Some Heated Rivalry fics I don't think have enough attention
For the record, not enough attention is relative, obviously, because fics in this fandom are getting more engagement than any fandom I've ever been in basically
for a split sec, I was a train wreck by anonymous / 19,009 words, complete
Ilya gets injured during the regular hook up phase, gets closer with Shane by inches, and learns how to read tarot, just trust me everything in this fic make SO MUCH sense. Part of series of standalone fics, they’re all good: perfect from now on
Countdown by Letter4No1 / 83,538, complete
I’ve recommended this before, but I locked myself out of my apartment by accident yesterday because I was too focused on finishing the last chapter, so I think it deserves it
The Cens Beat Reporter (series) by notlayingroses
I love this entire series – Ilya and Shane’s story through an Ottawa reporter’s eyes, they get to come out on their own terms and win a Stanley Cup
A Hockey Secret by I_write_things_sometimes / 3,877 words, complete
Very cute post-Long Game moments
Taking Care by PastyPirate / 1,756 words, one-shot
Shane fixing stuff for his boyfriend fic
does it make me better by smallestchurch / 6,928 words, one-shot
I’m a sucker for a Yuna POV fic, right after Ilya leaves the cottage
It starts in an elevator (series) by sporkess
As I said, I'm a sucker for Yuna and little changes that make a big impact
always next to you by theseheavytimes / 5,684 words, one-shot
Cute later on during their time at the cottage fic, Shane makes Ilya’s favorite childhood meal
ghosts we've always known by impetuous / 69,624 words, complete
Shane rookie year career ending injury and they end up together anyway fic
I want to write a fic about Shane Hollander and his mom but I don't want to do any stereotypes or harmful tropes. Do you have any advice?
I'm not really interested in dictating what tropes or stereotypes are harmful or in telling you what type of story to write but I can tell you some context about Yuna Hollander and Shane being Japanese-Canadian. In summary: there's no immigrant longing or home to "go back" to, and Shane wouldn't feel disconnected from Japanese-Canadian culture due to being mixed, he'd feel disconnected because he grew up in Ottawa.
Yuna's actress is 54, and has a Canadian accent, so she was either born in Canada in the early 60s or her family immigrated in the late 60s (since the show takes place in the mid-10s). Since she's supposed to be Japanese-Canadian, it's very unlikely her family immigrated in the late 60s because Japan was doing very well at the time and there would be no reason for her family to leave. So she's Canadian-born.
Most Japanese-Canadians born in the 60s are Sansei, so her parents were Nisei and born in Canada, and her grandparents were Issei and immigrated to Canada from Japan. She was probably raised in British Columbia (more on that below), and moved to Ottawa once she was an adult. Since her parents are bilingual (and have Canadian accents!), Yuna probably speaks very little to no Japanese. Shane certainly speaks none at all, since languages are hard to learn on your own without social reinforcement and he wouldn't have had time for formal classes with his hockey schedule.
The Japanese community of Canada was very concentrated in Western Canada until WWII and internment; after that, they went from a sizable community to one that was scattered. Lots of people were deported or were sent east, and weren't allowed to resettle in British Columbia until 1949. This made community ties much harder to maintain -- from a large thriving culture to small groups of families. Although there would be other Asian kids in Ottawa, there would be no other Japanese kids in Shane's school growing up. He'd often get mistaken for Chinese or Korean, and a son of a newcomer. Practically speaking, this means people assuming he's poorer than he is, and that they won't bother trying to speak to his parents because they'll assume they don't speak English.
Playing hockey is a very Canadian thing, though, and requires money. It would set him apart from the other Asian kids growing up, so he'd be isolated from the white kids on his hockey team and anyone Asian in school. Because of the money needed for hockey, I think his grandparents and Yuna's family are probably still on the West Coast, and comparatively did well in internment; were able to return fairly quickly. Although a lot of Sansei people tend to marry people who aren't ethnically Japanese so he isn't the only mixed kid in his family, he hasn't grown up with a Japanese-Canadian community and he'll feel alienated from this idea of "Japanese culture" because of that.
Since they are Sansei and Yonsei respectively, their family has been in Canada for almost a century. Being told to "go back to where you come from" is always insulting but in this case it's ludicrous; there is nowhere besides Canada that Yuna's family could call home. Japan would only be a tourist destination; Shane's ancestral home is in Vancouver. With chirping in hockey being the way it is, a million things would roll right off him, but I think people saying he's not Canadian would genuinely upset him.
part four of hollanov recs! this is another long one that's been piling up so I'll list out some of what will be included, the emojis will serve as a key:
💊 - sickfic
🫂 - family bonding + found family
🔮 - soulmates + time travel
💡 - canon divergence / au
💋 - kink & smut
🗣️ - fics with russian/french
✍️ - character studies + introspection
🐺 - a/b/o + omegaverse
❤️🔥 - hollanov + other(s) or threesomes
✨ - as well as an update on what I've posted since the last rec x
↓ recs below ↓
(these are in no particular order, and feature a range of topics, ratings, lengths, and possible warnings. as with any rec, please be sure to also double check for any triggers yourself before reading. however, I will not rec MCD and very rarely unhappy endings.
if you read one and enjoy it, please be sure to leave a comment or support! if you don't, just move on. be kind!)
💊 I KEEP CLOSING MY EYES BUT I CAN'T BLOCK YOU OUT by stardustvx
⤷ rating + length: G, 6k
⤷ summary:
Shane has a migraine before the game. He thinks he is good enough to play up until the second when he throws up all over Ilya Rozanov’s jersey. Yes, on the ice.
⤷ notes + warnings:
warning for everything mentioned in the summary, but everything is relatively non-graphic! it's got shane needing comfort and ilya readily giving it, migraine rep, and of course FEELINGS!
💊 INTO YOUR EARTHLY HANDS by scarlettroses
⤷ rating + length: T+, 57k, 13/? chaps
⤷ summary:
"Rozy," Brian, the team doctor says, "talk to me, buddy. That puck clipped you pretty good, how’s the pain?"
Ilya blinks. He clenches his jaw against a wave of nausea. He rests his cheek on the ice, and the cold helps a little.
"Bad. Very bad." He swallows. "Is Shane here?"
[or, in the final MTL/BOS game of the year, ilya takes a puck to the head.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
PLEASE HEED ALL WARNINGS FOR INJURIES AND MEDICAL DESCRIPTIONS. this fic is heavy at times (my palms (and eyes) were sweating fr) but so, so well written, and has a lot of the ingredients from the post-concussion shane fics I enjoyed too. be aware that it's marked as ongoing, but at the time of the rec there is no unhappy ending or cliffhanger etc.!
🫂 SNOWPRINT TRACINGS by boxysmiles
⤷ rating + length: T+, 20k
⤷ summary:
Long before he ever sees a photo of her, Shane dreams of Irina Rozanova.
⤷ notes + warnings:
listen. I will cry at just about anything to do with irina's storyline but this was unlike any other ones that I've read before. I was holding my breath the whole time with how beautiful the writing was. the emotional beats of the story feel like waves, a perfect mix that had me captivated throughout and then in for a good, cathartic cry at the end. just beautiful.
🫂 THE HOLLANDERS HAVE ACQUIRED ILYA ROZANOV by leiascully
⤷ rating + length: T+, 10k
⤷ summary:
Dinner at the cottage is a family affair. Yuna and Ilya have a conversation.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I loveeeeeee ilya navigating the parents fr. this one is so sweet and well written. I love them :')
🔮 YOU CAN LIE (NOT TO ME) by newtntommy
⤷ rating + length: M, 51k
⤷ summary:
Every time your soulmate lies, their words are written on you.
Shane doesn’t lie often. His soulmate does though.
⤷ notes + warnings:
the soulmate trope has never been one of my super faves but FUCK this one came out of nowhere and gripped me by the throat fr. the scenes and bits of character that were chosen as part of the storyline were brilliant, the liberties taken with canon fit perfectly, and it added a great flavor to the canon retelling.
🔮 CUT TO THE FEELING by Charlotte_Stant
⤷ rating + length: M, 12k
⤷ summary:
It had been a very weird day, but Shane wasn’t going to jerk off about it a second time.
⤷ notes + warnings:
18 y/o shane gets flung into the body of 35 y/o shane and has to navigate being married, having children, and his apparently very active and gratifying sex life before he's put back in his regular timeline. the plot was so much fun and shane's internal monologue was perfect, and I was giggling at what ended up being the catalyst when shane found out. so great.
🔮 CIRCLE BACK SEASON by anonymous
⤷ rating + length: T+, 9k
⤷ summary:
“Oh my god,” the intruder says, voice coming faster and higher-pitched. “Shane, what the fuck? Oh my god.”
“Eeleeyah, come to my cottage,” Ilya mocks, voice muffled by Shane’s skin. “Don’t go to Russia. Come to my house instead. Is so private. No one will know…we will be completely alone. Together.”
“Oh my god, is that Ilya Rozanov?” the intruder yelps like he's about to start hyperventilating. “Why is Ilya Rozanov half-naked in our kitchen, Shane?”
“Okay, I know how this looks,” Shane tells Ilya, “But I mean, technically, we are still alone. Together.”
[or, At the cottage, Shane and Ilya meet eighteen year old Shane Hollander. This is really only a surprise for one of them. Everyone handles it as well as can be expected.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
this has everythinggggg I love about a time travel fic, and I thought it was extra interesting the way that this one is set up. I was already expecting it to be good because I love a plot like this, but then the interactions between current day ilya and baby shane ?????? fuck I was UNWELL. I was so sad when it was over I could have read so much more fr it was amazing!!!!!!
💡 TORTURE ME (WITH ALL I'VE WANTED) by toomuchplor
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Regina to Edmonton was nine hours by bus if the weather was decent; it took a bit longer if — for example — your bus lost power on Highway 11 just past Dundurn, Saskatchewan.
Team buses, night drives, and one way things might have started differently.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this was such a fun divergence and one that I've never seen any others similar to before. the vibes, as promised in the a/n, are just like sitting next to your crush on a highway coach, and said vibes were delightful (and also so fucking hot?) I feel like anything toeing the line of public sex or pda with hollanov is difficult to do within the confines of canon, but this one just. UGH. I ate it up. it's so good. it makes sense. I love them.
PLUS!!! CHECK OUT THE ART LINKED AT THE END OF THE FIC! it's fucking gorgeous
💡 MATTER OF FACT, I CAUGHT YOU LOOKIN' BACK by sargeantwoof
⤷ rating + length: E, 19k
⤷ summary:
“No,” he says, smiling gently, like he doesn't know how irritating he's being. “Is my room first, da? You should speak with front desk.”
Hollander stares at him. And then he starts to laugh.
“You ask the front desk,” he shoots back, in between his odd wheezes. Ilya's heart starts to pound in double time, because this is not—this cannot be Shane Hollander playing bed chicken with him. Their competitiveness is fierce, to be certain, but surely, Hollander would be the bigger person, no? “This is my fucking room, Rozanov. Wild horses couldn't drag me away.”
[OR: Ilya's apartment is under construction. Shane's in town for a game. It'd be a shame if they somehow had the same hotel room.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
THERE WAS ONLY ONE HOTEL ROOM OH NOOOOOO ;) this one made my heart ache in the best way it was SO true to character, great setup, great execution of the trope that wasn't overly similar to others. the YEARNING? I felt like rolling around on the floor fr the dialogue and characterization (and where it's set in the timeline of canon) all make the stakes feel even higher, and their feelings for each other are just so tangible. brilliantly done.
💡 THE WAITING GAME by RizandAce
⤷ rating + length: T+, 16k
⤷ summary:
“Lily,” Hayden says automatically. “You know about Lily?”
Something flickers across Rozanov’s face. His jaw twitches. “Yes, I know about Lily.” He raises his eyebrows.
Hayden feels like a complete asshole, all of a sudden. There’s just been too much going on to even think about Shane’s mystery girlfriend. “Shit, I should probably, like, call her, or something? I don’t know this girl at all, but Shane’s been obsessed with her for years. If she was watching the game, she would have seen him get hurt.”
“You don’t need to call her,” Rozanov says, and when Hayden glances at him, he still looks fucking miserable but now he’s rolling his eyes, a much more familiar expression of disdain on his face. “She’s sitting right here.”
[Hayden Pike and Ilya Rozanov are waiting for Shane to wake up after he took a bad hit on the ice. They get to talking.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
there's been several of this type of fic floating around (and I ate them all the fuck up) but this one starts with hayden + ilya and also includes shane + hayden, and ilya + svetlana in the later chapters (and of course ilya + shane), all conversations centered around their relationship and telling people/people finding out. the dialogue in this fic is fucking PHENOMENAL. the relationships between characters felt so authentic and the characterization was spot on by extension. even when there's not much happening in the scene the talking alone is so much fun to read. awesome awesome!!
💡 GOOD ON MY OWN ACCORD by impetuous
⤷ rating + length: E, 50k. 8/? chaps
⤷ summary:
No serious hockey fan or sports commentator worth their salt would have considered record-breaking Boston superstar Ilya Rozanov to be Shane Hollander’s rival exactly, but sleeping with a man who had a specific offense-related vendetta against him and a wrist shot like a jet engine to back it up was probably ill-advised just the same.
[Or, Shane is a goalie. Ilya can’t score.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
goalie shane is such a brilliant divergence to explore, and this one does it wonderfully! it makes a lot of sense to me, and I loved his characterization. and, as someone who is admittedly here for the fiction and knows next to nothing about the actual hockey, I was really pleasantly surprised to enjoy learning things about it in a way that felt seamless with the plot and not just info dumped. I can't wait to see how it concludes!
💡 LIKE FOR LIKE by smugrobotics
⤷ rating + length: T+, 3k
⤷ summary:
A nostalgic what-if where, instead of meeting at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008, Shane and Ilya meet a full year earlier - in a hockey group on Facebook.
A year in the life of two hockey boys.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this one was just so fucking fun. I love any kind of fun coding and this one looks amazing and was a great medium for the character voices!!! I was grinning so wide by the time I finished it!!!
💡 RESET YOURSELF by lisa6
⤷ rating + length: M, 3k
⤷ summary:
“You know he’s wearing one of those, too,” Hayden said, pointing at Rozanov’s wedding ring.
Rozanov snorted. “Yes, Pike.”
[Or: Hayden tries to comfort a jealous Ilya Rozanov.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
I subscribed to this author immediately after reading one of their other fics linked below, and I have had zero fucking regrets. just amazing writing all the way around. simple plot, genius execution, I had so much fun reading!!!! and it's hayden pov!!!!
💡 MENACE by Charlotte_Stant
⤷ rating + length: M, 5k
⤷ summary:
Of course Ilya had known that Shane would come back but it was gratifying, still, the text from Jane, Can we meet up when you’re here tomorrow, I don’t care where. I really need to see you. The intimation, probably accidental, that Shane was so very desperate he was open to the idea of Ilya fucking him in the street. Ilya typed and deleted many potential replies, which was not characteristic of him.
(Or: Shane gets blackmailed. Ilya handles it.)
⤷ notes + warnings:
DELICIOUS fucking plot, and the writing itself only elevates it. I'm a sucker for any Situation that makes the independent character be vulnerable and ask for help - which we will NOT be reading into - and protective ilya was just the cherry on top. so so so good I read it multiple times and will definitely be back.
💋 LIKE ONE OF YOUR GIRLS by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 5k
⤷ summary:
Rozanov posts on Instagram a lot. Not on his feed, but his stories.
Every time he lands in a city, he posts a story. Usually it's just back of his seat, or sometimes the view out the window—on the tarmac, never anything exciting, one of just many cities their lives are broken up into—and a location tag. Low effort.
It’s pretty obvious what it is. Guys laugh about it, call it Rozanov’s Fuck Signal. The easiest way to get the hot girls who follow him to slide into his DMs.
Easy pussy.
⤷ notes + warnings:
starting this category off strong with another author I just recently found and am now fucking obsessed with. I am going to try really hard to come up with coherent words and not just undignified screeching to put here and in the next two recs.
this one in particular does have quite a few warnings in the notes so be sure to check those first, but FUCK it's written in the exact style I love and toes that line right between character study and kink that (for me, at least) is evergreen. sooo interesting being inside shane's head, and the writing itself is so rich and perfectly restrained and just so fucking delicious. amazing. no notes.
💋 IT'S LIKE YOU NEVER HAD WINGS by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 16k
⤷ summary:
No, Ilya isn’t a martyr, but he isn’t selfish either.
Tonight he wants to be selfish.
Ilya wants to use Shane. He wants to use his willingness, his body, his everything to make himself feel better.
It’s a truth. Maybe an ugly one, but one that he owes to both himself and to Shane to accept. Tonight will be about him.
And Shane, for his part, is a willing participant in it all.
‘I want to be useful,’ he had said.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I love gentle/soft dom Ilya as much as the next guy but this was.... WOOF I already think pain play with hollanov is so fun to explore but ilya with a little sadism streak is just fantastic. I was prepared to separate The Fic from The Character Lore to justify it, but honestly I didn't even need to. woven beautifully through canon and scorchingly hot and I also learned more about hockey again so yay!!!
💋 GIVE ME WHAT I WANT WHEN I'M READY by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 4k
⤷ summary:
Hollander’s mouth flattens into the cutest, bitchiest little line. “Yeah, well, have you seen one on a guy before because…” he stops, waves a hand down at his crotch.
“I have now,” Ilya answers honestly. He’s heard of it before, of course. Usually crude jokes amongst crude locker rooms, but he also knows for all the claims made from every other guy about how they’ve come across one, it’s rare.
So of course Shane fucking Hollander gets the honour.
Ilya can’t be mad though, considering that he’s about to reap the rewards of it.
[Shane Hollander wakes up with a pussy.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
another absolutely scalding character study through the lens of porn. once again check tags prior to reading but great smut, great characterization, loved ilya's pov and the way we see shane through it. I'm so fucking seated for whatever this author puts out next I'm HOOKED.
💋 LIKE A PEACH by fallbekind
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Something’s different, just in general. Like wearing sunglasses, a filter of sorts over everything, but if Shane was in any way honest with himself, he’d know it was more like going without for the first time.
He’s painfully aware of his body these days; how it looks, how it moves, how it responds to… stimuli. And it is responding, lately. His bruises, too: always just there, so used to them they’d barely registered anymore, but recently there’s been a sort of constant hum of them at the edge of his awareness. It’s a layer of input he really doesn’t need right now, busy as he is.
But he’s been woken up. Restless. Needy.
Late in bed, when all his chores are done, fingers travel up to his collarbone, where the newest acquisition is waiting for him.
⤷ notes + warnings:
we love a bruise kink in this house and this one is soooooo good. it has freak4freak, it has yearning, it has tasteful time skips to better illustrate the character development, and the sex is also of course amazing. love a character being scared of their own desires and Shane is a perfect palette for it.
💋 BEFORE SOMETHING BREAKS THAT CANNOT BE FIXED by justhockey
⤷ rating + length: E, 3k
⤷ summary:
Shane is used to feeling fuzzy with Rozanov. Like he’s floating higher, higher, higher. But this - this isn’t that.
Shane isn’t floating, he’s falling. Sinking down, down, down below, into darkness. It feels like there are waves crashing over his head, cold and sharp like needles against his skin, and when he does manage to breach the surface for a moment, he’s met with thick fog and a starless sky. It feels sort of like a concussion, but not. There’s no pain, just…haziness. Just a gaping, empty feeling, right in the centre of his chest.
(Or, Vegas rewritten.)
⤷ notes + warnings:
another trope I could have a hundred of. this one in particular stood out to me because of the descriptions and the prose re: subdrop. it gets so tender and intimate at the end too it's so good.
💋 LUCKY BASTARD by ghosttotheparty
⤷ rating + length: M, 10k
⤷ summary:
“I like it,” he says weakly. “I like it, I like you holding me like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like you own me.”
[or; They're falling in love. They can't have it, even if they can have each other, just for a little while.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
this fic has definitely already made its rounds but I just read it recently and ohhhhh boy I can see why. the dynamic between shane and ilya is so intense and so fragile, both as a result of the canon timeline and this kickass characterization. hollanov is freak4freak, and with me in the mix it's freak4freak4freak. this list of tags is like crack for me. it had me at spit kink and I didn't look back once. it's just so INTIMATE like my face was hot. seriously so so so good.
💋 HOLDING PATTERNS by thecouchsofa
⤷ rating + length: E, 6k
⤷ summary:
“Do you want to know how it feels?”
Shane let his hand fall back to the couch. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and lifted a brow at Rozanov. “What – holding the Cup? You’ve already made that joke once.”
“No.” Rozanov’s fingers encircled Shane’s wrist and then he was pulling Shane’s hand between his legs.
Or: Shane tops.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I'm not really one to do things out of spite, but every time I see a lengthy post ranting about fandom binaries and '[character] would NOT do this thing' it just makes me go look for media in which [character] does, in fact, do that thing.
that led me to the bottom ilya tag this time around, and I had a fucking fantastic time. I was already a fan of this author's writing so I was excited to see a plot like this, and it definitely didn't disappoint - also a great option if you're in the mood for a bottom ilya fic that still holds true to dom ilya/sub shane !!!
💋 THE FEELING OF THE FLESH by citrusses
⤷ rating + length: E, 2k
⤷ summary:
Ilya knew he was weird about this.
⤷ notes + warnings:
listen this is my blog I'm allowed to be a little freak this is my free pass and I'm using it on erotic body horror lactation kink and mommy issues ilya ok. you can't stop me.
💋 TENDER PARTS by mcshrug
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Shane isn't used to people touching him. Then he meets Ilya Rozanov.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I loveeeeeee a touch starved character and shane hollander is prime material. pair that with ilya greedy rozanov and BOOM you get great smut and even better character commentary
💋 AT PINPOINT by chaentics
⤷ rating + length: E, 20k, 2/3 chaps
⤷ summary:
“No one else knows of these,” Ilya tells him, and there it is, that glint of possessiveness in Hollander’s eyes. It makes Ilya’s head reel. And it is why he doesn’t hesitate to say, “I could mark you just like that. If you want.”
Hollander moans around him, his hand scrambling to get past the press of his jeans, into his underwear, to get himself off.
“Would last longer than bruises,” Ilya continues. “Maybe forever.”
⤷ notes + warnings:
ending with yet another absolute banger. I'm honestly struggling to summarize it in a way that captures just how feral I went over this while I was reading it. my notes are just one big keysmash and a bunch of !!!??!!???!?!???!!!! which I think means I have ascended past the need for regular language and have been irrevocably and fundamentally changed.
the tags are scarce but please please give this one a shot it's written phenomenally well, the inner monologue is fantastic and the characterization is spot on, and we know hollanov pain kink is famous in this house. AND this is coming from someone who has a legitimate fear of the kink instrument here so you know I mean it. I was hooked on every line, every piece of dialogue, the descriptions and the concept as a whole. I had to stare at my ceiling after I finished it. I cannot WAIT for the last part.
(also, if you happen to be a fan of CNC this author also wrote this fic!!!!)
🗣️ TONGUES-A-WAGGING by anonymous
⤷ rating + length: T+, 29k
⤷ summary:
Barstool Sports Canada reports that Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander has started learning Russian from new teammate and Russian rookie Sergei Dovonchezky.
Ilya has some thoughts. None of them are particularly kind.
⤷ notes + warnings:
another one I've been seeing everywhere that I thoroughly enjoyed. it's got shane learning russian, it's got jealous ilya, it's got feelings confession and it's set in that delicious slot of time right between tampa and shane's concussion where they haven't really defined the relationship yet other than knowing they both want to be together in some capacity, so the yearning and the not being sure what's 'allowed' adds sooooo much flavor.
🗣️ TALK ABOUT IT by some1_around
⤷ rating + length: M, 7k
⤷ summary:
“You will not be so nice when we beat you,” Ilya told Shane Hollander, holding onto his hand, not letting him pull away. Not yet.
But Hollander’s brow furrowed, not in anger but in confusion. “Ah, um, sorry,” Hollander said. “Merci. My English is bad. Worse… than you. Maybe slower?” And he leaned in, like that would help him understand.
Ilya’s eyebrows rose, and his smile widened.
Or, Ilya Rozanov grew up in Russia. Shane Hollander was raised in France. When they first meet, neither of them can speak English very well. Somehow, it’s easier to understand each other when words aren’t getting in the way.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this was just fucking perfect I love them soooooo bad no notes I will be rereading
✍️ SAFE PLACE TO LAND by glowingregards
⤷ rating + length: G, 6k
⤷ summary:
Shane doesn't fall apart loudly. He spirals, shuts down, missteps. Ilya pays attention. He stays. He helps Shane learn what it feels like to be noticed without being corrected.
or, 5 times Shane needs help regulating his autism, and Ilya is there for him + 1 time Shane is there for Ilya.
⤷ notes + warnings:
beautifully written depiction of shane's inner monologue and the way he interacts with the world and with ilya. shane was written so authentically and ilya is perfect and patient and every bit of it is just so good. the scenes included and the deviations from canon were all intentional and lovely. filed under fics that made me tear up. loved loved loved.
✍️ PALE IMITATIONS by theribbonsweregreen
⤷ rating + length: M, 2k
⤷ summary:
L: It’s easy to quit if you really want to.
L: I just didn’t want to.
Ilya Rozanov quits smoking for the umpteenth time. Or – everything is about smoking, except for smoking which is about Shane Hollander.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I fucking love an experimental piece with gritty character introspection and prose that you could prick your fingers on. just such a genuinely cool piece. I need more people to read it and scream with me.
I'VE REACHED POST LIMIT WITH THE DIVIDERS SO THE REST WILL BE IN A REBLOG (WILL BE LINKED HERE WHEN POSTED IF IT'S NOT CONNECTED TO THE RB)
Hello Tumblr....sorry for the extremely long time no see.
Hope you all are doing well!
Just popping in to say I've posted the next chapter of this fic on AO3. It has been sitting in my drafts for MONTHS, along with the last chapter of the Divorce fic. Which I will also be posting soon (it needs more editing, unlike this one, which was basically finished)
Also...I'm writing a book....so if you're interested in a second chance sapphic fantasy, I have made an instagram for it. @agirlreadsandwrites
I will also be talking about it here, most likely :)
Without further ado...here is a small snippet of Chapter 5 of Safe and Sound.
In the pale light of morning, the world is touched by dew. The sun has barely just risen, but even so, Wilhelm has already come to escort him down to the train platform.
There is an odd silence, a comfortable familiarity between them as they once again take the glass elevator down to the underground tunnels below, where the train tracks are laid out, stretching into all parts of Panem. The shining metal of the transport train is already there, hissing steam and waiting.
Wilhelm will not be returning to District 3 yet, not until the Victory tour that will take place in six months' time, when Katniss and Peeta will come to 3 to shake his hand and make their speech about how “brave” Axis and Curie had been. And how they had made their District so “proud”. It’s the same speech every year, just arranged in different ways, substituted with different names.
“So this is goodbye for now,” Simon murmurs once they reach the looming side of the gleaming machine. He turns to look at Wilhelm, “I guess I’ll see you when I need to look pretty on camera again.”
The other man snorts, and takes a step closer. Simon stills, watching the expression on his features soften them.
He doesn’t move as Wille’s hand cups his cheek, fingers brushing across his cheekbones, soft and lingering. The world tilts slightly on its axis when the other man leans in, surrounded by the smell of lavender and sandalwood. Simon barely breathes when Wilhelm hugs him tenderly and places soft lips to his temple.
“Take care, Simon. Be kind to yourself. I will see you in six months.”
He steps back, leaving Simon feeling like a scrap of paper that’s just been thrown to the wind. The train doors open, the screech of metal snapping him out of his stupor as he hurries aboard. Wilhelm doesn’t move from the platform, even when they begin to pull away. He stands and watches, lifting a hand to wave as they pick up speed. Simon watches, heart flipping strangely in his chest, as the man's figure on the platform grows smaller and smaller before eventually disappearing altogether.
it's easy to forget how sad the hospital scene is because of shane's drug shenanigans.
but this scene is the first time we actually see shane and ilya hold hands — and even then it's partially cut off by the camera (which could be accidental, but knowing jacob it might as well have been deliberate)
imagine knowing someone for 8 years. knowing their body inside and out. knowing HIM inside and out. and having finally admitted to yourself that yes, that's the one. the man you love. the man you want for the rest of your life.
and yet you've never even held his hand. and the only reason you now get to do so is because you saw him almost getting taken away from you forever.
the smallest tether, and you cling to it like a lifeline. because it is.
and even now, in the hospital, where your entire being is screaming to kiss him and tell him how glad you are that he's okay, you can't. too many eyes. too much at risk.
but for a tiny moment, things are indeed betterrrr. he's here. he's alive. he's okay. and maybe, maybe indeed, you can come to the cottage.
Saw an opportunity to draw some happy Wilmon for @books-books-smolderinglooks epilogue event 🥰 I imagine they’re university students at this point. Wille has glasses, that’s very important.
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