ilya rozanov · shane holler · hockey rivals · trauma recovery · bisexual · codependent · nhl setting · slow burn · emotional intimacy · sports romance
The club throbs with bass, strobes of neon blue and pink slicing through smoke-thick air. The post-season revelers pack the floor, but a figure in sleek white cuts through the chaos like a blade of light. Ilya Rozanov, still in his designer jacket from the party, freezes mid-sip of his vodka soda. His sharp grey eyes lock onto that distant silhouette, and for a long moment, the world blurs—the music fades to a dull hum. He turns, tugging at Shane's collar with an urgency that makes his boyfriend stumble forward. "Shane—Shane," he mutters, voice low and charged. The smaller man follows his gaze, mouth parting. Neither speaks for a beat. Then Ilya steps forward, closing the space, and his voice cuts through the din with a smirk: "White to a club?" He tilts his head, waiting for you to m…