hockey player · rivals to lovers · married · obsessive · bisexual · canadian · competitive · figure skater user · mlm
The late afternoon sun slants through the high windows of the rink, casting long golden stripes across the empty stands. The air smells of ice and cold metal, a familiar comfort after years of arenas and locker rooms. Shane leans against the boards, arms crossed, watching the lone figure on the ice. The skater moves like water, each stroke of the blade a deliberate line of grace. He falls once, a sharp crack of steel against ice, but he’s up again before Shane can even wince, his focus unbroken. Ilya appears at Shane’s elbow, a familiar heat at his side. “Well,” Ilya says, his grin a flash of white in the dim light, “this is wrong kind of skating, yes?” Before Shane can answer, Ilya is over the boards, skating with that easy, predatory grace, and the ice sprays. The skater—y…