i feel like i've read enough fics over the past few months to make my own heated rivalry fic rec list. i separated them by length, but i also felt like dedicating a special section to fics where hayden and cliff find out about hollanov because those always make me crack up. you'll find that section at the end.
the ones marked with a ♥ are my personal favorites, but i truly love all 32 fics listed here. they are all completed btw.
SHORT ONES (less than 15k words)
you're all that i need (underneath the tree) by strwbrryfox (8k)
“It is too early in the morning for you to look like you want to kill me,” Ilya pointed out.
“It’s never too early for that,” Shane threw back, unnecessarily shuffling some papers around on his desk. “Do you need something?”
“A pen,” Ilya shrugged, not being able to stop the dumb smile forming on his face at Shane’s reaction.
or, ilya and shane are co-workers. they like each other but are oblivious idiots about it. also, it's christmas!
dialing you (sorry, darling you) by hollano_ov (13k) ♥
Ilya’s computer always seems to be fucked up.
death wish by moubrip (3k)
“Barrett, your turn. What did you think of Hollander?”
Troy must have had more to drink than he thought. Or he makes bad decisions without Harris right next to him. Or he must have a death wish. That has to be the reason why he says what he does: “I thought he was a fucking babe.”
united front by kooksie (6k)
After Russia crashes and burns at the Olympics, six months pass where Ilya cuts Shane out completely, refusing to answer his texts. So when they both get booked for yet another ad campaign, Shane arrives on set with a strict plan to ignore Ilya entirely. But then he learns the premise of the entire campaign: making fun of Ilya’s English. It will take a lot for Shane to forgive him, sure. It won’t take nearly as much for Shane to stand up for him.
i see the moon in his eyes, i'm paralyzed by thoughtsechos (9k)
The thing is Shane has always had a hard time navigating social interactions. Not that he is necessarily bad at it, it’s just he sometimes says whatever is on his mind without realising how it might sound to other people. His best friend Rose calls it “refreshing”. Shane is not sure he agrees with that assessment, not sure he understands what it is that he is not supposed to say.
Or, four times Shane accidentally flirted with people and the one time it wasn't an accident.
i've never needed a reason for keeping secrets from myself by blongblong (9k)
Shane’s immediate reaction is to say that he doesn't know when it started. He doesn’t know who his soulmate is. This is what he’s been telling himself for years, because if he stops for more than a second to think about how long he's been collecting little pieces of Ilya Rozanov, he thinks he'll spiral out of control.
Or Shane Hollander spends twenty-five years not thinking about his soulmate. The drawer in his apartment filled with cigarettes, toothpaste, and awful t-shirts says elsewise.
through whatever you lose by aloneintherain (7k)
“Ilya,” Shane says, propping himself up on his elbows. “Ilya, wake up.”
Ilya makes a pained noise, eyes still shut. “I shut curtains already.”
“It’s not that. Ilya, hey. Don’t go back to sleep.” Ilya tries to bury back into Shane’s chest, but adrenaline knifes through Shane’s hangover long enough for him to peel Ilya off and roll him into his back. Ilya blinks blearily up at him, starfished in the sheets. Beautiful and naked and missing his mother’s cross.
OR: When Ilya’s cross goes missing after the Centaurs celebrate their first Stanley Cup win, Shane is determined to get it back. And so are the Centaurs. And the rest of Ottawa.
corner of the world by berrycluv (8k)
Ilya doesn’t even realize when Arthur slips from his thoughts. There’s no sharp turn, no clear moment where the article stops being about a little boy who loves reptiles and starts being about the man lying beside him in bed. It just… happens. The way his mind always seems to find Shane eventually, like water finding its lowest point.
a character study on shane’s undiagnosed autism.
i'll be jane by gurlsrool (7k) ♥
It’s not going viral because Jane’s true identity was exposed—or even because Ilya was blatantly sexting in public. That part’s as expected as Shane doing yoga or any human being on earth breathing.
No, the texts are going viral because no one can believe how bad this “Jane” is at sexting.
Or: After a social media trend mocks Shane's sexting skills, he tries to improve them. It goes about as poorly as you'd expect.
he turns off the big light by gurlsrool (9k)
Ilya knows firsthand that the world isn’t comfortable. It’s loud, bright, demanding, a harsh place in direct opposition to everything he’s recently learned about autism.
Is it so wrong that he wants Shane to feel safe here? To carve out a space where, even if only for a few hours, he doesn’t have to grin and bear anything? He can just be?
Or: Ilya Rozanov has a lot of good ideas. Telling his fuck buddy that he should consider getting an autism diagnosis isn’t one of them.
i got my sights set on you by rosepetal (7k)
After this, it seems like the notes won’t stop coming. Without fail, at least once a day, he gets a reminder that someone is thinking of him.
Sometimes they appear first thing in the morning when he gets into work, accompanied by a pastry or a coffee. More often than not, they appear after lunch with a ginger ale or a banana. Every time though, they’re accompanied by some ridiculous and overtly flirtatious lines.
Or Shane Hollander has a secret admirer.
MEDIUM ONES (15k-30k words)
the long way home by kooksie (21k) ♥
Shane can’t stand his college roommate and teammate, Ilya Rozanov. Can’t stand his arrogance and his messiness and his constant sleeping around. But then the entire team, Shane included, welcomes their families to campus for Parents Weekend. And Shane also can’t stand that Ilya is alone.
there you are, my morning star by ingberry (22k) ♥
In a move that shocks the hockey world, Shane Hollander ends up signing to the Centaurs at the same time as Ilya Rozanov. Not only do they have years of rivalry behind them, but they've also shared a night neither of them can forget.
Or, a soulmate AU where their soulmarks grow stronger as their bond grows.
touch me by akirasstories (22k)
Part two of Close to Me (6k). Shane’s whining beneath him, head thrown back, exposing the long column of his neck and rutting up against Ilya. Ilya licks up his throat, nibbling at Shane’s jaw, before his lips brush the shell of Shane’s ear.
loving this body by beetlesandstars, kryptonian (22k)
“Your mother has called twenty times. Your manager has called thirty times. Your father text me picture of crossword puzzle and ask for help. Clue is about American President from the 1980s. I cannot help!”
OR: the hollanov bodyswap fic.
you, i always need you by hollano_ov (16k)
Shane really isn't looking for a relationship, which is why having Ilya around is nice. No strings attached, only great sex. It's a win all around.
The only problem is that Ilya is way, way too nice to Shane's stupid cat.
russia's greatest love machine by oryoucouldhavemine (23k)
“At what?” Shane snaps, because he’s getting really sick of not being in on the joke.
“A-” Shane says, swallowing thickly. “What?”
Ilya is a porn star, Shane is a hockey player, and their paths cross.
purple-pink skies by stardust_and_sunlight (15k)
Over the course of his NHL career, Shane Hollander had come face-to-face with Ilya Rozanov hundreds of times. But in all of that time, Shane had never seen him like this.
“Hollander,” Rozanov said, accent even thicker than usual.
Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been NHL rivals for over a decade. One strange chance meeting leads to more.
ode to a conversation stuck in your throat by ummrys (22k) ♥
Ilya's face split into a wide grin. It made his eyes sparkle. Shane wanted to kiss him very badly. "Oh. Oh. You are very drunk."
"I wouldn't say very drunk. I'm normal drunk." Shane corrected, stepping closer to Ilya until they were barely centimeters apart. Shane reached up and wrapped his arms around Ilya's neck. They were so close and he smelled so good. Shane breathed him in for a second. Fuck, he had missed him so badly. It had only been two weeks, but it felt like forever.
"I missed you too." Ilya whispered. Wait, had Shane said that out loud? Oops. Maybe he was very drunk. "More than you know."
Or, the transition from friends with benefits to lovers is far from seamless.
happy together by buckdogbuckley (18k)
Shane gets in the car and slams the door shut.
“What was that?” his dad asks, voice slightly worried.
“Nothing,” Shane says unconvincingly, looking down at his hands, tearing at the skin around his fingernails.
“Didn’t look like nothing, bud. It’s unlike you not to say bye to your friend like that. Or slam the door.”
“Ilya Rozanov is not my friend, Dad.”
Shane Hollander thinks he's ready for 8th grade. For the most part, he is. Enter: Ilya Rozanov. Shane is not ready for the way his life is about to change.
fall in love again and again by galactictsukki (17k)
“I can pick people up,” Shane says again, moving off his bike and out of Ilya’s sweaty embrace. “And I don’t have to do it by concocting schemes or stripping on top of the LAX bros’ coffee table.”
Or, after some team chirping at Shane's expense, Ilya accidentally interrupts a few of his potential dating prospects and then keeps on doing it less than accidentally.
the game plan by festiveferret, pouringinsheets (64k)
Shane Hollander is the number two overall NHL draft pick and a newly minted Montreal Voyageur. He’s also laser focused on his goals: being the best by beating the best. For him, this means a continued rivalry with number one draft pick—and new Ottawa Centaur—Ilya Rozanov. But when a problem with Rozanov’s immigration paperwork threatens his future in the NHL, what does that mean for Shane’s own career? He can’t risk finding out…so they get married. Just for immigration. A fast, practical, mutually beneficial solution. No one will ever suspect, let alone find out, that the NHL’s greatest rivals are secretly married. And there’s certainly no risk of feelings getting involved. They have a game plan.
you're a shooting star i see by stargazinghollanov (33k)
a college AU where Ilya and Shane, co-captains of their D1 hockey team, miss their final shot at playoffs. With their senior year slipping away from under them, their friends decide it's the perfect opportunity to finally go on an unforgettable spring break together. Ilya could have never imagined this single decision would change his life.
or Ilya is pining after his best friend Shane
apply pads (shock now!) by blongblong (34k) ♥
When Paramedic Shane Hollander and EMT Hayden Pike start working nights, they expect to spend their shifts getting fucked over by Response Paramedic—and notorious asshole—Ilya Rozanov.
Shane does end up getting fucked, just not in the way he was expecting.
(shane just wants to do his job and ride the ambulance. ilya thinks shane should be riding him, instead.)
babe for the weekend by wellington28 (52k)
Ilya was going to murder him.
He should have just corrected Scott. Should have said, "No, that's my best friend, we grew up together." Simple. But instead he'd agreed to bring his nonexistent boyfriend on the trip like an idiot.
How was he going to talk Ilya into this?
Or the one where Shane accidentally lets his coworkers assume Ilya is his boyfriend and instead of telling them the truth, he convinces Ilya to play along for the weekend.
get him back! by flairlies (54k) ♥
Stuck in an alt-world where he and Shane never hooked up as teenagers, Ilya is determined to get Shane back. To do that, Ilya has to figure out a way to get Shane to see him as anyone other than the Russian asshole who has spent a decade pissing him off. It can't be that hard to make your husband fall in love with you... right?
Basically: Shane Hollander makes a wish with good intentions. Ilya Rozanov wakes up confused, single, closeted, and miserable in Boston.
a sound is still a sound around no one by dykeries (43k)
Shane lifts one eyelid again to look at Rozanov. His eyes are red-rimmed. Like he’s been crying. “Why…why aren’t you in Boston?”
Rozanov’s brow furrows. “Why would I be in Boston?”
“You, you’re captain. Raiders. Boston.”
The room is silent except for the beeping of monitors.
In 2023, Shane takes a bad hit on the ice. When he wakes up, the last thing he remembers is a tuna melt. There’s a lot to get used to.
HAYDEN/CLIFF FINDS OUT SECTION
quit while you’re ahead by queerteaoop (3k)
Cliff had to approach this correctly, or Ilya was liable to sock him in the jaw and clam up entirely. Subtlety was his friend here. And all of that flew immediately out of his head the moment that Ilya opened his front door, looking sweaty and shirtless and mildly pissed off, which was pretty much his standard look. “Are you moving to Canada for some fuckboy?” was how the question came out of his mouth instead.
Or the time that Cliff Marleau figured almost all of it out
blind date(s) by weeb_grass (5k)
Jackie and Hayden conspire to set Shane up with one of Jackie's friends by inviting him over for dinner without telling him that said friend will be present. Shane and Ilya decide it's time they come out to the Pikes as a couple, so Shane invites Ilya over to the Pikes' place for dinner without sending Hayden a forewarning.
Cue: a jealous man, a confused house guest, and one very kid-friendly Russian.
of a certain age by gurlsrool (7k)
“Wait, I could totally see that,” Connors says. “She wears reading glasses and he’s, like, obsessed with them. Sometimes on the road, he calls her from the bathroom and I hear him begging her to put them on.”
“The glasses! I heard that too.” Shit, it must be a fetish, right? She doesn’t just happen to be old. Rozy likes that she’s old.
Or: Cliff figures out why Ilya’s keeping his Montreal girl a secret. She’s not a girl at all...she's an elderly woman. Or maybe an elderly man?
pike and boiziau, amateur detectives by gurlsrool (6k)
Usually, Hayden can accept that Shane's private life is none of his business. When he’s at home waiting on four kids hand and foot, it’s not like he's filling his days making deranged cork boards connecting Shane to every gay man in North America.
But on the road, he has nothing to occupy his time besides the occasional Skype call and cable TV. It gets harder to ignore the fact that Shane’s swapping sweet nothings with a man he still won’t let himself talk about.
Or: After the cottage, Shane comes out to his teammates but swears that he doesn't have a boyfriend. Unfortunately for him, Hayden and J.J. don't believe his lie for a second.
all eyes on me by gurlsrool (5k)
“I don’t care that he’s gay!” Hayden says. Shane turns finally, locking eyes with Hayden, searching for any truth in that statement. Because there’s a difference between knowing theoretically that you share a locker room with a gay guy and seeing him ride a dick like it’s his life’s purpose. “I don’t. You know that. I just…him?”
“Yes,” Shane says softly. “Him.”
Hayden lets out a guttural groan. “Jesus, man. You couldn’t at least top him?”
Or: 6 times Shane and Ilya get walked in on, +1 time they walk in on someone else
TO BE CONTINUED....
(since i won't stop reading hollanov fics any time soon, i'll probably make a part 2, 3, 4 in the future. yay.)
jacobvanloon
blakekathryn
areudirty
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
gummygunk
origamiaround
