Here are five more of my favorite fanfics, starting with two lovely long fics that I feel like are surprisingly unknown –
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this year's wine by Anonymous
I love so many of this author’s works, and I think a lot of people do, but this fic still seems kind of under the radar? But it is just really so beautiful. They are an incredible author and write Ilya’s POV so well. The story is funny, realistic, tragic, sweet, just everything. (If you become obsessed, check out this tumblr post =))I love seeing an established relationship, and this fic picks up right after Season 1, they’re so in love! I have many favorite lines and parts of this fic but don’t want to spoil them for you… here’s some from chapter 1.
“When are you in LA?” Ilya asked.
“First week of December,” Shane said, with a smile like that was any kind of silver lining. “We’ll have maybe three days together, if I come early.”
“Three days,” Ilya said, and tried to smile back. He must have done a terrible job, because Shane – Shane, who’d been so fucking brave this whole time, who hadn’t cracked even slightly – got teary.
“Oh, fuck,” Ilya said, and reached to cup Shane’s face.
“Shit, sorry,” Shane said. “I was going to wait until you left.”
Ilya hoped his alarm showed. “Don’t do that,” he said. “Show me.”
Shane shook his head, looked down. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he said. It was such a plain, simple assessment of the situation. Shane was so good at that, at simplifying things. Which was pretty ironic considering he was also responsible for almost every single complication in Ilya’s life. “We’re supposed to get what we want.”
Ilya’s strength always seemed to well up when Shane’s shook. “We will get what we want, just two years later than we wanted. To us this is nothing, right?” Ilya snapped his fingers, and Shane’s lip twitched. “It will go like this.”
“I love you so much,” Shane said.
“I know,” Ilya said, and pulled him against his chest. “And you will still love me in two years.”
“Yeah,” Shane said, into Ilya’s neck. “Two years is nothing.”
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Teeth of ivory, smiles of gold by iffervescent
I don’t know why this fic isn’t, like, huge!? It is such an interesting premise, and written so well. Fun, emotional, sexy – this fic has it all! The concept is a modern world with royalty, so they aren’t NHL players. They meet as children in a really sweet way and then again at a “find a spouse” type ball. I feel like I’m making this sound crazy but it is so terrific! They are so down bad for each other. Author does great POV of each of them.
His face from above is oddly angled: all Shane can see is the straight line of his nose, and the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the dark hollow of his eyes and then nothing but that golden, golden hair, bright in the sun. But it’s the way he moves that catches Shane’s attention and refuses to let it go, something alert and predatory, like a – like a –
Ilya Rozanov stands from his beautiful, expensive car into his group of beautiful, expensive women, shoots the cuffs of his white shirt, and then looks directly upwards into Shane’s eyes.
Oh.
“Abort,” Rose whispers, into the silence, as though all of Monaco is holding its breath around them. “Houston we have a problem.”
“Excuse me I need to call my supervisor.” Megan says, and dashes away. Traitor, Shane’s brain thinks distantly, or it would, if it wasn’t filled with nothing but white static as Ilya Rozanov stares up at him. Is he…waiting for something? Is Shane supposed to wave? Or bow? Twenty-four years of etiquette training have completely abandoned him: he has forgotten every bit of protocol he ever learnt. He’s been standing at this balcony for half an hour, gazing at the sea and the sky, and here’s a prince with eyes bluer than both.
“Shane,” Hunter murmurs. “Breathe.”
Shane breathes. He sucks in a breath too hard and coughs and whips himself away from the balcony railing before Prince Ilya can watch him choke on air. Fuck. What the fuck.
There’s bustle around him, a glass of water being shoved into his hand and a large hand rubbing soothingly over his back. Shane is so very lucky he’s got good friends, who tolerate him being pathetic over a pretty prince. He gulps water until it feels like his face is no longer a horrific shade of pink and then blinks miserably up at them.
“Tell me it wasn’t just me right. You guys thought he was crazy hot too?”
“The rich Russian prince is very attractive.” Hunter reassures him, in a way that feels a teeny tiny bit patronising. “I mean, I didn’t think he was stop-breathing levels of hot, but whatever floats your boat kid.”
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Talk About It by some1_around
What if both Shane and Ilya were ESL when they met as teenagers? Somehow it would be the sweetest thing ever! I also love thinking about Shane’s French accent.
“What did you say?” Hollander asked. “I did not understand. Please, say again?”
Ilya straightened.
“We,” he repeated slowly, “will beat you.” He held out the hand not holding his cigarette and poked Hollander in the chest, through the thick layers of his winter clothes. “You will lose.”
Hollander’s face changed, a disbelieving grin taking over his pretty red lips. “Oh, I see,” he said, laughter infusing his voice. “You are un asshole, oui?”
Ilya grinned. “Da.”
“Well, no, you are wrong,” Hollander said, knocking Ilya's hand away with a smile. Ilya liked the way he pronounced every single word. “We will beat you. You are losing.”
“Oh, really?” Ilya asked, his turn to laugh. “Prove it, Hollander.”
“Yes,” Hollander said, rolling his eyes. “We will. Good luck.”
“Udachi,” Ilya purred, translating his well-wishes into Russian.
Hollander’s eyes lit up with understanding even as he continued to back away. “Bonne chance.”
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Is this thing on? by ARustySpork
For some reason I had this in my Marked For Later forever and never read it. Then I got around to it recently and loved it! I was cracking up. I confess, I don’t know or care about hockey whatsoever lol, and this author clearly does, but it is written in a way that is really fun and interesting! Also I am just a huge Svetlana fan so I like that she is a main character here. Ilya is also absolutely hilarious in this, he wants to be on the podcast so bad lol.
Shane blinked. “What is happening right now?”
Ilya shrugged. “Did you know about this?”
“No I didn’t know about this,” Shane said incredibly.
“Huh,” Ilya said, looking out the window. “Weird, I guess there are some things about hockey that I am very knowing about.”
Shane took a moment to process. He looked at the road. Then to his husband. Then back to the road.
“Did you seriously google weird hockey facts just to try and get yourself on the podcast?”
“I know things, Hollander!” Ilya exclaimed. “I have very interesting opinions. Even about boring history things. The Russians have very unique view on hockey, yes? Maybe you should branch out.”
Shane sighed fondly. Five months of this podcast and his husband still hadn’t let up. He probably cared about it more than Shane did. “How about this, I’ll make you a deal,” Shane said. “I’ll let you on the podcast…”
Ilya’s eyes lit up.
“...When you retire.”
Ilya banged his head against the dashboard.
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disregard my last message by gurlsrool
This is a short fic that packs a lot in! I was cackling throughout. I actually sent it to my friend and she read it while next to me and cracked up throughout so much I had to reread it. As the author says, you have to read with a sense of whimsy in your heart, because I’m sure both Shane and Ilya would be way too careful to actually let this happen that many times. But if they did!!
Shane: I did not send that message.
Shane: I think I got a virus
Shane: While shopping for shoes.
David: Oh no. Should you really be texting us if you were hacked?
Yuna: You don’t have to lie, honey. It’s okay. We’re all adults here.
Shane: I’m not lying!
Yuna: Just be more careful who you’re texting. Imagine if you’d sent that to your coach. Or your team chat!
Shane: Yeah. That would be bad…
Shane: If I was lying. Which I wasn’t.
Ilya: I don’t think Shane is lying. Must be a hack. I never send or receive sexually explicit messages. How inappropriate!
Yuna: There are three separate women who have leaked sexts with you
Ilya: Mmm I don’t think so
Ilya: You must be thinking of some other Russian hockey player. I’m actually waiting until marriage
David: 😂
Ilya: David!! Betrayal from my puzzle buddy?!
David: Sorry kiddo. Made me laugh.
Shane: I’m really sorry. About the text that my phone sent against my will.
Yuna: I promise it’s fine, honey
David: It’s okay! Phones do the darndest things sometimes 😉 Mine always autocorrects curse words to “duck”!
Ilya: Mine does this too. So annoying!
Ilya: Or it would if I cursed. Which I do not 🙏
David: 😂
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Hope you find something you like!
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