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The Risk of Wanting More | Shane & Ilya | Heated Rivalry

Published 7 October 2026 Last activity 7 Oct 26 at 01:48 PM

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ScotlandTheBrave

HEATED RIVALRY	LIVE
The Risk of Wanting More

PERIOD
01

STATUS
LIVE

An article about Shane and Ilya's rivalry sends Shane spiraling, making him question whether he and Ilya should end things before they’ve even begun. But a few unexpected texts from Ilya manage to reach Shane through the fear — and gives him a reason not to let go.

PLAYERS
Ilya Rozanov · Shane Hollander

LOCATION
Boston · Montreal

DATE
Late 2013

OCCASION
NHL'S GREATEST RIVALRY?

PLAY

PLAYER 01
Shane Hollander
#24 // MONTREAL METROS

Shane sat in his apartment, his phone in hand as he scrolled through his emails. His mother, who also happened to be his manager, had sent him links to a few new articles about him, including pieces in The Hockey News and USA Hockey Magazine. He hadn't wanted to read them. He rarely did. But his mother always insisted that he keep track of what the media was saying about him and his career, even when he hadn't given an interview for the article.

Usually, Shane could skim through them without giving them much thought. He knew there would be the usual speculation, the exaggerated praise, the occasional piece of gossip dressed up as fact. His mother had good reason to keep an eye on it. Some outlets had published outright lies about him before, and more than once, they had been forced to demand corrections—or even the removal of an article—through legal channels. It was annoying. Nothing more. At least, it usually was. Tonight, the headline on his screen made his thumb stop.

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov: The NHL's Greatest Rivalry?

His stomach tightened. He didn't need to read the article to know what it would say. The same story they had been selling for years. Two stars. Two teams. Two players who supposedly couldn't stand each other. Except none of it was true. They were rivals on the ice. Of course they were. Both of them wanted to win. Both wanted to be the best. But the hatred, the bitterness, the supposed obsession with destroying each other? That was something the media had invented because the truth wasn't nearly as entertaining. The truth was that Shane wanted Ilya. And that Ilya wanted him.

He locked his phone and dropped it onto the couch beside him. Fuck. For years, they'd managed to keep this under control. They saw each other a few times a year, whenever their teams happened to meet. A hotel room. A few stolen hours. Sex. Then they went back to their separate lives and pretended nothing had happened. Except something had happened and kept happening.

Shane leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. He had always told himself that the arrangement worked because there were boundaries. They knew what they were doing. They knew what they could risk and, more importantly, what they couldn't. But lately, those boundaries had started to feel less solid. He wanted more time with Ilya. That was the problem.

Not just more sex, but more time. More mornings without having to rush out of a hotel room. More evenings where they could sit somewhere and talk without constantly checking the clock. More of Ilya's stupid jokes, the arguments, the smug grin that Ilya wore whenever he thought he'd gotten under Shane's skin. He wanted things he had no business wanting. And he had no idea what that meant.

Shane rubbed a hand over his face, frustration tightening his jaw. At some point, he and Ilya were going to have to talk about what they were and whether there was anything more going on between them than the few days they managed to find time for each other over the past years. The thought made his chest feel tight. Because if they talked about it, they might finally have to admit that this wasn't just sex anymore. And if they admitted that, what came next? He didn't have an answer.

There was another problem, one neither of them could simply ignore. Shane had never been attracted to women in any meaningful way. Ilya had been the first man he'd ever been with, but Shane knew himself well enough by now to understand what that meant. He was gay. He had never said the word out loud to anyone. Not Hayden. Not his parents. Not Ilya. Not even himself. Because saying it made everything real.

And the consequences of it becoming public could be enormous. The fans. The media. His team. His career. He had spent his entire life building his reputation as a hockey player, and he couldn't know what would happen to any of it if people found out. The same went for Ilya. Shane couldn't imagine what it would do to him if their relationship became public. And he couldn't imagine what it would do to them.

Maybe that was why ending it made sense. Cutting things off now, before they became even more complicated. Before one careless moment, one photograph, one suspicious reporter could blow everything apart. Yes, it would hurt. But maybe hurting now was better than destroying both their careers later.

Shane stared at his phone lying beside him. He could call Ilya and tell him they needed to stop. Or he could write a text message. He could put an end to it before it went any further. His fingers twitched toward the phone, but then stopped. Because even imagining it felt wrong. The thought of never seeing Ilya again left a hollow ache in his chest.

Getting to his feet, he crossed the room and stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Montréal stretched out beneath him, the city lights glittering against the darkness. He pressed his forehead lightly against the cool glass. There was no way to keep everything he wanted without risking everything he had worked for. And for the first time, that scared the hell out of him.

[ AI generated by ScotlandTheBrave ]

01 : 00

PLAYER 02
Ilya Rozanov
#81 // BOSTON RAIDERS

Ilya barely even read the stupid article before he snatched out his phone and opened his chat with "Jane". His fingertips were already mapping out the tiny touch-screen keyboard, but they immediately halted when Ilya spotted the dreadful and very telling [ . . . ] -signs at the bottom, bobbing right below the last message that had been sent.

Shane was typing.

And typing...

And typing even more.

Sometimes, it stopped for several minutes, popped back up for two seconds, and vanished again. Ilya watched, his shoulders tense.

Was Shane really getting this worked up over a dumb article? Especially if it's basically the same kind of article that the tabloids and newslets have been publishing for years? They never shared anything new, anyway. It always started off with some stupid comments from game commentators, stupid questions that reporters had asked both Ilya and Shane separatedly, accompanied with even more dumb speculations about what their answers could mean. And then, it usually ended with some variation of "Who will come out on top of this rivalry?"

Bullshit.

Ilya sighed. Deeply. And then, he typed quickly before he could stop himself.

LILY

Don't read it. It's very dumb and very boring like all the others.

Means nothing.

02 : 00

PLAYER 01
Shane Hollander
#24 // MONTREAL METROS

Shane was still staring out into the night. His thoughts were racing through his head. The article had upset him more than he had expected. He knew it was wrong to keep playing this dangerous game—to keep meeting with Ilya in secret. But could he stop? Did he even want to? No, he didn't.

But what he wanted didn't matter. It was clear that he couldn't have both: hockey and Ilya. In a perfect world, they might have had a chance. But this world wasn't perfect. And then there was the uncertainty about what, in Ilya's eyes, their relationship actually was. A way to relieve stress? A quick way to find sexual satisfaction?

They never talked about what was going on between them. He didn't bring up the subject out of fear and insecurity. Ilya? For Ilya, it was probably just a fleeting fling. Shane was sure that Ilya wasn't just having sex with him. And why not? After all, they weren't in a committed relationship. Still, the thought of Ilya having sex with other people hurt.

His phone beeped. He turned around and looked over at the couch. He’d chosen a special ringtone for messages from “Lily.” He took a deep breath, then walked over to the couch and picked up his phone. Shane quickly unlocked the screen and read the text message.

JANE

I know. But still I don't like to read articles where they make us look like enemies.

03 : 00

PLAYER 02
Ilya Rozanov
#81 // BOSTON RAIDERS

Ilya's heart jumped when Shane responded almost immediately. He picked up the phone and read, still tense, almost forgetting to breathe. He swallowed before typing back. Somehow, English was feeling more difficult to him this time, but he still texted away.

LILY

Then don't read. We are enemies. But who cares what they think?

They need a story. Two captains, two teams, enemies forever.

Very dramatic. Probably helps them sell newspapers.

I like playing against you. It's not so boring.

There are enemies everywhere in hockey, not just us. But we are the best. That's why they make
stupid articles.

That last text was sent before he could think it through, but Ilya decided to let it stand. Usually, he would tease Shane about being the better player, even when Shane had just beaten him. This time, though, he had acknowledged how great the two of them really were.

It left a sour taste in his mouth. Fortunately, that was quickly replaced by the memory of much better tastes when it came to Shane Hollander.

Damn... Had he ever sent this many texts to Shane in one go before?

04 : 00

PLAYER 01
Shane Hollander
#24 // MONTREAL METROS

Shane let out a quiet laugh. It was the first time Ilya had actually admitted that Shane was just as talented, just as good a player as he was. Usually, Ilya took every opportunity to remind him that he was, obviously, the superior player. Because Ilya was humble like that.

His fingers flew over the virtual keyboard as he typed out his response, a grin still tugging at his mouth.

JANE

That was a rather long message.

But you're right. They're stupid articles. I just get stuck in my head sometimes. Overthink things.
Worry too much. Sorry.

He hesitated for a moment before sending it, then shook his head at himself. Ilya had always been there for him. Always ready with a joke when Shane needed distracting, or a few words of encouragement when the doubts became too loud. Over the years, something between them had shifted, almost imperceptibly at first.

They used to leave immediately after they slept together. No lingering. No cuddling. Definitely no staying until morning. They had both understood the rules, even if neither of them had ever actually bothered to say them out loud. Lately, though, they had been breaking those rules one by one.

They stayed in bed afterwards. Sometimes they cuddled. Sometimes they watched television, argued over what to put on, or simply lay there talking about nothing in particular. There had even been the occasional overnight stay, despite the very real possibility that someone might notice.

If Shane was being honest with himself, he liked it. Probably more than he should.

05 : 00

PLAYER 02
Ilya Rozanov
#81 // BOSTON RAIDERS

Ilya caught himself letting out a deep sigh of relief when he read Shane's response. His shoulders sagged visibly, finally releasing the tension they had been building since the moment he'd read the article. He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes and taking another slow breath.

What the hell was that? Ilya had known he'd been a little tense about this, but apparently, he hadn't realized just how tense he'd been until the weight finally lifted from his shoulders. After all, what would it have meant if Hollander had decided to end it once and for all? They wouldn't fuck anymore. That was it. So what? Ilya had other "acquaintances" for that kind of thing.

Except it wasn't just the sex he looked forward to every time their teams played against each other. It wasn't even the challenge of beating Hollander. Not completely. It was the anticipation of touching him. Being close to him. Smelling him, feeling his warmth. Teasing him, making him smile. Waking up beside him, even though he probably shouldn't.

Blyad...

Ilya didn't want to lose that. Lose him. He was breaking rules. But when had Ilya Rozanov ever cared about rules?

A minute passed. Ilya took another breath and swallowed, staring at his screen before finally typing back. It took him a while, even though the texts themselves were short. In the end, though, he found himself smiling again.

LILY

Not as long as the dick you want

It's ok. I know you worry. Need a distraction?

06 : 00

PLAYER 01
Shane Hollander
#24 // MONTREAL METROS

Shane didn't even put his phone down. Instead, he was staring at the screen as if spellbound until the three dots finally appeared, showing that Ilya was typing a reply.

Shane was relieved that Ilya clearly didn't want to change anything about their little 'arrangement'. He was also absolutely clear in his mind that it wasn't a proper relationship. Although he had no interest in other partners, he knew that Ilya had sex with others during the long breaks before their match schedule brought them back together. The thought bothered him, but he could hardly expect Ilya to be monogamous.

The reply appeared on his phone's small screen and made him grin broadly. Of course, Ilya was taking the opportunity to write clearly suggestive comments. Shane slowly shook his head.

JANE

A dick joke — at least it's not a dick pic.

I should probably not ask what sort of distraction you've got in mind, because that opening sentence
gives me a few ideas.

He hit the send button and again waited for Ilya's reply with baited breath. Was it weird that he felt butterflies in his stomach while he was waiting? Actually, he always felt that strange tingling sensation whenever he saw Ilya, spoke to him or texted him. Shane didn't want to explore that feeling any further because he knew better than to do that. Knew it would probably just end in disappointment and heartache. So he decided to just enjoy it while it lasted.

07 : 00

PLAYER 02
Ilya Rozanov
#81 // BOSTON RAIDERS

Ilya promptly scoffed and grinned all over his face again as he read his texts. The lingering relief, mixed with that strangely comfortable twisting in his stomach, felt almost difficult to bear at first. But, like always, the feeling eventually shifted into something that set every nerve in his body alight.

LILY

Please, as if you were going to complain about it 😉

You know me so well. I always have ideas but it's up to you

We can talk about how I'm going to beat your ass in five weeks instead, if you want

Ilya felt so alive.

Like chasing after a puck he'd lost, heart hammering as he closed in on it, only to get it back with one perfectly timed movement of his stick. That rush of satisfaction. The certainty of having it in his control again. Of winning. Except this time, Ilya wasn't sure what exactly he'd won.

Hollander's attention? His weakness? His trust? His affection?

This was stupid. Dangerous, yes. But none of his other acquaintances had ever left Ilya wanting more quite like Shane Hollander did. And he was pretty sure the guy wasn't even doing it deliberately. He was just being himself.

At least, Ilya hoped so... Because if Shane was doing this on purpose, he had a hell of a lot to answer for. Ilya had dealt with plenty of men and women who knew exactly how to flirt with him. Shane, apparently, had decided he didn't need to bother.

Ilya had spent his entire career learning how to read the smallest movements of an opponent. A shift in weight, a change in direction, the tiniest hesitation before a pass.

But Shane?

Shane was... different. He surprised him time and time again, both on and off the ice. Not enough to win every game — or to make Ilya lose his control, his composure around him — but enough to leave a mark. And Ilya wanted nothing more than to find out how Shane managed to do this so effortlessly. And if that journey entailed the discovery of every taste, every touch and every lustful moan that Shane could offer, then so be it.

MORE REPLIES COMING SOON!

NEXT UP	UPCOMING
What started as a battle of terrible hockey jokes is slowly turning into something neither Ilya nor Shane can laugh away. With the All-Star Game bringing them together in public, the line between secret affair and something real is getting harder to ignore.
NEXT CHAPTER → PUCK'N'ROLL

FINAL WHISTLE • END OF TRANSMISSION

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The Risk of Wanting More | Shane & Ilya | Heated Rivalry

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