exactly what's on the tin

i needed a place to categorize all of the heated rivalry content i keep liking. i'll update the appearance eventually!!!

[justahrsideblog]

it took nearly missing my train stop because i was reading headcanons that made me finally follow through on this sideblog.

so it took me from May 10th through June 18th to queue and tag all of the posts i liked.

the queue is very long, to say the least. anything I queue now will show up in about a month.

icon from j2micons!

(oh, and main blog is hazelwords)

[medrawawi]

[fixielixie]

headcanon that hollanov dont really know how to give pg kisses because they spent the first decade of their relationship devouring each other every time they kissed, just sucking faces so intensely, because they knew they wouldn't see each other for ages afterwards and were so worked up and horny. but once they start dating for real, they find it really hard to tame their kisses down, theres still a linger of that desperation, so even if its just supposed to be a sweet goodbye kiss, someone always ends up slipping tongue and then it devolves from there. everyone around them is always vaguely uncomfortable by how Wet their kisses are.

[thisfeebleheart]

Ilya + being provided for by Shane and his parents

[yonglixx]

Connor Storrie + my favorite hawaiian shirt♡  'Heated Rivalry' ep 5 behind the scenes

[vivodesdemona]

his spot

[gaysie]

in a world where shane never met ilya he would’ve become rob lowe in parks and rec

[gaysie]

#‘if i keep my body skating & my mind occupied at all times i will avoid thinking about cock’ @salaciouscrumbb THIS

[handsywoman]

my favorite Shanebug moments [ pt.1 ]

[watermelontuesdays]

AU where Shane and Ilya don't hook up or have a decades-long secret. They don't really know each other at all, except to play each other.

Shane comes out of the closet sometime after Scott does, and in some random, lighthearted interview, they ask him what he's looking for in a man. And Shane's just, off-hand like, "Well, he'd have to have at least one Stanley Cup. Obviously." And when he gets a good reaction from that, he keeps going, like "Needs to be amazing at hockey. Definitely needs to be at least an All-Star, if not a captain. Hot too. If he can't bench-press me, I'm not interested."

And it's all in fun, except two days after the interview prints, Ilya Rozanov shows up at his door like "knock, knock. I am here to apply for boyfriend position. Do you need resume? I brought my Stanley Cup ring, just in case."

[tinylilhollander]

I hate to say it, but after they're out and married and don't have to hide anymore, Shane and Ilya both become the biggest "Can I my husband join us?" guys. Rose invites Shane to brunch and it's immediately "Can Ilya come too?". Svetlana has managed by some miracle to find a night where she and Ilya are both free to go clubbing and Ilya is like "Is it cool if Shane comes with us?". Hayden doesn't even wait for the question anymore. "Do you and your lawfully wedded asshole want to come over and play the new MLH video game?" They just come as a set now and everyone has to accept that.

[sinmonger]

Heated Rivalry Week 2026 | Day 4: Favorite Location | I have loved you in a hundred different cities, and in a hundred different lifetimes.

[tinylilhollander]

Only heaven and the lilies know

A Hollanov story - Part 13 (Part 12 here)

Irina Rozanov runs away with 12-year-old Ilya to live with family in Canada, so instead of being Shane's hockey rival, he's the boy from the flower shop at the lake, the friend Shane looks forward to seeing every summer when they go to the cottage.The friend he's absolutely definitely not falling in love with. No way. Read it on AO3 (updates on tumblr first)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6| Part 7| Part 8| Part 9 | Part 10| Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

The end of summer came way too quickly again, but Shane and Ilya still had one last glorious day left.

They'd spent most of the day kayaking, and were now sitting on the little island Shane had pointed beyond to show Ilya where their cottage would be one day and were now looking at the patch of land and imagining, as they had every day since they'd brought it up, what their future home would look like.

Well, less imagining, more arguing about how to stock and decorate it. It had become a favorite game of theirs over the past few weeks. Realistically, Shane knew he was going to hire and interior designer to take care of all of this, but for now it was fun to hash out as two fourteen-year-old boys who knew absolutely nothing about this stuff.

Even so, Shane was secretly convinced he was better at it than Ilya. Or that he at least had the better chance at not creating a wild multicolored disaster of a home. Ilya saw it the other way. Shane would bring up what he thought were perfectly reasonable, tasteful ideas and Ilya would, nine times out of ten, laugh at him for choosing the most boring thing.

Today it was crockery.

"What's wrong with white?" asked Shane, indignantly. "It's the standard. Literally all the best restaurants use white dishes. It shows the food the best. It's, like, science or something that it makes the food taste nicer when you can see the colors better."

"Ugh, Hollander, it's a good thing you're so handsome and I'm heels-over-head in love with you, because you really say the most dull things sometimes." He shoved his shoulder into Shane's and Shane tried to glare back, but it was hard when he'd just been called handsome by the most beautiful person he knew. "Restaurants use white because it's cheaper to make – less paint or dye – and also easier to replace if it breaks. That's it. If it was just the color thing, gray or black plates would be just as popular."

"It didn't say it was only the color thing," said Shane. "It's also a presentation thing. Black is more reflective so it'll always show the grease more. You don't see it as much on white."

"Shane, are you saying you would not clean our plates?" laughed Ilya. "You want white so you can give our lovely guests greasy plates?"

"Fuck you, Rozanov, I'd obviously clean the plates. I'm just saying that even if your hands are clean and the plates are clean, your hands have oil that gets left behind when you handle them and white shows it less."

Far from winning him the argument, this only seemed to make Ilya laugh harder. Shane couldn't help but huff in amusement too, and within minutes the two of them were laughing so hard they were crying, bent double in pain at how much it was starting to hurt.

"Fine," Shane said, once they finally calmed down. They were pretty visible out here on the island so Shane didn't want to risk kissing him – as much as he wanted to – but he was fairly sure no one would see them hold hands. He lay back on the grass and threaded his hand through Ilya's. "One day, once our house is all built and ready to go, you can choose the plates. But I'm still choosing the silverware because you don't understand why the forks in the drawer are perfect and the forks on the hanging cultery stand suck."

"That's because how there is a difference? They are both forks – they help get food into your mouth. That's all you need from a fork."

"Yeah, but it's about the feel of it too. The hanging set is so flat, and thin. And square." Shane didn't even want to look at Ilya right now. He knew he was probably giggling silently again. "They're horrible to hold. I don't understand how you can even focus on what you're eating with those monstrosities in your hand."

"When we get back to the cottage I will show you. There is no such thing as bad or good cutlery. It's just the tools you use to put food into your face."

"I bet you anything Olga's only going to put out the good stuff though," said Shane. Olga was making a fancy dinner for everyone that night since it was the Hollanders' last night in town. Shane knew she would have good opinions on which were the correct silverware and plates to use. "She works in the fancy hotel. She definitely knows what she's talking about."

"Ugh, that's it," said Ilya, and for one heartstopping moment, Shane thought he'd finally done it – he'd finally reached the point where Ilya found him too weird or insufferable or whatever people thougt when they'd decided they'd had enough of him. But no, when Shane looked Ilya was grinning. He could breathe again. "You are simply too fucking cute. I know you don't want to kiss out here, so we are kayaking back to the dock right now so I can kiss you properly about it."

Shane grinned and began pushing his kayak towards the water. It took them another ten minutes to get back to the dock (mostly because Ilya insisted on paddling around the island a few more times, mostly as an excuse to start a splashing war) but as soon as they'd climbed out and hoisted their kayaks up after them, Ilya pounced, pinning Shane to the dock and kissing him to within an inch of his life. Shane wished he could disappear into this moment – to live the rest of his life in this one perfect snapshot of summer.

"Hey," said Ilya, propping himself up on his arms so that he could look at Shane properly. "Don't think I didn't notice how you got a little tense earlier. Is everything okay?"

Shane nodded and pulled his lips into a thin line. Why was this making him want to cry?All he knew was that he didn't want Ilya to know how scared he always was about the invisible line, the one he always crossed with people. It was always there, the thing that made people turn on him, and it was only a matter of time before Ilya found it.

"I'm fine, I promise," he told Ilya, who raised his eyebrows in that way that told Shane he wasn't buying it at all. He took a deep breath. "I just… I guess I keep waiting for you to see that thing that everyone else sees. The thing that makes them stop liking me or tolerating me or… I don't know. I keep thinking somethings going to happen that's going to make you see that I'm not the person you think I am."

Ilya frowned so deeply that for one heartstopping moment, Shane was worried that he'd just spoken it into existence.

"Ilya?" he asked.

"Sorry, I just… you really think I would do that?" His voice was quiet, like he was talking to an animal he didn't want to scare away.

"Yes. No. I don't fucking know, Ilya," said Shane, bringing his hands up over his face as he felt the tears threatening to leave his eyes. "It happens with everyone. Every time I think I make a friend or get close to someone, I do something or say something and it's like a switch gets flipped and suddenly that person doesn't like me anymore. I don't… I don't think you'd be like that, but I also just haven't ever had anyone prove me wrong."

"Fuck, Shane," said Ilya, lying back down, but only so he could gather Shane into his arms. His skin was warm from the sun and cool from the breeze and Shane buried his face into his neck and just breathed, fighting his tears with everything he had. "Every time I think I'm as angry as I can be with everyone who's ever made you feel like shit, you tell me some new thing and I'm even more pissed off."

He pressed a kiss to the top of Shane's head and despite his best efforts, he felt a tear slipping down his cheek.

"I know it's not your fault you think this way, but, Shane, My Shane, you're going to have to start believing me when I say you're the best thing in my life, okay? I'm not just saying that to try to win boyfriend points or whatever. Without you, I don't know where or who I would be, especially this year. Especially with everything with Mama. I just… I don't think it's possible for me to ever be sick of you. Especially when I don't get to see enough of you to even be used to you being here. Time with you is only ever a good thing, okay? I'll be the one to prove you wrong, okay?"

He pulled away from Shane to look at him and wiped his tears away, even as Shane could see tears forming in his own eyes.

"Fuck," said Shane, buring his face into Ilya's neck again.

"Fuck," Ilya agreed, voice thick. And if their chests shook a little bit more than usual or their necks and shoulders were getting damp, neither of them said anything – just clung to each other until their breathing returned to normal.

Shane's eyes fluttered closed against Ilya's shoulder.

"Whatever we do, we cannot fall asleep like this," he said, stifling a yawn, completely spent after crying. "It's a little overcast so we'll burn worse than usual if we do."

"You're so boring, My Shane," said Ilya through a yawn of his own, in a way that sounded exactly like 'I love you'.

They woke up an hour later, beet red, apart from a sliver of pale skin on Ilya's left, and Shane's right.

 "Oh jesus, we didn't just burn," said Shane, scrambling to his feet, looking at Ilya's torso in terror. "We burned our arms into each other's skin."

"Moy pomidor, you're saying it like this isn't the most romantic thing ever," said Ilya, pulling Shane in for a kiss. Shane did not appreciate knowing the Russian for 'My Tomato' in this moment. "We'll have the reminder of this nap for maybe weeks."

"There is nothing romantic about skin cancer," said Shane, accepting the kiss, even though he was grumpy now. "Or our fucking sunburn giving us away."

Ilya laughed.

"We won't get skin cancer from one burn," he said, pulling Shane tight against his chest, and despite his best efforts to stay annoyed with him, he immediately dissolved into the embrace. "And we'll wear shirts and stuff around our parents from now on till it fades. Summer's over anyway."

He was right, of course, but the words sat heavy over both of them. Especially with it starting to get darker and the night creatures strarting their songs.

"Fuck," said Shane, face pressed into Ilya's neck. "I don't want to go home."

"I don't want you to go home." The words rumbled against Shane's chest. "I want to keep you here and build our cottage with all the money we made at the flower shop this summer."

"I don't think we'll get very far with just a couple hundred dollars," said Shane miserably.

"Maybe not. But you're very good at talking and I'm very charming. Between the two of us we might be able to get a few discounts."

Shane laughed. He loved this ridiculous boy so much.

"I suppose if we tell them it's for the sake of true love…" he said. "Fine, let's do it. Keep me here. Don't let me leave."

As a loon call tore through the relative quiet of the lake, Ilya sighed and held Shane even tighter.

"I really wish I could."

======

Lily: Uv got mail <3 Imprtant stuf! Luv u x

======

From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Some news

My Shane

I know we had such a long Skype call yesterday, but SO much has happened since then, that I feel like I need to email you about it.

The best and most exciting news is that Olga is having a baby!!!! They've apparently known since summer, but decided to keep it quiet because they were told they couldn't have children, so they wanted to be very sure before they started sharing it with others. They told me it was okay to tell you – they're going to call David and Yuna to tell them tomorrow, I think.

But seriously, how cool is that?? We're going to have a baby!! I know it would be my cousin, but I really feel like I am getting a little sister. (It's a girl by the way!! <3). I can't wait to meet her. I already know she's going to be the cutest most adorable thing in the whole world. She's due on xmas day which is really cool (or bad for her because she probably won't get double presents. I mean she will from me, but that's because I'm determined to be her favorite cousin/big brother.)

I asked Mama if this means we could also finally get a puppy since we're growing the family anyway, and she just laughed and said Nice Try, which is a good sign that she's getting better I think! She's started going to this therapy thing at the church. I don't think it's actually from the church, they just meet in that big church hall that everyone uses for events and things. Mama still won't go to any of the churches here, even though I think she still prays sometimes.

Anyway, I know you and your family aren't very religious so I won't keep talking about all that. I just wanted to let you know that she's doing better. I've only had to help with one or two shifts the past month and Mama was still working both of them, I was just helping make it a little easier for her.

It's about to get more complicated though, I think, because the other thing I wanted to tell you is that Alexei has been in touch with me.

He messaged me last night after our call to ask if we could talk sometime and I didn't know what else to do so I said yes. I was pretty sure it was a trick from my dad, but Alexei said that no, it was about my dad so I figured I should listen to him. I told Mama I was going to sit by the lake a bit because I was missing you (which I always am so it was barely a lie), and Mama believed me (because she knows how much I'm always missing you ;___; <3) so I went to that bench we like sitting at sometimes when it's a weekday and there's not many people around and told him he could call me.

And at first I was so angry with him, because he's been doing all this stuff to undermine Mama's case and I yelled at him about it for a bit, but then he yelled back at me about how I don't know what it's like back home and how terrible Papa has been to him. He is still mad at Mama for leaving him behind, even though Mama has explained how she could only bring one person and she chose me because she wanted to protect me and Alexei was already 18 so she hoped he could at least move out. And even though Alexei did move out, Papa still makes his life hell. He keeps putting all this pressure on him even though he doesn't live with him anymore.

Alexei told me last night that he really wants to study something to do with computers, he was trying to save up for a long time, but Papa found out about it and it got really ugly. He wants Alexei to be police like him because he's been talking to all his police friends about it for years, how much Alexei wants to be like him.

He hit Alexei so hard he apparently has a black eye now. So he that he was tired of helping Papa, so he wanted to reach out to me. He's still too mad at Mama to want to talk to her though and I guess I get it. I can't imagine how angry and hurt I'd be if Mama left me behind.

So anyway, Alexei and I are talking now. I don't know how to feel about it yet. I still don't trust that it's not some kind of trick that my father is pulling, but I've just really missed my brother. We were never really close, but I really wanted us to be because I always thought he was so cool, and now it sounds like Alexei might want the same thing. We'll see. I'll definitely keep you updated on what happens.

Ugh I can't believe I have to wait until October until I can see you again!!!! This year is going at the speed of snail. I'm worried I'm going to forget how to kiss before our next hockey game. I'm going to get there and just stand there like an idiot while you try to kiss me with those beautiful lips of yours and it's going to be so disappointing for you. I guess I'm going to have to practice.

Things are about to get reeeally awkward between my pillow and me.

Anyway, I miss you so much and I love you always. Let me know when you get this so we can start freaking out about my new baby sister cousin together, okay?

Your Ilya

xxx

P.S. I just know you panicked when I mentioned kissing practice. You thought I meant with someone else. Admit it. :P

You never have to worry though. You know you're the only person I ever want to practice kissing with. <3 <3

=======

From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Some news

Dear Ilya

Oh my god! This is so exciting! I think Sergei and Olga are on the phone with my parents right now telling them. A baby girl! Your family must be so excited. It's going to be so cute seeing you with a baby.

Is it bad that I'm maybe a little jealous? I used to really wish for a baby brother or sister (especially a baby sister), but I learned very quickly that that's the one subject I can't bring up with Mom and Dad because they get really weird about it. Not in a bad way – they just get really sad and heartbroken. I'll have to see what it's like through you.

Oh my god, Mom just came in to tell me about Olga and Sergei and she asked me how I'd feel about us doing Christmas at the cottage this year!

Ilya!!! We're coming to the cottage for Christmas this year!!!!

Mom and I are going to stay for all of winter break, but Dad can only really come for the Christmas weekend. He can stay for Boxing Day though, so at least it's a long weekend for him. I think we're going to invite you and your mom over for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch. Sergei and Olga too, but if the baby is due on Christmas I suppose they might not be able to.

I know that Mom's real motivation for wanting to go is wanting to see the baby right away, but I think she also wants Dad and her to be there to help in case it's needed, so that Sergei and your mom can focus on helping Olga. So hopefully if everything goes right we'll actually get to celebrate Christmas together.

I know you said you guys don't really do a big Christmas the way we do it, so I don't think there's going to be any pressure if you don't want to. But it would be nice to at least sneak one kiss under the mistletoe once everyone's asleep (I'm pretty sure we're going to be asking you to all stay over). I know it's really far away, but oh my god I'm so excited. We've never done Christmas at the cottage and I just know it's going to be so beautiful in the snow.

Oh and it's going to be our anniversary too! How crazy?? We'll have been together one year by then. <3

I'm glad to hear Irina is doing better. You both deserve life to give you a break. And I don't mind talking religious stuff if you want to. If it's important to you, it's important to me, right?

About Alexei getting in touch, that's so crazy. I'm glad it's sounding like something positive and not bad, even though you're worried. I really hope it's everything you want it to be – with Alexei being the brother you want him to be. I've got your back if it goes bad though, okay? I'll kick his ass. I don't care that I'm fourteen and in Canada. I'll fly to Russia. I'm a hockey player, I'm not scared of a fight.

(But mostly I hope that he's a good guy and that you get the relationship you want with him.)

You're right. October is way too far away. And if you're worried about getting bad at kissing, imagine how I feel!!! You're the one who taught me. :/ I'm going to have to practice with my pillow too. Can't let my favorite coach down. ;)

Love you and miss you always too. I've taken to building our cottage on The Sims whenever I'm bored or stressed. I'm attaching some pictures so you can see what I'm kind of imagining and you can tell me if you like it or what you would like to change. I think it'll help with the distance if we remember that it won't always be like this.

Love you so much it aches.

Your Shane

xxx

P.S. … I'll admit I got a tiiiny bit jealous until I read further. Those lips are mine, Rozanov. We've got an exclusive no-sharing training contract.

But I know you would never. You're the first person besides my mom and dad that I can't imagine ever hurting me, because I know you feel the way I do. And the way I feel is that I would rather get my fingers skated over than ever do anything to hurt you.

We'll get to practice soon. <3 <3 <3

======

Lily: Gt ur mail. My Jane ur da qtest bt i dnt c the slide on r cottage in da pics :( </3

Jane: I neva prmised th slide! If ur team beats us in oct, mayb ill ad it. ;) x

Lily: O ur gna ad tht slide 4 sure! ;P Luv u xx

Jane: O its ON. >:D Luv u 2 xxx

======

Jane: Ugh ading th slide now. I h8 u.

Lily: No u dnt. I hv da hicky 2 pruv it. ;P

Jane: Rolin my i's so hrd rn >.>

Jane: I do luv u tho. So much.

Jane: Nd the kissn was perf btw. Idk y u wer wrryd. Ur evn betr at it thn hocky i thnk ;)

Lily: Dw, we'll finaly get u gud at bth wen ur hre 4 xmas ;) Luv u 2 x

Jane: Fk u >.> Luv u. Msn wen ur home? <3

Lily: It's a d8. <3 <3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6| Part 7| Part 8| Part 9 | Part 10| Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

[tinylilhollander]

Also thinking about how Shane and Ilya probably have their own kind of sign language because they can never remember the word for things in each other's language. Ilya will be looking for the the can opener, because Anya's barking after they were five minutes later than usual getting back from practice and now her food is late, so there's just a lot of noise and he can't think in English. So he's like "My Shane, the electric one is broken. Where is the open thing. You know the open thing like—" and he makes a fist with one hand and circles it with the fingers of his other hand, flopping it up like the lid opening after he's done a rotation. And Shane's immediately like "Oh, in the drawer with the weird utensils."

Or another time Shane's really trying to remember the word for chicken but he just can't. And it's Russian day, the day of the week where Shane commits to speaking Russian the whole day, so he really doesn't want to cheat and go back to English. Eventually he folds his arms towards himself and starts wagging them like wings. And Ilya's like "Ah! Kuritsa!"

They use so many of these to frequently that it just gets easier to call the other's name and do the gesture rather than try to find the word.

[ilyasmole]

apologies if anyone has already pointed this out but i just realized ilya chose to wear a turtleneck to his father's funeral therefore his mother's necklace is not visible......

[russianblush]

it's also tucked away when he's in sochi in episode two while his father is still alive, his brother is harassing him through texts, ect

and noticeably absent here when he's caring for his father during the summer in ep 4

but of course the moment when he's alone in moscow in ep 5 after his father has passed and he's speaking to shane, it's out. the details of this show will make me go insane

[tinylilhollander]

Idk my one unshakable headcanon is that Ilya is the morning person. Yes he parties till god knows what hour and doesn't mind staying up late, but he also wakes up between 5:30 and 6:00 every morning like clockwork. It's a good thing too because it was key to living as peacefully as possible in his house growing up. And he doesn't hate getting his day going early. Unless he's deep in the depression. But even then, on days he can't get out of bed, he'll wake up around the same time and just lie there. It's habit at this point.

Shane, meanwhile, haaaaates mornings. He gets up at 5 every day for his first workout because he's Dedicated and Determined but he has to scrape himself off of his mattress each time, grumbling as he does. He hates the transition between sleeping and awake so fucking much, especially when it's rushed. David and Yuna developed so many creative ways of getting him up as gently as possible growing up. Part of why he loves going to his cottage so much is it's the one time of year where he doesn't have to set a crazy alarm. He can work out whenever he wants to in the day. If he sleeps in a bit he doesn't feel like he's letting anyone down. If Shane had no responsibilities? Man, he'd be sleeping in and napping as much as he could.

Whenever he and Ilya spend the night together, and certainly when they start living together, Shane gets woken up with a sweet kiss, a cup of coffee, and either breakfast in bed or pre-workout depending on if it's season or off.

[penandinkprincess]

I don't want to fight you on your Hayden opinion (bc i do think all of what you've said made sense! Re them behaving like hissy cats for understandable reasons) just offering the book perspective since that where ig a lot of ppls Hayden opinions come from. My Dinner With Hayden is like ...so so bad to me. This man literally tries to physically fight Ilya in his own home for the crime of being bisexual. Additionally during tlg he like actually believes that Ilya fakes being attracted to men, tanked his career and accepted never being able to go this his birth country again just to ruin Shane's career. Like idk the dynamic you're describing for them totally makes sense at the beginning of the relationship reveal but it just never gets better in canon and takes on comical dimensions. Yeah Ilya is poking him but Hayden is going nuclear every chance he gets. (Not helped by the fact that imho opinions Hayden isn't exactly depicted as being an actual good friend to Shane in any other meaningful way)

i know i' venturing into things i shouldn't in responding, but like. i feel like you're reading it with a VERY decided opinion that's coloring your impression (and that's human and understandable. like it's not a hit. it just kind of sounds like you're still putting a lot of blame on hayden in the dynamic that i don't necessarily think he deserves). like in my dinner with hayden:

opening scene: ilya opens the door instead of waiting for shane specifically because he knows hayden isn't going to like it. his opening move here is needling hayden because he thinks it'll be funny.

hayden says something and gets called on it by shane, and then ilya immediately goes for another chirp. when this is already not going well. (because he is ALSO going into this with a decided opinion in thinking shane's friend sucks. hayden is acting out based on his current opinion of ilya, but so is. ilya.)

DIRECTLY saying something to fuck with hayden again, and hayden actually doesn't say anything back! he's visibly annoyed, but he just drinks his wine. (and in this, i do not think hayden's response is homophobic because he doesn't like the idea of two guys fucking. i'm going to be honest: if i already don't like someone my friend is dating (AND HE KNOWS THIS), and then he winks at me and makes a comment about their sex life?? not exactly improving my opinion)

ilya literally picking where to sit based on where it's going to be more annoying to hayden as a reminder of him and shane being together.

and here we have hayden just chilling because he's not reacting to anything. yeah, he has his mouth full so he couldn't say anything, but he doesn't make a face or roll his eyes or indicate that he's bothered by ilya saying he's going to go help shane. ilya isn't deliberately poking at him, so hayden doesn't react.

yeah, rude to think someone fucked with your food when they're hosting you in your home...but also...kind of get it a little bit.

and again, ilya prodding at hayden again to be annoying. if they had a relationship with each other, this would be a fun chirp and they could understand it's a joke, but they don't have that relationship. hayden doesn't like or trust ilya, and ilya has spent basically every interaction this whole night so far specifically trying to get on hayden's nerves.

AGAIN: ilya being the one to start the fight. hayden went for the throat with "what does shane see in you," but *ilya* started this in the first place. because he and hayden have BOTH decided "i don't like you" from the very start here, and hayden might not be extending an olive branch, but ilya is also the one instigating a lot of the conflicts here.

this is immediately following the screenshot above: again! rude! telling someone when they're next to their spouse, "you don't like me because you're jealous and wish you were dating my boyfriend" is rude to that person AND their partner. also, i love hayden for pausing here and telling shane he loves him. the immediate and absolute no COULD be insulting, but even when he's mad here, hayden stops himself to make sure he's not insulting shane here. yeah it's a little straight bro to go, "i love you, but just in a friend way," but ilya is the one who just said here that he has a crush on shane. (which, i know that's a debate in fandom. i won't get into whether it's accurate or not.) hayden doesn't like ilya and is fighting with him here, but even while mad, he pauses to make sure shane knows they're good and he loves him.

yeah, "He's full of surprises," is kind of shitty. not going to defend that. and we see that shane doesn't like it, but i'm going to give hayden like 0.2% credit with the understanding that my guy is NOT having a good night. yeah he's mad he's here having to have dinner with someone he doesn't like who's been spatting with him all night. that doesn't mean it's okay for him to get snippy with shane, but i also just think that's incredibly human.

and again: ilya directly instigating.

and ilya has his comment here (and i get it), but hayden takes the effort to go, "i don't care that you like men. that's not why i don't like him. i don't like him because he's an asshole."

and we the audience know ilya is SO good to shane! *we* know that! we know that ilya is causing problems on purpose and isn't normally like this in private.

but hayden doesn't know that.

hayden knows ilya rozanov on the ice who runs his mouth and acts like a douche, and then he got to this dinner, and so far ilya has done nothing but prove him right. like hayden absolutely came in with a pre-formed opinion, but ilya has done NOTHING to change his mind all night. he has ONLY made it worse. and he's known it! he's known he was provoking hayden every single time he's done it!

this could have been a PERFECT chance for ilya to actually answer honestly and maybe even give hayden something to actually like him for. he even could have been snarky about it, but going, "I moved to be closer to shane" could have gone a long way in showing hayden that he values shane and isn't just doing this on a whim (which is what hayden clearly thinks based on the anaheim comment).

and what does ilya choose instead? insult.

also! hayden atp has had literally *one week* to adjust to this and try to understand, "oh, i thought my best friend HATED this guy's guts for years and years, and i thought this because my best friend never corrected anyone else saying it and also agreed when anyone said it and even said things on his own implying that he HATES this guy. and. now they're suddenly dating out of seemingly nowhere. and i've got one week to try and make this make sense to me and then i've got to be face to face with this guy who i have ONLY known as an asshole for years."

and we see ilya's reasoning. he doesn't want to have to explain to anyone why he and shane like each other. and i understand that.

...but also: i think it's important to try to get along with someone's friends when you're dating them. i think ilya is moving from a place of being defensive (and again! i get it! i'm not saying ilya is bad or wrong for this!), but literally the ONLY thing hayden has seen from you before is being an asshole, and you haven't really done anything tonight to change his mind on that. you've made a comment about your sex life, taken every shot you could get, and also in front of hayden's wife suggested that the reason he doesn't like you is that he wants shane for himself. none of this is going to make someone even not actively dislike you, bud, let alone like you and understand why your friend wants to be with you.

i'm going to throw it out there: i understand why hayden is asking this, and i think the fact that he asks at all shows that he is a good friend. he cares about shane. he and shane have been best friends for years. his kids call him uncle shane. he is invested and involved with shane's life (as far as shane lets him), and he is worried about his friend getting hurt here. of course he is. he knows that ilya rozanov is an asshole, that he and shane have supposedly hated each other for years, and now they're dating. why would you suddenly be doing that, infamous womanizer ilya rozanov?

and again: WE know ilya isn't his reputation. WE know he loves shane SO much and is such a good partner.

hayden doesn't know that! he's had one week of knowing that shane doesn't actively hate his guts!!

and sure, you could say this isn't hayden's business or he's treating shane like he can't look out for himself, but??? people don't always think clearly in relationships. i don't think it's wild for hayden to worry that shane is being tricked here so rozanov can hurt him. or that rozanov is only interested in the forbidden thrill part and doesn't actually care about shane as a person.

doubting ilya's sexuality? yeah. that's not great. not a great move, hayden. that's shitty.

but also: shane has also worried about this. this isn't just a hayden thing. hayden is more aggro about it because he and ilya have been on each other's nerves all night, but shane has ALSO worried that ilya will ultimately end up with a woman and not him. but it's okay for shane to be worried about it but not for hayden to be worried about on shane's behalf?

and listen, i'm bisexual. bi erasure is real and so are stereotypes about bi people. doubting someone's sexuality isn't cool, but the issue here is, "i know you have a reputation for sleeping around with every woman you cross paths with, and now you're dating my friend. how do i know your reputation won't continue and end up hurting my friend?"

should hayden have gotten physical? no. absolutely not. that's not okay and it's not cool. yeah he's wound up and frustrated and has spent this whole night with ilya fucking with him at every opportunity because ilya ALSO went into this going, "i don't like you and don't want this to be happening," but hayden is the one who got physical, and that's not okay.

but they're also athletes in a sport that NOTORIOUSLY ends things with violence. is it okay for hayden to default to that now? no. but they're also pro athletes in a fight-y sport. i don't think it's surprising.

again: good friend hayden! you could argue he's making it about himself saying that this hurt his feelings after shane just expressed how scared and lonely he's felt keeping this secret, but i think hayden is just being honest here. he would have supported shane! shane didn't have to carry it alone! hayden would have helped him carry that! he would have still loved him! shane didn't have to be scared of telling *him*!

but shane didn't. and he had his reasons, and no one is owed coming out ever, but feelings are feelings, and hayden is being honest here. "i'm upset because i don't like that you felt lonely and scared and i couldn't support you because you didn't tell me." that's hayden being honest in a way that honestly i think is fairly healthy. it's not that hayden was owed shane coming out to him, but it's hayden going, "you hurt when you didn't need to, and it hurts me that i couldn't help you."

again! more honesty! hayden is having a hard time because he's having to completely rewrite his worldview about this. it's a BIG shift, and he's had a week to do it.

and!! he apologizes!!! he apologizes for making this all not go well. (EVEN THOUGH AGAIN: NOT ALONE IN THAT. ILYA HAS BEEN AN ACTIVE AGGRESSOR HERE FROM THE MOMENT THAT DOOR OPENED. I'M NOT SAYING I'M LETTING HAYDEN OFF THE HOOK FOR NOT BEING THE BIGGER PERSON, BUT HE'S LITERALLY HAD SOMEONE CHOOSING TO GET ON HIS NERVES AT EVERY SINGLE CHANCE ALL NIGHT.)

and: *HAYDEN* is the one to offer an olive branch!! it's clumsy, but even after an entire night of them provoking each other, hayden is the one who extends a truce offer.

tl;dr: you're allowed to think whatever you want, but i think you're going into this not liking hayden (which is fine! you're allowed!), and it's heavily coloring how you're reading things.

[gaynehollander]

One of Shane's main vices in life is a hotel slipper. My man is a fiend for those slippers. Every hotel they stay in on the road he hopes there are those thin disposable hotel slippers, wrapped in sealed plastic. He doesn't even have to ask Hayden anymore, both pairs are his. He will pack one pair untouched into his luggage and use the other after the shower during their stay. There are whole shelves in his bathroom cupboard at home and at the cottage dedicated to the storage of untouched hotel slippers and, to Shane, there is no greater pleasure in this world than stepping into a fresh pair after a long day and a hot shower.