Another strong round of stories told from those outside the hollanov narrative. I personally can't get enough of this genre, and I'm growing dangerously fond of the entire supporting cast of characters who's minds we get to temporarily live in. Truly a fantastic showcase of complex dynamics. Letting the boys be admired, adored, and cherished by people outside of their romance is always going to be the way to my heart.
💖remember to kudos & comment on fics you read 💖
🏒 Duty of Care by boopboop - 145k
Ilya Rozanov, get loved.
zannithinks: that wordcount is not a typo. This mammoth is centred around Ilya and his complicated relationship with accepting love. It's incredible. A strong contender for both the 'Parents' and 'Mental Health' recs, but the rotating perspectives are pivotal to the charm of this narrative. That being said, if you ever wanted more BestDad!David Hollander, look no further. This is a story that tugs out your heartstrings, rubs them in the dirt, then sews them back together. I'm diving into the second part now which is just as long - praised be!
🏒 Vibes Are Not Data by GlitterCity - 18k
Wyatt was not, like, nosy. For sure, he was interested. He was curious. He engaged with people, obviously, because most people were interesting and engaging and had cool thoughts and said neat stuff if you asked. So, no. Wyatt wasn’t nosy, but he wasn’t stupid, either.
Or: A Bromance Blooms In Ottawa
Or: The Ballad of Wyatt and Ilya
zannithinks: Wyatt is such a black box enigma typically but here his inner workings are on FULL display and wow! such a unique and interesting perspective of the world. This is a feel-good indulgence if there ever was one with some major stand-out moments and lines. Iconic.
🏒 the future, right here by sandstrand
Luca Haas is excited to join the Ottawa Centaur's roster, but moving across the world isn't easy. And maybe he isn't the only one who is lonely and in need of a friend.
- Luca navigates life as a rookie with the Cens, while slowly figuring out that maybe his captain isn't doing as well as he would like everyone to believe.
zannithinks: An incredibly thoughtful piece with the lovely Luca holding his own as the main character. Great insight to the small clues to Ilya's struggles that were always there but too easily left unnoticed (Until Luca!) A second part is in progress (already 25k!!) and I can NOT wait to continue being in the world created here.
🏒 let's make a team (make 'em say my name) by nettlepixie - 14k
“Haas,” Ilya says. His tone light, conversational. “He had a good game.”
“Are you seriously talking about Haas right now?”
The sting is taken out of Shane’s words by how breathlessly he says them, but he still has that cute scrunched-up frown that Ilya loves so much.
“He’s a good kid,” Ilya says. “Very pretty.”
“Fuck off,” Shane snaps. But Ilya just presses deeper into him, the answering gasp as familiar as if it came from his own lungs.
“You don’t think so? I saw you doing yoga together. Seemed like you were...” Ilya searches for the words. When he finds them, grins. “Admiring his form.”
- Breaking my silence to say that I think Hollanov would have a threesome and they'd have it with Luca Haas. But don't worry, they're obviously jealous and possessive and insane about it the whole time.
zannithinks: I was so torn between this rec here or the Smut one, but what I really loved about it was the Luca's POV of it all. The author is so correct about this and I loved every moment. #doNOTsaveLucaHaas
🏒 The Shane Hollander Thing by fandom_commitment_issues / @zee-has-commitment-issues - 11k
Cliff Marlow has been on Boston’s team with Ilya Rozanov for the last seven years.
Last week, he figured out the Shane Hollander thing.
zannithinks: Really warming up to Cliff these days. What a himbo-coded bro who's always looking out for his Roz.
🏒 something steady by sweetilyas (sweetjeons) - 9k
the five times their teammate saw shane and ilya’s love in all its quiet, domestic perfection and the one time someone tried to come between them.
zannithinks: so sweet!! so soft!! the hockey of it all plays backseat to the care Ilya and Shane show each other without having to hide or mask it, which is so juicy when considering how long they went before even being comfortable having a converstion in public, let alone touching and loving openly. Gorgeous!
🏒 Pinged by halfbaked_ziti - 8k
Harris hadn’t meant to say anything. He hadn’t even realized what he’d said, honestly, until Ilya’s reaction: choking on his beer, eyes bugging out, looking more nervous than Harris had ever seen him look. Why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut? He was tipsy, and probably a bit too comfortable, but still. He should have known better. He felt like the biggest asshole alive.
Hold on. Rewind. Start from the beginning.
- Five times Ilya Rozanov set off Harris Drover's gaydar (and Harris said nothing), + one time Harris completely put his foot in it
zannithinks: this is genuinely sweet and grounded. A great twist of humour and introspection to explore the difficulties of Ilya's (hollanov's) situation leading up to their outing.
🏒 and you know, we're on each other's team by alteridemlynch - 6k
Kip laughed. “Yeah. . . The endless stream of old, straight men giving me weird looks doesn’t help.”
Ilya barked out a laugh at that. “I cannot imagine. This your first party with NHL, yes? As a couple?”
Kip nodded. Ilya took a slow drag of his cigarette. “Now I understand why is overwhelming for you.”
- Ilya and Kip have a chat on the rooftop during an NHL party
zannithinks: this is a bit like a spoonful of honey dipped in sugar. Super sweet and a little cheesy. Overall a great time to see Skip and Hollanov interact and find footing with each other.
🏒 The Way Hockey Is by Erisenyo / @erisenyo - 5k
“They’re—fuck, fuck, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t—” Cliff finds himself looking at Pike almost pleadingly, a weird helplessness buzzing in his fingertips and toes. “I didn’t kno—”
“You don’t know shit,” Pike says savagely, physically putting himself between Cliff and the space Hollander used to be. “Shut your fucking mouth, you don’t know anything.”]
- Cliff Marlow's POV of The Hit and the aftermath, as he starts to put a few things together.
zannithinks: the way these authors are making me love Marly - I 'aint mad! This fic is so rich with introspection and truly develops Cliff into a whole ass person with history and complex emotions (that he can't name or talk about) sooooo juicy!!
🏒 Curiosity killed the cat, indeed. by Myyyr_miu - 4k
“Baby, there’s nothing I haven’t already told you… except maybe—” He glanced up. “For some reason, Shane has a Russian keyboard on his phone. Last week, when my phone died and I texted you from his, I noticed it. English, French… and Russian.”
Oh.
Shit.
Jackie’s eyes lit up with interest. “A Russian keyboard? ”
zannithinks: we need more Jackie in our lives stat! As much as I adore seeing Hayden and Marly play detective, it's soooo interesting to see this world from the hockey wife life. Really pivots a lot of the experiences to a true Outsider perspective.
🏒 дорогой by voidvapor - 1k
Cliff Marleau never calls to tell her good things, only to say that Ilyusha has gotten into trouble again somehow. She just hopes there are no broken bones, this time.
- ilya gets wasted after shane and rose go public. he's asking for svetlana, so marleau calls her.
zannithinks: ok I would devour 100k of this dynamic for real. Sveta/Cliff/Ilya is not something I knew I was missing until this! Project: Let Ilya Be Loved
more rec lists: canon/canon divergent | a/b/o + bdsm au | outsider + hayden POV | Soulmates | Smut | Hanahaki | Hayden v.2 | Outsider v.2
andulkaphoto
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
annaxmalina
pixelskylines
vaporwave
