ronbin

which combined with ilya loving just making things up and saying them (as seen in the "yes, the rumors are true-" scene) offers the very funny idea that ilya actively tries to offer as much privacy as possible by just throwing out stories about them at random so there IS no central story for people to hound shane about.

assorted backstories a la "ilya just started talking and found out with everyone else where he was going with this":

they got snowed in at all stars one year (b-but wasn't that year in florida?) and decided there was nothing better to do

it started as a bit and neither is willing to give up first

they paired off to combine forces like nato

they paired off to limit how many kids they could have in the future to make sure hockey stayed fair

ilya lost a bet six years ago

shane lost a bet three years ago

ilya got tired of remembering phone numbers for his hookups and shane's is easy

ilya got tired of having to look things up in english and french when talking to other people and decide to marry someone who speaks two languages to save time

shane is gifted enough (wink wink wink) that other people are cowards and only ilya was brave enough to rise to the challenge (this one gets him in trouble on the phone later but it also gets him laid that night at home and also confuses the online speculation about who tops and bottoms, so net positive tbh)

yuna hollander is the best manager in the business and a political marriage was the best way to secure her services longterm

the reporter obviously knows he's not serious (...mostly) but plays along with "what kids?" and ilya just ☝️ as he pulls out his phone and starts looking through, and everyone is like "surely not...bUT WHAT IF", and then he goes "ah! here", and holds out his phone

and it's a picture of anya and luca haas

art by @anonymouspinkturtle

Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Summary: Shane wants to figure out if he's gay before he gets drafted—and no, the way he felt when Ilya Rozanov smirked at him with a cigarette between his lips in Saskatchewan has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, the random guy he hooks up with to try and make sure one way or another takes a picture, and Shane gets outed before the draft. In the ensuing scandal, he goes seventh overall, to Ottawa.

It turns out having the worst thing you can think of happen to you when you're seventeen years old can end up being pretty liberating.

as for fics, thank you sm for all the love on the recent chapter of "oh my god you should see your faces" i wasn't sure if i'd go back to that one but the hudson peloton ad........yea i Knew i had to write a chapter after that y'all !!! and i got some fics in the works currently but no clue when they'll be done or posted yet because life is a lot right now 😭

anyway i thought i'd share a few of my recent fav fic recs that have been stuck in my head since i read them to make up for disappearing LOL:

if it's my chance i'm gonna take it by @gurlsrool (a fic where everyone wants shane hollander will always ALWAYS be my shit !!)

You've got mail by anonymous (the coding on this fic is INSANE i'm obsessed, and now complete !!)

Pour Decisions by hermacology (i'm not usually a fan of aus where shane isn't a hockey player but this one was HILARIOUS, had me giggling out loud)

hi shane, is this still available? by tunamelt (another fic w/ INCREDIBLE coding, this one is so so funny !)

my jane fucks hollander sometimes, no big deal by ronbin (texting + sm fic, i will always love a shane wags fic !!!)

It's Fic Rec Friday! Have I forgotten for two months? maybe. In my defence, I am a grad student so I've been busy. I also have been reading less because of the aforementioned being a grad student.

Anyways, here are some Heated Rivalry recs!

Hollanov

forget me not by goldengalaxies | NR, 15k, 4/4 chapters | Amnesia, Hurt/Comfort

His mother stared at him, wide eyed and more than a little panicked. "Shane, honey, what do you remember?" He searched his mind for a memory of this game, of the injury - but nothing came to him. The pain worsened, and he groaned, clutching his head. Fuck, that hurt. "Shane, is okay. Don't hurt yourself more, please." Rozanov said. He moved his hand towards Shane's, trying to grasp hold of it. Shane swatted him away violently, aghast. What the fuck was he playing at? "Get the fuck off of me, Rozanov." Both Rozanov and his mother gaped at him. "Shane-" Rozanov tried again, but Shane wasn't having it. He was beginning to panic. It was too much; the too-bright blue lights, his mother's panic, the constant beeping of the monitor, the big gaping whole in his memory, the godawful scratchy feeling of the cheap fabric of the hospital gown - it was all making him lose his fucking mind because it was making him itch and too hot and - and worst of all, Ilya fucking Rozanov was trying to hold his hand and call him sweetheart in front of his mom. (post-book one, shane gets injured & forgets ilya)

i've never needed a reason for keeping secrets from myself by @bylroos | M, 9.7k, Oneshot | Soulmates

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. He'll hit the deck like a firecracker dropped unceremoniously onto the sidewalk, burning wildly and spiralling haphazardly, until he's fizzled out with nothing left to show for himself but smoke, ashes, and the knowledge that his soul is bound to Rozanov's. 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.

my jane fucks hollander sometimes, no big deal by @ronbinary | T, 3.6k, Oneshot | Texting, Fluff and Crack

Jane jokes in the Ottawa WAGs chat about fucking Shane Hollander. It spirals from there.

Frozen at 4AM? by worstthingiveeverdone | T, 5k, Oneshot | POV Ilya Rozanov, Canon Compliant

Ilya Rozanov lies to press. A lot. It’s a security mechanism. And he’s also just a little shit. He gets what’s coming to him eventually.

Ilya & Troy

Worth a Thousand Words by TrebleRose89 | M, 12k, 2/2 chapters |

Scott adds "The Grandbaby" to the list of cocktails in The Kingfisher. It's not really a cocktail, it's just a double of very nice russian vodka.

Scott starts sending Ilya birthday cards that say "To My Favourite Grandson" with ten bucks inside

Ilya LOVES this. Like, actually it makes him slightly teary. Obviously he can't tell Scott that though. Shane tells Kip that it's such a nice thing for Ilya, though, as he has no grandparents or parents left...and of course neither does Scott. Kip doesn't tell Scott what Shane says, but does encourage him to continue.

Ilya does a "shout out to my Grandpa on his birthday" during a post game interview, which the press accept at the time, but social media immediately has questions - a grandparent in Russia??? It didn't seem like he had support from family in Russia? His parents are both dead?

Scott scores a hat trick and the next day a fruit basket is delivered to the locker room with a card attached to the top reading "still got it Grandpa 🧡"

Scott gets asked about post game plans when the admirals play the centaurs, and says "family time" and the press are too confused to ask further questions. He later puts a pic on insta of him with Ilya out for drinks with #grandbaby on it and no other comment - the comments are a MESS. The comments are more of a mess when Ilya reposts it with #grandpa. Is this some weird sexual thing?! It's very much a pals picture though, and Ilya is definitely seen leaving with Shane.

Scott is mic'd up during their next game against each other so Ilya's chirp that "grandpa you need to speed up if you are going to score today" gets picked up followed by "swearing at your grandbaby isn't nice" after Scott flips him off. After that game Ilya gets asked about it by the press - "what's going on with you and Hunter referring to each other as grandparent/grandson?" "My grandfather is hockey fossil and still good enough to play in league I bet you all are jealous, no?" This backhanded compliment clears up precisely nothing.

shane, head over heels in love with a crass, cigarette smoking, reckless ducati driving russian “oh, i’m not really looking to date right now, sorry.”

Here are a few drarry fic recs in which party games play an important part. Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

Back to You by @aibidil & daisymondays [8k]

The eighth years make Harry and Malfoy go head to head and back to back in a question-and-answer drinking game. The worst that can happen is they end up drunk, right?

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and @noeeon [39k]

Post-war Hogwarts has been energized by its new teaching fellows program. Where once bitter enmity divided the wizarding community, Malfoy and Potter chummily patrol hallways together whilst Granger and Zabini seek lost parts of the castle at McGonagall’s behest and Chang supervises Quidditch when not lecturing in Charms. It’s a veritable wizarding utopia and life is predictable for the first time in years. Which is, of course, when everything blows apart as the result of a drunken dare and Malfoy’s life is ruined beyond his capacity to repair it. Ever. In a million years.

check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous by @lqtraintracks [7k]

Harry's had a crush on Malfoy for months now. But it will take a bar full of his friends, some Firewhisky, wagers made on his behalf, and Malfoy himself to get him to act on it.

Erase the Shame by FleetofShippyShips [6k]

An Inter-House unity party is the last thing Draco wants to go to. It's not long into a game of Truth or Dare when he is reminded why. But maybe his dare is worth it after all.

Exceeds Eggspectations by Elle Gray (LGray) [61k]

Eighth year. Winter. Christmas has been and gone. Harry’s just been dumped and so has Malfoy. There’s a stupid fake baby assignment to be done, and what’s the harm in doing it together, really, when life is this shit already? This is not slow burn, this is a roman candle pointed at a pile of dry twigs that represent your heart.

Games Night by @agentmoppet​ [6k]

Harry has no idea why Hermione decided that an inter-house Games Night would be a good idea, but he’s here now, and he intends to beat Malfoy, no matter what game he chooses. But, who would have thought muggle games could be full of so much... tension?

How to Handle an Enemy by who_la_hoop [7k]

Everyone knows that it’s no fun playing truth or dare with a Slytherin. But add a little Veritaserum, a scheming duo of Slytherin girls and surprising things can be revealed. Particularly about the fine line between love and hate… Turnbout Is Fair Play by who_la_hoop [10k]   After a – cough – revealing game of truth or dare instigated by  his fellow Slytherins, Draco Malfoy finds himself in possession of a).  the interesting knowledge that a certain Gryffindor horror may not be as   immune to his personal charms as hitherto suspected and b). the   password to the Gryffindor Tower. But Draco makes a fundamental error   when he decides to make use of these facts.

Love, Harry by Zzzara [26k]

Harry Potter keeps a huge secret: that scary thing he can’t tell anyone about. Until a mysterious penfriend changes his life, because he keeps a secret, too.

Never Have I Ever Thought That You Might Want Me, Too by @drarrymyheart [8k]

“When it’s his turn, Ron gives Harry an ominous look. “Never have I ever wanted to kiss any of the boys in this room.” Harry freezes. Dean, Seamus, Hermione, Hannah, Pansy, and even Blaise are all immediately lifting their drinks. Malfoy moves to pick his up as well and Harry tracks the movement as if watching in slow-motion…The ridge of Malfoy’s bottle of cider pushes against his lower lip as he takes a sip. Harry nearly groans. Steeling himself, Harry drinks.” Harry and the crew take a ski trip. Harry can’t seem to keep his eyes and thoughts off a certain blonde.

One Night at the Leaky by birdsofshore [41k]

Harry should have known better than to accept a drunken dare. Especially when Malfoy was sitting right there, looking like that and wearing those bloody tight trousers. 

A Perfectly Valid Dare by kitty_fic [5k]

“It’s a perfectly valid dare,” Pansy says, and somehow she looks like she actually believes what she says. “I am not doing that,” Draco insists. He really has no idea when daring someone to wank in Harry Potter’s bed became a perfectly valid dare?

Right Hand Red by @lqtraintracks [73k] 

Harry felt Malfoy’s breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory. Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy. Malfoy felt inevitable.

Silk Scarves and Enchanted Handcuffs by TommyLane [28k]

It was only supposed to be for seven minutes and then the blindfold would come off and he'd be free from the dark cupboard and his mystery partner - only Harry was no longer sure he wanted it to end.

Starts With a Spin by Maxine [119k]

It started with the spin of a bottle, and now Harry and Draco have gotten themselves so far into their own game there's almost no way out again. Except to keep playing.

Truths, Dares, and Love Affairs by @ronbinary [17k]

NEWTs are approaching, Mind Healing is mandatory, and something is wrong with the castle. And then, there’s Potter.

When I Put My Eyes On You by Zzzara [31k]

When a hero defeats a villain, there’s supposed to be a happily-ever-after… but when did anything ever happen to Harry Potter the way it was supposed to? Having sacrificed himself to the greater good, Harry is left alone in the darkness, blindly groping for the shreds of the life he knew. When the enemies meet, how is the story supposed to go, once they learn there’s more to it than the eye can see? A story of pain, hope and things we discover, once we stop looking for them with our eyes.

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands [146k]

It’s the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort’s soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too. Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work.

Hello! Your holds have arrived!

I went ahead and opened this ask up to include any 8th year fics where Harry or Draco are struggling with mental health, PTSD, or trauma. If you enjoy these fics, be sure to check back next week for part two of this rec list!

8th year + Trauma

Who We Are At Night by @stargazing-enby (708 words, rated M)

“Just… hold me. Please. That’s what I need.”

Text Message by @drarrily-we-row-along (1,204 words, rated T)

The 8th Years get cellphones as part of their muggle studies class. Draco didn't really listen to the instructions, but was pretty sure he'd figured everything out.

What He Needed by @phoebe-delia (2,205 words, rated M)

Harry and Draco are tasked with fixing the Room of Requirement after the war—but one day, the door vanishes and they can't leave. Oh no! Whatever will happen when two former rivals-turned-awkward friends are stuck in a small space together for a night?

Tangled Up in Midnight Memories (and you) by @ronbinary (8,870 words, rated T)

In which Hogwarts brings in a Mind Healer they all desperately need, inter-house unity inspires socials, the eighth years turn socials into games of truth or dare (Thank you, Pansy), and dares turn Draco into Harry’s.

Golden Daffodils' Sea by @laudh8 (11,840 words, rated T)

The months after the Battle of Hogwarts are sunny and beautiful, even though it feels like the sky should be falling around Harry. He tries to get through grief while fixing Hogwarts, capture some Death Eaters, return to his last year of school and befriend one Draco Malfoy. However, he’ll have to realize grief is not the only thing he has to fight now that he came back from death.

Edificabo by DoubleApple(18,663 words, rated E)

Numb and exhausted after the war, Harry returns to the only real home he’s ever known. Hogwarts needs help, too.

Nice Things by aideomai (22,052 words, rated M)

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

A Dented Old Street Sign by @orphanghost (27,425 words, rated M)

Draco knows they aren't the only students who will be completing their NEWTs this year, but they are the only ones whose home fireplaces were disconnected from the floo network by the ministry.

At least, Draco assumes as much until he sees the light falling out from the front door of one of the other rickety old houses in front of them and the three figures cast in its warm glow. For a moment they look like some sort of strange, many legged creature. An acromantula, or a particularly massive Blast-Ended Skrewt. Then Draco hears Pansy make a disgusted sound beside him and the light falls in a less blinding way, and Draco can see that it is actually Potter and the Weasel carrying a large couch between them, and Granger fluttering around them with her wand out, seeming concerned.

Two to Lie and One to Listen by @fluxweeed (84,562 words, rated E)

It’s weird when Hermione announces that she and Ron have broken up. It’s weirder when this is followed by the revelation that she’s already moved on—and the new object of her affections is Draco Malfoy.

Things only get worse from there.

where all veins meet by @saxamophone (146,114 words, rated E)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too.

Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work.

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️