i am sure someone's said this better but I haven't seen it anywhere, so something about rose telling shane that a problem is something you can fix, that their relationship can't be "fixed" because it isn't broken, it just needs to change and that's okay. and shane hearing for the first time that his truth is enough, he is okay, he is enough, he's not a failure, change doesn't have to be bad or scary, he doesn't need to feel guilty or ashamed, he doesn't need fixing.
and then Ilya telling shane that "i have this problem" and basically says that shane is the problem. and shane's mad and terrified because ilya's ragebaiting him being flirty and coy, but also because. the thing is, the thing is, shane can see that it is actually completely fixable for ilya. "i could marry svetlana" i could marry a woman i could make my own life so much easier, and i could, maybe, leave you if the problem proved too big.
"do you want that problem to go away" with a tremor in his voice because the thing is. it could. their relationship isn't like shane's sexuality: inevitable and innate. this is a choice. and so ilya telling him no, I don't ever want that problem to ever go away, is ilya telling him "no, i want you more than some casual or convenient thing, even if it's harder, even though it's a problem, i choose it anyway"
but then shane waking ilya up in the middle of the night because he's figured it out: they're not actually the problem, everything else is. they don't need fixing, everyone else's expectations and judgements and limitations do. the nhl needs fixing, and the press, the brand labels, the fan base, the whole culture of the sport. and shane, because he is shane, immediately throws his whole stupid ass into trying to fix it.
because ilya marrying svetlana would actually have been way more sensible, probably, than starting a whole fucking charity, ilya moving city, switching teams, giving up so much. certainly less romantic, but it would have been way more practical, and tbh they'd probably both be less stubborn and stupid (see: the long game), especially because svetlana would absolutely help them any way she could including sending those idiots to therapy immediately. she'd be the world's best beard, even if shane doesn't know that. (and honestly someone write an au the long game where that happens pls). but it also wouldn't have fixed anything, because them being queer, them being together, was never the real problem.















