Heated Rivalry Fic Recs!
40 of my favorite fics out of the many, many I have read! Most of these are complete (though there are some amazing WIPs out there!), and I tried to keep it to one per author.
Shane Speaks Russian
I'm Reading Your Lips (You're Speaking My Language) by some1_around M, 30k
Despite an inauspicious start, when Russia’s Ilya Rozanov learns that Canada’s Shane Hollander is fluent in Russian at their first World Junior Championships tournament, it changes everything and sets them on a different course. Instead of being branded as rivals from the very beginning, Ilya and Shane start off as friends.
And, after all, a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone, did it?
One of the juggernaut fics of this fandom, this brilliant AU asks an important question—if Shane and Ilya got to be friends in public *and* spoke each other’s language fluently, how could their romance still have decade-long ups and downs? If you love linguistics, ruminations on racial and cultural identity, and an absolutely phenomenal romantic scene centered around the intricacies of live translation...run don't walk!
I want you. by Blombus E, 11k
Ilya finds out that Shane has been learning Russian behind his back.
This was a perfect mix of hot and tender. Ilya finds out Shane has been learning Russian while they're in bed together, and he has many feelings about it.
My Shane Speaks Russian Saga by isuiji series, 19k
Shane had been learning Russian the whole time.
I love Shane’s relationship with Russian in this verse—the way it is both deeply connected to Ilya and also something all for himself. With a great sequel that brings his Russian fluency to the ice!
Magic Realism
Mama's Boy, Mama's Boy by WhimperSoldier E, 68k ⭐️
Shane's first mistake was going to talk to Ilya Rozanov before their game. His second was immediately, stupidly, meeting the eyes of Rozanov’s very much dead mother hovering at his side.
I cannot say enough about how incredible this fic is. A rewrite of canon where Shane can see Irina’s ghost haunting Ilya the entire time. This fic is a masterful characterization of Shane, Ilya, *and* Irina, with all their complex and intertwining relationships.
purpose is but the slave to memory by syllic (@singingkingoftheroad) E, 66k
In bed with Rose, a hunger roaring inside him that he knows won’t be sated that night, Shane wishes he had never walked across that parking lot in Regina, had never introduced himself to Ilya Rozanov.
The universe gives him his wish.
One of many fics I want to read where Shane or Ilya wish they had never met each other and instantly regret it! I loved this Shane, who works so desperately to get his life back. And this Ilya, who gets to be wooed by a rival who inexplicably knows everything about him and is determined to love him.
i've been stuck now so long (we just got the start wrong) by beagoldfish M, 17k
After the tuna melt fiasco, Shane Hollander wakes up in a time loop.
Time loop fic! A deeply in-character Shane who methodically tries everything he can over many, many loops—before finally figuring it all out.
Tuna Melt AUs
Store-bought is fine by SkuldTheNorn M, 28k
What if Ilya came into the tuna meltdown with slightly upgraded social skills and no one actually ran away before they had a conversation?
An AU where Ilya and Marleau have a fleshed out relationship, and it shoves Ilya into therapy far earlier than in canon. I loved the exploration of Ilya’s depression and Shane’s anxiety, as well as the excellent OCs in this fic.
find light in the beautiful sea by weeb_grass E, 10k ⭐️
another "Shane stays post-tuna melt scene" fic.
This is the best fic of its premise. An amazing exploration of all of Shane’s weird habits and the way Ilya loves him enough to accommodate them. Sweet and in-character and wonderful!
Shane and Ilya in Ottawa
Play Hard by Hartzy E, 31k ⭐️
The start of Ottawa's season feels like a promise. Ilya finally has all the people he loves in one place, a team that can keep up with him, the whole world knows he and Shane love each other, and they have the sweetest, most perfect dog. So why is he so nervous about their first game against Montreal? AKA Protective Ilya Rozanov momentarily forgets his husband is still the hockey prodigy he fell in love with at first freckle in Saskatchewan.
This is an incredible, moving, slice-of-life fic. The last chapter where they’re at an away game in Boston hit me straight in the heart.
desperate measures (the 2021-2022 season) by LiarsandThieves22 series, 51k
Shane's first season on the Ottawa Centaurs, as told through five times Ilya initiated PDA (and one time Shane did) + Shane's first season on the Ottawa Centaurs, as told by everyone else in the world.
Another self-indulgent series where the Centaurs live their best lives. Plus a sequel that is my favorite social media fic in this fandom—I binged the entire thing in a single sitting!
(I also love a simple case of mistaken identity from this author!)
look, you made me something vicious by writinginasnowglobe series, 17k
a collection of "fuck montreal" fics with a side of shane hollander being shane motherfucking hollander
Another incredible Centaurs vs. Montreal series + soc media POV sequel. With an complicated, angry, and viciously talented Shane Hollander.
limelight and limerence by idiotsinkdaisies (@idiotsinkdaisies) M, 7k
The start of the season marks Shane’s first year with the Centaurs and playing with his husband. He’s got a lot to prove now that the honeymoon is over.
A slice-of-life fic following Shane Hollander as he struggles with and revels in getting used to the complete upheaval of his life.
Alternate Relationship Reveals
маскировка by ghosttotheparty NR, 12k
Ilya visits Shane in the hospital and meets his parents. He's traumatized and grieving, everything hurts, and Shane takes after his mother.
The best of fics where Ilya bumps into the Hollanders + Hayden in the hospital in s1e05. Everyone's perspectives are deeply in character and endearing and wonderful. Plus plenty of hurt/comfort for both Ilya and Shane.
(this author’s other fics are also excellent—I’m partial to blood on the ice)
sailing, sailing by Callmeautumn (@inthepittss) series, 10k ⭐️
Shane needs to call someone the night he's laid out by Marlow, and Yuna reflects on her quietly, obsessively devoted son.
A slight canon divergence where Shane and Ilya are a bit more careful and a bit more tender with each other. With an excellent Yuna POV, and a great scene of Ilya talking to the press.
Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right by errantgods NR, 10k
At the penalty box, Shane grinds his jaw so hard his ear starts hurting. Then he remembers that ESPN caught one of his players using a homophobic slur in front of the most famous gay player in the league, flaunting Shane's authority as team captain in the process. His ears are ringing and he feels like a zoo animal, but he catches Scott Hunter’s eye for long enough to say, “I’m sorry,” then averts his eyes.
Shane gets outed during a game. Scott and Kip do their best to help. Ilya gives another amazing press conference. This fic explores both the loud and quiet forms of homophobia, as well as a bit of sports journalism, all while giving Shane and Ilya a bit of control over their coming out.
(this author’s other fic is also excellent!)
Long AU Fics
something you can fix by some1_around M, 100k ⭐️
Shane’s conversation with Rose is secretly recorded. Months later, after the All-Star game and Ilya’s confession in Russian, the video gets leaked online.
An incredible series where Shane is outed and traded to Boston. It's lovely, uplifting, deeply in character. And markedly, has some of the most phenomenally written hockey I've read in this fandom—I was genuinely on the edge of my seat!
(I had to include this author twice—they’re just that good!)
Haunting Your City by mightyd0lphin E, 93k
Ilya gets traded to Montreal in October 2014. He's lonely, and angry, and he misses Boston. He doesn't know if it helps that Hollander is there or not.
This really angsty fic has lows that made my stomach hurt and highs that genuinely changed how I thought about the characters.
the coast is clear by WriteThroughTheNight series, 80k
Shane lies, that first night, to keep Rozanov to himself a little longer. The changes spiral out from there.
An incredible rewrite of the entirety of canon. Love the sequel with their ten-step plan about how to finally be together.
Halt and Catch Fire by mashawisotsky NR, wip
In March 2019, gambling syndicates dump data from 7,500 hacked athletes online - the biggest breach in sports history. Shane and Ilya's years of private texts are buried somewhere in three million leaked files. A story about privacy, professional hockey, and what happens when the internet finds what you thought was hidden.
A wildly unique fic written as a mix of news articles, reddit posts, and legal documents. What if Shane and Ilya’s texts were buried in thousands of other documents from athletes across sports? How would the world react? This is less a rec for Shane and Ilya and a more a fic that shows what is possible in the medium of fanfiction.
Medium AU fics
love you like a loophole by olivetowrite M, 23k
Shane and Ilya get sent to reconciliation therapy, and of course, handle it super well.
I loved the rom com vibes of this!! Shane and Ilya attending televised couples therapy for their “rivalry” while trying not to seem like they fuck on the down low. Learning how to talk, do puzzles, and be in love.
trying to reason with hurricane season by QueenElizabethIII M, 32k
a joint CCM shoot set in sunny, perfect Florida gets derailed by a natural disaster, and Shane and Ilya are forced to spend actual time together, forced to imagine a future. They find that it’s quite impossible to reason with hurricane season, but that the effects are better than they could have hoped for.
Forced proximity trope my beloved! Loved reading them getting used to each other, treating each other gently, and falling in love—all while stranded in Miami while a hurricane rains down.
Broken Glass by prinny_a M, 16k ⭐️
When a visit to his father turns violent, there's only one place Ilya wants to go.
I love this fic so much. Ilya turning to Shane at his most vulnerable, even when he thinks Shane is in love with Rose. Shane proving himself worthy of that sense of love and safety.
Character Studies
Twin Cinema by idiopathicsmile (@idiopathicsmile) M, 6k
Shane and Ilya need to establish the start of their "friendship" in the public eye. Naturally, this becomes seeing how hard they can covertly flirt with each other. Naturally, that becomes sexual roleplaying as a version of themselves that didn't have an almost decade-long situationship.
Loved how quickly this became loving flirtation. Fun and sweet and wonderful.
the best person to be stuck in an elevator with by Sporkess G, 7k ⭐️
There's no good way to be stuck in an elevator. Not when you're stuck in an elevator with someone who treats being annoying as an art form he wants to perfect, and definitely not when that person is your son's rival who you've hated for years.
But, when Yuna finds herself stuck in an elevator with Ilya Rozanov, she realises there's more to the story than she'd seen.
One of my all-time favorite fics in this fandom, and one of the best Yuna-Ilya relationship studies. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I'm sure it's similarly excellent!
Malysh by theribbonsweregreen (@aslongasitsblack) M, 5k
Malysh - ‘baby’ as in child or partner.
A woman comes forward claiming she is the mother of Ilya Rozanov’s eight year old child.
I love fics where queer characters don't want kids. And I love Shane Hollander's meltdown over the upheaval it would cause if Ilya had a biological child floating around somewhere. An incredible character study.
the weather of your youth by Anonymous E, 14k ⭐️
An alternate take on Ilya's mental health after moving to Ottawa, featuring the reality of long distance relationships, Ilya learning to captain a new team, and a series of game tapes made by Ilya's dead father.
This is such a brilliantly written downward spiral of Ilya’s mental health and loneliness. And the clouds that finally part once Shane finds out. It hurt my feelings, and also I loved it. Mind the tags!
worship like a dog by Idday T, 3k
Ilya’s been muzzled his whole life.
...
Shane is the first person who’s ever loved him like a human, and not like a beast.
God this fic so perfectly articulated thoughts I’ve been struggling to convey about the "Shane Hollander walks Ilya Rozanov like a dog" tag—this kind of softening of a canonically mean!dom into a dog-coded service top who has to be muzzled by the person who loves him most in the world. And the disservice of flattening this character into a lapdog or guard dog or misbehaving mutt.
Wunderkind by a_good_soldier (@agoodsoldier) T, 11k
When Shane was born an ocean away from her homeland, Yuna Hollander, who did not pray, whispered into the world: Let every door open for him, my son. OR: Yuna Hollander learns to appreciate Ilya Rozanov, one step at a time.
One of the best Yuna’s I've ever read. She feels so incredibly real in her missteps and her overreach and her deep, enduring love. Filled with incredible conversations between Yuna and Ilya, Yuna and David, and even between Scott Hunter and the Hollanders.
the long week by throughadoor T, 8k
In between when Shane and Ilya return to their teams after getting benched and the start of the playoffs, there's still one more week of the regular season. During that week, there is therapy by proxy, a request for emotional support nudes, a romantic declaration about pizza toppings, a disagreement about who turned who gay and another disagreement about whether Montreal Voyageurs games are better than porn.
An incredible fic filling a gap in canon with a series of conversations that I absolutely loved—with therapists, parents, social media people, and ex-teammates.
Mutual Support by bomberqueen17 G, 12k
An injured Ilya Rozanov networks with Shane's support system. Jacki POV.
This is by far the best Jackie Pike I’ve ever read. Someone who has preconceived notions of Ilya who nonetheless lets herself see who he really is. Very realistic and melancholy.
if i could be under your skin (closer than we've ever been) by petitepeach E, 16k
Shane Hollander has a carefully controlled relationship with touch. Ilya Rozanov changes that.
A great canon rewrite focusing on Shane’s relationship with touch. In-depth and wonderful.
Humorous Fics
the roster by goldenframes T, 2k
Shane and Ilya’s hookups are too predictable: Always in the same cities, always adhering to their game schedule. It would be only too easy for either of their teammates to connect the dots, especially when they all know about Jane and Lily. So maybe they do need a roster.
Or: Love is stored in the Excel spreadsheet.
Adorable and hilarious. One I constantly reread.
The MILF Theory (And Why the Internet Got It Wrong) by pucksandpower G, 14k
in which Ilya’s boyfriend's mother keeps adopting him, the internet keeps assuming the worst, and Shane Hollander is having the worst month of his entire life. At least until he does something that breaks hockey forever.
A fandom behemoth and it deserves to be so. One of my favorite social media fics—hilarious, well-formatted, and spectacularly dramatic.
Ilya Rozanov breaks his silence on the Scott Hunter Kiss by Airuna G, 2k
Some reporter tries to get Ilya to comment on the Scott Hunter Kiss, he does not get the answer he was looking for.
It's probably obvious by now that I enjoy fics where Ilya toys with the press. This one is filled with so many lines that always make me laugh, as well as excellent character development between Scott and Ilya—all while they aren’t even in the same room!
Five Times Ilya Bossed Shane Around During All-Stars Weekend And Nobody Thought Twice About It And One Time They Did by leiascully M, 2k
Ilya keeps telling Shane what to do in front of everyone. Unfortunately, Shane kind of likes it.
What it says on the tin. Short and sweet and hot and joyful.
Keep Pace by toomuchplor T, 1k
What happened when Yuna and Shane were talking.
Another fic about the Hollanders. So funny and deeply in character. Excellent in its subtleties.
Everything is About Sex...
Triple Gold by mcshrug series, 18k ⭐️
Getting weird about jewelry.
Deeply erotic and piercing in both senses of the word.
(Read everything by this author! Unmatched, deeply erotic explorations of the Hollanov sexual dynamic. They have an orgasm denial series that is just phenomenal.)
we can be replete by losemyselfinadaydream E, 7k
“There’s a trend going on in the comments,” Connors explains. “#RobotShane.”
…
“Do we think Shane even knows what sex is?” St-Simon snickers. “He probably just powers down in a corner in between games.”
As the author says, “one of my favorite tropes in this fandom is everyone assuming shane is super vanilla. including shane himself.” This fic is so, so hot, absolutely incredible smut. I come back and reread certain sections all the time just because...holy shit.
seeing stars by thathastu (@berrykewpie) E, 5k
Shane discovers that he sometimes needs to get literally knocked out of his own head for some much needed peace and quiet. Ilya has never pulled his punches, and he doesn't intend to start now.
Extreme painplay. Deeply in character. Very, very hot. Mind the tags!
cottaging by gone_girl E, 9k ⭐️
Ilya was good at noticing things about people, and he was good at understanding them. Shane was not. That was okay. Shane had developed his own way of getting to know Ilya. It involved a lot of inane questions and, more importantly, no longer involved condoms.
Very hot smut, but I really enjoyed the slice-of-life nature of this piece. They work out, they eat together, they banter—and everything carries an undercurrent of love and eroticism.
logistically efficient by prettyshadow (@theaujasmin) E, 5k ⭐️
Shane invents advanced blowjob positions with his own beautiful freaky mind, thereby unintentionally turning Ilya into a danger to himself and others.
Such a hot fic. I loved Ilya's jealousy—both of their perspectives are deeply funny and ridiculous and wonderful.
That’s all for now!
If some of my descriptions are a bit sparse, it’s because tumblr’s drafts ate 2 hours of my work writing and formatting this last night (😑😑😑😑😑) But these fics are genuinely ones I think are excellent!!
And literally dozens of amazing HR fics are coming out every day, so I’m sure I might make another rec list in the future (especially considering how many fics I have saved in my ‘Mark for Later’)
