(1) "Message from the First Dog in Space Received 45 Years Too Late", Dogs in the News, 3 November 2002 / (2) Laika, Wil Wagner / (3) Zak, Anatoly, "Sputnik-2", Russianspaceweb.com / (4) "SOVIET FIRES NEW SATELLITE, CARRYING DOG; HALF-TON SPHERE IS REPORTED 900 MILES UP", NY Times, 3 November 1957 / (5) The Dog/The Body, Sleater-Kinney / (6) Oleg Gazenko, speaking at a Moscow news conference in 1998 / (7) "Message from the First Dog in Space Received 45 Years Too Late", Dogs in the News, 3 November 2002 / (8) Last Words of a Shooting Star, Mitski / (9) "Laika” by Sarah Doyle / (10) "Laika” by Sarah Doyle / (11) "Laika” by Sarah Doyle
The Heated Rivalry ao3 tag is Scary and Big and too much to keep up with, so at the moment I am finding new fics entirely by word of mouth, either through rec lists or author bookmarks. Now I want to spread the love a little myself because I keep finding these gorgeous gorgeous fics with way fewer hits than I would have expected. So here's my "hidden gem" (<20k-ish hits[HR stats are INSANE]/not often recced) heated rivalry fic rec list.
Fair warning, I'm an angsty character study girl, so most of these fics are less than lighthearted. That said, consider these fic recs to also be author recs, and thankfully most authors are doing more than just angst (at a minimum it's angst and porn lol).
Canon a little (or a lot) to the left
holy matrimony - lowkey_existential_despair
shane/ilya, 31k, E, complete
It's 2021 and Scott Hunter is getting married. Shane and Ilya attend the wedding (separately) and have Feelings about it. It's 2017 and Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov get married in secret. Literally no one knows they're gay, and it stays that way for years.
In my heart this is what happens in the alternate universe where David never walks in on them at the cottage, the characterization is top notch. Absolutely devastatingly sad, but also so so lovely, because they had each other all these years even when they didn't have anyone else. Just so gorgeously written and absolutely worth the read.
Game Day - Anon
shane/ilya, 30k, E, complete, cw: graphic deaths
Ilya dies during game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Except no he doesn't, because Shane wakes up in bed next to him the next morning. But it's still game day? And maybe Shane's not the only one stuck in the time loop.
Sounds awful and angsty, and it kind of is, but it's actually mostly dumb and camp and super fun. Trust me on this. (Heed the tags though because Ilya does still die a gruesome death everyday)
The Hottest Cold War - Vee(Vera_DragonMuse) [@dragonmuse]
scott/ilya (and also canon pairings), 75k, E, WIP
Scott accidentally hooks up with rookie Ilya Rozanov. And then he hooks up with him not-so-accidentally. And maybe it's good if they both have someone in their corners.
this goes on the hear me out cake. It's Scott POV but STAY WITH ME because the regular game changer and heated rivalry plots are happening too, Scott and Ilya are just hooking up on the side and it’s good. I swear it’s so good. Everything this author writes has such excellent characterization (go read all their HR fics, they're all so good) and it's very worth the read.
We Both Go Down Together - NotALonelyTraveler
shane/ilya, 34k, E, WIP
hanahaki disease AU
this is the fic that converted me to being a hanahaki fan. If any couple is gonna truly make sense for hanahaki it would be Shane and Ilya. However, it was the really lovely flower imagery that sealed the deal more than anything.
death and taxes (and shane hollander) - fingersfallingupwards [@fingersfallingupwards]
shane/ilya, 67k, E, WIP
Second chance romance with widower, single father, and hockey coach Ilya x deputy MLH commissioner Shane. Late-40s Hollanov where they reconnect and simultaneously communicate far better than and just as badly as the first time around.
Shane and Ilya feel like real adults here and it's glorious. Also does not fall into the second-chance romance trap where one person is So Very in the wrong and they should not be getting back together. This fic understands that adulthood is full of impossible choices, but also second chances.
anybody like you - plonk
shane/ilya, 29k, NR, WIP
figure skater Ilya Rozanov and new main character "my buddy Joe" are at the Sochi Olympics. And maybe Joe and Shane were a little gay once upon a time, and now Joe is sussing out whether Shane is actually gay or not. And maybe Shane is into Ilya, who's to say?
Love exploring Shane and his relationship with sexuality when Ilya's not around to be his gay awakening. In this one Shane thinks he just needs a girl who's into pegging him lol. The vibes are very "wow, I finally fit in with a group of people, life is great!" and the group of people are all queer and Shane just Does Not clock it. Very fun.
smoke on skin - ivylines
shane/ilya, 23k, T, WIP
Rose Landry accidentally runs into Ilya after a game while trying to surprise her boyfriend Shane and things start to click, maybe. Also a Rose character study (hence the proximity to the character study section)
Really deep dives into the Jennifer Lawrence/young female actress of it all. Like, yes Rose gets along with Shane because she's so famous, but in a lot of ways she's had the same specific struggles as Shane (intense public scrutiny, insane pressure to perform, 'role model' status to uphold, etc. and all from SUCH a young age because she was a child actress). Like, the trauma of being a child actress vs. the trauma of being a pro sports player - you never had a normal childhood and then becoming an adult flips the world on its head. Ugh, it's just delightful.
Character Studies
Shane and/or Ilya
the weather of your youth - Anon (same as above)
shane/ilya, 14k, E, complete, cw: suicidal ideation
Ilya Ottawa depression redux, except this time I actually believe it (sorry, RR, your depressed Ilya was rather unconvincing)
do take care with this one, but so well done wrt Ilya's depression. This version of events just makes so much more sense to me than canon. This author does excellent work in the sad fic department (the cockroach of your heart is too popular for this list, but I loved it, even if it's technically MCD, kind of)
Not a Strip of Paper Merely - Marvian [@mprosperossprite]
shane/ilya, 18k, E, WIP
Milan Olympics, 2026. Shane competes for Canada and Ilya doesn't compete at all. Competing is complicated when Russia is Russia and Canada isn't home, not like that.
international geopolitics! pandemics! the real world! Fascinating dive into Ilya's relationship with Russia and citizenship/international competition. Also there's some sex about it, but it's mostly really good angst and emotion.
Shine a Light in the Morning - thegoodthebadandthenerdy [@cauldronoflove]
gen, 14k, T, complete
Ilya's niece turns 18, decides to move to Canada, and reaches out to her uncle
complicated family dynamics and Feelings, what's not to love? You can feel the tension here, the years and years of distance + messed up family are so well conveyed. Not lovey-dovey, and it Shouldn't Be. Love this version of Ilya's niece.
Til They Retire Your Number - technicallyverycowboy [@technicallyverycowboy]
shane/ilya, 17k, E, complete
Ilya decides to retire. Shane is very normal about it.
sad and bittersweet and grappling with losing your Purpose. Because this is so obviously a problem for Shane. That man literally cannot think of anything in life past hockey, and yet retirement is an inevitability. Delicious to explore.
[the obvious companion to this fic (w/in the bounds of 'underappreciated') is here we are and what the hell are we going to do with it - walkingthroughwindows]
Other Characters (mostly parents)
we said we'd only die of lonely secrets - be_themoon
shane/ilya, 3.7k, T, complete
Svetlana character study/outsider POV of Ilya through the years.
lovely, lovely, lovely. Captures my ideal version of the Svetlana and Ilya relationship. Also has a criminally low hit count.
P.S. if you read and enjoyed my Svetlana fic this is the 'omg two cakes!' moment you've been waiting for.
i showed you the way, even though i'd never been - floodlights [@keenry]
gen, 4.8k, T, complete
You didn’t have to be a genius. Or gay. It helped, probably, that Scott was, but they were just so fucking obvious about it.
Scott outsider POV/character study. So good that I read this from a rec list and went to bookmark it, only to realize I already had a bookmark!
[Other Scott POVs:
Scotty Didn't Know (but he sure does now) - halfbaked_ziti
I've Been Down Here Before (I Know The Way Out) - HollowIsTheWorld]
And a Sense of Guilt I Can't Deny - jewelledfoxes [@jewelledfoxes]
david/yuna, 9k, M, complete
Yuna character study. Also hits on one of my fave themes: reckoning with who you meant to raise your child to be vs. who they actually became
I'm a Yuna lover and defender to my core. She was not the perfect mom (no one is, this is an insane bar to hit) but she tried! and is trying! This fic in particular does such a good job exploring the complexity of where she's at.
[Other Yuna fics in a similar vein:
Wunderkind - a_good_soldier [@agoodsoldier]
the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose - alchemystique [@alchemistc],
ribs - hoko_onchi]
tu peux sauter loin de la peur - Revenant
shane/ilya, 6k, T, complete
David goes to Shane's cottage to get his phone charger. Or maybe, it's really not about the phone charger.
David character study! I just find all the parent character studies to be delicious, and there really isn't a lot of David, which is too bad because I think there are some really interesting bits to dig into.
Of the Rose - cy_pres
gen, 4.5k, NR, complete
Irina tries to keep the pieces of her family together, even as she feels herself slowly fall apart.
Need I say more? (pre-suicide, not graphic)
Misc
summer has come and passed - littlearrows [@montrealmetros]
gen, 12k, T, complete
Yuna dies and Shane grieves
idk what to say about this one. It's really really good, but also, you know, Yuna dies.
predator instinct - elumish
scott/kip, 1.8k, T, complete
Shane's allyship includes the power of confidence and a pre-drafted takedown. Kip has no clue what just happened.
Would this be canon Shane pre-coming out? I don't think so, but it exists in a world where Shane is like, 20% less scared of being outed, so it's basically canon to me.
About Summer - Chaentics [@rozzed]
shane/ilya, 7.4k, M, complete
Ilya comes back. This is the crux of it.
From the AN: "i have chosen not to use archive warnings. it does not mean none apply." Very sad (are we surprised?) but also so so beautiful. Very Julia Armfield vibes - please take this as the warning/glowing endorsement it is lol.
what I love so much about Hudson and Connor, and what makes them such good actors, is their empathy. they take these roles so seriously. they care so much about Shane and Ilya. they see them as real people. they allow themselves to fully internalize everything these characters have been through. they let it hit them. they let themselves feel the weight of it. they let it affect them. connor looked at ilya and said, "of course a bisexual, closeted, russian hockey prodigy, with a mom who committed suicide when he was 12 and an abusive father with impossible expectations and a homophobic asshole brother living in a strange country speaking a second language, would act like this. of course i understand why he said this or did that. of course." and hudson looked at shane and said "of course a gay, closeted, asian, autistic, only child hockey prodigy, who treats his body like a machine and views himself as a commodity and is preoccupied with performing a very specific and rigid role, would act like this. of course i understand why he said this or did that. of course." and they allow themselves to fully live in that--what that trauma and anxiety and repression and grief feels like. they make it real to us because it's real to them. i love them so much.
snowghoul
annaxmalina
vaporwave
andulkaphoto
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
