Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, Ottawa Centaurs Team Ensemble (Game Changers), David Hollander, Yuna Hollander

Additional Tags:

Coming Out, coming out gone wrong, Accidental Homophobia, Ottawa Centaurs (Game Changers), Dumb Hockey Boys, References to Depression, Scrabble

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-09-24 Words: 2,489 Chapters: 1/1

No, really! I have a boyfriend!

Summary

"Where were you this weekend, cap? We missed you at the barbecue."

"I was at my boyfriend Shane Hollander's house."

"Okay then! Keep your secrets, cap!"

--
No one believes Ilya that he's dating Montreal player Shane Hollander.

Notes

This started as a little thing on threads and now it's here!

Thank you to my many Beta readers: whenthebeebuzzed, manateecat, itssvet_lanaaa, and lone_reed_
I appreciate all the help and guidance y'all gave me!

Please enjoy! :)

Ilya somehow manages to drag himself to the arena this morning just after six AM. He left Shane's apartment at four in the morning to make it back to Ottawa in time for practice. His eyes burn, his whole face feels heavy, his eyes aching to close.

He's glad to have Shane and loves that they manage to see each other more, but the early mornings and late nights wear at him. Lately, his sleep has been restless and his practices full of errors.

That's why, when Ilya got asked the question today, he doesn't hold back.

"Where were you this weekend, cap? We missed you at the barbecue."

"I was at my boyfriend Shane Hollander's house."

Ilya immediately freezes once the words pass out of his mouth. Fuck, fuck, he just ruined everything. The years of sneaking around, of hotel rooms, of fake names and secrets and lies and whispers into a phone late at night. All ruined because Ilya feels tired and sad.

What a pathetic excuse for-

"Okay then! Keep your secrets, cap!"

"Nice one, cap!"

"Imagine, tough-guy-Rozanov gay."

"No, no, imagine hockey Golden Boy Hollander gay? Fuck no!"

The whole locker room — which consists of only half of the team this early — laughs. They laugh at the idea of Rozanov being queer, of Shane Hollander being queer, and most of all, they laugh at the implication that if both men were gay, that they would choose to be together.

Not menacingly, not in a homophobic way, and not in a disrespectful way. They assume no "macho manly man" like Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander could be gay. An assumption so rooted in toxic masculinity they might not even realize how homophobic it sounds.

They're idiots with a twists sense of "correct" masculinity, but they weren't bigoted assholes.

Ilya struggles to bring a smile on his face. He gives a half-hearted chuckle before turning into his cubby to hide his face.

Fuck, he almost outed himself. Almost outed Shane who is so anxious over being outted that Ilya could never tell him what just happened.

Could anyone in the locker room feel his heart hammering in his chest? It is all Ilya could hear. Maybe he has panic-induced tinnitus and his penace is to forever only hear his own racing heart.

"Bood! Bood, you have to hear what Rozzy just said! He said he missed your barbecue because he met up with his boyfriend, Shane fucking Hollander."

The room erupts in laughter again as the newcomers are told what they believe is a hilarious joke that their friends missed.

Ilya sighs softly. He couldn't even feel the relief of telling anyone the truth because it makes him panic and, even worse, no one believes him anways.

"Okay, okay. Your captain is very funny. Now, everyone out on ice in ten minutes or I tell coach we need extra drill."

---

After that slip up, Ilya stops trying to hide. Why hide something if no one believes him anyways? Or maybe he is so deperate for someone — anyone — to see who he really is beyond Ilya Rozanov, Star Hockey Player. Inside, he begs for someone to see that he's telling the truth.

He holds all this love for Shane Hollander, if only someone would open their eyes to see it.

 

"Want to come to the bar tonight?"

"I can't, will be driving to Montreal to see my boyfriend, Shane."

 

"Hey, Roz! My place for Mario Kart tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Shane is visiting."

 

"Shane will be watching game tonight, so do not embarrass me in front of my boyfriend!"

"Roz, this might count as harassment if you don't let the joke go!"

 

"No, I cannot go to club tonight. Is Shane's birthday today."

"So?"

"So I want to facetime my hot boyfriend for his birthday since I am stuck in stupid Philadelphia."

 

No one ever believes Ilya, no matter how many times he says it.

---

"You told your team what?!"

Ilya sighs, repositioning the phone so his whole face shows in the Facetime call. "Is fine Shane-"

"Ilya, you told them-"

"They don't believe me." Fuck, Ilya feels his eyes start to burn as tears threaten to pop up. "They don't believe that I am queer or that you are. They think is all a… a big fucking joke."

Shane looks at Ilya through the phone. They sit in silence for a few painful seconds, until Shane says in a softer voice, "Is it upsetting to you that they don't believe you?"

Ilya doesn't need to think about his answer. "Yes."

"Okay. But Ilya? No matter what they believe, we both know. I'm not going anywhere."

Ilya sniffs and ducks his head out of frame. How does Shane see through him so fucking clearly sometimes? "Sure, Shane."

"I mean it. I love you, you idiot."

"I love you too, boring Canadian."

---

Months later and dozens of times of coming out, Ilya gives up. He's playing scrabble with Yuna and David in their Ottawa house while Shane travels with his Montreal team on a roadie. He just hits a triple word when his phone buzzes.

"Ilya, don't you dare-"

"I will not cheat, Yuna. Shane is supposed to text when he lands in Boston, yes?"

Yuna keeps an eye on him as he opens his phone to see the notification:

 

BoodHAM: Yo wanna hang??

BoodHAM: Im fucking bored

 

Ilya sighs and purses his lips. His team means well, but he feels as if he's hiding in plain sight with them. He's tried to tell them about Shane, about his sexuality, and about his life. Spending time with Yuna and David makes Ilya feel most like the real him. Well, other than when he's with Shane.

Well, if Bood wants to hang, Ilya is good to hang.

Ilya: I'm not home, but you're welcome to come hang

Ilya: 6397 Eldridge Pkwy

 

"Ilya, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Ilya looks up at David, who looks purely concerned. "I don't want to hide anymore. Not with my team. I have tried to tell them and then? They think is joke. I am…" He trails off with a long sigh. He doesn't know how to explain the feeling in his chest.

"Okay, honey." Yuna reaches out and squeezes his hand. "It's your call."

Twenty minutes later, Bood pulls up to the Hollander's house, stepping inside in awe. He looks at Yuna who stands beside Ilya at the door, then at David who can be seen in the living room staring at the scrabble board, then turns fully to Ilya. "Man, when you joke, you really commit to it. Hanging with Hollander's parents is diabolical."

Ilya stands there as he gapes like a fish, at a loss for words at the stupidity of his alternate captain. Yuna empathetically pats her future son-in-law's shoulder and disappears back into the living room to ensure David isn't cheating at their scrabble game.

"So, does Hollander know-"

"Bood, listen very carefully: Shane is my boyfriend. I hang with his parents in my free time. This is real."

"Sure, man." Bood winks dramatically. "I got you."

Fuck him, Ilya thinks, anger spiking in his veins. How much clearer could he fucking be?

"Ilya, I think your kurnik is ready in the oven," Yuna calls out.

The scent of the Russian dessert fills the house as Ilya moves past Bood and into the kitchen. "No, you think is done, Yuna. Kurnik is decieving, yes?" Ilya looks through the oven glass door and nods. "Three more minutes."

"Honey, it's getting golden on top."

"Kurnik needs more gold, less pale."

"If you make my house smell like burnt pastry, Ilya Rozanov, I'm not making you my dorayaki next week."

Ilya gasps at his future mother-in-law. "You wouldn't."

"Absolutely I would. In fact, I'll make some for Shane and tell him to keep it from you."

"Shane would never. He loves me too much."

Yuna smacks Ilya with a towel and he pretends to be hurt. Normal shenanigans in the Hollander household, play fights and playful teasing.

"Holy shit," Bood says from the doorway.

Ilya grabs a oven mitt from the second drawer and carefully pulls out the (perfectly golden) pastry from the oven.

"Holy shit," Bood repeats. "This- You're telling the truth."

"Yes."

"This whole time?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"…No."

Yuna speaks up then with, "You two can go debate the legitimacy of Ilya's relationship with my son in the living room. Ilya, it's your turn at scrabble and I don't trust David."

"I'm not looking at your tiles!" David calls from the living room.

"Holy shit." Bood sounds like a broken record at this point. "The team is going to go crazy."

"They won't believe you."

 

And they dont. Bood tries, when he gets home and calls Dykstra.

"Dude, it's true. It's all fucking true."

"What is?" Dykstra asks and Bood can hear the muffled sounds of a bar in the call's background.

"Roz! Him and Shane -- it's all fucking true."

"Sure it is! And I'm related to Obama."

"Listen-"

"Roz is just European, not gay. You've seen what that guy can lift."

Bood tries to text LaPoint and Wyatt, but they have the same reactions at Dykstra.

"Looks like he got you to be a part of the joke," Wyatt says with a wide smile at the next practice after Bood insistes that he witnessed Roz at Hollander's childhood home. "Sounds like he's becoming part of the team. Good for Roz."

Bood looks around the rink in despair. Rozanov was right: no one believed him.

---

The wedding invites weren't even invites. Ilya sends a text to the Centaur group chat.

 

Ilya: My house, Saturday at 4pm. Dress nice and bring plus one

Ilya: I am being told for no one to wear white? That is stupid wear what you want

 

Speculation runs wild through the team. Bood tries to tell everyone that it's something to do with Shane Hollander, but everyone rolls their eyes and tell him the joke is overdone.

Some people think it's a Russian-style hangout, but no one knows what that could be and why wearing white would be advised against.

Other conspiracy theories consist of:

• Ilya's throwing a mysterious party with A-list celebrities ("Did you see that Rose Landry landed in Ottawa last night? I saw it on Twitter!" Young insisted as his reasoning.)

• Ilya is hosting a dog adoption event

• Ilya plans to sell his house so he's having one last horaah

• Ilya has a secret child and the team is all meeting them ("It makes sense!" LaPoint shouted over everyone. "We can't wear white because of baby spitup!")

Each explaination is more outlandish than the last. But the team shows up, united and dressed in their best suits, the wives in their favorite dresses and heels. They follow signs to the backyard where there's tables set up and some sort of arch towards the back.

"Guys?" Lisa looks at her husband and to the rest of the boys. "Why didn't you say this is a wedding?"

"Is that Yuna Hollander?" Dykstra asked as he catches Yuna bring out a flower vase from the house.

"Oh my god, this is a wedding!" Luca covers his mouth in horror. "Cap's getting married."

"To who?"

Someone clinks a spoon against a glass to silence the crowd. The Centaurs and their plus ones turn to see Rose Landry — of all people — at one side of the big arch, smiling at everyone. "Okay, we're about to start if everyone can find a seat."

Lisa and Cassie guide the guys to the white chairs set out across the lawn. There's nowhere near enough for all the guests in attendance, so the Centaurs stand while their wives and girlfriends sit in front of them. Music starts and Ilya walks down the middle isle arm-in-arm with-

"Is that David Hollander?" Luca hisses to LaPoint.

"Wow, he's really committing to the bit."

They watch Ilya walk down the makeshift isle. At the end, David Hollander brings Ilya into a long hug before he lets go.

"So Rozzy is getting married?" Luca whispers unsure. "He didn't tell us, right?"

A soft chorus of nos respond to him.

Music starts again and all the guests look back at the start of the isle to see Shane Hollander arm-in-arm with his own mother.

"Okay, the joke has gone too far," Dykstra whispers.

"Shut up," Bood hisses. "I've been trying to tell you, they're together."

"These motherfuckers-"

"Bood, there's no way-'

A voice clears and everyone focuses at the front where Hollander and Rozzy stand across from each other. "Thank you for coming, everyone," the officiant starts. "We are here as witnesses in the joining of these two individuals: Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.

"When we were planning this, both of them told me to keep it short, so that's what I will do. Shane, Ilya, in the short discussions I've had with you both, it's clear to me that not only is there love here, but respect and care. I am honored to be here before both of you today to bring you together for the rest of your lives.

"Now, I believe you both have written your vows. Ilya, go ahead."

Ilya takes a deep breath before saying clearly, "Shane, I fell for you at seventeen, under a no smoking sign while I was very obviously smoking. You came over to me to tell me off, but all I could pay attention to were your cute freckles and handsome brown eyes. It took me a few years to get my shit together, but I am so glad our journey led to this moment. Shane, I love you with all that I am, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to love you, protect you, and continue beating you in hockey until we're both old and crippled."

Shane huffs softly, but his misty eyes are clear even from where Ilya's team sits. "Ilya, my love, I have cherished you since we were seventeen, when I didn't understand why just looking at you made my heart race or palms sweat. You are my favorite person: my favorite to talk to, to spend time with, to beat at hockey. I've loved you for longer than I allowed myself to know, and I am never letting you go again. I will stand by your side through whatever comes next for us. I love you, Ilya Rozanov, and I always will. I will love you through thick and thin, through rain and sunshine, until the end of my life."

If Bood wipes his eyes, if Wyatt pressed the back of his wrist against his nose, if Dykstra's eyes fill with unshed tears? Well, no one could blame them.

Their captain married Shane Hollander, and fuck if they were so very happy for them both.

 

---

Written by a human in Ellipsus.