it's bullshit.' Emily huffs. 'But the media is freaking out and Jane isn't replying to any of us. So he's probably freaking out too.'

'So we're sending you to check on him. Get out of your gear Captain.' Emily demands, practically pulling him off the ice. 

'Okay... Yes. Thank you.' Ilya nods, getting off of the ice. 'Marlow! Take over for me!' 

Cliff looks over at his wife, nodding in confirmation. 'You got it Cap!' 

Ilya changes quickly, abandons his gear and is bundled into Rachels car. 

'Oh shit!' Claire gasps, causing Rachel to swerve. 

'Don't do that while I'm driving.' Rachel complains, getting the car back on track. 

'The plane is cancelled.' 

'What? Why?' Ilya frowns at the news. 

'Theres a fucking storm in Montreal. No planes are landing there right now.'

'How long does it take to drive?' Rachel asks. 

'Five hours.' Ilya tells her, not having to think about the answer. He knows exactly how far away he is from his boyfriend. 

'Okay, I'll have to get gas. But I'm down.' 

'You do not have to do this.' Ilya says. 'I can drive myself there.' 

'If I drive, it means you can get up to speed with what's happening and try to get in touch with Shane.' 

'Ah, yes.' 

'And it means you won't be driving pissed. Last thing Shane needs right now is you getting into an accident because you were being reckless.'

'I'll do a deep dive into who this fucker is so we can kill him.' Emily scowls, scrolling through her phone. 

'I like that plan very much.' Ilya scowls. 

They pull into the first gas station they pass. Ilya pays to fill Rachel's car up and loads them up with snacks for their road trip. 

'Do you know this guy at all?' Laurie asks, helping Emily with her task of taking down the guy causing Shane all this trouble. 

Ilya shakes his head. 'He mentioned a night with some guy in Mexico. He was sure that the guy did not recognise him. He must have worked out that Shane is a celebrity afterwards...' 

'His twitter account is gone.' Emily says, suddenly frowning at her screen. 

'I deleted it.' Claire explains, still typing away on her phone. 'Now the links that all the journalists have used will go nowhere.' 

'How did you delete his account?' Emily asks. 

She shrugs a shoulder. 'His security was pathetic. I found his email and just guessed the password after a few tries. I am about to ruin this man's life.' 

'You are very scary.' Ilya says. 

'Dont you forget it.' Claire replies, looking up from her phone with a terrifying grin. 

Chapter 10

It's almost 7pm by the time they get to Shane's building and Ilya still hasn't had a single reply from the man. 

'We'll drop in to say hi, then get a hotel nearby.' Rachel tells him as they pull up. 'We'll head back tomorrow, so just let us know if you need a ride back or if you're staying, okay?' 

'Yes, thank you.' Ilya nods gratefully. The group dash out of the car to avoid the rain and head up to Shane's penthouse. Ilya takes the lead, knocking on the door and calling for Shane. 

The door is pulled open, to reveal a very confused Yuna Hollander. 

'Thats Yuna fucking Hollander.' Emily whispers in awe behind Ilya. 

Yuna raises an eyebrow. 'Hello?' Her eyes are fixed on Ilya, clearly not happy to see the captain of her sons rivals team at his front door. 

'Hello.' Is all Ilya is capable of saying. It seems like his grasp of the English language completely disappears under Yuna Hollanders gaze. 

'Hi!' Claire takes over when she see's Ilya floundering. 'I'm Claire Marlow. This is Emily, Rachel and Laurie. We're the Boston WAGs. I take it you know Ilya already?'

'Nice to meet you.' Ilya says quickly, signalling to the women that he hasn't met Shane's parents and that they don't know that he's dating their son. He can only hope that they get the message and avoid outing Shane in a completely different way. 

'What are you doing here?' 

'We heard what happened.' Rachel says. 'We just wanted to make sure Jane was okay.' 

Emily knocks her elbow into Rachel's ribs. 

'Shane!' Rachel corrects, flustered. 

'You came here... From Boston?' 

'Shanes a good friend. We were worried.' Emily assures the woman. 

Yuna fixes her stare back on Ilya, but before he can work out something to say, Shane appears in the hallway behind her. He's dressed in loose fitting sweatpants and a plain gray t-shirt. His hair is a mess and his eyes are red in a way that means he's definitely spent most of the day crying. 

'Ilya...?' 

'Hi.' Ilya lifts a hand in a small wave. 'We were just-' 

Shane moves past his mother, throwing his arms around Ilya. Ilya moves immediately, bringing Shane close to his chest. 'I'm sorry Malysh. I know this is terrible.' He mutters into Shane's ear. 

'My worst fucking nightmare.' Shane agrees, a hitch to his breath. 'Come on in.' He says, stepping away from Ilya but taking a hold of his hand. He leads the man and the WAGs into his home, leaving a baffled Yuna to close the door behind them. 

'Shane, your mother.' Ilya says quietly, nodding down to where their hands are intertwined. 

'Oh... Do you mind if I tell her?' 

'No, I just don't want you to feel forced to if you're not ready.' 

'Not exactly the theme of the day.' Shane jokes bitterly as he leads the group to his kitchen. 'I don't want to hide you from her.' 

'Okay, whatever you need.' He gives the man a reassuring smile. 

'Shane, what is going on?' Yuna asks as she enters the room. 

'Mom, Ilya is my boyfriend. We've been dating for like... Three months now.' 

'Three months. Two weeks. Four days.' Ilya nods. 'But who's counting.' 

Emily has to cover her mouth so she doesn't laugh out loud. 

'Ilya Rozanov...?'

'Yes.' Shane confirms. 

'Of the Boston Raiders?' 

'Thats the one.' 

'Your rival?' 

'Mom, you know that's just media nonsense. Ilya is my boyfriend and the WAGS are my friends.' 

'He's head WAG.' Emily adds. 

'...what?' Yuna blinks. 

'Whoever is dating the Captain is the Head WAG.' Claire explains. 'Were still workshopping a more inclusive group name.' 

'I see...' 

'I'll make some tea.' Shane says, seeming like he needs something to do. He seems reluctant to let go of Ilyas hand as he turns his back to the group to grab the kettle.

'We got the twitter account taken down on the way over here. So there's nothing for the journalists to report from.' Claire explains as they sit around the dining table. 'Is theres anything else we can do to stop this story before it spreads just let us know.' 

'Its too late.' Shane says, not turning back around to look at the group. 

'What?' Ilya asks with a frown. 

'Shane had a meeting with his coach and the commissioner this afternoon. He confirmed to them that he was gay, and they used some outdated "morals" clause in his contract to fire him.' Yuna explains. 

'... They're firing Shane fucking Hollander for morality reasons?!' Emily says with wide eyes. 

'Thats bullshit!' 

'Whats his coaches name, I'm hacking his fucking bank account.' Claire growls. 

'Don't.' Shane says quietly. Claire pouts and slams her phone on the table.  

'I...' Shane shakes his head and leaves the room abruptly. 

Yuna moves to stand but Ilya holds out a hand. 'I have this.' He promises as he follows Shane into his bedroom. 

'Shanya...'

The second the door is closed behind them, Shane throws himself back into Ilya's arms. His shoulders are shaking and he buries his head in Ilyas shoulder. 

'I know Malysh.' 

'It's such fucking bullshit.' Shane wheezes out. 'Hockey players can cheat on their wife, or assault women on drunken nights out. But god forbid I be gay.' 

'It is bullshit.' Ilya confirms, carefully moving them over to the bed so they can sit together.

'I can't stop thinking that if this happened in the middle of the season... when we were still winning, would this have happened? Would they get rid of me if I was still useful to them?' 

'They are idiots. They would have found any reason to be cruel. You do not deserve this.' 

Shane sniffs, pulling back to look at Ilya. 'Did you drive from Boston?' 

'Rachel drove me. She thought I would be a reckless driver. She was right, I would have gotten here in four hours. Not five.' 

Shane chuckles. 'Probably for the best that she drove... The team hasn't even texted me.'

'What...' 

'Its been radio silence. Even Hayden...' 

'I will kill them for you.'

'Dont.' Shane sighs. 'I just... I really appreciate you guys coming.' 

Ilya pulls him back into a tight hug. 'Of course we came. I couldn't leave you alone with this.' 

'Thanks Ilya...' 

There's a light knock at the door. 'Boys. The tea is ready.' Yuna calls through the door. 

'Thanks Mom.' Shane sniffs, wiping his face.  

'We can stay here longer if you need?' Ilya offers. 

'No, I'm good. Just needed to freak out for a second.' 

'Okay Shanya.' Ilya says, kissing his forehead. 

They hold hands as they walk back into the kitchen. Laurie has her notebook on the table and the women are hunched over it. 

'Whats going on?' Shane asks. 

'Were amending our plan to get you on the Boston team.' Laurie explains. 

'You already had a plan?' 

'Yup.' 

'Its a pretty good plan.' Yuna says, impressed. 

'We should be able to afford you if you take a small pay cut. We were just waiting for your contract to run out before we did the full pitch.'

'I was going to make a PowerPoint.' Rachel says mournfully. 

'Oh... It's kind of early to be thinking about that, right?' 

'We just need something that makes us feel productive.' Claire explains. 'Its this or we plan on how to kill your coach.' 

'I also like that plan.' Yuna says handing teacups to Ilya and Shane. 

'I like that one too.' Ilya nods. 'Let me murder him. I will make it look like a Bratva hit.' 

'No-one is killing anyone.' Shane says, sipping his tea. 

'Boring.' Ilya teases gently. 

'When you're ready, the team will be there for you.' Claire promises. 

'You guys need to win the cup first.' 

'Damn right.' Emily grins. 'This is the year.'

'I hate to admit it but I think you're right.' Yuna admits begrudgingly. 

They finish their tea, with only a few minor death threats drafted to the Metros coach and the commissioner of the league. The WAGs pull Shane into a group hug before leaving for a hotel and Ilya is surprised to be pulled into a hug by Yuna. 

'After the season is over, you will come to Ottawa for dinner, yes?' 

She phrases it like a question but he doubts that he actually has much say in it. 'Of course Mrs Hollander.'

She smiles. 'Call me Yuna.' She steps away to pull her son into a tight hug. 'We'll fix this.' She promises before leaving the pair. 

'I can get a hotel too if you want to be alone?' Ilya offers. Shane wrinkles his nose and Ilya just laughs. 'Good. Because Rachel was my ride.' 

Shane laughs with him. 'I'm exhausted... Want to just crash in bed?' 

'Yes.' Ilya says, ushering Shane towards the bedroom. 'We will fix this.' He promises. 'Or the WAGs and your mother will. I think that is more likely probably.' 

Ilya strips down to his boxers and tugs Shane into the bed with him. 

'You should come back to Boston with me.' He says as he wraps himself around Shane's back. 

'What..?' 

'We only have a few games left. You should come. Stay with me instead of being here alone.' 

'I'm not alone...'

Ilya presses a kiss against Shane's shoulder, very politely not pointing out that Shanes parents live in Ottawa and the friends he thought he had on his team are clearly assholes. 

'The team will worry about you. The WAGs will worry about you.' He presses another kiss against Shane's skin. 'I will worry about you.' 

'If people see me in Boston, it could be bad press for your team.'

'Oh no.' Ilya says flatly. 'What terrible headlines they will write. Boston Raiders adopt the star player that the Metros fired in homophobic idiocy. Terrible press for us, yes.'

Shane chuckles. 'I'll think about it.' 

'Good. I need someone to tell my rookies they are terrible and teach them how to shoot.' 

'Oh, that's why you want me to come to Boston.' 

'You caught me. This is truly what I care about.' 

Shane laughs, cuddling back into Ilya as he yawns. 

'Go to sleep Shanya.' 

Shane hums in confirmation and Ilya feels him fall asleep in his arms. He stays awake for a while longer, listening to the steady rise and fall of Shane's breathing. He can only hope that Shane will take him up on his offer. There's not much that Ilya can do for him in this fucked up situation. But if Shane is close by at least Ilya will be able to keep an eye on him and make sure that the man is alright. 

 

 

Chapter 11

‘Okay. The coming out post and the announcement that I’m leaving the Metros are live. So if someone could take my phone far, far away from me, I’d really appreciate it.’ Shane announces, holding out his phone.

‘Yoink.’ Emily snatches the device from his hands and drops it into her purse.

Shane gives her a grateful smile. He eventually agreed to stay with Ilya and travel with him for the rest of the season. It’s his first night staying in Ilya’s Boston home and the team all but insisted that they would come over to celebrate and help take Shane’s mind off the media shitstorm that will be happening now that he’s confirmed all of the rumours.

He sits next to Cliff with a small sigh. ‘Your wife is terrifying by the way.’

‘If you’re referring to the pictures of the commissioner cheating on his wife that were leaked last night; I know nothing about that.’ Cliff says with a very forced neutral expression, a small smile twitching at the edge of his lips.

‘Just wanted to see how important that morality clause was to the league.’ Claire hums.

Cliff laughs, draping an arm over Shane’s shoulders. The Raiders seem to be a very touchy group which is something completely new for Shane. He thought he would hate it. He’s never been one to reach out to connect with people like that, so people rarely try to do that for him. Except for Ilya of course, who was always very close eager to touch.

But rather than making him twitchy like he had expected, the contact is oddly grounding. He feels safer with the Raiders than he ever had with his own team, and god isn’t that depressing.

Ilya walks in with his hands full of the pizza boxes he’s retrieved from the front door. ‘Why are you draped all over my boyfriend?’ Ilya calls across the room, in faux accusation.

‘I’m happily taken, remember?’ Cliff teases, lifting the hand to flash his wedding ring before placing it back on Shane’s shoulder.

‘Like that would stop them.’ Emily teases. ‘Pretty sure Shane Hollander has been Claire’s hall pass their whole relationship.’

Claire throws a pillow across the room to hit Emily who descends into a fit of giggles.

‘What’s a hall pass?’ Shane asks curiously.

‘Do not teach my boyfriend these things.’ Ilya warns as he drops the boxes on the table.

‘You haven’t given Hollzy a hall pass?’ Cliff gasps.

‘Dude, not cool.’ Brad shakes his head, reaching for a slice of pizza and swearing when Ilya slaps his hand.

‘What’s a hall pass?’ Shane asks again, starting to get annoyed.

‘It’s a celebrity you’re allowed to fuck without it counting as cheating.’ Rachel explains. ‘Like a get out of jail free card.’

‘You do not get a card!’ Ilya calls to Shane who laughs at his boyfriend’s open possessiveness.

‘To be fair, Hollander is hot enough that he should be everyone’s hall pass.’ Victor says and Shane is pretty sure he’s just saying it to piss off Ilya, but he still blushes.

‘That’s true.’ Cliff grins, leaning in closer to Shane. ‘You could be our unicorn?’

‘What’s-?’

Shane is dragged off the couch by Ilya. ‘Nope. Absolutely not. You perverts will leave my Shane alone.’

The blush on Shane’s cheeks only gets worse as Ilya calls him “my Shane”.

‘Eat your pizza heathens.’ He demands, kicking Cliffs legs when he winks at Shane as he walks past.

‘They’re joking.’ Shane assures Ilya with a chuckle.

‘They will be punished.’ Ilya promises.

Shane lets himself be bold and presses a kiss against Ilya’s cheek. He grins as Ilya practically melts against him.

***

Once they’ve had their fill of pizza and alcohol, the group lounges on the couches and sprawl across the floor, comfortable in each other’s presence. Ilya has his arm wrapped around Shane’s waist, a welcome grounding hold.

Emily glances up at her phone, looking up with wide eyes. ‘I know we’re not talking about it-‘

‘And you’re doing such a good job of that.’ Claire interjects.

‘Thank you.’ Emily preens, ignoring the sarcasm. ‘I just think it’s important that we all know that like five hockey players have come out as gay today.’

‘What…?’ Shane says, eyes snapping over to the woman.

Emily nods, scrolling through her phone. ‘Let’s see… Scott Hunter is trending. He posted a picture of himself and his boyfriend and called out the Metros homophobic bullshit.’

‘Oooh! Let me see the boyfriend!’ Laurie leans over, nodding in approval when she sees the phone. ‘Good for him.’

‘There’s Lawrence from Toronto. Kane from the Panthers is bi. Ooh, so is Carter from Buffalo.’

‘Why would they do that…?’ Shane frowns.

‘Protest.’ Rachel explains. ‘They’re calling the Commissioners bluff. One player kicked off his team can be waved away as internal politics bullshit. But if they kick out every queer player, shit will hit the fan real quick. They’re defending you.’

‘Fuck…’ Shane whispers, staring down at the floor. He doesn’t think he’s capable of meeting anyone’s eyes right now.

Ilya’s hold on him tightens. ‘I need an American passport.’ He grumbles. ‘I would tell everyone if I could.’

Shane forces himself to look up at Ilya. ‘I know.’ He says softly.

‘We should do our own post about adopting Shane. As a fuck you to Montreal.’ Emily says with a devious grin.

Claire nods. ‘At the very least we should make it clear that we support him. People are probably expecting the Radiers to be dicks because of the rivalry.’

‘What should we post?’ Rachel asks.

Shane considers it for a moment. ‘Can I have my phone back?’

‘Are you going to doomscroll?’ Emily counters with a raised eyebrow.

‘God no. I just thought… maybe we can post a selfie? Let people know that I’m with you guys?’

‘Yes!’ Emily grins, scrambling up to find her purse.

Ilya presses a kiss against Shane’s temple. ‘Okay?’

‘Weirdly, yeah.’ Shane says with a slow exhale.

Emily is beaming when she returns with the phone. ‘I’ll take the selfie so Shaney can be in the middle.’

The wags jump onto the sofa to sit with Shane and Ilya, their husband and boyfriends scrambling up to follow them. Shane is engulfed in a group hug. Ilya’s arm is still around his waist, hidden from view of the camera.

‘Okay, everyone say “fuck the Metros”.’ Emily calls cheerfully as she starts snapping pictures.

The group happily comply, cussing out the Metros until Shane is almost bent in half from laughing so much.

Emily happily hands over Shane’s phone so he can view her handiwork. Shane stares at the photo for a long time. It’s the first time he looks like he actually belongs in a group photo.

Before he can overthink things, he opens up instagram to make a post. The first one he’s ever made without his mother and his PR teams approval. He ignores the barrage of notifications, but makes a note to message the other players who have come out as soon as he’s capable.

Thank you all for all of the support. And thank you to my fellow players who are braver than I could ever imagine being. I’ll be taking a much needed break from socials but rest assured I’m in good hands. Thank you to the Boston Raiders for being so supportive.

He picks a photo where he’s laughing and Ilya is flipping off the camera, a bright grin on his face.

He turns the phone to show Ilya who chuckles in approval. ‘Very bold for you Malysh.’

‘I think it’s about time I was braver.’ Shane nods, psyching himself up before hitting post. ‘Okay, no more socials for real now.’ He says, smiling gratefully when Laurie takes the phone from his hand and replaces it with a glass of vodka.

‘Cheers.’ He raises the glass, smiling to himself when the group match his energy and start cursing the Metros again.

Shane laughs, cuddling back into Ilya’s arms. The party resumes and Shane lets the voices wash over him, content with the surprising feeling of belonging that sinks deep into his chest, healing old wounds he didn’t know existed.

‘We have you.’ Ilya promises, a soft whisper in his ear. And Shane believes him.