heated rivalry fic: so you must like me for me - COMPLETE, 36K
art by @anonymouspinkturtle
Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Summary: Shane wants to figure out if he's gay before he gets drafted—and no, the way he felt when Ilya Rozanov smirked at him with a cigarette between his lips in Saskatchewan has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, the random guy he hooks up with to try and make sure one way or another takes a picture, and Shane gets outed before the draft. In the ensuing scandal, he goes seventh overall, to Ottawa.
It turns out having the worst thing you can think of happen to you when you're seventeen years old can end up being pretty liberating. And land you an unexpected best friend.
Chapter 1 of 2 on Ao3 HERE
Chapter 2 of 2 on Ao3 HERE
“You going seven—is bullshit,” Rozanov replies. “Okay if you go second, because I’m better than you, but seven… fucking bullshit.” Shane has the “fuck you, you’re not better than me” on the tip of his tongue but, the thing is, according to at least six MLH GMs, Rozanov is. And yet, Rozanov looks like he’s deeply offended, like he means what he’s saying, not chirping or bullshitting at all, and that. That heals something in Shane. They’ve been one and two, back and forth, for at least three years now, and the fact that Rozanov acknowledges it, too… “Thank you,” Shane says. “It—Montreal told me it was about optics, or whatever. I don’t know.” Rozanov shakes his head quickly, harrumping. “What, optics are you suck one dick and can’t hold hockey stick anymore? Bullshit. They will all regret, Hollander. Trust me.”















