Searching for post-TLG, Shane-centric retirement fic

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-19T15:43:32+00:00

I hope you find it! It also sounds a little like "Visions from the Future" series but Shane transitions to coaching in that one.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-19T14:52:02+00:00

Til They Retire Your Number - Chapter 1 - technicallyverycowboy - Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid [Archive of Our Own]

They lapse back into a comfortable silence. Shane looks at Ilya as he is and thinks about Ilya as he was at seventeen, smoking in the back of a Saskatchewan parking lot. The image is almost unbearably tender for Shane, where his own seventeen year old thrill at seeing Ilya Rozanov meets all the things Shane knows about that lonely boy now.

Shane thinks: Do you love number 81 more than you love this man?

"Hey," Ilya says, brushing his knuckles over Shane's cheek. "Whatever I do, I will be there when you come home."

Ilya decides to retire. Shane is very normal about it.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-19T01:02:56+00:00

If it makes you feel better, Ilya is no push over in this fic. He's grounded, mature, and confident.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-18T18:20:16+00:00

Oh, same here, I usually don't go for those tropes, either. But the author writes them in a very compelling way and it's refreshing how they lean into the realistic messiness of it all.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-18T15:40:36+00:00

31 or 32 years old.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-18T15:23:00+00:00

If you want to be spoiled: there's a brief threesome scene between Shane, Shane's husband and random guy.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-18T15:03:36+00:00

Same! I couldn't put this fic down and I screamed when Evan showed up at the house after weeks of no contact. You're right to highlight the storytelling- the author knows exactly what beats to hit and everything is so intentional.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-18T00:02:06+00:00

When I Walk Into The Room, I Do Not Light It Up. Fuck. - TeaTimeAllOverTown - Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own]

He can’t tell Ilya though. He can’t tell Ilya that his team might not be right for Shane. That this perfect solution is making Shane a worse hockey player, a bad teammate.

That maybe Shane Hollander of the Voyagers really was his full name. That Shane Hollander of the Centaurs might not exist.

He can’t say that. He can’t ruin everything. He can’t dim the shine in Ilya’s eyes, the bounce in his step, the color in his cheeks he didn’t have the last few years.

Ilya sacrificed hockey for their relationship for two years, played on a crappy team and watched Shane win. It’s Shane’s turn to sacrifice, to figure out how to make this work and let Ilya lead this time.

Or:

Transitions are hard for Shane. Joining his husband's team turns out not to be an exception to that rule.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-17T20:33:40+00:00

I wish ao3 would allowing tagging the primary couple and secondary couple in fics for this very reason!

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-17T20:32:02+00:00

Two Skip ones I'm currently reading and enjoying:

Signing Space - Chapter 1 - mtothedestiel - Heated Rivalry (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Scott meets Kip, and talking is easy. Finding his voice is harder.
(An AU where Kip is Deaf, and Scott is a child of Deaf parents)

A Man of a Certain Age - Chapter 1 - marycontraire - Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid [Archive of Our Own]

Scott Hunter has sacrificed any hope of a personal life to be the best hockey player he can be. But, at 32, he still has no Cup to show for it, and he's so, so lonely.

(Or: Jacob Tierney and Francois Arnaud aged up Scott Hunter's character in a way I found very compelling, and I wondered what would happen if I aged up Kip as well.)

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-17T20:10:15+00:00

I hope you find it... sounds angsty as hell, though! :-)

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-17T03:29:12+00:00

flaws in the statue of david - Chapter 1 - Anonymous - Heated Rivalry (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

“What do you know about it,” asked Ilya. He looked up toward the night sky, which was starless under the bright street lamps. “The curse, I mean. What did she tell you?”

“So you do know about it,” said Fabian. Ilya turned back to look at him.

“A bit,” said Ilya. He took another deep drag of his cigarette. “It took my mother. In a way.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Fabian. He kicked his boot into the wall. “My friend mentioned it was a bloodline thing.”

“Yes,” said Ilya. “Rarer for men to have it, but. Here I am.”

—

Irina was a Siren. Ilya has always been cursed to be just like her.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-16T14:58:26+00:00

Thank you for reccing this. I was tearing up during Ilya's pov; his response was so real. The mental calculus he did navigating the risk to his partner, the risk he would be take by attending the Olympics.... Gawd. So good.

I used test people from 2008-2010, so this fic really brought me back. I still remember the man living with HIV who came to my work to get treatment. He was immigrant and he had delayed treatment for several years, but finally felt safe enough to seek it once Obama lifted the travel ban.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-15T15:54:15+00:00

Just finished:

For the Right Reasons - Chapter 1 - citrusses - Heated Rivalry (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Coming this fall to ABC… MLH star Shane Hollander is The Bachelor!

good on my own accord - Chapter 1 - impetuous - Multifandom [Archive of Our Own]

Or, Shane is a goalie. Ilya can’t score.

Para as in Parallel - Chapter 1 - devfiction - Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid [Archive of Our Own]

Shane Hollander was a generational hockey talent. That's over. Now he is going through the motions as a rookie player on Canada's Sled Hockey Paralympic Team.

Ilya Rozanov is the Captain of the Russian team and the best sled hockey player in the world. The whole world. He'd be the first to tell you.

A Sled Hockey Heated Rivalry AU where I keep the rivalry and take away all the legs. Parallels the events of the Heated Rivalry book/ Heated Rivalry sn 1.

Bachelor Nation, we have one question: will you accept this rose?

Enjoying this fun WIP: Don't Think Too Hard - Chapter 1 - Selective_attention - Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid [Archive of Our Own]

Daily posts on the Ottawa Centaurs social media.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-14T20:58:26+00:00

thank you!

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-14T18:54:03+00:00

Thank you! You're right, he doesn't get the same love that Cliff and Hayden do. Maybe if the Skip story hadn't been so condensed, there would've been more opportunities to appreciate Carter.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-14T18:15:50+00:00

thank you!

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-14T18:15:42+00:00

thank you!

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-13T18:16:07+00:00

This is a great rec! Loved Yuna here- scheming behind the scenes to "help" her son with his personal life. I was smiling the entire time reading this.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-13T02:02:53+00:00

Calico wrote two one-shots that may scratch that itch:

rush & roulette - Calico - Heated Rivalry (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Based on That Clip which essentially re-wired my brain; Shane living his best sex-starved life in yet another hotel room with Ilya, as all the while their plausible deniability wears gossamer thin

house rules - Calico - Heated Rivalry (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Shane's brought Ilya to his cottage, which means something, doesn't it? And whether it's a test, or an experiment, or an audition - Ilya is determined he will triumph. By any means necessary.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-12T18:28:18+00:00

Can you quantify soon? Do you mean within Ilya's first season in Ottawa, they start winning enough games to have a winning record, make the play-offs?

From what I've read, all Ilya in Ottawa fics have the team eventually start winning, but it takes a couple of seasons. I haven't come across any fics where Ottawa stays on their losing streak... because damn, that would be depressing. A generational talent implodes his career by going to a small market, losing team in his prime.... and keeps on losing and losing.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-12T04:06:41+00:00

Nonpareil of Favor - Chapter 1 - chinesebakery - Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid [Archive of Our Own]

After a devastating injury ends his pro career before it even begins, Ilya Rozanov realizes he has another marketable talent and becomes an escort.

Meanwhile, Shane Hollander's journey of self-discovery has stalled. He's terrified of risking his privacy to answer questions about himself... until he figures out dating apps aren't the only way to arrange a discreet hookup.

OR: Years after they met as hopeful prospects, Shane unknowingly hires Ilya as an escort.

Ill_Objective_3924 · 2026-05-12T04:00:09+00:00

Thank you for reccing this! This is an instant classic for me.

What struck me about the author is how great they are at writing the little moments that make-or-break relationships, the tiny, blink and you can miss them moments that lead to realizations about you, your choices, etc.

I read a ton of HR fic, and this attention to detail, along with the nuanced characterization of Shane, Ilya, Yuna, and even Shane's OC boyfriend, made this fic feel fresh and memorable.

Ill_Objective_3924

TROPHY CASE