21 – 40 of 42 Works in Love

  1. After the miracle recovery, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander are back together. One day, Shane gets a phonecall from Ilya's doctor. She asks Shane to come in immediately, alone. He is scared shitless. Turns out, there is no need to be because Captain Rozanov is clearly back in the game. And he can skate again. *** This is a part of my on-going "Hold On (I Still Want You)" series and cannot really be read as stand-alone, therefore I strongly recommend getting the context from the first fic!

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  2. Shane remembers Ilya telling him once that hell is the suffering of being unable to love anymore, and Shane hadn’t understood that then. He couldn’t imagine being unable to love, because they were freshly married and blindingly happy and there was no force in the world that could take it away. But Shane thinks he gets it now, as he thinks about that grey December afternoon and beautiful blond boy in a toque with no one to love and no one to love him. That’s hell, he thinks. That’s hell, and he can barely speak around the swell of emotion in his throat, around the grief he feels at having held Ilya’s young hand for only a moment, for how he can never go back and hold him like he deserves to be held. They’re out - they’ve been out - and Shane can hardly stand it sometimes, how fucking good it feels to see Ilya enter a crowded room and meet his eyes and not feel that cold shock of terror zip down his spine. How plainly he can show love on his face after a decade of closed doors and frantic, not-enough stolen moments and being too terrified to let even his phone know he loves Ilya Rozanov. How he can reach out and tangle fingers with the love of his life and this new world they live in doesn’t try to cave in, or make them leave it, or make them leave each other. It drives him out of his mind daily, thinking about the life they lived together - apart, too fucking apart - for nearly ten years. Sometimes he looks at the slope of Ilya’s shoulders peeking out of a dark cotton tank top on their couch or the point of his toes tapping Shane’s across the space between their chairs or the soft swirl of golden curls darkened in the shower they designed together. Sometimes he looks at those things and his chest wells so full of love he feels like he might burst. Sometimes he looks at those things and feels like he might burst, yeah, but it’s not what drives him crazy. What drives him crazy is the memory of baby-rounded cheeks outside a rink in the prairies in 2008, in the dead of a bitterly cold winter, his first look at the face that would wallpaper his twenties, his whole life. Pinked by the wind, softened by youth, eyes sharp with interest but not familiarity, not yet. Eyes so icy grey they could have been carved from the pavement beneath their feet. A cigarette dangling from lips Shane hasn’t felt yet, but thinks about for months after. It’s the cheeks, though, when he really considers it. Ilya’s eyes are the same, still that same ice-cold grey, but softened around the edges by love and warmth and being loved. His lips are the same too, still full and pink, and they still stick in Shane’s mind like a very lovely thorn, all these years later. The cheeks, though. Soft and round, like a child on the brink of manhood, pink from the wind and maybe a blush - although Shane knows, he’s heard it a thousand times, Russians do not blush, even though Shane’s seen it happen a hundred different ways. They’re different now, sharper and angled in a way that makes air stick in Shane’s chest every time the light catches Ilya’s perfect cheekbones just so. Shane knows the world looks at Ilya Rozanov, a study in curls and cheekbones and mouthwatering iliac furrows, and sees someone dangerous and hot. Shane looks and sees a mouth softened with warmth, a divot between pecs that holds the dangling gold remnants of the only other soul who ever loved Ilya more than Shane does now. He sees a scar low on a golden stomach where doctors took Ilya’s appendix three years ago while Shane waited alone and terrified in Ilya’s Boston penthouse, feeling like a bird in a cage he built for himself. He sees calloused feet, scarred and blistered and worth millions of dollars. And he sees those cheeks. Shane’s life is a montage, or a flipbook of all his greatest hits, all still life images of Ilya Rozanov’s beautiful face growing thinner and stronger and sharper with age right before Shane’s eyes. It drives him crazy. Sometimes he thinks he’s at peace with it all, the years that passed them by and the youth and time and fear they wasted. He doesn’t feel old, really. They’re both thirty-one, they both have many years of hockey and their life together ahead of them. But he thinks about those soft cheeks on Ilya’s seventeen year old face and he knows he will never forgive himself for the years he spent looking at Ilya as anything but the other half of his soul. What he wouldn’t give to go back, to stretch his hand out to the beautiful, pink-faced boy lighting a cigarette against the chill of a Saskatchewan wind in December and tell him he loves him. Too many years passed between that moment and their tearful, overdue profession of love at the cottage. Too many years where it was true and unsaid and only thought about with panic, or denial, or the desire for it to stop. Years ago, a gentle soul stood in the cold with no one to love him, and Shane didn’t fix it for far too long. It drives him crazy. It keeps him up at night, often, just like it does tonight. The house is dark, and Ilya is asleep beside him in their bed, one they’ve shared every single night for a year now - thank god, thank anyone, thank everyone - and Shane watches him like he still can’t believe it. He can’t, not in moments like this when Ilya is still and peaceful and relaxed in a way that makes Shane’s chest ache with love. It feels like a cosmic joke that Shane has ended up here, loved and in love, with someone who eases every ache that’s ever settled itself in his mind, heart, and body. He doesn’t feel special enough for a gift like this - he’s already been given

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  3. Shane tries to put into words how he feels when he’s lying with his head on Ilya’s chest. Ilya listens. “We can do this whenever you want, you know,” Ilya says. “Whenever you need. We’re making lunch, you stop, say ‘Ilya, time to snuggle,’ and we do it. Anytime. No problem.”

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  4. Where Shane exactly knows where he’s heard Ilya saying ‘’I love you’’ in Russian before. He’s the weird kid, after all. (inspired by hattrickhailey on Twitter!!!!)

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  5. Ilya remembers the last time those hands touched him.

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  6. Ilya loves being Shane's dog. He hopes he's good enough to earn it.

    • Part 2 of Dog
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  7. "He seems to understand immediately what's going on, because he turns Ilya towards him, even though he's considerably taller and has much more body mass than David. No matter how big a child grows, to their parents they will always remain a child. Even though Ilya isn't his son, this unwritten rule definitely applies here." or: Missing scene between Ilya and David in Episode 6: The Cottage.

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  8. Ilya trips during practice and gives himself a bloody nose. Shane can never ever know why. Translation into Русский available: Faceplant ∞ Пропахал носом by PANDAR

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  9. Towards the end of The Long Game, Ilya talks to Shane about being depressed. This is a conversation that comes after that, when Shane shares his own struggles with mental health.

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  10. Addiction by

    Heated Rivalry (TV)
    • E
    • ✓

    2026-01-02

    Ilya Rozanov has always been good at wanting things too much. Nicotine. Sex. Alcohol. People, though? People are temporary. Then he meets Shane Hollander. Or, Ilya loves Shane

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  11. Ilya doesn’t even realize when Arthur slips from his thoughts. There’s no sharp turn, no clear moment where the article stops being about a little boy who loves reptiles and starts being about the man lying beside him in bed. It just… happens. The way his mind always seems to find Shane eventually, like water finding its lowest point. — a character study on shane’s undiagnosed autism

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  12. One shot for S1 E6 when Yuna & Shane are having a heart-to-heart outside and Ilya & Mr. Hollander are left alone at the kitchen table. Ilya’s got this. Ilya grasps the cool tumbler of, what do they call it—liquid courage—as Mr. Hollander smiles back at him awkwardly. Though he is seated at the table, Ilya’s legs feel wobbly, and his heart feels both light and heavy. Did he and Shane just confess their love out loud? To other people? Everything is happening all at once. Does Shane need him? This is a lot. No, Shane and his mother need their space to process things together. Ilya is right where he needs to be, and he’s approaching this entire situation with calm. This is Shane’s world. Ilya knows and respects how close he is with his parents, and under the circumstances, things could be a lot worse. Mr. Hollander is the first to break the silence. “Again, I’m sorry about, uh, before,” he mumbles. Ilya takes a sip of his vodka. “Before? You mean, at the cottage.” Mr. Hollander nods. “Yeah, I had no idea. Obviously.” “It happened,” Ilya shrugs. “You didn’t know. Maybe we owe you the apology.” Mr. Hollander chuckles. “I don’t see why. You’re grown men. That’s Shane’s place. I intruded.” “Still, you were surprised. Fortunately, I saw you before, er, uh…” Ilya stops himself before he says something he knows Shane would find utterly embarrassing. “Yeah, close call,” Mr. Hollander clears his throat. “But we’re here now. And Yuna’ll be okay. She’s in shock. She and I process things differently. I’m not worried. When Shane says something, he means it. When Shane wants something, he doesn’t give up.” Ilya smiles at this. It’s something he’s known since Shane told him not to smoke outside of the arena when they first met. The guy has guts. “We have that in common. And I do love your son. Very much.” “I believe you, Ilya. And I’ve watched you grow as a player over the past few years. Now it makes sense why Shane always watched all of your games so intently. I thought it was all about the rivalry you two have. Now I know differently.” “Probably both things,” muses Ilya. “Can I get you something else to drink?” asks Mr. Hollander, likely noticing that Ilya has now drained his glass. “Let me show you my collection.” Ilya picks up his empty tumbler and follows Mr. Hollander out of the kitchen. He glances over his shoulder and through the front window where he can see Shane and his mother speaking intently with one another. It’s a promising sign. Shane has taught him to no longer fear the power of communicating. Ilya is now standing across from Mr. Hollander in a wood-paneled room with numerous shelves filled with books, pictures of Shane as a young boy, and what appears to be an extensive record collection. Ilya’s father had a room like this. There’s also a dark mahogany cabinet with an assortment of liquor bottles that Mr. Hollander is sifting through and a table with a crystal tray of additional glasses. Ilya is immediately drawn to a framed picture of Shane in a school uniform of sorts. He’s probably around seven or eight years old, and he’s missing one of his front teeth. It might be the most adorable thing Ilya has ever seen. He has half a notion to pocket the picture. “That was Shane in second grade. He’d just lost his tooth that morning and was angry the photographer made him smile. But he was over it by the next day. The tooth fairy paid him handsomely.” Ilya laughs, brushing his finger over Shane’s awkward smile and prominent smattering of freckles. “In Russia, we have the tooth mouse. Similar thing. My mother made sure to always leave a treat for us. Of course, I didn’t know it was her at the time,” Ilya says warmly. “But what do you do with the teeth? This has always made me wonder.” Mr. Hollander looks unsure himself. “We’ll have to ask Yuna. I have no idea. What about your mom. Is she still in Russia?” ”No,” Ilya shakes his head. “She died when I was twelve.” ”Hey, I’m sorry, Ilya. And I’m sorry about your father, too. Heard about his passing on the news.” ”Thank you. Shane was a big help to me afterwards.” Mr. Hollander nods and reaches for Ilya’s glass. “How would you feel about trying some whiskey?” “Sure,” Ilya agrees. “Let me get you a fresh glass.” Mr. Hollander fills a clean tumbler about a third of the way with a light brown liquid and hands it to Ilya. “It’s one of the things we’re known for here in Canada.” Ilya takes a slow sip and gently sloshes the liquid around in his mouth. “It’s good. Smooth.” “I’ll send you back with a bottle.” “Thank you.” ”I’ve been telling Shane for years that it’s better than ginger ale.” Mr. Hollander pours himself some as well. “It was brave of you to come here.” ”I was happy Shane agreed to let me. I’ve never done this before. You know, meeting the parents.”

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  13. Ilya and Shane join the Pike family for ice skating. “Have we ever done this before? Skated like. Not for hockey?” Ilya laughed. “Guess not.” “It’s kinda nice.” “Yeah,” Ilya said. God, Shane loved that smile. It was a beautiful day. The air was crisp, the sky a bright blue above Ottawa’s nicest outdoor rink—well, nicest with all-ages family skate hours, and mozzarella sticks and hot chocolate in the adjoining shopping center. The crowds skewed just young-family enough that they didn’t usually get recognized and mobbed, maybe a fan or two but not enough to spoil a day. Shane squinted against the glare of the sun, vaguely missing the controlled familiarity of a rink. It was almost too bright against the outdoor ice. “Sweetie—sweetie, please go to Uncle Shane, Daddy’s got his hands full with your sisters.” came Hayden’s voice, a note of panic in it. Jade was half-dragging Hayd behind her, while Ruby clung to him like she was still unsure she liked skating at all. Shane turned just in time for the littlest Pike, Amber, to careen into his shins. “Oof,” he said easily, smiling as he took her mittened hand. “I don’t want to fall again,” Amber said, looking at Shane with bright eyes, and Shane’s heart just about melted. He kept losing track of how old Hayden’s kids were, but whatever age this was it was one of the cutest. “I’m not going to let you fall,” he said. “Wanna do one loop with me?” Amber sniffed, shuffling her skates. Shane was starting to feel useless. “Amber, Amber!” Arthur Pike’s little voice piped up behind them, approaching fast. Shane turned and his heart went hot in his chest. Ilya was hand in hand with Arthur, who was small for a seven (eight?) year old. Both of them had bright pink cheeks, knit scarves flowing behind them as they zoomed up and slid to an easy, excited halt. “That was so much fun! Can we go around again? No, wait—Amber, do you want a turn with Uncle Ilya?” Amber slid closer to Shane, shaking her head shyly. If it were anyone else, Shane suspected, Ilya would’ve drawn back in mock affront. But Ilya was so damn good with kids—better than any of them, in Shane’s opinion. “No, that was Arthur loop. Amber loop is different,” Ilya said, swinging Arthur around to come up next to Shane and Amber. “What’s an Amber loop like?” Amber asked. Ilya smiled at her, and Shane felt hot right down to his toes. “Can I show you? We stop if you don’t like, of course.” “Okay,” Amber said, smiling back. “Okay! Great.” Ilya turned his eyes to Shane. Even now, Shane felt himself blushing. Ilya’s smile deepened. God, he might be blushing too. “I take your other hand. Yeah? Good! Okay, here we go.” The four of them made a little chain. Shane, Amber, Ilya, Arthur. Arthur could kick and scurry all he wanted, while Ilya kept a hold of him and a steady pace for Amber, and Shane took the spot closest to center ice to anchor them. It was…easy. It was fun. It felt so natural, it was insane. When was the last time Shane had experienced something new on the ice? It was literally new! A different attention paid to his body and his mind, and it was out here on a version of the ice he loved so much, miles away from games or pressure or the public eye. The love of his life linked to him by their friends’ kids. The kids screamed in delight, kicking their feet because they knew Shane and Ilya had them. Somewhere distantly, there was music. Ilya was laughing, doing one of the silly voices that all the Pike kids liked best. Shane caught his eye. They shared a smile. It was private because it was theirs and no one else’s, but it was also out in the open, hidden from no one. His love. His love. Something simple and obvious and miraculous all at once. Ilya’s hair’s a mess. His whole face is rosy, his handsome frame ridiculously dreamy in his tailored winter jacket on the ice. Shane loved seeing him like this, getting to appreciate Ilya’s body doing what it did best (well, second-best), wearing his too-fucking-sexy wardrobe instead of their usual gear. He was hot in his gear too, obviously. But this was a rarer treat. “I love you so much,” Shane called to him as they skated in their little line. “I love you too,” Ilya called back. And then, quieter but not quiet enough, he said something in Russian that made Shane hiss Ilya! Thankfully, Jackie was back from the bathroom and loping toward them on the ice. “Thank you for skating with me, Uncle Shane and Uncle Ilya! I had so much fun!” Amber said through giggles. Ilya bowed low on the ice. “Any time,” he grinned. Arthur called his thanks back too, already tugging his mom and sister to the rest of the family. And then it was just Shane and Ilya on the ice.

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  14. Right after that fateful day at the cottage, Shane starts practicing how to say I love you in Russian. It happens to jog a memory. Of the last time Ilya had truly spoken to him in Russian. “Did you…did you tell me you loved me that night?”

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  15. Ilya’s first Christmas at home *** Yuna smiles at him, the corners of her mouth tightening with some emotion he can’t fully understand. “We just wanted you to feel at home.” Ilya looks down. His nose burns, the ribbons wrapped around the green paper swimming together in a red haze as his eyes inexplicably fill with tears. Squeezing the box so hard the paper wrinkles, tearing at the top where his thumb presses against it, he takes a deep breath, trying to find the words to explain how he wouldn’t know what that felt like. Not before Shane anyway.

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  16. "'I’m not going to shave your head. Unless you keep moving. But you need a trim, your hair is turning into a mullet.” Shane runs his fingers through the silky strands again, inhaling the citrus scent of Ilya’s shampoo. For a moment, he’s tempted to bury his face in Ilya’s curls rather than cut them. 'What is mullet?' 'It’s uh - you know, business in the front, party in the back. Short in the front, long in the back.' 'This sounds terrible. Why would anybody want this?' 'They don’t. That’s why I’m saving you from it. So, stop squirming.' Shane gently tilts Ilya’s head back to center, his fingers lingering against Ilya’s jaw."

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  17. just a fic about them being cute shane and Ilya had now been married for six months and playing together for five. They loved every second of it, the games, the chirping, the shared hotel rooms that somehow always ended with one of them stealing the other’s pillow. It felt like making up for all the years they’d wasted pretending they weren’t in love. Ilya adored it. He could finally hold Shane’s hand in public, talk about him in interviews, and say things like “my husband” without flinching. But there was still that tiny voice at the back of his head whispering hide. For Shane, that voice was more like a full marching band. He was getting better, though. Slowly. He didn’t flinch when Ilya grabbed his hand anymore. He only scowled a littlewhen Ilya kissed his cheek in front of teammates. But still, the world hadn’t quite caught up with them. The media preferred to call them rivals instead of married. And the ones who did acknowledge it seemed to dissect their every move like scientists studying penguin mating rituals. Shane hated it. He’d blocked every gossip account within a ten-mile radius. He didn’t see why two hockey players being in love needed to be news. Meanwhile, Ilya lived on the side of social media where people posted fan art, heart emojis, and wrote essays about how they’d “saved hockey.” He saw the good. He wanted to give them more. Shane wanted to crawl into the nearest rink freezer and hide. Still, there were always haters, the “keep hockey straight” crowd. Shane ignored them. Ilya pretended to, but sometimes the comments still stung. They were walking hand in hand with Anya before a game, their ritual, talking about their six-month anniversary plans. Ilya was thrilled. Shane was nervous. “I have it all planned out,” Ilya announced, beaming. Shane side-eyed him. “That’s… not reassuring.” “Ah, moya lyubov, is surprise,” Ilya smirked. “That’s even less reassuring.” Before Ilya could retort, a group of young hockey bros spotted them. “Rozanov! Hollander!” Shane’s shoulders tensed immediately. The guys came over, grinning, phones ready. “Can we get a photo?” Ilya glanced at his husband, who smiled a little too tightly and nodded. Ilya squeezed his hand. “Of course.” They posed, smiled, said polite goodbyes. The fans walked away, but Shane caught the sideways look at their intertwined hands. His stomach twisted. “Come, let’s go home,” Ilya said softly, tugging his hand. He didn’t add before I commit a murder with a hockey stick. At home, Shane started packing their gear while Ilya made lunch and fed Anya. His phone buzzed. It was Harris. Harris: hey, ilya. hate to do this, but you said you wanted to know when stuff popped up. might wanna see this. Attached was a photo of them from earlier — smiling, holding hands. Cute. Except the caption read: “Guess they’re still trying to make their ‘relationship’ look normal.” Ilya stared at it for a full ten seconds before muttering something in Russian that probably shouldn’t be translated. Ilya: thank you, Harris. will hide from Shane. Ilya: why can’t they just accept us? Harris: they’re idiots. don’t let it get to you. Ilya: I don’t. it’s Shane I worry about. He sighed, shoved his phone away, and went back to making lunch. Halfway through, Shane wandered in and they got… distracted. In the way that leads to being late for warm-ups. By the time Shane’s phone alarm went off, they were both breathless and tangled on the couch. “...worth it,” Ilya panted. “Completely unprofessional,” Shane muttered, buttoning his shirt. “But yes.” As they drove to the rink, Shane scrolled through the Centaurs group chat, laughing at the chaos. He didn’t mention the photo. But something in him had snapped when he saw it. He was tired. Tired of pretending, tired of being polite, tired of hiding behind “no comment.” So when they arrived, Shane turned to Ilya, grabbed his jersey, and kissed him. Hard. Long enough that when they pulled away, another car had pulled up beside them. Bood leaned out his window, smirking. “Damn, your relationship gets questioned and suddenly you two go full rom-com in the parking lot.” Shane’s face went red. “They have to see what they’re missing out on,” he shot back, to the utter shock of both Bood and Ilya. Ilya blinked. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?” Inside, Bood elbowed Evan. “Hollander’s snapped. Love finally broke him.” During warm-ups, Shane skated next to Ilya, watching him laugh. Why had he kept the two halves of his life separate for so long? Maybe the point wasn’t to prove love and hockey could coexist, maybe it was to just live it. Then Ilya’s hair came loose from under his helmet. Shane, without thinking, pulled off his glove and fixed it. The look Ilya gave him was somewhere between shock and heart eyes. They won 2–1. Both scored. Of course.

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  18. “WHAT?!” “Holy shit!” “Rozanov’s engaged?!” *** what if the team did actually pay a little bit more attention and noticed ilyas ring...

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  19. Five Times Ilya comforted Shane + One Time Shane comforted Ilya

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  20. Rose Landry has a rough year and escapes to Shane and Ilya's cottage for a much needed getaway

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