Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationship:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, some of TLG characters, Hayden Pike

Additional Tags:

Canon Divergent, Inury, description of injury, Mentions of Blood, inaccurate medical treatments bc author is not a doctor, Good Friend Rose Landry, Accidental Coming Out, Possessive Ilya Rozanov, Brain Injury, Ilya has a small panic attack a couple times, Angst, Happy Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, for a short time at least lol, Medical Inaccuracies, Good Friend Hayden Pike, hockey inaccuracies

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-02-16 Words: 9,778 Chapters: 1/1

twenty stitches in a hospital room

Summary

Everybody on the ice stops as they wait for Shane to move. Nothing happens. Suddenly, Ilya is twelve years old again, standing over his mother, begging for her to wake up- to move, to do something.
A small puddle of blood begins pooling under Shane’s head and all hell breaks loose.

Notes

My first long hollanov fic!! It's canon-divergent of Shane getting hurt, so keep that in mind and read the tags. Nothing graphic, nothing crazy, just my usually angsty story with a happy ending.
Please don't pay too close of attention to the injuries, treatments, hockey stuff- this is purely for fun and self indulgence. The medical stuff is 100% not accurate, so pls don't treat it too seriously lol
No AI was used to write this and you can pry the em dash from my cold, dead hands
I hope you enjoy 💖

Ilya is no stranger to being hurt. Physically, emotionally, he’s handled it all. He’s good at pretending. He pretends he’s not into guys. Pretends he’s not bothered by Shane dating Rose. Pretends he’s not head over heels in love with Shane Hollander. He’s a professional. 

Sort of.

“So you and Rose,” Ilya murmurs, barely hiding a smirk as he sips his beer. 

“We, uh- we’re not-” Shane clears his throat slightly as he looks around. “She kind of… called me out on possibly not liking girls,” he admits. “We’re still together for the public’s sake, but not…”

“Ah. She call you out- bad in bed?”

Shane almost chokes on his beer. “What-”

“I was joking, but glad to see it’s true. Not with me, though.” Ilya finally lets his smirk shine through. “1492. 9pm.” He leaves without another word.  

-

Shane knocks on the door at 8:57.

“Rose Landry is coming to game tomorrow, yes?” Ilya asks, pressing Shane against the wall.

“Why the fuck are you asking about Rose-”

“Is yes or no question, Hollander.”

“Yes, she’s coming, it was already planned-”

“Good.” Ilya presses his mouth against Shane’s neck and bites down, eyes fluttering shut at the loud moan that leaves Shane’s mouth.

“Rozanov, what-” Shane pushes hard at Ilya’s chest. “What the fuck are you doing? You can’t leave marks on me!”

“You have fake girlfriend. People think you two hooked up before the game,” Ilya explains like it’s obvious. “Just text her warning. She won’t mind.”

“The last time I saw her in person, I totally humiliated myself, I don’t even know if I can talk to her again-” Shane groans quietly. “She called us a square peg in a round hole, and I told her I prefer to be the hole more than the peg.”

“You did not.” Ilya can’t hold back his laughter.

“I did.” Shane drops his head back until it hits the wall. “She’s gonna ask who.”

“You trust her?” Shane nods slowly. “Then tell her. She’s already keeping secret.”

“We- we will come back to this conversation,” Shane finally says. “Right now, I want your dick.” 

Ilya hums softly. “Since you asked so nicely.”

-

“You look like you’ve been mauled by an animal.”

Shane rolls his eyes as he lets Rose into his hotel room. “So good to see you, too,” he mumbles, pulling his shirt on. “That’s actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I should’ve asked you before, I just- he bit me, and it spiraled from there. I could tell he’s really been wanting to do this for a while.” He offers her a bottle of water before sitting on the edge of the bed. “I was with my… friend last night, and he asked if you were coming to the game. He suggested if people asked about the marks, I could just insinuate it was you since the public still thinks we’re together. My mind was a little too preoccupied to think it through.”

Rose purses her lips a little. She lets a small giggle slip past. “I’m sorry,” she finally laughs. “That’s honestly fucking hilarious, Shane. I love that. Yes, I’ll say I marked you up.”

Shane lets out the breath he’s holding. “You are the best,” he breathes. “I’ve never been marked like that and it just felt really good, so I couldn’t bring myself to stop him- sorry. You probably don’t want to hear this.”

“Oh, I do, I absolutely do,” Rose grins. “Whatever details you want to spill, please do. This is so exciting. So you stayed with him last night? Or did he stay here?” 

“We don’t really stay with each other on hotel nights, it’s too much of a risk,” Shane says quietly. “I’ve actually only stayed overnight with him once. But it’s okay- we’re making it work.”

“You seem much happier. I’m happy for you, Shane-”

“It’s Ilya Rozanov,” Shane blurts out, quickly covering his mouth. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to just say it like that. But- yeah,” he breathes. “He told me I could tell you.”

“I feel like I should be more shocked than I am, I’ve seen the way you look at him when he’s playing,” she says after a minute. “But holy shit, Shane. Ilya? That’s who’s pegging your hole? No wonder I didn’t do it for you, Ilya is fucking hot!”

“Oh, god, please never say that again. Fuck-”

“Is his dick really as big as people say it is? What?” She shrugs, holding her hands up when Shane gives her a look. “I hear things. My best friend is gay, he hears things.”

“It’s… yeah,” Shane smiles softly- he can’t help it. “He’s honestly amazing, Rose. He’s so sweet and funny, and he takes such good care of me.”

“And he’s possessive.”

“It was kind of hot to see him like that,” Shane admits. “And again, thank you for agreeing to this. It means a lot to me that you’re doing this for me.”

“Thank you for trusting me with this, Shane. I won’t let you down.” Rose lays down on the bed and places her feet in his lap, taking a picture for her instagram story. “Good luck today,” she says out loud as she types the words into the caption, “can’t wait to see you play #allmine, @shanehollander. There- now everybody knows we saw each other this morning.”

It takes less than a minute for Shane’s phone to go off with a text from Lily. Rose gasps when she sees it.

“Oh my god- is that him? Is that his name in your phone?”

“Yes, it was his idea,” Shane murmurs as he unlocks his phone.

She does not have to rub it in.
My teeth left marks. Not hers.
You are not hers.

I’m not hers.
I asked her to come by to see if she was okay with the plan. She said yes.

You tell her about me? What did she say?

She said you’re hot.

Hmm. She is very attractive as well. Maybe we should have threesome.
But I would have to fuck her so she is satisfied. You are hole after all.

Fuck you, Rozanov. 

After the game.

I hate you.

“Oh my god,” Rose cackles, reading the interaction over Shane’s shoulder. “He’s hilarious, I need to meet him. You have to introduce us, Shane, I’m begging. I think I love him a little bit.”

“Yeah, so do I,” Shane laughs softly. He doesn’t even realize what he’s said until he sees the look on Rose’s face. “Holy shit. No- I didn’t- I haven’t-”

“Shane, I can see it all over your face how much you love that man,” Rose says seriously. “You need to tell him. I will be your cover as long as you want. It’s a win-win situation- we get to hang out, and Ilya gets to mark you.”

“The more he sees me with you, the more he’ll mark me,” Shane murmurs. “He’s already a little possessive, and now that he has the ability to bite me… Fuck. He was insane last night- in the best way. I already have a feeling I know how tonight will go.”

“So what you’re saying is don’t expect to hear from you in the morning,” she grins. “Got it. Although if you’re limping, I don’t think I can cover for that-”

“Oh, fuck off!”

-

Ilya is getting sick of seeing Rose Landry on the jumbotron. It’s only warm-up and she’s already been shown no less than 5 times. She’s wearing one of Shane’s jerseys. Every time they show her, the camera pans to Shane on the ice. He has a small smile on his face. Ilya can tell it’s not a real one- Shane’s real smile is reserved for him. Only him.

The game is close. They’re both playing hard, grinning at each other every time they skate by each other on the ice. If any of their teammates notices their looks, they don’t say a word. Shane is on his way to scoring what could be the winning goal when he glances over his shoulder to grin at Ilya. Ilya smiles back until he sees Marlow heading straight towards Shane.

Ilya shakes his head quickly. “Shane!”

It happens in slow motion. 

Shane doesn’t get a chance to turn back around. Marlow rams into him at full speed, his shoulder hitting Shane square in his chest. Shane goes a bit airborne before slamming down onto the ice, his helmet coming off as he rolls. Ilya feels his world stop spinning. Everybody on the ice stops as they wait for Shane to move. Nothing happens. Suddenly, Ilya is twelve years old again, standing over his mother, begging for her to wake up- to move, to do something. 

A small puddle of blood begins pooling under Shane’s head and all hell breaks loose. Hayden instantly goes after Marlow- Marlow, you mother fucker-

“Everybody back to your benches!” a ref yells out, making a path for the medics to run out on the ice.

Ilya doesn't move. “Is he okay? Fucking tell me!”

“Back to the bench, Rozanov!”

“No!” He pushes past the ref to try and get closer to Shane. “Is he breathing? Shane! Somebody fucking say something!”

“Rozanov, you’re gonna be removed if you don’t get back to the bench-”

He takes his helmet off and tosses it. “I do not fucking care! I need to check on Hollander-”

“Ilya.”

Shane’s voice is weak, cracking on the single word. The medic finally waves him over. Ilya skates over and falls to his knees instantly.

“T-tell Ilya m’okay,” Shane slurs, eyes still closed. “He’s gon’ be worried.”

“I am here, Shane, I am here,” Ilya whispers, taking his gloves off so he can hold Shane’s cheek gently. “Is okay. You’re okay.”

“Ilya.” Shane gives him a wobbly smile. It looks odd on his face with the bruises already forming. There’s a cut across his forehead, blood dripping down his face. “Mhmm, Ilya. Love you,” he breathes. His eyes flutter shut as his body goes limp on the ice.

“Shane? Shane!” Ilya cries out, trying to keep hold of his hand. “Open your eyes!”

The medic pushes Ilya back slightly. “We’ve gotta get him in the ambulance right now. You can meet us at the hospital.”

It’s then that Ilya realizes that every camera in the venue is pointed at them. They’re on the jumbotron as Shane is taken off the ice. Ilya’s face, his worry and his tears, displayed for all to see. For once, he doesn’t care. He ignores the coach calling after him as he runs off to the locker room. Ilya is shocked to see Rose waiting for him by the door once he changes. 

“You’re gonna need a ride,” she shrugs, holding up her keys as they take off running. Hayden catches up to them just as they reach the exit.

“Not now, Pike-”

“Yuna and David aren’t in town, so I’m his medical proxy,” Hayden explains. “Look, I don’t know what the fuck is going on with the two of you, but you’re gonna need me, Rozanov. Get over it.”

Rose grabs Ilya’s arm. “Hey, we need to get to the hospital, Ilya. Shane doesn’t need you punching out his best friend.”

“Right. Fine. Just- get us to hospital.”

Shane is in surgery by the time they finally beat the game traffic and get to the hospital. Ilya is pacing the waiting room as Hayden tries to get as much information as he can. The incident is being replayed on the TVs, and Ilya feels himself going crazy watching Shane go down again and again and again. He’s terrified. 

“He’s gonna be in surgery for a few hours at least, so all we can do now is wait,” Hayden murmurs. “So does someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on? Why did Shane ask for you on the ice?”

“Because Shane loves him,” Rose says simply. She shrugs when Ilya’s head snaps towards her. “Not only did everybody see him say it on the camera, but I was with him this morning. That man is head over heels for you, Ilya.”

“I-I love him, too, we just never said,” Ilya whispers. “We've been together for years. Hiding. Secret.” 

“So what about you and him?” Hayden asks Rose. “Was that all fake?”

“Not totally fake, no, we did try. I just happened to realize I wasn’t what he was looking for,” Rose smiles softly. “So I agreed to keep his secret, and we stayed together publicly to help him out.”

“Okay, but I know Shane was into someone else for so long- he texted her all the time.” Hayden runs his hands over his face. “If he was with you, then why the fuck was he obsessed with Lily?” Ilya stares at him blankly until it finally clicks. “Oh shit. Lily. Ilya.” 

“Yeah.” Ilya finally stops pacing to sit down in one of the chairs. He turns his phone off when his brother won’t stop calling. “I can never go home now. But Russia has not been home for very long time. Shane is home.”

Rose stands up after an hour. “I’m going to go grab us all some water and snacks; we might be here for a while.” She comes back fifteen minutes later with two bags full from the hotel gift shop. She shoves a bottle of water into Ilya’s hand, even after he refuses. “No arguments, Rozanov. You’re going to stay hydrated and you’re going to eat. Shane would be pissed at me if I let either one of you starve out here, so drink up,” she warns.

Ilya slowly looks up at Rose. “Bossy,” he murmurs, lips twitching slightly, “no wonder Shane was attracted to you.”

“Oh, that was more than I needed to know,” Hayden fake gags. “Both of you- what we’re not going to do is talk about any sexual relations you may have had with my best friend. I don’t need details.”

“Remember two weeks ago when you called Shane, and he had to go because someone was at the door?” Ilya smirks as Hayden nods, taking a sip of his drink. “I was sucking his dick.”

“Fuck- come on, man,” Hayden groans loudly. “So you two really are together?”

“We haven’t-” Ilya sighs quietly. He’s quiet for a minute. “We have not made things official. Did not think we could ever tell.”

“Well, that part is already done for you. Twitter is going absolutely insane right now,” Rose murmurs as she scrolls. “Everybody is shocked. Nobody was expecting this.”

Ilya can’t tear his eyes away from the TV. They’re analyzing Shane’s fall- showing it in slow motion, showing the moment of impact, the way Shane’s head slams into the ice. He doesn’t even realize how fast his breathing is until Rose reaches out to grab his hand. “Can we fucking turn TV off? Don’t need to see this,” he snaps. “Don’t need to see Shane fall over and over and over-”

A nurse scrambles to grab the remote and flicks the TV off immediately. Rose stands in front of him. “Ilya, you need to breathe. You’re beginning to panic,” she says quietly. “Look at me. Focus on your breathing.”

“I can’t- need to see Shane-” The room feels like it’s shrinking on him. Ilya’s vision goes blurry as he stands up. He can’t stay here, can’t keep sitting and waiting to find out if Shane is okay. He can hear Rose trying to calm him down, grabbing his arms to ground him. He can’t seem to catch his breath, until-

“Rozanov, Shane is out of surgery.”

Ilya’s knees hit the floor as a sob leaves his lips. He can hear the doctor talking to Hayden, only half of it making sense. Ilya can’t bring himself to focus long enough to understand what’s being said.

“He has a minor brain bleed we’ll be keeping an eye on. He has a fractured orbital socket, a fractured collarbone, rib contusions, a concussion. His wrist may need surgery- we’ll reevaluate tomorrow. It’s going to take a very long time for him to heal, but he should make a full recovery with time. The nurse is taking him off the ventilator now and he should be waking up any minute. He can have two visitors at a time.”

“You two go in,” Rose murmurs. “I’ll wait out here. He needs to see you two first.”

Hayden whispers a quiet thank you and helps Ilya to his feet, leading him down the hall to Shane’s room. “You gonna be okay, Rozanov? Don’t need you cracking your head open, too.”

“Do not joke,” Ilya grumbles. He feels like the breath has been punched out of him as soon as he sees Shane in the hospital bed. He seems so small- bruises across his face, stitches in his forehead, arm in a sling. “Oh, lyubimyy.”

Shane’s eyes flutter open at the sound of Ilya’s voice. “Ilyaaaa,” he giggles quietly, holding his good hand out. “Was hoping you’d be here!”

“You’re on good drugs,” Ilya smiles softly, wiping his tears as he quickly crosses the room. He gently runs his finger across Shane’s freckles before pressing their lips together gently. “You scared me.”

“Scared myself,” Shane mumbles. “I opened my eyes in the ambulance and you weren’t in there. But I thought you were there before.”

“Was there, on the ice.” Ilya laces their fingers together gently. “Could not go in ambulance. Rose brought me here.”

“Oh, Rose-” Shane’s eyes widen comically as he finally realizes they aren’t alone in the room. “Ilya, Hayden is in here!” he whispers loudly. “He’s gonna figure it out!”

“Too late, bud,” Hayden chuckles. He makes his way over to the bed. “I’m glad you’re okay. We’re gonna talk about the fact that you’ve been fucking Rozanov this whole time, but I’ll wait till you aren’t high anymore. Your parents should be here by tomorrow morning- their flight keeps getting delayed.”

“Oh, you know?” Shane frowns. “How did you find out? Does Rose know? Wait, I told Rose,” he mumbles to himself. “Oh my god, on the ice, I said- oh fuck.”

“Don’t work yourself up, milyy,” Ilya whispers. “Is okay. Everybody knows now.”

“I’m gonna update the team and let everybody know you’re okay. And I’ll give you two some privacy,” Hayden chuckles quietly. “I’ll get your stuff from the hotel and bring it up here. Need me to grab anything for you, Rozanov?”

“Oh, uh, yes. Please. Thanks.” He digs the key out of his pocket and hands it over to Hayden. “Room 1492.”

“I’ll send Rose in to say hi before we go since she drove.”

Rose joins them a few minutes later and kisses Shane’s forehead. “You’re an asshole for scaring us like that, Shane.”

“Sorry,” Shane smiles softly. “I won’t do it again. Well, I’ll try not to do it again. Can’t make promises.”

“Good.” Rose reaches over to squeeze Ilya’s arm. “Take care of him. And yourself,” she warns. “I’m leaving the snacks and drinks. Hayden brought Shane’s phone and I’ll be texting for updates.”

Shane salutes weakly. “Yes ma’am.”

“Take it easy, Hollander.”

Ilya deflates as soon as the two of them are alone. “Shane, you scared me so bad,” he whispers. “You ask for me on ice. Almost didn’t get to see you.”

“I remember telling them to let you know I was okay,” Shane murmurs. “Didn’t know if I imagined that.”

“You did not.” Ilya sniffles quietly. “You made me cry in public, Hollander. You will pay for that later. You are lucky you're cute.”

Shane laughs softly. “I’m sorry, Ilya.”

Ilya pulls a chair up next to Shane’s bed and grabs his hand again, pressing his lips against Shane’s fingers. “Ya tebya lyublyu,” he whispers. “Ya tebya lyublyu.”

“You’ve said that before, but I can’t understand Russian, Ilya,” Shane reminds him with a small giggle. “I don’t know what you’re saying to me.”

“I know, Shane.” 

“Did I tell you that I love you on the ice, or did I dream that?”

“Uh-” Ilya clears his throat. “You did say that, yes. You say it, then pass out. Didn’t even give me chance to say it back.”

Shane looks up hopefully. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I love you, too, Shane,” he whispers. “I love you so much, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Fuck, it’s so good to hear you say that. Been wanting to say it for a while, but was too scared. Guess one good thing came out of being body slammed,” Shane giggles softly.

Ilya doesn’t laugh. “No jokes about this, zaychik. I was scared.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Shane pulls Ilya a little closer. “Kiss me. Please?”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ilya whispers. He gently cups Shane’s less-bruised cheek. “This okay?”

“More than okay, Ilya, please. Kiss me.”

“Okay, okay. Needy.” Ilya presses their lips together gently. He keeps the kiss light, pulling back when Shane tries to get more. “No, Shane, only small kiss. You’re hurt.”

Shane pouts up at Ilya. “Fine,” he murmurs. “Will you stay here tonight? I don’t know if it’ll be comfy, but I don’t want you to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I will stay right here.” He sits back down in the chair next to Shane’s bed. “Is late. Get some sleep, Shane.”

“M’fine,” Shane mumbles. He’s already struggling to keep his eyes open. It only takes a few minutes for him to fall completely asleep. 

Ilya stays up as long as he can. Once Shane’s breathing has evened out, Ilya finally lets his shoulders fall. Tears fall down his cheeks, but he bites his lip to keep himself quiet so as to not disturb Shane. Nurses are in and out checking vitals. Ilya doesn’t move. The last time he looks at the clock, it’s a little after four in the morning. He leans over the side of the bed and rests his head next to Shane’s thigh, their hands intertwined on top of the blanket. 

-

Ilya’s back is aching by the time he begins to wake up. He can hear voices whispering across the room. It takes a few minutes for him to realize the voices are Shane’s parents.

“I just didn’t believe what people were saying online.”

“You and me both. Rozanov of all people- I saw the photos of him arriving with Hayden, but I didn’t think he’d still be here.”

“I mean, Shane did say he loved him on the jumbotron for everybody to see. They must’ve been together for a while.”

“Why didn’t he feel like he could tell us?”

“It’s a big deal, Yuna, he may have just been scared.”

“Fuck, my head,” Shane groans softly, pulling his hand from Ilya’s to reach up and cover his eyes. “Too bright in here.”

Ilya reaches over to press the call button. “Shh, moya lyubov, nurse will be here with medicine. I will close blinds.” He gives Shane’s parents a small nod as he crosses the room to close all of the blinds. It makes the room pretty dark, but Ilya would do anything Shane needed.

“Thank you.” Shane finally opens his eyes, freezing when he sees his parents. “Mom. Dad. You’re here.”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Yuna smiles softly. She steps up to the bed when Ilya stands to the side. “We were so worried about you. Our flights kept getting delayed and we weren’t able to get here last night.”

“S’okay, I was out of it most of the night,” Shane shrugs, wincing at the movement. “Fuck, that hurt.”

“A nurse told us everything that happened- hell of a hit,” David murmurs. “We saw everything that went down with Rozanov.”

Ilya shifts on his feet. “Ilya,” he corrects gently.

“Ilya. Sorry.” David gives them both a small smile. “So it’s true?”

“It’s all true,” Shane nods. “I didn’t plan to come out like this, obviously, but… it’s nice to know we don’t have to hide anymore.”

The nurse comes in then. “Good morning, Mr. Hollander,” she smiles, making note of his vitals before administering another round of pain medicine. “Breakfast will be in soon. They’ll be bringing food for you, too, Mr. Rozanov, don’t think we haven’t all noticed that you haven’t eaten since you’ve been here,” she warns.

“Ah. Thank you,” Ilya smiles softly. “Call me Ilya. Please.”

“You can’t stop taking care of yourself,” Shane frowns up at Ilya. “You’re gonna get sick.”

“I am okay, moya lyubov.” Ilya leans down to kiss Shane’s forehead gently. “I will give you time with your parents, be back soon,” he promises, taking a step back.

Shane sits up quickly, ignoring the pain shooting through his body. “No, Ilya, you can’t leave!”

“Whoa whoa, hey.” Ilya helps Shane lay back. “Do not do that, Shane, please. Do not hurt yourself more.”

“Don’t leave me!”

“Not going anywhere, Lyubov, staying right here.” Ilya sits back down in his chair. “Shh. Please breathe. I will stay right here. No more moving like that.”

Shane grips Ilya’s arm tightly. “Stay right here. Please.”

“Staying, not going anywhere. Tell me what you need.”

“Just you.” Shane’s breathing evens out after a few minutes. “Sorry. Just- need you here.” He glances up at his parents. “I’m sure you have a ton of questions.”

“As long as you’re happy,” Yuna smiles softly. “Just… how long?”

“Uh- rookie year? Been a while,” Shane murmurs. “Wasn’t serious until recently, but. Um. I love him- a lot, and I’m very happy with him.”

“I love him, too,” Ilya speaks up. “Very much. Very happy with him.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” David promises. “We’ll support you. Your mom can start fielding the press and handle brands reaching out. You just focus on getting better.”

“I’m sorry if you felt like you couldn’t tell us-”

“Mom, no, it wasn’t that,” Shane promises. “I was just- it was a lot. And like I said, it didn’t get serious until recently. We had been discussing telling both of you, it just… I got hurt and apparently spilled my secrets on the ice.”

“Wasn’t just you,” David laughs softly. “Sorry, Ilya, but you made it pretty obvious, too. Thought you were going to punch the ref who wouldn’t let you go to Shane.”

“I wanted to,” Ilya admits. “I needed to make sure he was okay. Was so scared.”

The nurse brings their food in then, explaining the plan for the day. Follow-up blood work, CT scan, wound cleanings- but Ilya plans to be here every step of the way. He’ll stay forever, if Shane asks. He makes a fuss over Shane, fluffing his pillows when he looks uncomfortable, helping him adjust the blanket when it starts to fall off the bed, never resting for a second. He doesn’t notice the fond smile on Yuna’s face.

Shane’s parents leave a little before ten, promising to come back after they’ve showered and rested. Ilya quickly changes into more comfortable clothes, keeping the bathroom door open so he can still be in Shane’s sight.

“I wish you could hold me,” Shane sighs. “Everything fucking hurts.”

“I wish this, too. Wish I could take your pain.” Ilya lowers the bed rail just to get a little closer to Shane. “I am so sorry this happened, Shane. I distracted you.”

“What? No, this was just a freak accident, Ilya. Nobody’s fault.” Shane uses his good hand to rub Ilya’s shoulders. “I’m not mad at anybody. It’s just part of the game.”

-

Ilya has a hard time letting go of Shane’s hand when he’s taken for his follow-up CT. He’s fidgety as he watches his boyfriend get wheeled out of the room. Yuna and David are back, having brought a bag of things Ilya might need. 

“I think I need fresh air,” Ilya breathes. “Sorry, don’t mean to be rude-”

“Oh, no, hon it’s okay,” Yuna promises. “This must be a lot for you. I’m glad Shane has you here. It was a good thing he had you when he woke up.”

“I was very scared.” He sniffles quietly. He doesn’t want to cry in front of Shane’s mom. “I will be staying as long as he wants. He is most important to me.”

“I can tell you love him very much,” she nods. “You can always talk to me or David if you need to, okay? I know your family is far away-”

Ilya interrupts her gently. “I do not have family anymore,” he mumbles. “Cannot go home. Brother hates me, parents are dead.”

“Oh.” Yuna takes a step forward and rests her hand on Ilya’s shoulder. “You do have a family. If you’re with Shane, you’re with us. Always.”

“Thank you.”

Ilya takes advantage of the pause in the conversation to slip out the door. His hands itch for a cigarette. There are reporters outside the hotel, which irritates him beyond belief, and he avoids them by going out to the hospital courtyard instead. His phone is still turned off. He keeps an eye on the clock on the wall. He swings by the gift shop on his way back up to Shane’s room and arrives just as Shane is brought back.

“All is okay?” Ilya asks

“A doctor will be in soon to talk about the next steps.”

“They gave me more drugs,” Shane giggles, head lolling to the side to look at Ilya. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. I got you gift.” Ilya grabs the bag and pulls out a soft gown. “This okay?”

“What is it?” Shane’s eyebrows furrow as he tries to unfold the gown with one hand.

“It’s, um- sensory gown? I think is what it’s called.” Ilya chews on his bottom lip. “Is softer, no tags. I know you don’t like itchy hospital gown. I asked a nurse what could be done and she said this.”

“Oh.” Shane blinks rapidly to keep himself from crying. “You really did that for me? You know that stuff?”

“Of course I know. None of your clothes have tags.”

“That’s- wait, mom, why are you crying?” Shane frowns, looking over Ilya’s shoulder. “I’m okay?”

“I just- it’s really nice to see someone who knows you so well,” Yuna smiles softly. “I’m okay. We’ll step out for a second so Ilya can help you change, okay?”

As soon as they step out, Ilya pulls the hospital blanket back. He helps Shane slip out of the awful hospital gown and into the soft one, carefully securing it behind his back.

“This feels so much better,” Shane admits, smiling up at Ilya. “Fuck, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. So much.” Ilya leans down and kisses Shane’s forehead gently. 

The doctor comes in a few minutes later, Shane’s parents following him in. “I’ve reviewed his CT scan,” he murmurs. “Unfortunately, Shane has sparked a rebleed in his brain. It’s minor, but we do need to go in and stop it before it gets any worse.”

Ilya feels his stomach drop. “More surgery?”

“Yes,” the doctor nods. “We were already going to need to do surgery to place pins in his wrist, so we can get them done at the same time. This just means we’ll need to do the surgery today instead of tomorrow.”

“But he has eaten. This is dangerous, no?”

“We’ll be keeping an eye on him. We won’t be able to bring him lunch, and we’ll get him into surgery as soon as we can. Someone will be in twice an hour to make sure he’s okay in the meantime.”

“I don’t want more surgery,” Shane pouts. “Surgery sucks.”

“Surgery does suck,” Ilya agrees. “I will be right here the whole time, okay? Maybe try to get some rest. I will stay with you.”

Ilya wakes to the sound of Shane gagging. He quickly grabs a bag and holds it up to Shane's mouth, rubbing his back. “Is okay, let it out.”

“It hurts, m’head hurts,” Shane mumbles. His words are slurred, his eyes still shut. “Ilya.” He slumps back against the bed. He’s whining softly, his good hand gripping his hair. “It hurts!”

“Okay, okay, let me-” Ilya reaches for the call button, but Yuna beats him to it. “Thank you. Shane, can you look at me? Look at me.”

Shane opens his eyes slightly, but they can’t seem to focus. “I-I need to get back to the game, people are gonna find out about us,” he says slowly, shaking his head. “Ilya, you have to go-”

“Shane, what are you talking about?” Yuna frowns. “You’re in the hospital. Do you know what happened?”

“I-” Suddenly, Shane’s entire body locks up. He begins seizing as the nurse comes in to check on him. She yells something down the hall, but Ilya can’t be bothered to figure out what. He can’t take his eyes off Shane.

“Mr. Rozanov, you have to back up- we have to take him to surgery right now. The bleed must be getting worse.”

“But is not safe- not enough hours since he ate breakfast,” Ilya frowns, reluctantly letting go of Shane’s hand when David grabs his arm. “Is not safe!”

“We will take good care of him,” the nurse promises. “We have to go now.”

Ilya's breathing gets faster as Shane is rushed out of the room. He stumbles back into the chair. “He- he has to be okay,” he stammers. “Shane has to. Cannot lose him.”

“Ilya, honey, you have to breathe,” Yuna murmurs, kneeling down in front of him. “This is scary, I know, but Shane has some of Canada’s best doctors working on him right now. Can’t have you passing out.”

It takes several minutes to bring his breathing back to normal. Yuna watches with curiosity- this is not the same Ilya Rozanov she’s read about and watched for the last nine years. Or maybe it is, and the media just has a very distorted view on reality. She’s willing to bet money on the second one. She sits next to him and rubs his back gently. He flinches at the first contact, but eventually relaxes. 

“I am sorry we never told you about us,” Ilya says after a while, his voice quiet. “We wanted to tell you soon. This summer, after season ended. Shane was scared, a-and so was I.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Yuna promises. “It’s okay, I understand why you two were scared. It’s a big deal.”

“Once this gets out, I can’t go home.” Ilya rubs his face gently. “Is not safe there for people like me. Like us. But… I’d give it all up for Shane. I love him.”

“I can see that. He’s going to be okay, Ilya. You may not be able to go home, but you have a home here, too. With us.” Yuna pulls Ilya close. “Please believe me when I say you have us in your corner. We’re here for you, both of you.”

“Thank you.” Ilya rests his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. He’s not sure how much time passes- minutes, hours. Feels like days. The sun is long gone by the time the doctor makes his way back into Shane’s room.

“He’s out of surgery,” he says softly. “However, we did have some complications.” Ilya’s knees buckle. “The bleed escalated and while we were trying to get it stopped, his heart did stop on the table. We were able to bring him back quickly and do not expect anything negative to come from that. We successfully stopped the bleeding in his brain. He’s going to have to stay on the ventilator for the time being. When we tried to take him off, he began crashing. He is stable right now and a nurse will be bringing him back shortly.”

“He-he is alive?” Ilya breathes, looking over at Yuna. His brain is running faster than he can keep up with. “His heart stopped?”

“Yes, but they got him back,” Yuna nods, cupping Ilya’s cheek. “He’s on a machine to help him breathe. He’s not going to be awake when they bring him back in here, but he’s alive.”

Ilya nods jerkily. “Okay. Okay, he is alive,” he murmurs, mostly to himself. “I should text Rose. Hayden. They will want to know.”

“We don’t have to tell anybody anything right now, we can wait until he’s awake. Then I’ll text Hayden, don’t worry about it.” Yuna rubs his back gently. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast, Ilya. You need something.”

“I-I don’t think I can eat,” he says honestly, “not until I know he’s safe. My stomach is… I do not know how to describe in english.”

“You still have to eat something,” Yuna murmurs. “I’ll have David bring food here so you don’t have to leave Shane’s side. What kind of fast food do you like? McDonalds? Panda Express?” He gives her a look. “Today is not a day to be healthy, Rozanov.”

“I like Panda Express,” he smiles softly. “Thank you. Have not had in a while.”

“Then Panda Express it is.”

David brings them food half an hour later, just as Shane is brought back into his room. Ilya feels his stomach churn at the sight of his boyfriend with a tube down his throat, staples along the side of his head. He gravitates toward the side of Shane’s bed on instinct.

“Oh, moya lyubov’,” Ilya whispers, gently stroking Shane’s cheek. “Ya tebya lyublyu.”

“He’s still sedated, so it might be a while before he’s awake,” the nurse says softly. “We prefer to keep people sedated while intubated to prevent them from trying to pull the tube out. If he does start to wake up or seems uncomfortable, just press the call button and we’ll come help out.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs. He stays sitting next to Shane’s bed as he eats his food. It tastes better than he realizes it would- he’s been spending so much time with Shane, he hadn’t even realized he started eating healthier. 

“Do you have to go back to your team?” Yuna asks softly. “Shane will understand-”

“I’m staying, already messaged coach,” Ilya shrugs. “Shane asked me to stay, so I stay.”

“You’re good with him,” David murmurs. “I can see how much you care about him just by the way you watch him. I am a little shocked we didn’t see this sooner.”

“We had to keep it a secret.” Ilya takes a sip of his water. “Like I said before, I cannot go home when this is out. Do people know? Are they talking about it?”

“Yes,” Yuna says honestly. “People believe you two are dating. Shane told you that he loved you on the ice, and you came to the hospital with Hayden and Rose instead of finishing the game. To be brutally honest, I don’t think there’s a way to come back from this, Ilya. I’m sorry.”

Ilya shrugs, turning his attention to Shane once he’s done eating. “I’m only sorry Shane got hurt,” he finally says. “I am not sorry that the world knows. I want the world to know that I love him.”

“I can work on a statement, if you’d like,” she suggests. “I can get ahold of your agent-”

“I do not have an agent. I don’t really do deals.”

Yuna raises her eyebrow. “Then I’ll get in touch with both of your coaches and work on a public statement. They’re going to want an update on Shane soon anyway. Once he wakes up, we can run the statement by him. We won’t do anything until Shane is able to agree.”

“I will do whatever Shane wants to do.” He gently runs his fingers through Shane’s hair, trailing them down to touch his freckles. “He looks so… different like this. Nevinnyy. Uh- innocent, I think is the word. Small. Sorry, English can be hard when I'm very tired or stressed.”

“No apologies needed, Ilya. And I agree.” Yuna stands behind Ilya and rests her hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you came to the hospital. Having you here is going to help him.”

“There’s nowhere else I should be.”

“Yes, but- you being here is a big deal for you. You could’ve just gone with your team and pretended nothing was going on with the two of you. But you didn’t do that. You showed up for him, and you’ll never understand how much that means to us.”

“I love him,” Ilya says simply. “He is worth whatever happens.”

-

The longer Shane goes without waking up, the more reserved Ilya becomes. He barely sleeps through the night, jumping at every change on the monitor. He eats what David and Yuna bring him, but he doesn’t leave the room. He only cries when he’s alone. He ignores the looks of pity he gets from Yuna and David when they notice his red-rimmed eyes. He doesn’t answer his phone. He doesn’t read any texts. He just sits by Shane’s side, holding his good hand, praying to whoever will listen for a good outcome. The days pass slowly. Before he knows it, it’s nighttime again and he’s fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Ilya, hon, you need to sleep,” Yuna tells him quietly. “You take the couch tonight, okay? I’ll sit right here and I’ll wake you up the second anything changes.”

“No thank you.” Ilya keeps his eyes on Shane’s face. “I am okay right here.”

“Ilya Rozanov.” Yuna’s voice is stern, and she stays quiet until Ilya finally looks up at her. “You need rest. You have barely slept since Shane has been here. Please get some rest and I promise I will wake you up immediately.”

“I- okay,” he finally says. “If you need couch, just wake me.”

“I’ll be fine, Ilya. Please get some rest.”

Ilya sleeps for almost sixteen hours. The sun is shining through the window when he starts to open his eyes. Yuna is shaking him gently.

“Ilya,” she murmurs. “Ilya, wake up. Shane is awake.”

Ilya almost falls off the couch. “He is awake? He is okay?”

“Go see for yourself.” 

He hurries off the couch and runs to the other side of the room. As soon as he sees Shane smile, the dam breaks inside him. He rests his forehead on Shane’s good shoulder as he starts crying.

“Hey, hey, I’m okay,” Shane whispers. His voice is rough from the intubation. “I’m okay. I’m here.”

“I was so scared,” Ilya breathes. “You weren’t waking up. Your heart stopped.”

“I know, but I’m okay. I’m here.” Shane kisses the top of Ilya’s head. “I love you.”

“Ya tebya lyublyu,” Ilya whispers. “Ya tebya lyublyu. I love you so much. Was so scared. Never do that again, okay? Never. Wrapping you in bubble wrap.”

Shane laughs quietly. “I won’t be playing for a while, Ilya. I’ll be safe. Have you left the hospital at all?”

Ilya shakes his head. “No, not since I stepped out and bought you the gown. Have been right here waiting for you.”

“Oh, babe.” Shane reaches up and strokes Ilya’s cheek. “Please take care of yourself.”

“You cannot tell me what to do right now,” Ilya whispers. “Shush. I am allowed to be worried about you.” He pauses for a couple seconds. “Your mother is working on a statement, we were waiting for you to wake up. People know about us.”

“Well, I did profess my love for you on the big screen for everybody to see,” Shane giggles softly. “Hell of a way to tell you, huh?”

Yuna raises her eyebrow at them. “That was the first time you said you loved him? I thought you two have been together since rookie year?”

“We weren’t… together, we were just…” Shane refuses to make eye contact. “We were just friends. Kind of. We didn’t get serious until just recently.”

“Would’ve been sooner, but I made him tuna melt and he had panic attack.”

“Ilya, please shut the fuck up,” Shane groans. “I’ve apologized for that. We’ve moved on.”

Ilya kisses his cheek. “I forgive, I don’t forget.”

-

The next morning, a physical therapist comes by to start Shane’s exercises. They keep him in bed and just help him stretch his legs on the first day. On day two, they have him sit up for small increments. It’s harder than Shane expects it to be.

On day five, they help him out of bed with a cane and have him walk around the room. Ilya is by his side, arms ready to catch him if needed. By the time they make it back to Shane’s bed, he’s exhausted.

“You did so good, moya lyubov’, I’m so proud of you,” Ilya whispers as he helps Shane back into bed. “You’ll be walking perfectly again in no time.”

“That fucking sucked,” Shane whines quietly. “My head hurts. My hip hurts. Everything hurts.”

“You’re okay, milyy.” Ilya runs his fingers across Shane’s freckles. “You are so beautiful. I am so happy I don’t have to hide how I feel for you anymore.”

Shane leans into Ilya’s touch. “Did mom say when she’s gonna post the statement?”

“I think this evening. Are you nervous?”

“A little, but it’s not like I can get on my phone and check.”

Ilya chuckles quietly. “I haven’t turned my phone on since the day you were admitted. My brother kept calling. I didn’t want to hear him.” He laces their fingers together. “Every time I opened social media, all I saw was you being hit. I saw it coming before it happened.”

“I heard you yell my name,” Shane murmurs. “And then I woke up in the ambulance.”

“I was so fucking scared.” Ilya’s voice cracks. He can’t stop himself from tearing up again. “You went down and it was like everything stopped. Nobody moved until we saw the blood. I think Hayden tried to kill Marlow. I owe Rose a lot for driving me here.”

“Rose is pretty great.”

“Don’t push it,” Ilya mumbles, bringing Shane’s hand up to his mouth. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t woken up.”

Shane runs his thumb over Ilya’s bottom lip. “You look terrified, even talking about it,” he whispers. “I want to watch the video eventually. Not now, obviously, but- I want to see it. I still don’t really know what happened. I can’t piece it together in my head, and that’s hard for me.”

“I will show you when you’re released,” Ilya murmurs. “I don’t really want you to see it, but… is not fair for me to tell you no.”

“You don’t have to watch it with me.” Shane runs his fingers through Ilya’s messy curls. “I love you. I’m okay, Ilya, I’m alive. You’re not losing me.”

“I know.” Ilya leans into Shane’s touch, exhaling slowly. “I want to pull myself from the rest of the season.”

“What? Ilya, no. Absolutely not!”

Ilya’s eyes widen a bit at the tone of Shane’s voice. “Why? I’m missing the game today, they’ll be fine without me. I am not leaving your side.”

“No.” Shane pulls his hand back. “You’re not going to throw away the rest of the season for me, Ilya. You need to finish strong. Don’t let this ruin your season. Please. I’ll be okay, I’m going to my parents house. They’ll take care of me and we’ll watch the rest of your games.”

“Shane… I don’t think I can be away from you,” Ilya whispers. “You were bleeding on ice. You died in surgery. I need to be here with you.”

“Please don’t throw the season for me,” Shane frowns. “Ilya. That could be so bad for your career. I just- What if they get mad? What if-”

“Shane, lyubov, please calm down. You’re working yourself up too much. You worry me. We can talk about this more later, yes? Please.”

Shane hesitantly nods as he leans back against the bed. “Believe me, I want you here,” he says quietly. “But I don’t want you to put me before your career.”

“You are more important to me than hockey,” Ilya says easily. A small part of him realizes that Shane doesn’t feel the same way. He tells himself he’s okay with it. “We’ll just wait until we know when you’ll be sent home. I don’t want to leave you while you’re still here.”

“Ilya, please. If you pull yourself from the season, you could blow up your whole career. Please think about this before you make a decision.”

“I don’t know if I want to resign with Boston next season anyway,” Ilya shrugs. “I’ve been thinking about a Canadian team.”

Shane looks up at him quickly. “Wait, what? You’d move to Canada?”

“Yes. I would be closer to you. I don’t know if Boston will even want me back next season after this. They are not happy with me for everything. They said some bad things before I turned my phone off.”

“I don’t think my team will be super happy either,” Shane mumbles. “Ilya, you don’t have to move to Canada for me. You love Boston-”

“I love you,” Ilya interrupts him. “We finally don’t have to hide. I’d rather be closer and not need a passport to visit my own boyfriend.”

Shane can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face. “Okay,” he whispers. “Mom can put you in contact with some realtors if you do end up moving here.”

“I will talk to her. For now, you need to sleep, lyubov. I will be here when you wake up.”

Yuna posts the announcement that evening. She uses a photo of the two of them from the All-Star game. The announcement doesn’t include their relationship’s timeline, but does confirm that they are together and it is serious. They announce that Shane will be out for the rest of the season while he recovers. Yuna comes to the hospital that evening to sit Ilya down.

“I’ve been meeting with your coach all day,” she says softly. “I don’t really know how to say this-”

“Just say it, Yuna. Please.”

“They’ve decided to cut you from the team. They said that they couldn’t trust you knowing that you were sleeping with the captain of another team.” Yuna squeezes Ilya’s arm. “I’m so sorry, Ilya.”

Ilya stays quiet for a while. He looks over at Shane’s sleeping body and smiles softly. “I was going to leave Boston after this season anyway,” he says quietly. “I want to move to Canada. I want to be closer to Shane.”

“Shane won’t be returning to the Metros either.”

“They’re dropping him?” Ilya frowns. “They are stupid. “They’re going to lose every game without him. He’s going to be so upset.”

“I know.” Yuna sighs softly and rubs Ilya’s back. “I will find you a Canadian agent and get working on what’s needed for you to move here. I’ll take care of it all, okay?”

“At least I can spend more time with Shane and make sure he doesn’t push himself too hard during recovery.”

“We already had plans for Shane to stay with us during recovery since he won’t have to worry about stairs at our place,” she murmurs. “You are more than welcome to stay with us, Ilya, I know Shane would love to have you with us.”

“Thank you.” Ilya rubs the back of Shane’s hand with his thumb. “Can I be the one to tell him? Please?”

“Of course. I think he’d rather hear it from you.” Yuna kisses the top of Ilya’s head. “Do you need me to bring anything? Food? You haven’t left the hospital since he was brought in.”

“I’m okay, thank you,” he smiles softly. “I don’t want to leave his side. Too worried something might happen while I’m gone.”

“Hon.” Yuna waits until Ilya looks up at her. “You need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, okay? Have you talked to anybody about what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean- you saw the man you love get severely injured on ice, were prevented from going with him to the hospital, got outed to the world, and had to watch him have seizures and go through brain surgery. That’s a lot for anybody, Ilya. You might want to think about speaking to a therapist.”

Ilya lets her words sink in. He hasn’t thought about his own feelings towards all of this- he’s only been worried about Shane, and making sure Shane is okay. He feels his hands start to shake slightly as he lets reality in. “I-I will think about it, Yuna.”

Shane wakes up a few hours later when a nurse comes in to check on him. He can tell something is off by the way Ilya is looking at him.

“The Raiders cut me from the team, effective immediately,” Ilya says quietly, twirling his phone in his hand. “I finally looked online. They’re saying that I’m taking leave to take care of you.”

“Oh, Ilya, I’m so sorry,” Shane frowns. He reaches out when Ilya still won’t look at him. “What else is it?”

“The Metros also cut you from the team,” he finally says, looking up just in time to see Shane’s heartbreak on his face. “You were already out for the season for injury, but they’re not resigning you. Yuna is figuring out a plan for us, and for me to move to Canada.”

“They- they cut me?” Shane whispers. “After everything I’ve given that team? After leading them to two cups- they’re cutting me because I’m gay? Because I’m in love with you?”

“Most likely the second one, lyubov. I am so sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault.” Shane exhales slowly. “I can’t fucking believe this. I gave them my entire career.”

“I know, Shane.” Ilya leans forward, kissing Shane’s forehead. “I love you. We will be okay.”

As expected, the fans lose their minds when they find out Shane and Ilya have been cut from their teams. Both teams receive more than their fair share of backlash. Hayden posts his support for his best friend on more than one occasion. Shane and Ilya don’t make any posts about the situation.

Shane is discharged two weeks after his final surgery. He’s able to walk almost completely on his own, but he’s easily exhausted and gets sore quickly. He’s still heartbroken about not being part of a hockey team anymore. When Yuna gets home and hurries everybody into the living room, Shane knows something big is happening.

“Okay. You need to hear me out first,” she starts, holding her hands up. “You need to keep an open mind and remember that you love playing hockey.”

“This is worrying me, mom, what’s going on?” Shane frowns. “Is everything okay?”

“Ottawa has offered both of you a spot for next season. Now, I know they’re not the best team. They’ve had a few bad years. However, their coach reached out to me regarding both of you. They can afford you, the coach does not care that the two of you are together. They want both of you.”

“Ottawa is kind of a shitty team, mom, that’s a huge downgrade,” Shane groans softly. “Is that really our only option?”

“It really is.”

“I’m okay with it,” Ilya nods. “I like it here in Ottawa. Shane, you could be even closer to your family. We can still play hockey and with both of us on that team? We can get them back up to the top in no time.”

Shane looks at Ilya for a few minutes. “Okay. If you’re okay with it, then I’m okay with it. It’ll be fun to play on the same team full time. I’ll get to see you all the time.”

“I’ll let them know and you two can schedule a meeting with the coach for your contracts!”

Later that night, when they’re curled up in Shane’s bed together, he brings it up. “I have a cottage just down the road from here,” he says softly. “I’m sure a visa will be included in your contract, but… I want you to live with me. At my place.”

“Oh.” Ilya turns his face, hiding his watery eyes from Shane. “That’s really what you want? For us to live together?”

“Yes, of course. Hey,” Shane whispers, tilting Ilya’s chin towards him. “I want to spend forever with you, now that it’s an option for us. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They meet with the coach three days later. It’s still several months until they join the new team, but coach Wiebe wants to get everything in order as soon as possible.

“We’re so excited that the two of you accepted our offer,” he grins, “It sickens me to know what both of your teams did to you, just for being in love. I promise you that kind of bullshit will never happen here. Our team is fully accepting. They’re going to be so excited.”

“Do they know yet?” Shane murmurs. 

Wiebe shakes his head. “Not yet. Wanted to meet with you first and make sure this was something the two of you wanted. They’re all in the locker room, if you’d like to meet them before you sign your contracts.”

“Maybe it’s best.” Ilya is tense next to Shane. He’d never admit it, but he’s nervous about how the team will react to them in person. “Want to make sure.”

“Of course, follow me.”

“Yeah, Wiebe said he was meeting with a couple of prospects and might be a little late to practice,” a voice says when the door is opened. “Oh hey- how’d it go?”

“Well, they wanted to meet you guys first. Be on your best behavior.”

Shane and Ilya step into the locker room. It’s dead silent for a few seconds, which has Ilya ready to bolt with his hand in Shane’s. Suddenly, the locker room explodes with cheers.

“Oh, we are so making it to the playoffs next season!”

“Holy shit, both of them?”

“The league doesn’t stand a chance now!”

Shane can’t stop the laugh that leaves his lips. “We wanted to see how you guys felt about us joining, but I think it’s safe to say we’ll be welcomed.”

“I’m Troy,” a man says as he steps forward. “We would be honored for the two of you to join our team. What happened to you was fucking ridiculous, and we’ll take down any bigot who tries to talk shit.”

Wiebe looks between his team and the couple. “Well? What do you say?”

Ilya looks at Shane for a few seconds before they nod. “We’re in.”