Work Text:
“So we’re just going to set up the camera here, for the opening shot.” The camera man, who had introduced himself as Stevie, was explaining. “And then we’re going to follow you in, a moving shot.”
Ilya let the words and increased technical terms brush over him as he took in the multiple cars and a minivan parked in his driveway. When Farah had sent him, or really them, the original email from Architectural Digest, Ilya hadn’t imagined the video being such a big production. Or that they’d need a whole day to shoot, starting at the crack of dawn. Five am was too early for him to be up in the off season. He usually left those quiet hours for Shane and Anya. But for the sake of Youtube, and finally getting to reveal his biggest secret, Ilya would do it.
Now, if only he could get his brain to turn on. When the knock on his front door had called him away from the coffee machine in the kitchen a few moments ago, Ilya had been expecting one or two camera men and a quiet meeting over breakfast. Instead, an overenergetic Stevie had greeted him, the headlights of the vehicles behind him temporarily stunning Ilya. The excited speech and technical film terms weren’t helping either.
“And we’ll get everything we need today. Very excited to be working with you, Mr. Rozanov!” Stevie was still talking.
“Ilya, please.” Ilya managed, forcing his gaze back to the camera man. “Would you like to come in for coffee?” He really didn’t think the man should have more caffeine at the speed he was talking, but the polite pleasantries came automatically now. Canada was getting to him. David would be proud.
“Of course! We can go over the game plan there. The rest of my guys will work on getting set up outside.” Stevie waved a hand vaguely at the motion behind him.
Ilya took a half breath before stepping aside slightly and letting the man in.
“Shoes?” Stevie was practically hopping.
“Normally off, but for today is fine.” Shane had grimaced as they had reached that decision last night and Ilya couldn’t help the small twinge on his face as he watched Stevie make his way further into his house. He knew they would be mopping all the flours tonight before Shane could sleep. Oh the sacrifices he makes for Youtube.
“Wow, this is absolutely stunning.” Stevie had stopped in the open doorway to the joint kitchen and living room, the beginning of the sunrise lighting the room in soft hues of pink through the large windows.
“I bet you say that to all the houses.” Ilya teased, shifting past him and moving back to his target: coffee.
Stevie’s laugh was bright, “Sometimes, yes. But that is also one of the perks of the job. Getting to see so many beautiful houses. You had this designed, yes?”
Ilya pushed the button for a flat white before he turned. “Yes. With my partner. He is much more into the whole real estate thing than I.”
At those words, as if summoned, Shane appeared at the top of the stairs, a vibrating Anya at his side.
“I hope dog is ok?” Ilya asked with his head tilted in the direction of the stairs.
“Oh. Yes, of course-” Stevie’s voice cut off as he turned. His mouth opened and closed, eyes unblinking as Shane made his way down the stairs, Anya bounding down in front of him.
Here it was. The moment.
Ilya caught Shane’s eye and couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face at the amusement shining in Shane’s eyes. He knew the chances that the people shooting the video might be hockey fans wasn’t zero, and Stevie definitely recognized Shane.
Still, “Ah yes, Stevie, meet my partner, Shane Hollander. Shane, sweetheart, this is Stevie. He’s leading the camera team.” To be honest, Ilya had already forgotten Stevie’s official title but he didn’t think it mattered all that much at that moment.
A small smile crossed Shane’s face and he offered up a “Good morning.” and a handshake to Stevie. Ilya held back a snort as he watched the man move slowly for the first time, apparently shell shocked.
Was it mean he was having so much fun with this? Maybe. When he and Shane had explained their plan to Yuna and David over dinner last week, Yuna’s first reaction had been to protest, but she was quickly drowned out by David’s laughter. When they had informed Farah of their plan on a call the next day, her manic laughter had cemented Ilya’s plan.
The plan? Ilya Rozanov was done with hiding his true self. He was fully settled in Ottawa, in Canada. When the offer to show off his house had come through, Ilya had seen it as a chance to set everything clear. Here would finally be the truth. A peek behind the curtain. A chance look into his house, his home, his life. A life he shared with his new fiance, who also just happened to be the newest member of Ottawa Centaurs (though that information was not public yet), Shane Hollander.
Ilya had permission now, to show the world his love. To love Shane, in public and in private. It had been a very emotional and healing conversation post proposal and the almost plane crash last season and both Ilya and Shane had agreed, it had been long enough. No more hiding, no more secrets. This summer, they were coming out.
And this was the start, a shocked Stevie in Ilya’s kitchen.
“We know the video was supposed to be only about me,” Ilya busied himself making a black coffee for Shane, shooting Stevie a look over his shoulder, “But we also understand if you want to put both of our names on the video, with Shane being second best hockey player and all.”
Shane’s snort was glorious. Ilya could practically feel him relax across the room. “Given that currently you’re the second best, I feel like your name should come second.” Ilya heard him move closer and seconds later felt his warm hand on his hip. Shane brushed a quick kiss across Ilya’s exposed shoulder and moved to the fridge to get Anya’s breakfast ready.
“Hm.” Ilya left the argument open. He turned to Stevie, who was still standing stock still in their kitchen, wide eyed. “Coffee? With milk or no?”
Stevie blinked at him slowly, his gaze moving back and forth between him and Shane twice before a strangled, “Black is fine.”
What followed were some of Ilya’s favorite sounds, the gentle movements around each other in the kitchen. The sputter of the coffee machine. Shane gently offered Stevie a seat at their island and the two of them danced around each other to prepare a quick breakfast. Movements guided by muscle memory.
It wasn’t until a plate with toast and fried egg was placed in front of Stevie that conversation started up again.
“Am I understanding this right?” His question was quiet, but Ilya felt it rock through the room. A final offer to ignore what was screaming loud in front of all of them. To push the elephant back in the closet.
Shane’s shoulder shifted to lean against his and Ilya felt something in his loosen.
“What? Did you think I needed all of this for myself?” Ilya felt a smirk emerge, the caffeine kicking in. He was ready for this.
“We understand this may be a bit more than what you signed up for.” Shane, lovely lovely Shane, gave the man a real answer. “But we thought this might be the perfect opportunity to reveal what’s really going on behind closed doors.”
“Plus,” Ilya butted in. “I know you were going to email Shane next. The whole rivals thing, all that. So, we thought we’d save you the stress of having to drive out to the same house twice.”
“Oh my god.” Stevie’s gaze flickered between them, a growing smile lighting up his face. “Oh my fucking god. Yes. Let’s do this.”
Shane’s startled giggle next to him was like a direct shot of espresso to Ilya’s mood, warming and energizing him from the inside out. Yes, some things were worth waking up at five am for.
*New Video - ArchDigest: Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s House Tour*
Published: July 22nd, 2021
Views: 2,4 mil and counting
Audio description:
Opening shot: The front of a modern house with wooden siding and large windows. A large dark wooden door comes into focus, which opens to reveal Ilya Rozanov standing in the doorway. Shane Hollander is seen beside him, revealed by the opening door.
“Good Morning, AD. I’m Ilya and this is Shane. Welcome to our house.” There’s a playful smirk on the man’s face.
The camera follows Ilya and Shane in, leading to an open floor plan joint kitchen and living room split halfway by a fireplace in the center. Various camera shots follow, highlighting the big open windows all throughout the house, both with the magnificent views of the nature surrounding the house and of the rooms of the house from outside.
Multiple shots are shown of the living room, with a focus on the fireplace and a dog bed beside it. A large, L-shaped couch. A TV stand with a framed hockey video game hung to the side.
Ilya’s voice is heard over the various camera shots. “This is our living room. We need it very big for when we host my team. As captain there are lots of times my teammates are at my house. Sometimes they show up without asking first. Like they are my children or something.”
Shane’s voice interrupts him, tone fond. “Ignore him. He loves it.”
A shot of the view out the living room window to a garden with a hockey net set up in the grass. Followed by a fire pit. “Don’t worry. We cleaned up after last time. Warning, never invite Bood to grill at your place without making him promise to clean up after himself first. Rude.” A shot of a dog, tail wagging as Shane pets her. “Ah yes, this is Anya. She is our child. The best. I had the doors to the backyard built specifically for her.” A shot of the sliding glass doors to the backyard from the living room. “That way she can play and we can still see her from inside.”
Shane: “Ilya worries too much.”
The shot changes to a view of their kitchen. Ilya: “Me? You say this, Hollander?” An amused snort. “Anyway, kitchen. This is boring. We cook. We eat. Groundbreaking.”
Shane: “Again, ignore him. He’s just pretending he didn’t spend four days picking out the correct back splash.”
Ilya: “It had to match the cabinets.”
Shane: “We try to cook a lot more in the off season, but having such a large kitchen also comes in handy when you need to feed lots of hockey players.” A close in shot of a handwritten recipe framed. “This is a recipe from Ilya’s mother. I had it framed as a house warming gift.” An open shot of the very neatly organized fridge. Ginger ale and cola cans lined up neatly next to each other. “This is my domain.”
Ilya: “Shane has a system.”
Shane: “It’s an optimal fridge organization.”
Ilya: “He watched so many influencer videos for this. I am not allowed to move things around.”
The camera moves to Ilya and Shane in front of a practice hockey rink built in the basement. The two of them are still in their day clothes but have skates on and are skating around the rink.
Shane: “I have a practice rink at my cottage and knew we had to have one here, if there was enough space.”
Ilya: “I built space. So much dirt moved.”
Shane: “It’s not like we can do serious practice here, but it’s good for the off season and to keep your muscles warm.” Various shots of them playing a mock one on one game of hockey follow. They aren’t wearing any gear but that doesn’t seem to stop them from playing seriously against each other. Ilya makes a goal just before the scene ends, the camera zooming in on a love struck grin on Shane’s face as Ilya cheers in the background.
The camera shots shift to an in-home gym, complete with two treadmills and plenty of weights stacked neatly against one wall. One wall is entirely mirrors.
Ilya: “Well, we are professional athletes. Work out is practically our job. Sometimes it’s easier just to have it here. I can prove, daily, that I am stronger than Shane.”
A shot of a blue work out ball.
Shane: “Behave.”
The pictures shift to an office space, one wall entirely covered in book shelves. Shane is shown in the shot going through various books and trophies.
Shane: “A lot of stuff we keep at the cottage. Mostly cause the off seasons the only time I really have time to sit down and read. But some of it has made it here. Like this,” A close on a book. “A history of the Ottawa Centaurs. Was a gift from my dad when Ilya traded to Ottawa.” A smile on his face. “My parents were very excited to have a reason to openly support their home team again.”
Ilya: “They like Ottawa better than Montreal. Which is the correct opinion.”
Shane smiles instead of answering and the camera shifts to Ilya sitting at the large desk in the office.
Ilya: “We do a lot of organization for the Irina Foundation here. That’s the charity we set up in memory of my mother in support of mental health. You would think summer hockey camps are easy, with most of the employees being in the off season by then, but it is still work.” A shot of Ilya, Shane, and various other recognizable hockey players framed to the side of the desk. “This is the team from the first season. Was a fun year. Everyone was so scared Shane and I would kill each other.” Shane can be heard laughing in the background. “Price learned the truth that year. Nearly killed him. Good man.”
Shots of the various other photos on the wall. A close up of Shane and Ilya in CCM gear, boyish smiles on their faces.
Shane: “Ilya gifted this to me for Christmas. It’s from the fi-, well, one of the first times we met. This photoshoot is what started it all, you could say.”
A large photo of a sunset on the lake.
Ilya: “This is my favorite. Shane took it last summer at his cottage. This is the view right from the bedroom and it’s my favorite thing to wake up to. Here is great too, but nothing is better than this. So it hangs here, as reminder for the quieter times.”
Two hockey sticks, decked out in Boston and Montreal colors, hang on the wall.
Shane: “These are both from our rookie seasons. It wasn’t until this move that I realized Ilya had also kept his. I guess we’re both just that sentimental. My mother insisted we had to hang them up.”
A framed puck.
Ilya: “Ah this. This is from when I won the first face off against Shane. One of the top moments of my career, you could say. He thinks it’s from winning the cup, but no. I kept the truth a secret from him.”
A music montage of the house follows, shots of various guest rooms and bathrooms follows, all beautifully decorated and matching the overall natural feel of the house. A few highlights show more hanging photos or drawings scattered throughout. One handdrawn family portrait proudly has “Uncle Shane & Uncle Ilya” in children’s crayon letters hangs in the hallway. A shot of Shane’s father, decked out in McGill gear on the ice hangs in one bedroom.
The view shifts to outside, Shane and Ilya both standing on their back porch as Anya runs wild in the yard.
Ilya: “I knew, moving here from Boston, I did not want to live in city. I needed more space. For Anya too.” A shot of the woods, the long winding driveway. “I can still get to the rink fast, but it’s quiet here. Private.”
Shane: “I think it was time for both of us, to finally settle down. When Ilya first said he wanted to build a house instead of buying, I was really stressed out. That doesn’t just happen over night, you know?”
Ilya: “I lived with Shane’s parents for half a season. Was very sad to move out.”
Shane: “My mother was sad too.” He giggles. “You would think she thought you would be helpless on your own, or something.”
Ilya: “Yes, well, I am not on my own. You are here now.”
Shane: “Yes. Yes I am.”
The final shot is of the two of them laughing in the kitchen, smoothly dancing around each other as they make two coffees. Ilya presses a quick kiss to Shane’s lips in exchange for a coffee.
*comments - 15k and counting*
@hockeylover24
ohmYGOD the implications of this????? #hollanovisreal
@centaurs81
I’M CRYING THEY ARE SO IN LOVE YOUR HONOR
-> @hollanovtruther
And they were roommatesssssss
@mrsrozy
Shane Hollander???? And Ilya Rozanov??? Together??? In love??? They have a dog??? Ilya’s lived with Shane’s parents???
-> @shanehollander24
He’s their new favorite child.
-> @mrsrozy
HELLO MR.HOLLANDER SIR
@hockey2481
i’m sorry?? your’re telling me they both kept their first hockey sticks?? ilya has the first puck from their first nhl game against each other?? this is husband behaviour
-> @ilyarozanov
I’m working on that
-> @roz4life
First husbands of hockey???? 😭😭😭
@bostonbearz
ok sir, I see why you moved to Ottawa now. I get it.
-> @shanesgurl
I would move to Ottawa for Shane Hollander 🥰
-> @hockey2481
he built shane a practice rink too???? lover boy roz confirmed???
@ottawaforthecup
They need space for the team? Ilya complaining (affectionately) about the team always being at their place?? I should not have this many feelings about grown men
-> @spazgirl
are we all just ignoring the implications of Shane now being moved to Ottawa?? as a free agent this summer??
-> @ottawaforthecup
If you’re saying what I think you’re say, ahHHHHHH
@hattrixr4kids
Uncle Shane & Uncle Ilya? Excuse me while i cry in the corner here. my heart!!!!!
@hollanovtruther
ok so ignore this if I’m thinking bout this too hard, but was Shane about to say the CCM photo waz from their first time????
-> @hollanovtruther
The implications!!
-> @ilyarozanov
😈
@haydenpike
Of course this is how you fuckers choose to tell the world
-> @hatrixr4kids
Hollanov confirmed??? By Hayden Pike???
-> @hollanovtruther
Gurl this whole video is a confirmation
@yunahollander
❤️❤️❤️