The Weekly Pining: Fics I Read This Week, Vol. I

This week, I read 23 Heated Rivalry fics by 21 different authors. The total word count was 739,996. Here they are, in the order that I read them:

athlete-in-residence by tunamelts words: 89,766, status: complete Final year college hockey captain Shane Hollander, who is happily out as gay, has his world turned upside down by the arrival of ex-KHL player Ilya Rozanov as a professor and assistant coach. Despite their age difference and professor-student relationship, they can’t resist each other. Fun, light-hearted, and much freakier than I was expecting (complimentary).

in his corner by chellefic words: 15,646, status: complete In 2012, Shane learns about the conditions for queer people in Russia and decides that he has to do something to keep Ilya safe — somebody needs to be in his corner. Obviously, the best option is if they get married in Canada. A very sweet marriage-of-convenience-but-also feelings story.

we can be something hollander by msparker words: 51,255, status: complete After the post-Sochi ghosting and then the Vegas hook-up where they didn’t kiss, Shane breaks things off with Ilya to protect himself from further heartbreak. Over the next couple of years, Ilya tries to convince him to give them another chance. Meanwhile, Shane dates someone else and Ilya starts to get a grip on some of his own issues. I love Ilya pursuing Shane and Shane realising his own worth, so this one ticked a lot of boxes for me.

we’re modern idiots by poading words: 8,790, status: complete I’m a day one Tortured Poets stan, so naturally this fic about post-TLG Ilya processing some of his trauma about the situationship era by listening to the album while crying means everything to me. Obviously he would think “Down Bad” is about him and Shane! They’re always in the gym!

afterimages by flowerylanguage words: 29,566, status: complete This is the first work I read from the 2026 Hollanov Big Bang, which as a longfic lover I am following avidly and saving everything with glee. During the situationship era, an explicit photo of Shane leaks from Ilya’s phone and it is decided that pretending they were/are in a committed relationship is the best way to contain the fallout. Such a good premise! And given that the story is all about photos, it’s so great that catsolari’s art is there to show you what they look like. Gorgeous. As you’ll see as this list goes on, fake dating/mutual pining is very much my jam at the moment.

you’ve been flirting with me by camilles_wrld words: 30,211, status: complete Set in New York, neither Shane nor Ilya play hockey. Irina’s alive and Ilya lives with her in the Bronx. They both work at a bar in Manhattan and via shared shifts and subway rides, become closer. Ilya, who has always thought he was straight, begins to realise that maybe he isn’t… Extremely cute.

beautiful stranger by sixsevenmactruck words: 45,558, status: complete Although I love to be tortured by an angsty fic as much as every other mentally unwell bisexual on the internet, sometimes I just need to read something where everybody is always ok and only good things happen to them. This lovely piece is just that: Ilya and Shane both work in offices in Vancouver (Shane in HR for the Canucks, because he needs some hockey in his life) and cross paths while commuting on the train. After a few weeks of making eyes at each other they start talking because Ilya loses his wallet and Shane finds it. And then everyone lives happily ever after, no further questions!

we’re okay, most days by anarchyat4am words: 6,637, status: complete The first time Shane and Ilya hookup in room 1410, Shane notices that Ilya has scars on his thighs that look like they’re from self-harm (mind the tags and author notes on that). Navigating their way around that leads to slightly better communication about their feelings, which changes their story a little. (I also read the much longer sequel to this, see below.)

you’re in it now by 2Violets words: 9,337, status: complete Shane is a stressed-out doctor in Ottawa, who loves his routine and his garden and his dog, Deke. Ilya is the chaotic neighbour he’s been hooking up with for months, who he ran away from when it started to feel a bit too real, and who was fucking someone else when he went back to apologise. Luckily, Jackie Pike is on hand to help them through it.

forgive me, I’m trying by anarchyat4am words: 32,233, status: complete The sequel to the self-harm fic mentioned above. More from Ilya’s point of view, covering the development of their relationship and his own mental health journey. The characterisation of Cliff Marleau as Ilya’s mentor/best friend in Boston is especially good.

a pox on all your houses by apocryphal words: 19,776, status: complete I’ve been hearing about “the chlamydia fic” for ages but only just got around to reading it, and it did not disappoint. There are laugh out loud moments in this — Svetlana’s reaction to Ilya admitting he gave her an std is a highlight — but it’s also surprisingly tender and emotional, given the subject matter. Also, I feel like it’s realistic, given how much canon Ilya is supposed to have fucked around pre 2016.

clap when you land by quietafterdusk words: 120,119, status: complete I went through a real Ilya whump phase a few months ago and read most of the plane crash fics I could find then, but I must have missed this one. It has a pretty standard plot: the Centaurs’ plane goes down, Ilya survives but is in a coma for a long time, and Shane has to deal with coming out for both of them while he’s still unconscious. I felt like the joys and frustrations of rehab, for both of them, were dealt with will in this take on the trope.

the lake house by ratherunnecessary words: 30,551, status: complete I don’t normally seek out “game changers universe characters as a friend group” fics, which is what this one is. Nobody is a hockey player but Shane still has the cottage and he invites Scott, Kip, Rose, Svetlana, Elena etc for summer weekends. Ilya joins the gang and he and Shane begin a multi-year campaign of emotional terrorism against each other, aka hooking up casually and secretly while trying to keep it normal for their friends. Of course, it goes very well! I have not yet read the sequel, in the city, but I’m looking forward to it.

trientalis borealis by adasel words: 20,201, status: complete The second of my two Hollanov Big Bang reads this week. A lovely historical piece set in 1919 around Muskoka, where big-time Hollywood star Rose Landry is filming a movie. Private eye Ilya Rozanov and his assistant Svetlana are there to investigate threats being made against her, while Quebec journalist Shane Hollander is there to cover the homecoming of a Canadian starlet. There’s art by Buoymehome and Shane knits in this, which melted my heart.

say it again, husband by coffeetextandfriendship words: 9,094, status: complete Honeymoon smut, featuring a night out at the Kingfisher in New York and Ilya having a feral reaction to the word “husband”.

welcome to the floor by devils_mignonette words: 7,038, status: complete Fair warning, I am an “Ilya bottoms sometimes, what of it” truther. This situationship era take on that made me giggle: Ilya has had hiccups for over a week, Shane fingers him and that fixes the problem. Magic.

ring tan by heroesamongus words: 7,304, status: complete A quick secret marriage fic where the cat gets let out the bag by Ilya having a tan line where is ring sat all summer.

we called his husband by jj_smith words: 4,223, status: complete Wow, I really was on a secret marriage kick this week. This one is more from Yuna’s pov, when she finds out that Shane is married after he gets hurt on the ice and the hospital calmly informs her that they’ve already called his husband. Then Ilya shows up.

it’s a date! by paoncheri words: 9,213, status: complete I adore a #ObliviousShane and an Ilya who is in pursuit. Here, we get a look at some of the times Ilya takes Shane on a date through the years, beginning in summer 2010. Unfortunately, Shane doesn’t always know that they are on a date.

stars and moons by ratherunnecessary words: 16,642, status: complete My second fic by this author this week and I loved this one a lot. Non hockey playing Shane and Ilya live in the same apartment block in Toronto, initially connecting on Grindr (Rose and Elena run Shane’s account for him, as he finds the process too stressful) before realising that they are neighbours. Shane makes a valiant attempt to be “Toronto’s king of casual” before the feelings inevitably come for him. Extra points for the inclusion of a good bakery scene (I love a good bakery scene).

mr. landlord, mr. real estate by snofkins words: 34,857, status: complete This one is a gem I’m sure I’ll re-read a bunch of times: hockey player Ilya moves into the building that non hockey player Shane owns/manages and proceeds to torment him with both beautiful abs, his many one night stands, and his annoying maintenance requests. For some reason, Shane expressing affection via interior design or real estate always makes me smile and there’s plenty of that here.

the day we met by sugarmouse words: 33,976, status: complete I haven’t read much omegaverse, although I dabble when the premise intrigues me. Celebrity Hockey Alpha Shane uses a matchmaking service and gets served traumatised non-hockey Russian Omega Ilya; they spend 24 hours together trying to decide if they want to mate for life. It reminded me a bit of a non-omegaverse fic, this is such a bad idea by iimpish, which has a similar vibe — minimal smut, both very cautious and slow to open up, great pacing. The author has put the day we met in a series and I’ll be hoping a sequel drops soon.

pull at the thread by xogray words: 108,003, status: complete I maintain an “all star” list of my favourite ever fics and this one went on it before I’d read even half of it. Ilya never showed for the hookup in room 1410 and they were rivals for eight years with no benefits. Then Scott Hunter came out, a post-Rose Shane came out, and Ilya followed suit. Yuna has the brilliant idea that they should get into a PR relationship to maximise the publicity and give each other a bit of protection as they deal with the homophobic league… A top tier fake dating fic with great secondary characters (Rose, Svetlana, Yuna and David are all excellent in this) and such a good climax at the end.

All love and thanks to the brilliant writers and artists who are keeping me going at the moment with their work. See you next time for another round-up of my frankly unhinged fic-reading habit.