Underrated Heated Rivalry Fic: Round 2
We're back for round 2 folks!!
Quick reminders before we dive in:
Underrated = ~20k hits or less. This is not a strict guideline, but I do generally follow it. There are fics I love and would rec that have too many hits and are thus disqualified from the list, so sorry.
If you love a fic on this list, please, please comment on the fic and show the author some love! They deserve it!
On the flip side, if you dislike a fic on this list, hit the back button and move on. Every fic isn't for every person; so practice don't like, don't read, exit the fic, and DO NOT comment. Authors write these fics for fun and we get the privilege of reading them (for free!), so be nice.
Round 1 of the rec list can be found here
Sweet Little Snippets
Articles of Affection - Vee(Vera_DragonMuse)
Shane/Ilya, M, 4.4k
Shane has a system. It includes a forgotten sweater.
Clothes stealing and clothes sharing in the ep 4 montage, the cottage, and beyond. Articles of affection is the best title this fic could possibly have (love the double meaning), because this fic is solely about clothes sharing as a form of affection. It's a sweet little addition to canon.
as reliable as the sun - astrolesbian
Shane/Ilya, T, 7.3k
Shane does not like change. He does not like shifts in the status quo. He also honestly doesn't really like when people are in his house. However. Shane does like Ilya. Maybe enough that none of that matters.
sweet, syrupy cottage fic. A little bit of a character study, but mostly we just languish in the sun and have a lovely romantic time.
Character Studies
snowprint tracings - boxysmiles
Shane/Ilya, T, 20k
Long before he ever sees a photo of her, Shane dreams of Irina Rozanova.
A little sprinkle of magical realism, as a treat. Full of love and tenderness, though of course it's somewhat bittersweet too. Love the concept!
north american sentimentalities - courierstruck
Shane/Ilya, M, 10k
Over the course of the three days, there are plenty of opportunities to tell Shane about Moscow.
post-cottage, pre-ottawa Ilya and his relationship to russia. This concept is always a hit to me and this one is written with such love.
Communion - WriteSmart
Shane/Ilya, M, 1.7k
Ilya says his name like heās taking communion. His pretty mouth wrapping around the whole syllable the same way he sucks Shaneās cock: with reverence.
Hockey as religion + Ep. 4 feelings from the author = this insanity. Love a religious metaphor, especially because Shane, canonically, kind of does worship at the altar of Hockey lol.
there are things i was never meant to keep (will you be another one of them?) - eurydicees
Shane/Ilya, T, 8.3k
The first snowfall in Boston that year brings several things: a heavy layer of dirty snow coating all the roads of the city; a freezing, threatening cold to the air both inside and out; all incoming flights to Logan getting grounded before they could even think about taking off; and the breaking rumors that Ilya Rozanov is fucking men in his spare time.
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Just love the way it's written. It's about Ilya being outed, but it's also maybe more about a love confession? I bookmarked this ages ago in december, so it slipped through the cracks for rec list 1, many apologies.
some pacific wind - sartorussguru
Shane/Ilya, G, 8.7k
Rozanov drops his gloves for Shane. He wishes he could just be grateful, but it feels a little bit like the end of the world.
Ilya and Shane and racism. Love the way this fic approaches the topic. Also missed this in rec list 1 - I have A Lot of amazing bookmarks.
hockeybot - hiljainen
Shane/Ilya, E, 5.5k
Here is what everyone thinks of you. Itās exactly what you feared. It might actually be worse.
An SNL sketch about Shane and Ilya (as hockey rivals) sends Shane spiraling. Ilya and Shane have a little sex about it. Absolutely obsessed with this one.
ilya, i wish you were born a girl - Anon (1)
Shane/Ilya, 8.3k, M
Sometimes, he wishes Rozanov was a girl instead.
LOVE the way this tackles Shane's internalized homophobia. I'm always very struck by Shane's obvious jealousy of Ilya's attraction to women, so this train of thought feels like a natural thing that Shane would have considered.
Excerpts from the Fall of Troy - littlelamblittlelamb
Troy/Harris, M, 11k
āIāve always been kind of weak in relationships.ā āTroyā ā āI need someone stronger than me. Dallas and Adrian were. But they werenāt people I could trust ā and I never trusted Dallas, really.ā Troy thinks Harris has an inkling about what he needs. That he needs a master. That he needs someone to guide him. Harris is so sweet about it that it looks almost nothing like how it looked with Dallas and Adrian ā but itās the same principle.
Fascinating character study of Troy and his relationships. No clue how it jives with canon since I haven't read Role Model, but this fic gives Troy so much depth and I think just expands his character so well.
Smut Corner!
(I realized I included no smut fics last time, so we are rectifying that problem this time. These are, however, mostly sex as character study)
head and body to you - naokime [@hemipenia]
Shane/Ilya, M, 4.8k
His body is good for two things: hockey and sexāeven then, the latter comes with an asterisk. Heās good at being available for sex, he supposes, and that is a thought he cannot afford to entertain.
Ep. 4 montage where the hockey is sex a little, and Shane spirals a lot about a classic Shane anxiety: 'does Ilya actually like me or does he just like the sex?'
Sunday Blue - chaentics [@rozzed]
Shane/Ilya, E, 9.1k
Again, this is the deal: Shane takes what heās given.
CNC. Floaty and dreamy and wow. Very much summed up by this tag: the anticipation is the sex, kind of like hockey.
afterglow - christinegrrl [@wormconnormcdavid]
Shane/Ilya, E, 7.9k
Shane processes his first time with Rozanov.
Set in the 6 months of ghosting. Another round of 'does Ilya actually like me or does he just like the sex?'
Geryon - a_good_soldier [@agoodsoldier]
Shane/Ilya, E, 12.6k, cw: rape
Ilya is a young man in America. Here he is in the off hours.
Ilya and sex. VERY good, but also upsetting (see the cw). Proceed with caution.
sympathy fuck - lustmord
Shane/Ilya, E, 10k
We wonāt release a statement right away, someone from the front office said, but if youāre missing a couple games thereās going to be questions. What are we going to call it? A family emergency? Ilya had almost laughed. What emergency? His father is already fucking dead.
Ilya and sex, in the aftermath of his father's death. Not exactly a two cakes situation with this and Geryon, because they both approach the topic so differently, but if you like one you'll probably like the other.
Three's a pattern - Anon (2)
Ilya/Cliff Marlow, E, 10.3k
Cliff Marlow and the innate homoeroticism of having a lot of two-man with your best friend.
Cliff Marlow discovering he's maybe a little gay via threesomes with Ilya Rozanov - what's not to love? Yes, this is still kind of character study sex. I have a type and it is most obviously not crackfics (sorry to all the crackfic lovers out there).
Misc.
(a couple of these are very newly published, so I might technically be skirting the hit count guidelines a little lol)
we took the scenic route - lowkey_existential_despair
Scott/Kip & Shane/Ilya, E, 18k
holy matrimony sequel, everyone cheered!
Genuinely selling this as just a holy matrimony sequel with no further information because you guys NEED to be reading holy matrimony. Also, there might be a Scott/Kip/Shane/Ilya foursome here, but you've gotta read to find out.
welcome to the family - pressuretoparty [@ellisonwongparty]
Shane/Ilya, E, 32k
Shane finds himself grounded in Ottawa for the foreseeable future. With his newfound free time, he hangs out with his family, eats Costco Rotisserie chicken, and whips Ilya Rozanov back into a champion.
Winners!verse part 3!! The first two went viral recently, so you may have already read those - but I think this third part is the best part by far (it can be read standalone). I'm just so so obsessed with everything about it. Shane and Ilya are gritty, real athletes here. And it's not exactly Challengers, but I would consider this to be the closest 'Challengers but for hockey' fic I've read. I mean this as an immense compliment.
Proving Ground - maplesalad [@maple-salad], smugrobotics [@smugrobotics]
Shane/Ilya, M, 5.1k, series in progress, cw: rape, abuse
Absolutely genius AU universe exploring bodily autonomy (the lack thereof) in high-level sports. Deeply perverted, a fascinating lens with which to approach the topic. Proceed with caution.
This is where I refer back to our reminders at the beginning. If this sort of series is not your thing, kindly ignore and move on. However, the girls who get it, Get It. If it is your thing you'll be obsessed.
That Gay, Gay, Glitter - madeupwords
Ilya/Scott & Shane/Ilya, E, 11.3k, WIP
Because despite his age, despite being a rookie, and despite the many announcers who love to prophesize his failure, Ilya knows what's expected of the Bearsā number one draft pick. or BostonāA love story, one year to the left
Only 1 chapter so far, but it sucked me in! The author clearly loves Boston, so the world feels so rich and lived in. Plus I always have fun with rookie Ilya/Scott Hunter (two cakes! The Hottest Cold War - from rec list 1).
advice from fools - Anon (3)
Shane/Ilya, E, 22k
After Sochi, Shane starts sleeping with another man. After Vegas, he picks back up with Ilya, too.
messy messy messy!! However, I do believe this is exactly what Shane would do, so it's a realistic mess. Yet again we run into a (mild) variant of 'does Ilya actually like me or does he just like the sex?' except this time it's because Shane is into another guy just for the sex.
